Page 15 of The Last Tiger

“No, no, that’s all right.” Kenzo laughs, shaking his head humbly. “Tonight isn’t about me. I believe that there’s something you’ve been wanting to share, yes, Father? Mr.Yamamoto?”

“Indeed. What a respectful young man you’ve raised,” Father says to Director Kobayashi. He turns to the crowd, his face radiant. “I must thank those of you who have come all the way down from Hannam City for tonight’s event. We are so grateful to have you with us.

“As you know, the Yamamoto family has always been a steadfast ally of the Dragon Empire. Let it be known that we are working tirelessly on behalf of General Isao to help him root out and destroy the treasonous, pro-independence rebel movement.

“Which means, in part, helping to educate our fellow countrymen about the extraordinary benefits of life under the Dragon regime. Director Kobayashi and I are here tonight to show you something that will change our country forever. The future of the Tiger Colonies depends, as we know, on the grace and beneficence of men like you.”

The crowd murmurs its assent. Father nods to Director Kobayashi, who steps forward, carrying a large box. He opens it up, revealing an oblong, round item made of glass.

With a single finger, he flips a switch on the side of the box. The glass bulb bursts—into light.

It’s almost too bright to watch. Cheers sweep through the crowd. I lean forward, my jaw dropping.

It almost looks like a piece of the sun.

Mr.Kobayashi flips the switch again, and the light bulb returns to normal. The audience breaks out once again into applause.

“Oh, this little machine is just the beginning,” Father continues. “You haven’t seen anything yet. The Dragon Empire has promised to bring the Tiger Colonies into the modern age. That means telecommunications. It means, yes, railroads. It means electricity. It means light .

“No more talk of treasonous independence—we must stamp that out together. Tonight, I am proud to announce that Yamamoto Holdings, Inc. will work jointly with the Ministry of Development to expand access to electricity across the Tiger Colonies. We could not do this without your help. We could not do it without the Dragon Empire. And most of all, we could not do it without Governor-General Isao.”

Father gestures to the portrait hanging over the courtyard.

“Thank you, General Isao!” he shouts suddenly. “Long live the governor-general! Long live the Dragon Emperor!”

Father salutes the portrait of the general as the journalists’ cameras flash once more. He surveys the gathering out of the side of his eyes, his face gleaming.

The courtyard bursts one last time into applause.

After two interminable hours of smiling and nodding, I finally make my escape.

By the time I arrive back in my room, Seung’s nose is buried deep in a book labeled From Nation-State to Superpower: An Abridged History of the Dragon Empire . A finished practice Exam sits neatly at his side.

“How’s it going?” I ask, sliding the door closed.

“Quick question,” says Seung, his eyes still glued to the page. “You know those portraits your dad had me hang up around the garden tonight?”

“Yeah?”

“Is this the same guy?”

He turns the open page to me.

Sure enough, there he is—a full-length photograph portrait of Governor-General Isao.

“That’s him.” I nod. “Father worships that guy. Also hates his guts.”

“Your dad knows Isao? The leader of the Tiger Colonies?”

“Unfortunately,” I reply, taking a seat across from him.

“Wow.” As I sit, Seung lowers the book slowly. “Eunji…I have to ask you something.”

For some reason, my heart quickens. I wait tensely as he wets his lips, searching for the right words to say. “Is it crazy…what we’ve been doing?”

What we’ve been doing? Does he mean the deal? The studying? The sneaking around? Or…

“What are you referring to?”

“Well, you’ve been watching me for a while now.”

“Watching you?” A nervous laugh escapes my mouth as I whip my head the other way, looking anywhere else. “What do you mean?”

A confused smile forms on Seung’s lips. “I mean, you’ve seen how far I’ve come…but do you think I actually have a shot at passing the Exam?”

Oh. Of course that’s what he meant.

In the previous few months, Seung has raced through the material on the history of the Dragon Empire and classical literature at an impressive rate, committing to memory nearly a thousand pages of stories, facts, and figures.

He’s struggled a lot with mathematics but lately has almost scored high enough on one or two practice exams to earn a “pass.” And he’s wolfed down the sections on the philosophical foundations of ki as if his life depended on it.

“Seung,” I reply carefully, “if I’m being honest, you started really far behind.

And there’s still a ton of material left to cover in our final month.

But I’ve also never in my life seen anyone work as hard for this as you have.

And at the pace you’ve been working…well, if there’s anyone who might have a shot, it has to be you. ”

Seung falls quiet. There’s that distant look again. Then he breaks out into a grin. “Lucky for me, I’ve got a great teacher.”

“I could say the same.” I chuckle, thinking back to the night I stepped outside with him for the very first time last fall, wearing that ridiculous makeshift cloak.

The room falls quiet.

Seung is still beaming his lopsided grin at me. He has a dimple on his left cheek.

How have I never noticed that before?

“Y’know,” Seung says, “I’ve been saving something special for you in return.”

I wave him away. “You didn’t have to get me anything—”

“Oh, I didn’t,” he says, and I feel dumb. But he keeps on smiling, a twinkle in his eye. “It’s a place. Somewhere special that I haven’t shown you yet. I was thinking, why not save the best outing for after the Exam is over? To celebrate everything between us.”

Everything between us. For some reason, my mind lingers on that part.

“Don’t thank me yet,” I say. “Save it for after the Exam, okay?”

“Deal.”

Outside, I hear the distant sounds of the party. Someone clinks a glass. I stand up. “I should probably get out there. Before they start to wonder where I’ve gone.”

“Okay. I’ll be out of here before anyone sees.”

I close the door behind me, grinning, and make my way down the hall toward the front of the house.

I can’t wait to get out of here and back into the real world.

Seung has taken me to some amazing places—the marketplace, the riverside, into the mountain valleys surrounding the town—but whatever this last adventure is, it’s sure to top them all.

My chest fills with anticipation; I can’t help but smile.

“What’s so funny?”

I freeze. I know that voice.

“Kenzo?”

The boy steps out from the shadows in the corner of the hallway.

“What, no honorific?” As Kenzo roams toward me, the light from the wall lamp catches his eyes. For a second, they gleam a bright amber. “Don’t forget your place, Tiger cub.”

I bow stiffly, hiding my grimace. “My apologies, Kenzo-senpai.”

“Oh please. You know I’m kidding, right?” Kenzo snickers.

I clench my jaw.

“Why have you been avoiding me, Eunji-ji? I thought my childhood playmate would be more…excited to see me.”

“I haven’t been avoiding you,” I lie. And I always hated that nickname.

Kenzo leans in closer, placing an ice-cold hand on my shoulder. He stoops down so that his face is nearly in line with mine—nearly, but slightly above.

I look away, too conscious of the gossip-mongering company that lurks just outside the door.

If we’re seen standing so close together, my image could be ruined and our family dishonored.

I’ve always thought such traditional rules were outdated and inane, but now I pray silently that Kenzo will come to his senses and heed them.

“Look at me,” Kenzo says coldly.

“What are you doing?” I snap, dropping the formalities. I steel myself and meet his gaze. His smile wavers for just a moment, then snaps into an even wider smirk.

“What do you mean? It’s been a whole year, Eunji-ji. I want to see how my old friend has grown.” He studies my face the way a fisherman might examine a freshly caught fish for impurities. “Your face hasn’t changed a bit. Actually, perhaps a bit rounder in the cheeks.”

As his gaze begins to shift lower, my ears burn, and I turn to the side.

“Excuse me,” I say promptly. “I should be out there, helping my mother entertain guests. It was nice to see you.”

Kenzo’s grip on my shoulder loosens. Then his hand slides swiftly down my arm, latching onto my wrist.

“Don’t you want to spend a moment together? It’s been so long.”

I’m surprised at the strange tenderness of his words. Coming out of his mouth, they somehow sound menacing.

I try to form an excuse to escape. “Kenzo, our families, the other guests, they’ll think…”

Kenzo chuckles. “In a few minutes, that won’t matter anymore.”

“What are you talking about?” I frown.

“You know ,” he says, not answering my question. His face goes blank as he waits for my response.

I shake my head. “I have no idea what you’re referring to.”

“Oh. Oh. ” A look of understanding passes over his face. “Did they not tell you ?”

“Not tell me what?”

“Surely you must know that our fathers have agreed upon a marriage between us.”

My heart stops for a beat.

“They’re preparing the announcement as we speak.

You know that we’re to be the very first official marriage between two elite families of the Dragon Empire and the Tiger Colonies?

Governor-General Isao himself has sanctioned the arrangement.

He says it fits nicely into his ‘cultural assimilation policy,’ I believe. ”

What?!

“And I think we’d make a good pair. You’ve always been so…” Kenzo pauses, searching for the right word. “Compliant.”

He’s lying. This must be another one of Kenzo’s cruel jokes. It has to be.

Kenzo looks out the window, unbothered, releasing his grip from my arm. “They’re gathering for the announcement now.” He turns and walks out the door without so much as a goodbye.

My shell melts. I sink to the floor and press my knees into my chest. My ears are ringing.

Anyone but Kenzo, I think desperately. Anyone. I’ve only just turned seventeen—isn’t the courting period not supposed to begin for another few months? And not at least until after I’ve finished my year at Adachi. I shudder as a lump begins to rise up in my throat, higher and higher until—

I jump up as the door slides back open. Kenzo stands there, his hand extended toward me.

The lawn outside the compound has been filled with party guests, gathered with expectant smiles on their faces. The journalists beam eagerly, holding up their cameras.

“Ah! There she is!” Father proclaims. Mother clasps her hands together at his side. Her knuckles are white. “Come out, Eunji. We have an exciting announcement to make— everyone is waiting.”

As I said before, Father is always strategizing.

A union between his family and that of a powerful Dragon diplomat—the very first of its kind—there’s no better way to align himself with the Dragon Empire.

I take a breath, steadying myself.

An image of a bear flickers briefly through my mind. Beside it, a tiger, roaring, hungry. Then I take a step forward, out of the dark room, into the light.