Once I was home, I made a dash for my room, landing on my bed with a huff. I rolled onto my stomach as something wriggled onto the bed, waddling towards me. I smiled, picking up the little bundle of prickliness, kissing its head. It was my 3-month old hedgehog I named Gongjung Geune, which meant Trapeze. Tae Il and Hyun Ki had bought it for me at the beginning of summer break so that I wouldn’t be bored when they were gone during the day working.

I absolutely adored Gongjung Geune to death, the ball of prickliness sticking to my side every part of the day. It must’ve been devastated when it woke up from her sleep on her bed and found I wasn’t there. I held her in my hand, rushing downstairs in time to see Tae Il bust through the front door, hand on the gun tucked in his back pocket. He spotted me next to the flight of stairs, rushing over, pulling me into a bear hug. I smiled, hugging him back, making sure Gongjung Geune wasn’t harmed.

He picked me up fireman style, bringing me to the kitchen, sitting me down on a stool. Hyun Ki suddenly appeared behind him, arms folded.

“You want to tell us what happened today Vi?”

I hesitated before raising my hands, signing what had happened today, from the time that I got to the school till the moment Hyun Ki picked me up, even more hesitantly including Jiho’s remarks and comments. By the end I was nearly hysterical from remembering the cruel nightmare, tears threatening to spill.

Hyun Ki and Tae Il both hugged me, ruffling my hair. I hugged them back, placing Gongjung Geune onto the counter, burying my head into their shoulders.I looked up, breaking away as Gongjung Geune waddled to close to the edge and got me nervous, scooping her up in my hand, going to the pantry to feed her some food.

“We’re going back to work and won’t be home until late. Can you manage while we’re gone Vi?”

I nodded without looking back, knowing the places in this house would keep me company. I put Gongjung Geune’s food plate onto the floor near the fridge before walking to lock the door behind my brothers, changing into my gymnast leotard, skipping up the stairs to the room labeled ‘Undong Lum!’ The Exercise Room!

It was a large room, the largest in the four bedroom four bath house, decorated with mirror’s on each side, a ballet barre on one side, work out machine’s on the other side, the floor nothing more than cheerleading mats glued and stapled to the floor securely. I went straight to the uneven bars, throwing on the gloves, coating my calves, feet, and hands with the chalk powder near the corner. I sighed, shaking myself to loosen up, my hands gripping the shortest bar, hoisting myself up.

I did a few warm ups before really starting to practice. I jumped from the short to tall bars, twisting, flipping, and gliding through the air, landing on my feet steadily, stumbling a few times when Gongjung Geune entered, settling down in the corner, watching me as she slowly had her afternoon nap. I continued, moving from the bars after an hour, to the vault, doing a few hand springs and flips.  It calms me.