The Tattooist and the Vlog

Finding a tattooist... just the thought of another man tattooing Yerim’s skin makes me sick. He’d touch her hips, graze ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her thighs, and scan her body with his eyes. Ugh, how horrific! I’d rather do it myself! I pulled up the Lanevo video magic and searched for "tattoo magic." A bookshelf materialized before my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eyes, but there were far fewer options than for video-related magic. Even without applying any filters, there were only about five books. Why is this?

Yerim rested her chin on her hand. "Hmm, it seems this is a field that mages aren't very interested in. Do they dislike drawing tattoos with magic? Maybe they prefer the traditional needle method?"

"Ah, that must be it." I could guess why tattoo magic development wasn't popular. A hand-poked tattoo is like a handcrafted item, while a magically drawn one feels like a mass-produced factory product. That’s why development is sluggish, and since there’s no competition, the magic is expensive. A vicious cycle.

"I don't have nearly enough mana to buy this on top of everything else. I'll just have to solve this with money." Yerim pouted, her lips sticking out. But what choice did I have? I had to prioritize. I’d have to find a female tattooist.

"I'll buy you something delicious later. Don't be mad."

"Do you think I'm the kind of person who always gives in for food?" Even as she said that, her eyes were sparkling. It seemed she had already changed her mind. Thank goodness.

"Then I'll just learn the video magic. Once I learn it, I'll run out of mana and the connection will cut off! Hold on tight." Yerim tapped her waist. I suppose that meant I should hold her? I leaned in and wrapped my arms around her waist, and she looked up at my face. Then, she planted a quick kiss on my cheek.

"Aw, what was that for?" I couldn't help but laugh. Yerim giggled at me, too. "Because you're cute. Hold on tight!"

Yerim pressed the purchase button, and the library began to bleed into darkness. It wasn't as dizzying as last time. The lights went out one by one, and we stayed in place as if holding onto a rope, before returning to the bed.

"That wasn't as dizzying as last time."

"I guess we're getting used to it. That's a relief."

Naked, Yerim rolled across the bed toward me. I hugged her and inhaled the lingering scent of her shampoo. Holding such a soft, warm body, I felt like I was going to get hard again. But Yerim didn't seem to be in the mood for sex right now.

"Oppa, I'm going to turn on the recording magic."

Hm? Ah, right. If we bought it, we had to try it out. Yerim pulled the blanket up to our necks. She smiled, looking into the void. "Oppa, smile too!"

"But Yerim, where am I supposed to look?" Without a camera, I had no idea where to focus. If I wasn't careful, we'd end up with a weird video where we were both looking in different directions.

"Oops. Let me check for you, Oppa. The marker function..." Yerim waved her hand, and a green dot appeared in the air. "The tutorial is so helpful. Use this when you need to look at the same place."

Heh. Lanevo provided much better features than I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thought. I lay there, staring at the green dot, and grinned. Yerim kissed my cheek repeatedly and made a V-sign. "Hello, it's Yerim! Today, I wanted to show you how Oppa and I spend our mornings, so I recorded a video!"

As she said that, she covered her chest with one hand and pulled the blanket down. Our upper bodies were exposed. "As you can see, we always sleep naked. So we can do it whenever we want! Video, end!"

Huh? Already? And the dialogue was a bit strange, too. But Yerim seemed desperate to see how the video turned out. "Oppa, close your eyes! They say closing your eyes helps with the editing."

"U-uh, okay." As I closed my eyes, the video from just a moment ago suddenly unfolded vividly before me. Yerim and I were lying there, smiling at the camera—the place where the green dot was supposed to be. It was a perfect overhead shot, just like in a vlog. In the video, Yerim was smiling brightly, kissing me, and even revealing her chest. She said her lines, and the video ended.

"My god..." The video quality was incredibly crisp. But that wasn't the issue. I could move around inside the video and set the perspective. Right now, it was looking down at us from the position of the green dot, but I could change the angle to see us from the side, or even look up from beneath Yerim's chest. With this, I could capture a scene from every possible angle. I trembled with excitement. It was a short video, but it was more than enough to experience the power of Lanevo. With this, we could film porn, upload it, and earn mana. Yerim could transform into various people to film even more videos, and we’d be rich!!!!

"My god. This magic is absolutely amazing...!" Yerim and I sat on the bed, dazed after exiting the editing mode. We were so overwhelmed by the lifelike video that we couldn't even move. And... "It feels different from a mirror. It's weird because it moves."

"Me too, that doesn't look like my face. I look ugly." I was a little hurt because my face in the video looked a bit uglier than usual. That’s strange. I thought I was handsome when I looked in the mirror.

"Hm? No, it doesn't. Oppa is cute." Yerim had a look on her face that suggested she truly believed I was cute. What the hell, don't make my heart flutter like that. She reached out and stretched my cheeks. As she moved her hands, her H-cup breasts swayed back and forth. They were a sight to behold. But even looking at her breasts, the desire to have sex had vanished into thin air. I was too excited to start filming. What concept should we try first? Our first time? Or something hardcore? Ah, I'm going crazy!

Perhaps noticing I was lost in thought, Yerim gently brought it up. "Umm— shall we eat, and then go find a place to get a tattoo?"

Ah, right. The tattoo. We ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠needed the tattoo to film the video. But that video from earlier... it really looked just like Yerim. I should think about the room a bit more after we get the tattoos. I threw on the pants and t-shirt lying next to the bed and headed to the refrigerator. It was Oreo O's this morning. I hope she likes it. I poured the milk and cereal and brought it to the table. Yerim, who had sat down first, was full of anticipation. She sniffed the air, taking in the sweet scent. "Mmm, wow! It smells so good! What is this?"

"Cereal and marshmallows. Just try it."

Yerim carefully scooped up the cereal. She was trying to get a black cookie and a piece of marshmallow on the same spoon. Even though it was her first time eating Oreo O's, she knew exactly how to eat them. She took a bite and chewed. Her expression changed by the second. She was surprised by the crunchy texture, then delighted by the sweetness spreading in her mouth, and finally, she had an ecstatic look on her face as she chewed the squishy marshmallow. "Uwaaa..."

She's cute. While Yerim ate, I turned on Instagram. Would there be a tattoo shop around here? When I searched for tattoo shops near Konkuk University, quite a few appeared on Instagram. I filtered out the male owners and looked only for female tattooists. When I searched again with #FemaleTattooist, the results were cut in half. I scrolled through the feeds, scanning the posts. But they all looked mediocre. If I was going to do this, I wanted it to be somewhere pretty.

Then, one tattoo caught my eye. What grabbed my attention was a ribbon-shaped tattoo on the back of a woman's thigh. It looked like a garter belt ribbon drawn on bare skin. I could feel myself swallowing hard. Even to someone like me, who knew nothing about tattoos, the colors looked incredibly soft and beautiful. A pink ribbon. How erotic would that look if it were drawn on both sides of Yerim's hips? I checked the account owner. Tattooist Yuda. Should I inquire via DM? But something written in the profile caught my eye: 'Women-only tattoo shop! I do not accept male clients. Sorry for the inconvenience.'

Hmm. I suppose it would be fine if I just tagged along, right? I sent a DM.

A moment later, a reply came back.

I wanted to know the approximate price before going. If I went for a consultation and they said 1.2 million won, it would be embarrassing to just walk out without paying. As if reading my mind, Yuda sent a photo of the price list. 10,000 won per 1cm of lettering. 150,000 won per 10x10cm. Mini tattoo 3x3 70,000 won. Additional charges depending on detail. Extra cost for color. I did a rough calculation in my head. Between 850,000 and 1 million won. It wasn't impossible, but it was a burden... Ah, screw it, if I run out of money, I'll just go do some warehouse work at Coupang on the weekend! I vowed heroically. Then, another DM arrived.

I glanced at Yerim. She probably didn't have an Instagram account.

The "typing..." indicator looked like a sigh. It shrank, then grew. She wrote and erased. She seemed to be having trouble saying something. Was she put off because my profile picture was a man? I pondered how to prove it and chose a photo of Yerim right before she kissed me.

No response. What is she thinking?

That worked out well. I checked my work schedule. I didn't have to be at work until 3 PM, so I had plenty of time. In that case, let's eat and go for a consultation with Yerim!

***

Tattooist Yuda zoomed in on the photo Kang Min had sent. Especially on Yerim's face. "Your girlfriend is... pretty..." Yuda sighed inside the studio. Even though it was summer, she was wearing a long-sleeved black lace cardigan that covered her upper body. Her lower body was tightly wrapped in jeans. Thick glasses. Piercings in her ears and tongue. A rose tattoo on her shoulder. Soft goth fashion.

I replied, "Understood." They'll be here for a consultation soon, right? Yuda stood up and put water on the electric kettle. She wanted to drink some warm tea. While the water boiled, she leaned her head against the wall. It had been a really long time since she’d let a man into her studio. "I'm scared." Yuda wrapped her arms around herself. A chill, colder than the air conditioner, seeped into her body.