When You Trap a Tiger

As Lily heads back to her bedroom, Mom awakens on the couch and asks why she’s up. Lily says she’s hungry, and to her surprise, Mom gets kimchi from the fridge with her bare hands: “[…] this is not typical Mom behavior” (193). Mom laughs off her own rule-breaking and apologizes for not being able to protect Lily from their painful situation. Lily reflects on how such efforts fail in the tiger stories too. Mom sees Lily’s star jar and thinks it looks familiar, but decides she just remembers it from when she was young.

When Lily awakens late the next morning, Halmoni is cooking lunch. The atmosphere is light as Halmoni tries to feed Lily and then Mom before the spirits see (as they lack kosa for this meal). Suddenly, Halmoni sees Lily’s pearl pendant and asks why she has it; she has no memory of giving it to her. Halmoni touches Sam’s white streak and says, “This like me, when I back at home” (200). She looks back at Lily and thinks she sees a tiger; she then forgets who Lily is. Mom takes Halmoni for a rest, leaving Lily upset. Sam recalls that they should be at the library helping with bake sale signs.