Your Republic Is Calling You (37 page)

Hyon-mi picks up the cat rubbing against her feet, and notices the wool blanket folded neatly on one end of the couch. Her dad spent the night on the couch. She notices a new black watch on his wrist, too. She's curious about a few things but she doesn't ask. If she keeps dawdling she'll be late for school. She goes into the bathroom and locks the door. As she shoves her toothbrush in her mouth, she remembers Jin-guk's rough tongue pushing gently into her mouth. She blushes and shakes her head, hard. But the more she tries to forget it, the more acute the sensation is, causing her to tremble. She sticks her tongue out and brushes it with her toothbrush vigorously. She heaves, tensing her neck and shoulders, blood rushing to her head. She rinses her toothbrush and her mouth. She gargles, the water rinsing everything down to her tonsils, then spits into the sink. She rinses again with cool water and wipes her mouth dry. She feels better. She wonders what awaits her today.

Her mom is standing in the middle of the room, pale, staring at her dad sitting on the sofa. Hyon-mi opens the fridge door and calls out to her mother. "Hi, Mom. Did you sleep well?"

"Hi," Ma-ri replies absentmindedly, then goes back into the master bedroom.

Hyon-mi figures they got into a big fight again. She pours some milk in a cup and drinks it. It's become too cold in the fridge overnight, and doesn't taste as good as usual. She puts down the cup and stretches, twisting her body. She feels more awake and invigorated. She senses a strength building up from deep inside her. Everything is going to turn out fine. She goes into her room, takes out her school uniform from her closet, and closes her bedroom door. A new day.