Summary

Whenever Hornclaw comes home, she greets Deadweight. Deadweight’s indifference to her “makes them a perfect match” (115). Before leaving, she always shows Deadweight she has left the window open for her. She leaves it unlocked or open so Deadweight can escape should something happen to her. She talks to Deadweight often, which gives her “a peaceful stillness” (117). Always trying to prepare “Deadweight for the future,” each time she leaves, she tells her she will be back (118). She always said this to Ryu, too.

When Hornclaw was 15, her father left her family. Because her mother could not support the children on her own, Hornclaw went to live with her cousin and his wife, whom she called Oppa and Eonni. Throughout her time with them, Hornclaw felt happy and rich. She began to see her own family home “as a pigsty” in comparison to her...