The Moonlight Tattoo Shop I returned to was darker than before. It felt warm here before, but unlike last time, it felt somewhat eerie. Maybe it was because I slipped in through the back door? Or…
'Because the moonlight is too weak?'
The round beam of light, coming down to the massive procedure machine in the center of the room, cast a crescent shape today.
'…I don't think it's business hours.'
...I'd never read a record about that.
I crept forward, one careful step at a time… and locked eyes with the dark counter.
"…!"
The curly-haired tattooist, neck covered in dense Hangul tattoos, stood behind it.
The shop's owner.
She looked at me with even darker eyes than before, then lifted a single notice.
[Guests with fur are requested to don a gown before entering.]
Oh.
I quickly spat out the stamp I'd been holding in my mouth. As my body grew, I shifted back into human form, albeit that of a child. As soon as my mouth returned to human shape, I hurriedly spoke.
"Um, I'm sorry for entering through the back door—"
My face was grabbed.
"…!!"
The tattooist, wearing black gloves, clenched my face in one hand and stared at me from every angle. Front, back, left, right.
Her black eyes drilled into me.
Dilated pupils. Black. So jet-black that it felt wrong. Humans usually had visible whites of the eyes, right? Why couldn't I see any white? The tattooist towered over me. Growing larger by the second. Her deep-green curls lengthened, filling the air like seaweed. The small, cozy, professional interior I'd remembered felt alien now, an unfamiliar space of incomprehensible techniques and styles.
'What? What is this?'
My mind spun with confusion and blaring alarm bells as I realized I was trapped in the ghost story itself…
No.
"Um."
I forced my mouth to move.
"Could I… be in my cat form?"
...
Thud.
The tattooist released my face. I shoved the stamp back into my mouth without even pausing to process the disgust, and my body shrank, returning me to feline form.
"...Meow."
Everything returned to normal. I was once again in a small, cozy, professional tattoo shop, facing a kind, characterful tattooist.
"Is this… okay?"
And I spoke in a child's voice.
"…!"
No, I really spoke in a human voice.
"Uh… yes."
The tattooist rifled through the counter and pointed to another notice.
[Comfortable communication guaranteed]
"..."
Now that I think about it…
'The Moonlight Tattoo Shop owner never speaks a word.'
And the sign I'd seen before coming in…
'…It wasn't written in Hangul.'
Yet I'd read it perfectly. I mean, if not for this disquieting feeling, I'd have assumed it was in Korean all along.
Even the tattoos I'd thought were Hangul on her neck might not be…
"..."
Indeed. A strange, ghost-story twist.
'Stay on guard.'
The owner's lack of malice applies only to tattooing—nothing more. I've got to remember that.
But her reaction just now confirmed something.
"…You inspected me because I came in as a child through the back door, right? …Children are more vulnerable once infected."
!
The tattooist lifted her head.
Of course.
'This shop accepts only sea-related items as payment.'
And there's the Mermaid Grave connection. Eyewitnesses even mentioned a back door.
A back door is usually 'staff-only', after all…
"…Ms. Owner."
I very carefully extended a forepaw.
"…I found this back door in the ruined underwater city."
The tattooist's eyes swirled.
"Um… Was this shop here originally?"
Silence.
"Are you from that city?"
Silence.
"Why did it end up like that? Children are being deceived and dying…"
Sadness filled the tattooist's eyes. Instead of the usual swirl, they shimmered with moisture.
I wet my parched muzzle and spoke, "There are still children there now. Is there any way those children could leave through this shop's front door…?"
Thunk.
The wall vibrated as the tattooist slammed her pen down. Thick pen strokes trembled, carving out enormous letters in earnest.
NO
"I see. I understand."
My heart felt like it would burst, but my lips moved smoothly.
"…Because they're infected, it won't work? If so, perhaps…"
Please.
"About the source of infection, the strange clusters of flesh… could you tell me about them?"
...
The tattooist picked up her pen again.
With a trembling hand, she tore a memo pad's sheet from the counter and began to write.
Tiny characters pressed firmly onto the paper.
Two strokes. I could see the pen's movement carving each line. Finally, she flipped the note around and showed me the completed word.
■■
"..."
Huh?
I didn't understand its meaning, but I could still pronounce it. So… then…
"■■!"
A shock shattered my mind. Images whipped by.
StrangecreaturesrisingfromtheglowingsurfaceSilentmitesclingingtoedgesbitingandregrowingandburrowingevenifyoupickthemoffandpickthemoffandpickthemofftheygrowagainandinvadethecityofgreatwavesResearchersstudiedsuicidedeathfromsubterraneanlabsspreadingcontaminationScreamsEscapeattemptsThefinalark'ssinkingTheconch'slamentNOContaminatedchildrenChildrenSeverinfectioncordsScreamsBewarethechildrenItishellRemovetheconchDonottrustTheinfectionrunsrampant…
"Cough—"
Blood burst forth. Not just from my mouth, but my nose and eyes, from every mucous-lined orifice. The shock made them bleed. The tattooist gasped and hurriedly poured a lemon drink into a bowl, offering it to me. I didn't know if cats could even drink it, but I drank deeply.
Focusing on the taste of the sour, bloody lemonade on my tongue, I forced the images from my mind…
Bitter as it was, inspiration struck.
'Just now.'
An explosion of meaning lay buried in those two symbols. Was that the true language of the Mermaid Grave? I wasn't sure I'd fully understood. If I could, I wouldn't be human.
But one thing I knew for certain.
'The tattooist originally came from the Mermaid Grave ghost story.'
And for some reason…
'The conch.'
That Angel's Sigh item was deeply tied to this crisis…
Strangely, two utterly opposite images were fused in that conch.
'Healing and death.'
It was spine-tingling.
…If seen through a child's eyes, what would the conch look like?
"…Tattooist-nim."
I swallowed the sour, bloody taste.
"Could you tell me… what you thought of the conch-shaped object you remembered?"
The tattooist's lips moved, revealing only the shape of the word. I read it.
Filth.
Disgust. A sense of uncleanliness and unease. Even knowing it posed no rational threat, the horrific imagery left a powerful, repellent after-image. The space around the tattooist shimmered again…
"I see. Understood. …Thank you."
Was that it?
Having calmed her, I began to piece together all the clues I'd gathered so far.
"..."
My vague grand plan finally began snapping into place with these finer puzzle pieces.
Even if it was my own hypothesis…
'If this is right.'
By pushing things to the very limit, there was something worthwhile to attempt.
'Good.'
My mind cleared.
What I needed now were the conditions to support this plan, and the abilities to satisfy them.
And, by a stroke of luck, I had just entered the very shop where I might purchase those abilities.
"I'd like to talk about tattoos now, if that's all right…"
The tattooist nodded in understanding and quickly held up another notice.
[Procedures on underage individuals require a guardian's consent.]
"…Yes. I'm not planning to get a tattoo right this second."
Given the insane power of the Tomato Tree tattoo stickers, I'd need to be extremely cautious about any permanent ink here…
Even if the artist had only the best intentions, everyone's standards were subjective, and irreversible results could happen.
So, instead of a permanent tattoo, I asked again for a temporary effect.
"…Do you have stickers for, you know, simpler designs like this?"
The tattooist tilted her head and began reaching for the booklet of designs. The same 'Royal Special Premium #1 (Customizable)' I'd chosen last time…
No!
"That's fine. Just the basic style, please."
At last, a plain booklet appeared. Whew.
'Because I don't have the money to pay for fancier work…'
I'm such a beggar…
I don't even have enough for pearls. I'd thought about scavenging something from Mermaid Grave, but judging by her reaction, I'm glad I didn't.
I nodded at the very simple design she indicated.
"Great. Let's go with that."
Then came the real question. I forced out the words.
"So, about the cost—"
Tap, tap.
The tattooist knocked on another notice.
[Write a review and receive three free tattoo stickers (basic designs only)]
...!
...
"So… Where should I write it?"
And so I had the odd experience of tapping out a review with my forepaw: 'The owner is kind and highly professional.'
Where that review ends up… well, let's not think about that right now. What mattered was this.
'Escape safely from this crazy ghost story with the largest group possible.'
And I had just acquired the ability to do it.
In my quadruped form, I bowed politely and concluded my second visit to the Moonlight Tattoo Shop.
The agreed-upon time with the agents was fast approaching.
"Agent Bronze."
Ryu Jaekwan turned his head.
His senior, who'd been playing with the kids and just waved goodbye, was approaching.
"Agent Choi."
The moment the children disappeared from view, Agent Choi's smile faded.
"There's none left."
"..."
"I guess we really have no choice this time, Bronze-ah."
"I…"
Jaekwan clenched his teeth.
"I told you we should leave yesterday…!"
"..."
"Breaking the rules, giving false hope…"
"I know."
Agent Choi habitually mimed putting a cigarette to his lips, then caught himself and laughed softly.
"But at least we tried our best. No regrets that way."
"..."
"That's what I think."
Ryu Jaekwan quietly clenched his fist.
"And besides, we didn't break the one truly critical rule… not revealing the truth about this place."
"..."
That was right.
The Bureau already knew.
Twinkle Twinkle Ocean Palace is a hallucination induced by hypnosis.
Many agents had confirmed this during missions.
And while they all tried rescuing the children in adult form, each attempt ended in utter failure.
If an infected child is forced onto the escape boat, they undergo acute molting and develop ulcers all over, losing all vital signs.
Never attempt this.
The children transformed into ordinary infected creatures and their bodies would burst, killing them.
After such missions, agents suffered severe trauma and nightmares, often never returning to duty. Since then, the Bureau stopped telling new agents the truth upfront.
"Grapes still doesn't know."
"..."
"Let's keep it from him. Got it?"
Ryu Jaekwan nodded.
At that moment.
Whoosh.
A small shadow flickered near the alley entrance.
The two agents who'd been watching immediately turned to a defensive stance.
Ryu Jaekwan frowned.
"Just now… I thought I saw a cat's shadow…"
"A cat?"
Agent Choi let out a nervous laugh.
"Aigoo, you mean something that just looked like a cat… probably nothing."
"..."
That's right. You can't trust appearances here.
Though this place would dazzle you with the innocence of children, they had already seen what lay beneath.
Ryu Jaekwan slowly crouched and peered around the alley corner. And… he saw the unexpected.
Life-sized clockwork animal figurines walking down the alley.
"…Daydream Inc."
"…!"
The Field Exploration Team of Daydream Inc.
Perhaps due to those eerie animal masks, they always appeared in the bizarre form of a 'cute animal-themed drinking fountain', making them stand out even to a child's eyes.
This time was no different.
One had a beautiful butterfly perched on it, another was shaped like a cute pony, and the last resembled a friendly-looking goat.
To a child's eyes, they were simply adorable decorations. But.
"Hm."
Approaching silently, Agent Choi pulled out something that glittered like wings.
It was a suncatcher made of glass.
'Suncatcher'.
It looked crude, like something made by a child, yet emitted an uncanny light even though there was no sunlight. When raised to the eye… The truth would become visible.
"…It's them. Damn, these guys are good. They look totally normal, too."
Ryu Jaekwan likewise raised his Suncatcher and checked them. Three people in suits. Animal masks. Butterfly, pony, and… Goat.
"..."
That one.
Ryu Jaekwan gripped the glass tightly, blood running cold. He recognized that guy.
'Kim Soleum's coworker…!'
It was the man in the black goat mask he had seen at Sekwang Technical High School.
Recalling the conversation with the one in the buffalo mask at the time, it was clear this man knew Kim Soleum fairly well.
'If that's the case.'
If, by some chance, someone recognized Kim Soleum's features hidden beneath a child's appearance.
If they started asking questions.
'No.'
He couldn't allow that damn company to track down someone who had barely managed to get out and rebuild his life.
Ryu Jaejwan's mouth opened on its own.
"Agent."
"Mmh?"
"Wouldn't it be better to subdue them and drive them out now?"
"Oh."
Agent Choi shrugged his shoulders.
"Bronze-ah. We've got only one day left. Why stir up trouble now?"
Of course, the Disaster Management Bureau already knew that the damn company was sneaking into this place using some private route only they were aware of.
But they hadn't acted on it. Fighting them might only lead to civilian casualties.
Resources were best used to save more people, to end the supernatural disaster more effectively.
"Let's just keep an eye on the kids instead, just in case."
"..."
"…Is what I should say!"
A twisted smile spread across Agent Choi's face.
He looked at one of the staff.
The one wearing the butterfly mask, stamped with a gold emblem.
"…An elite team member is here."
A dangerous glint flashed in Agent Choi's eyes.
"If we toss them into a glass cell for obstructing official duties, I bet we'd get some prime intel."
"...!"
"Let's go."
The agents began to move.
"A-Assistant Manager!"
Jin Nasol clutched her throbbing head and looked toward the dumb brat sprinting toward her.
"Over there, over there…!"
And behind him, there were mer-children chasing after him. Only, they had no tails.
"Special variant, huh."
Jin Nasol's index and thumb extended unnaturally, revealing a sharp, chilling thread of silvery wire between her nails.
"…What a drag."