Winter's proposal for her art project got rejected again for the second time. The girl is now upset and fed up after her hard work is wasted again. As soon as she met with her friends at their studio, the girl greeted them with her sulking face and her friends couldn't help but to fell into complete confusion.

"Wait- he rejected your proposal again?", Chaehyun asked and the sad girl nodded her head weakly and took her seat across from Chaehyun.

"He said my work lacks emotions, fuck him...", Winter sighed heavily. Chaehyun and Ning look at each other, completely understanding Winter's feelings right now.

"Well, what can you even do? It's your bad luck to get him as your consultant", Chaehyun said.

"I can reason with him because he's right, eonni. Your works look so plain-", Ningning's words cut when she received a soft smack from Chaehyun on her back.

"Hey! I said facts-"

"Oh, you shut up", Chaehyun cuts her again.

"Why are you two my friends again?", Winter asked with her sulks.

....

Painting is always Winter's passion since she was a kid. She likes to draw ever since and always gets praised by everyone seeing her drawing. She always got an A in her class and that's also the main reason she continued her degree in arts.

Her first-ever canvas painting in her first semester got praised by every inspector. Her skills in matching colours, brush strokes, and even random drawings were all praised. She got an A in her first semester.

But it all changed when she get into her second semester. New professor, new subjects, new projects. She got to know her professor was one of the deadliest professors in their major when it comes to art. He wanted everything to be perfect in every aspect.

Including emotions.

"This is your what proposal?", he asked. The girl put her head low in guilt before answering his stern voice question.

"Third sir", Winter simply answered.

"Winter Kim, I know you got the skill. You may be the best student in your whole class when it comes to your drawings and paintings. But you lack one thing, and that is emotion", he said.

"I like you, Winter. But all your works are so plain and have no meaning when you didn't put any emotions into them. I admit your work is indeed impressive, but I couldn't see the message you want to express to your audience", he continued.

"I'm sorry sir", is all Winter can say.

"No sorry. I want you to find that emotion"

"Try showing me something new next week"

....

Winter sighed for the tenth time that day. She needs to find and fix one thing. But how can she do that?

"Emotions? Where the heck can I find that?", Winter cursed on her own as she take her strolls on the narrow roads filled with old shops.

Chaehyun and Ningning suggested she find the emotions she lost by having some sexual intercourse with someone. They even said that she needs to go to a club, get drunk, and become someone's one-night stand. They even suggested she date someone to find that specific emotion. But hell, no. Winter ain't doing it for the sake of Mona Lisa.

As Winter walked down the path, she stopped in front of a mysterious tattoo shop. The signs are in aesthetic brown and the vibes are dark yet intimidating. Winter couldn't believe that the idea of her friends suddenly crossed her mind at that moment.

"A one-night stand huh?", Winter sneered once, dumbfounded by the sudden idea that comes to her mind.

She pushed the fully black tinted door open and the bells attached to it rang, but surprisingly Winter saw no one inside.

"Hello?", she greeted but got no reply.

"Hello? I'm here for a tattoo", she said and still, no one was there for her.

Winter quietly took her seat on the empty waiting chair, looking around the tattoo shop interiors. The walls are painted dark brown, with latte cream, and black. There are old newspaper advertisements taped to the walls and pictures of tattoo references beside 'em. A big crimson red coloured curtain area for the artist's works and Winter could guess behind that curtain is a tiny couch for tattoo works.

"Not bad", is all she could say before the other door behind the curtain was wide open, revealing a tall woman in a ponytail in a black leather jacket with her smoking pod inside her mouth coming closer towards Winter.

"Sorry, couldn't hear you", is the only words she said before sliding the curtain open for Winter.

Winter couldn't lie to herself but the moment the artist came out from that door, her poor heart stopped beating for a while.

The artist is tall, indeed. Her high ponytail revealed her sharp jawline and tiny face. The aesthetic lighting inside the shop just makes the taller girl's visual easily can be seen. How the leather jacket wrapped tight around her body shows the perfect curve of her waist. That skinny jeans and boots compliment her perfect skinny legs much more.

How can she be a human?

"Hey. Come and sit", the artist said with her deep voice once with her small gesture, instructing Winter to come closer and sit on the designated couch.

But Winter is gulping her nerves all over.

"Girl. Come and sit so I can do your tattoo", she called again and Winter was finally brought back to her sense. The small girl slowly stands up from her seat, walking in her tiny nervous steps before slowly landing her butt on the medium soft couch.

Winter had never been this nervous to anyone, even her deadly professor. But this woman besides her was something else and Winter couldn't help but feel like this woman is the death of her.

"Hey", the artist called for her again.

"Y-Yes?"

"How can I do your tattoo when you are so quiet?", the artist sigh once with the smoke from her pod coming out from her mouth. Winter can tell the smell.

It's grapes.

"Hey-"

"A small heart!", Winter blurted out her words. The artist went quiet for a while before putting on her gloves and reaching out her tools. When she faced Winter again, the tiny girl was still frozen in place and didn't even move a flinch.

"Where?", she asked in a deep voice.

"U-Under... my navel...", Winter stuttered.

"Okay... Can you- lie down? So I can do my work?"

"Oh-", Winter immediately realized her mistakes and slowly lay down on the couch. She ain't lying that this woman besides her was the death of her right now.

Instead of feeling the burns on her skin, Winter realized that the artist was looking straight into her eyes for a few seconds and Winter felt goosebumps all over her body. Hell, she can even wet her pants right now just because of that deep intimidating gaze.

"Your pants, please", the artist said once and it sends Winter's hands into a mess.

The tattoo she requested is under her navel. Of course, she needs to pull down her pants a bit, unless she wants to burn her pants.

"Oh- sorry", Winter answered as she slowly pulled down her pants just a bit under her waist bones. It's kind of embarrassing, to be honest, but the artist just doing her job. That's it.

The artist wiped her skin with an antibacterial wet tissue in a few strokes of movement. It is cold, sure. Winter hitches because of the coldness, but she could endure it well.

The moments the artist touched her skin, Winter felt like choking. Her breathing suddenly becomes so heavy and the distance between them just makes it worse. But the worst part is how Winter can feel the breath and the smoke from the artist hits her belly softly, thus making Winter's heart thump like crazy like never before.

"Shit", is all she can say through her ragged breath.

Winter never had sex with anyone before. Yes, she didn't. Even tho she's beyond that age to freely have sex with anyone she likes, she never did it. She knew how people describe sex as breathless and heaven, and she never understands it before.

But Winter thinks she got it now, even tho it wasn't because of sex in her case.

Each touch of the artist's hands sends Winter trembling. The cold breath hitting her skin is goosebumps to each of her senses. She closed her eyes tight, holding the sides of the couch for dear life, wishing the session to be done as soon as possible, or maybe longer.

"Done", is the stern tone that came out from the artist as she put her tools back in place. She took the necessary ointment layers to put on the freshly drawn tattoo before covering the part under Winter's navel with a thin piece of plaster.

"That will be twenty thousand won", the artist said as she pulled off her gloves and stood still beside Winter.

Finally, Winter can breathe.

Winter scrambled to look for her purse and later handed the artist the amount she needed. When the artist received the money and slip it inside her jeans pocket, Winter still sitting on the couch quietly despite receiving a confused gaze from the artist.

"Aren't you going?", she asked.

"May I know your name?", Winter asked like it was the most normal question to ask the person you've just met.

"Why do you want to know?", the artist asked back, didn't give Winter the answer she wanted.

"Because I'm curious", Winter simply answered.

"And why are you curious?", the artist asked her again.

"Because I'm interested"

"Interesting", the artist scoffed once before taking her pod right into her mouth again, inhaling it once and breathing out the grape flavour smoke into the air.

"It's Karina Yu. Satisfied?", the artist said as she took off her jacket at dumped it on the empty couch.

Okay, now Winter is triggered by that white crop top shirt.

"Can I come again tomorrow?", the girl asked and the artist lifted her brows in confusion.

"If you want a new tattoo, yes..."

"My name is Winter Kim!"

"Well, I don't ask"

"Do you like art?"

"Can you just... leave?"

"Your shop looks too plain. I can put some paint up for you!"

....

Winter got kicked out of the shop, yet she didn't regret her visit. The area under her navel might sting a bit, but Winter doesn't care any more. Chaehyun and Ning might be the reason behind the idea why Winter came for this tattoo, but now she felt like this was the best decision she's ever made.

One-night stand? Winter doesn't need it anymore.

Emotions? Huh.

All Winter needs is the smoking hot tattoo artist named Karina Yu.

The perfect artwork of god in humanity.

"I found my emotions!"