One month later
"Dong Si-yeol is preparing to propose a bill to legalize tattooing as a profession in South Korea."
"Did you get that thing?"
"Yes, it's done."
"Good."
…
Breaking news today: a murder has occurred in the jurisdiction of Gangnam District.
The crime scene was inside the victim's private car. Witnesses stated that they saw the victim drinking with another man who had tattoos covering both his neck and arms.
The two had been inside the bar without any argument or conflict, and they left together at around two o'clock.
However, for unknown reasons, a serious incident later occurred. The body of attorney Si-yeol was discovered dead inside the vehicle, alone. The tattooed man who had left with him was nowhere to be found.
At this time, the identity of the tattooed man from that night remains unknown. No one saw his face clearly, and the security cameras captured only the back of the suspect.
… Gangnam Police Station
"Who is the victim, Lieutenant?"
"The victim is Dong Si‑yeol, a social activist and independent lawyer, fifty-five years old. The body was found inside his car in the driver's seat, sitting normally with the seat belt still fastened. It's presumed that the perpetrator was someone the victim knew well, and that the victim was caught off guard when he was attacked.
There were no signs of resistance or struggle inside the car. The fatal wound was a slash to the neck made with a sharp weapon. There are more than ten cuts along the wound, suggesting the killer waited until the victim had completely stopped breathing before leaving the vehicle."
"Did any relatives come forward to give additional statements?"
"Only a niece came to claim the body after the autopsy. She didn't say much. It seems she had only recently returned to South Korea."
"Was there any interesting evidence found at the scene?"
"There was a weapon left at the scene a small but extremely sharp knife with a distinctive design. It appears to have been used before and contains DNA traces from multiple people. It's an imported knife."
"The victim was a highly capable lawyer with modern views. He studied overseas and was well known among business circles. He was of mixed heritage and had no criminal record."
"An unintentional killing? But the CCTV footage shows that when the two of them walked out together, neither of them appeared drunk or to be arguing…
It seemed like nothing was out of the ordinary. But the cameras at the shop couldn't capture the person's face at all, almost as if they knew the camera angles perfectly. And what does it mean that there were several knives at the crime scene…?
Why slash the throat over and over like that? It's as if the killer stayed to make absolutely sure.
No drugs were found in the victim's body only a certain amount of alcohol. Why choose to park the car in a place where the CCTV couldn't see?
If this is really related to tattooing, there are plenty of tattoo shops around that area.
Then let's start looking for clues from these people first. Tattooists have never exactly been trustworthy, no matter what era it is…"
… Saw Bell Studio
"What the hell is this? Which idiot did some messed-up shit in this area? Now the news is all over every channel making my profession look dirty again!"
The eldest, Yeo-woo, sat watching the news and grumbling like he always did, talking nonstop as usual.
It was early evening after the last customers had left. The four tattoo artists usually scattered around different corners of the studio. Even though they had been working together for almost a month, each of them still had a strong sense of personal space. Everyone kept to themselves, focused on their own work.
Some were designing tattoo patterns, some were checking their tattoo equipment. Sometimes they bought beer, drank together, and talked briefly about the day's work nothing more.
Yobo was the only one who slept at the shop. The others went back to their own homes or accommodations since they all had their own houses and cars.
The first three tattoo artists were fairly wealthy.
Yeo-woo, thirty years old, owned a penthouse worth billions of won, with a high-rise view overlooking the Han River. He also had a sports car and plenty of money.
The second-in-command, Sang-ah, a handsome twenty-eight-year-old party-going playboy, lived in a detached house his parents bought for him. He owned one imported car, one luxury Korean car, a big bike, and a credit card with no spending limit.
As for the woman named Cheon-gal, she also owned a penthouse in downtown Gangnam and drove a black luxury car. She had stocks and various assets as well.
Meanwhile, Yobo had nothing at all. The house he lived in with his father was a government rental. He had no car. The first time he had any real money in his bank account was when Boss Saw transferred him his first payment.
Normally, whatever money he earned would be spent quickly like most young people who always wanted this or that. Drinking, hanging out, buying tattoo equipment. He didn't really have any bigger ambitions. No girlfriend. No particular desire to do anything for anyone.
"Yobo, where's your bamboo needle?"
One day, Cheon-gal was sitting and scrolling through her phone. She glanced toward the tattoo bed where the youngest usually worked. She frowned slightly, then turned to ask, her expression carrying a hint of concern. Her voice was hoarse but strangely charming.
"Why? Are you thinking about getting a tattoo, sis?"
Yobo asked back without taking his eyes off the tattoo design he was sketching for a client.
"I usually see it stuck there. But now it's gone."
Lately he had been using a knife more often for scar-tattoo work, so he hadn't paid attention to the long-handled hand needle that was usually kept in a vase. If the beautiful older sister hadn't mentioned it, he probably wouldn't have noticed at all.
"I'm not sure either. I haven't had time to pay attention," he replied.
His indifferent attitude and blunt answer made the older ones frown slightly at the youngest's carefree nature.
"And the LAN cable for your coin tattoo machine is gone too, isn't it? The one you brought from home. Are you just using the shop's equipment now? Is it even stable?"
The eldest, Seo-woo, spoke up as well. Since Yobo worked in more fields than anyone else, he had more tools and belongings than the others. Because he was always busy with work, his things weren't exactly organized.
"It should still work. Normally I stay at the shop anyway I don't really go anywhere except out with you guys sometimes. It's probably around here somewhere. Once I'm free and clean up my desk, I'll probably find it."
"Maybe a customer took it by accident. Be more careful. Didn't you see the news about what they used to slit that guy's throat?"
"What are you talking about, hyung?"
"The knife you use for scarification tattoos, Yobo. Those things are disposable. If someone took one and used it to do something like that… you'd be completely screwed. You'd rot and die in prison for sure."
The eldest spoke in a serious tone, his expression dark.
But Yobo, who rarely feared anything, didn't look worried at all. He figured his luck couldn't possibly be that bad. Most nights they were together with plenty of witnesses around, and there were cameras in front of the shop too. If someone tried to frame him, he'd fight it out.
"You're overthinking it, hyung. Besides, we wear gloves almost all the time. How would my fingerprints even get on it?"
"No, you're the one not thinking enough. Around here, nobody uses that kind of knife for tattoo work except you. Do you really think the police wouldn't be able to figure that out?"
Because he rarely cared about other people, the youngest tattoo artist in the shop often spoke with a rough, delinquent attitude his tone blunt, slightly provocative, and fearless. It made the older ones want to punch that smart-mouthed face of his almost every day.
"Who's the one collecting and disposing of the tattoo waste from our shop?"
"There's an employee from Mr. Saw's company who comes to pick it up every other day."
"Since you stay at the shop, make sure to remind him properly. Don't let anything slip. That stuff is dangerous. When we have our monthly dinner, let's talk to Mr. Saw about it so he can help figure out how to deal with this."
"Wow, Cheon-gal noona, you're really careful. Is your family full of lawyers or something?"
"No."
The beautiful older woman with long hair, pale skin, and a tall figure liked to wear a kimono over a black T-shirt. Her entire body was covered in Japanese-style tattoos. Even though her aura felt almost as intimidating as a yakuza's, she could speak fluently about legal matters.
She seemed to be subtly warning the youngest who looked rough, foul-mouthed, and rebellious, yet was actually straightforward and sincere as if she sensed that something about the situation wasn't quite right.
Just as the tattoo artists had been discussing, strange events had begun happening.
A social activist had recently started playing an important role in the tattoo community in South Korea, even drafting a bill that would legalize tattooing as a legitimate profession.
But then something unexpected happened.
The bill was suddenly shelved, and no one stepped forward to continue pushing it forward. On top of that, news broke that the murderer was someone covered in tattoos.
As a result, the tattoo artists who had hoped to finally work legally were left deeply disappointed and now they were all under suspicion.
Even though something about it felt unsettling and contradictory, no one could understand why someone would do such a thing. No matter how drunk someone was, or how furious they might have been, it still seemed unlikely that it would escalate to murder.
Because if that were true, it would only ensure that professional tattoo artists would continue to be taken advantage of.
People would keep seeing tattooing as a shady trade something crude, something associated with criminals, something dirty, meaningless, and without dignity.
…
"Inspector Cha-gi, sir, there's another assault case linked to the tattoo-related murder in the news."
"How many cases is that now? Why haven't we caught a single suspect yet? Aren't civilians already filing complaints about the police? What have you all been doing? You know that if I go down there myself, I'll round up every suspicious person!"
"But.."
"Set up checkpoints in the Gangnam area today. Focus on suspicious individuals. I'll go down to the subway checkpoint near Exit Five. Report this to the other districts as well."
"Yes, sir."
One morning, the young inspector sat reading through the reports, his brow constantly furrowed. When another officer came in to report that there had been no new progress in the case within their jurisdiction, his irritation only grew stronger so much that he decided to head into the field himself.
The victim this time was the owner of a tattoo shop in the Gangnam district. That night he had been extremely drunk, so drunk he could barely remember who had led him out of the pub where he had been drinking with friends.
He vaguely remembered being violently attacked someone slashing him across his body with a knife but he had been too weak to defend himself.
Fortunately, someone nearby heard his screams of pain just as he was about to have his throat slit, just like the lawyer in the earlier murder case.
After regaining consciousness, he couldn't give much useful testimony. The only thing he remembered was that the attacker was tall and incredibly strong, kicking and beating him as if driven by long-standing hatred.
At the crime scene, investigators found the same type of knife that had been discovered in the lawyer's murder inside the car.
It had to be the same perpetrator.
But what was the motive?
Was it some kind of conflict within a tattoo gang?
Both cases seemed to point clearly toward the tattoo industry. But if that was true, why would someone kill the very person who had been pushing for legislation to legitimize tattoo artists?
And why would the owner of one of the most famous tattoo shops almost the number one shop in the Gangnam district be targeted?
Was it a conflict of interests?
A dispute over profit shares?
Or simple jealousy and rivalry within the industry?
"Dad, I've got something to take care of today. You can head home first."
"You've been busy lately. Murder and assault cases in your district?"
"Yes."
"Cha-gi, don't get in too deep. If anything seems unusual, tell me immediately."
"I understand that very well."
"Take care of yourself."
"Yes, sir."
…
"Man, today was stressful as hell. The police interrogated us just because the assault happened somewhere in this area. Why do they have to single us out? We spend all our time working in the studio when would we even have time to go around fighting people? What is it with the police and tattoo artists anyway? They've got no logic at all, just forcing their own assumptions. If tattooing ever becomes legal in Korea one day, I swear I'll shove it in their faces."
"Punching a police officer would probably get you an even heavier sentence, hyung."
The youngest, Yobo, interrupted like he always did.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm just complaining. I hate the damn cops."
"Boss said we can just close the shop today. He'll handle everything."
"Man, I love our boss. He really understands his employees. Since we're closing early, let's go grab some drinks and blow off some steam."
"Grilled pork and soju, yeah? I don't feel like going to a club. It's too loud we won't be able to talk about work."
"Yeah. I brought my motorcycle today. Come ride with me, Yobo."
"Up to you, hyung. I don't have a car anyway."
The bad-boy-looking man with gray hair invited the younger one, who didn't look much less rebellious himself. Tattoos ran from his neck down to his legs; he had piercings in his eyebrow and lip, giving him a rough but strikingly handsome appearance that attracted plenty of attention from girls.
When the two of them walked together, they stood out even more. The youngest just didn't care much about anyone or anything he wasn't the type to show respect just for the sake of it. Mostly, he just got annoyed easily.
"Cheon-gal, ride with me. Two cars should be enough in case there's no parking."
"Yes, sunbae."
The eldest tattoo artist invited the only woman in the shop to ride with him for convenience in finding parking, and then the whole group headed out together.