The Last Tiger

by Julia Riew

“Oh yeah?” he replies. “It must be so hard, sitting in patterned silk, dining on feasts in a mansion every day.” “Hey—you have no idea what I—” “When’s the last time you went to bed hungry?” I fall silent, speechless.

exactly king!

They walk around like they own the place, which I guess they do. They know—and they know that we know—that at any time they can use their ki, their unmatched physical strength, to extract whatever it is from us they want. They know we’re helpless before them. And they use that power on a daily basis, to keep us frightened, to keep us second-guessing.

I can’t believe what I’m seeing. This naked man in the woods is a shell of the mighty officer who strode so coolly into my house only days ago. He’s soaked, shivering, terrified, utterly vulnerable.

It isn’t until much later—once I’ve almost neared the end of the path toward home—that I realize something odd. When the policeman cried out earlier for help, I’m pretty sure that he spoke in Tiger tongue.

He already thinks I’m a snooty, out-of-touch, untrustworthy yangban daughter. I’d rather not worsen his impression by adding lonely and friendless to that list.

There’s one last little leaf that neither of us managed to spot sticking out from her hair. But her smile is what shuts me up. It’s the purest grin of joy I’ve ever seen on anyone’s face. In some way that’s hard to explain, Eunji looks the most like herself that I’ve ever seen her. Something flutters in my chest as I flush with happiness, seeing how wonderful she feels. My breath hitches.

“Your dad caught a cold that day. At some point it must have developed into pneumonia.” Dad found Officer Hiyoshi in the woods that night.

NO

Kenzo chuckles. “In a few minutes, that won’t matter anymore.” “What are you talking about?” I frown.

oh brother… even i clocked it during his father’s speech

She presents me with something wrapped in a cloth. I open it up. Inside lies a pair of two perfect, pristine pencils. They’re fine, high-quality ones, with firm, dark tips. I feel something drop in my chest. I have no idea how long Mom must have saved up in order to afford these. How many nights have we boiled turnips and swallowed the watery broth so that I could take the Exam using these amazing—no, perfect—pencils?

i’m gonna cry

A lump forms in my throat. I haven’t seen her since my dad died; I heard the news of her engagement just a couple of days later. It started a strange, heated feeling in my chest—one that I had to brush away. One that I don’t have time to think about right now.

There it is, on the long, wide board of the students who failed. Written in clear, precise script is my name: Lee Seung. I’ve failed the Exam.

omfg….

Adachi Academy was the prospect of escape: the possibility of being out of the house and away from my family for once. But I never truly looked forward to it until I thought Seung and I might go there together. Now I’ll have to go without him.

“It’s funny,” he continues. “For a short, blissful eight months, I thought that it just might be possible to change my circumstances. To overcome the fate I was handed at birth and grab myself a new one. And, spirits, this is the really stupid part—I started to think here for a second that maybe if I made something of myself, someday, I could be enough for…”

CUT THE CAMERAS

“Of course I feel the same way!” I cry, throwing my hands into the air. “Eunji, I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t felt something for you from the moment you dragged me into that kimchi cellar. If I said that those feelings hadn’t grown over these months. But you—and me? Look at how different our circumstances are.”

“Turn it down?” I shake my head, still giddy. “No, I’d be thrilled to join the Tiger Slayers—how could I turn down your offer if I’m only now just finding out about it?” “We sent the offer letter home during the new year, while you were on break. I just received word yesterday that you’ve declined.” The smile melts off my face.

FUCK HER DAD AND YK WHAT!? FUCK HER MOM TOO

The floorboard under my bed is full of letters addressed to her that I never sent, knowing they’d only exacerbate the pain I caused her that night. In the weeks after, I mused that we might become friends someday—but the months following revealed to me a hard truth: I don’t know if I’ll ever get over Choi Eunji.

For the first time, I think I understand what it must be like inside Father’s head. Being so adjacent to power—having a taste of autonomy—but constantly having it at risk of being snatched away almost feels worse than growing up ignorant and trapped.

“And when you do, she will be executed for her sins. I trust you will comply, Yamamoto.”

oh!

My breath catches in my chest. The sound of a gasp hits the air, followed by a terrible snap interrupting Moonhee mid-sentence.

SHE GOT CLAPPED NOOOO

They used the Exam to bait us. To weaponize our hope and our hunger to climb. To force us to read books that taught us we weren’t their equals, and never would be. The message was subtle. But it was there, nevertheless, on every page. They were the ones with ki powers. They were the masters. Our job was to fall in line with their vision of the world. If we did so, if we were good in their eyes, maybe we’d get a few crumbs of the pie.

“We’re on the run,” Jin says, chewing. “We can’t afford to have lofty principles here. How do you think I kept the Resistance fed and clothed all these years? Don’t worry, I only steal from rich people.”

eat the rich!!! so true

Standing here, admitting to myself even silently that I’ve gone to such impossible lengths because of some offhand words from a guy who rejected me— I feel like a total fool.

“No,” Seung interrupts me. “I don’t believe that you would lead an innocent spirit to her death just to save yourself. That’s not the Eunji I know.”

exactly!

“You…and the cleaner boy?!” Cleaner boy. The words rub at me like salt in a wound. That’s all I am to him. No cleaner boy has ever registered in Kenzo Kobayashi’s world as anything more than background noise.

Why is Kenzo here? To protect you, he’d once said. Come to think of it, since when has Kenzo ever been the protective type? There’s still so much about him that I don’t know. What is really driving him?

“And you should know, Eunji,” he goes on, “I’d never worked so hard for anything until you came into my life. I’d never allowed myself to dream. But for the first time, I wanted—I strived—to be better. I wanted to be good enough—for you.” “Seung.” I shake my head. “You were good enough for me the day we met in the kimchi fridge.”

Dragon residents across the Tiger Colonies are on edge; rumor has it they may be mandated to evacuate the country after power passes into Tiger hands. Even those Dragon people who have lived here all their lives and know nothing other than life in the Tiger Colonies. Debates are raging all over the newspapers about what their fate should be. We may have brought back hope to the country, but that hasn’t yet solved all our problems or removed our old grievances.

I have a feeling that, no matter what, we’ll find a way through. We’re a resilient people. We’ve survived centuries of abuse, occupation, colonization, only to emerge from the ashes every time. Somehow, I am sure of it, we will find a way to survive.