sohan

Nabi: Summaries with Excerpts, Vol. 13

Chapter 23: Myoun （2）
묘운 (妙雲) (2)

Chapter 24: Aru
아루 (娥樓)

Chapter 25: Chŏk'yŏng
적영（赤英）

Chapter 26: Yisana
이사나 (怡思娜)

Chapter 27: That it/you/one exists or That we/they exist
여기 있다는 것 (存)





Rain continues to fall. Having left Myo'un behind, Ryu Sang walks through the darkened woods as the dreaming form of So'ryu walks alongside him. She informs him that Myo'un is following them.¹ So'ryu talks idly as they make their way through the woods while Ryu Sang ignores (or tries to ignore) her.

¹ The distance between them is given in the book as 500 bo or "steps" (보 {步}); 1 bo is a little over a meter.

pp. 11-18

So'ryu: You know....
(...있지....)

Today's the day Yisana broke it off with me. Isn't he awful?
(오늘은 이사나가 나랑 파혼하겠다고 했던 날이야.)
(너무하지 않아?)

I saved his life and he's calling off a mutually agreed upon wedding...
Maybe he wants to make sure I'll never get married, ² although it probably won't go his way in any case.
(내가 지 목숨도 구해줬는데, 양가 댁 규수에게 파혼이라니....)
(날 평생 시집도 못 가게 만들 작정인지, 어차피 저 뜻대로 되지도 않겠지만.)

Oh! Watch out!
(앗! 머리 조심해!!)

At So'ryu's exclamation, Ryu Sang startles and covers his head as a squirrel leaps out of the trees and scampers away.





² An engagement between yangban families is as good as a wedding in terms of how serious and binding the decision is, so So'ryu means that if Yisana does cancel the engagement, her prospects, not to mention her reputation and the reputation of her house, would be greatly damaged.




So'ryu: You can fool your eyes, but you can't fool your ears, can you?
(눈은 속여도)
(귀는 못 속이겠지?)

Even if you don't want to look at me, do listen. If you want to get out of this forest alive, that is.
(보기는 싫어도)
(듣기는 해.)
(이 숲에서 살아 나가고 싶으면.)

Ryu Sang: You're going to defy the court and even your father to save me?
(조정의 높은 나리들도)
(네 아비마저 외면해 놓고서)
(나를 살리겠다?)

So'ryu: Yes. Why shouldn't I?
(응.)
(그럼, 안 되나?)

So'ryu tells Ryu Sang that the imperial troops are on the move, and the last time* she saw her, Myo'un was doing fine, so they should keep moving.

*It might be just me, but there's something final or even little bit ominous (about So'ryu's fate in contrast) in So'ryu's use of machimakŭro [majimageuro] (마지막으로) here – the meaning is more like "the (very) last." Since she travels between different times, maybe she is referring to a truly last meeting?

So'ryu's dialogue -- (군사들이 이동하고 있어.)
(묘운이는 걱정 마.)
(내가 마지막으로 봤을 때도 겅간했으니까.)
(어서 가자 류상.)

pp. 27-38

Myo'un's thoughts as she follows behind Ryu Sang.



...류상...
너는 꿈이 뭐였어?

Ryu Sang...
What was your dream?

우리가 무기연 서원에서 둥지를 틀고 살고 있을 때,
너는 어떤 새가 되어 어떤 세상으로 날아가고 싶었어?

When we grew up and left the school,
what kind of bird did you want to become,
and what kind of world did you want to fly into?

우리 서원을 지나간 아름다는 유년을 보내고
성년이 되면
어떤 세상으로 나가고 싶었어?

When we left our wonderful childhood at the school behind
and became grown-ups,
what kind of world did you want to go out into?

나는 그런 날을 여러 번 그려보았어.
서원을 떠나는 너를
동구 밖까지 나가 배웅하는 내 모습을
몇 번이고 그려보았어.

I used to think about it a lot.
I saw myself seeing you to off to the outskirts of the village when you left the school
over and over again.

그것은 너와의 마지막
...그리고, 아마도...
내 유년의 마지막.

That would be the end of you and me...
and probably...
my childhood's end.

...내 어린 사랑의 마지막...

The end of my young love...



Myo'un's thoughts then shift to her master, Sŏng Howŏl.



저는 당신 같은 사람이 되고 싶어요.
당신 같은 여자가 되고 싶어요.

I wanted to become a person like you,
a woman like you.

...그때...
그 소망을 입 밖으로 내어보았다면
당신은 정말로 기뻐했을 텐데....

If I had given voice to that wish back then...
you would have been so happy....

내가 류상의 검을 막아섰다 해서
당신의 죽음을 슬퍼하지 않는 게 아님을
당신은 알 텐데...

You would know that...
it's not because I'm not grieving over your death
that I blocked Ryu Sang's sword.

모르는 게 없던 나의 큰 산이여...
찾아갈 테니 기다리라 했던 그 말이 허위가 돼버렸어도

My all-knowing mountain...
Even though those words to wait because you would find us have become a falsehood

내가
당신을 그리고
당신 사랑하기를
그만두는 일은 없을 겁니다.

There will never be a time when I stop missing and loving you.

...크고 큰 나의 산이여...
넓고 넓은 나의 바다여.
당신의 어린 풀꽃이 기원합니다.

My ever vast mountain...
My ever wide ocean...
Your young charge* prays [to you]

*The word here is actually "plant" or "blossom."

저를 지켜봐주세요.
당신의 어린 제자가 당신을 닮아갈 수 있도록
저를 인도해주세요.

Please watch over me.
Please guide me so that I can grow to become like you.





The next section is Chŏk'yŏng's backstory, and starts with Chŏk'yŏng and Aru at the abandoned house of Myo'un's family. It's night, and Chŏk'yŏng realizes that he has managed to make enough money to keep the two of them fed, but the money doesn't amount to much, and it's difficult for someone so young to find much work. Aru is asleep and Chŏk'yŏng is thinking about all the things that has happened so far.

pp. 60-61

부모복은 타고 나지 못했는지 몰라도
나름대로 소소하게 복은 잘 타고 났다 생각한다.

아직 얼마 살지 않았지만 지금까지 어렵지 않게 무난하게 잘 살아왔다고 생각한다.

그 평온했던 밤들은
고난했던 누군가의 낮 덕분임도
...나는...
잘 알고 있다.

Even though I haven't been lucky as far as parents are concerned,
in my own way, I do think I've been a little bit lucky in life.

I haven't lived that long, but I think I've lived an easy and fortunate life.

I... know full well it was thanks to whose hardships that my nights were peaceful.





The next part is a lengthy flashback going back to Chŏk'yŏng's early childhood. He is living in a small house at the edge of a village with his aunt and uncle, a young married couple (probably in their late teens or early twenties). Chŏk'yŏng's's aunt has freckles, wavy hair, and usually has a somber expression. Chŏk'yŏng's uncle is blind and wears a blindfold around his eyes. A scar that goes diagonally across his eyes can be seen around the edges of the blindfold. He is the around the same height as Chŏk'yŏng's's aunt and has a slight build.

pp. 65-66

Chŏk'yŏng: Aunt?
(이모?)

Chŏk'yŏng's Aunt [Sowŏn]: Chŏk'yŏng, you're still awake?
(적영이 안 잤니?)

Chŏk'yŏng [sleepily but with a bright smile]: I was waiting up for you.
(이모 기다렸어.)

Sowŏn: Children can only grow tall if they go to bed early. Don't blame me if you turn out to be a tiny pipsqueak like your uncle.
(어린애는 일찍 일찍 자야 키가 쑥쑥 크는데.)
(너네 삼촌처럼 난쟁이 똥자루가 돼도 이모는 모른다.)

Chŏk'yŏng's Uncle [name not given, I'll update this later if his name is ever mentioned in a later volume]: I can hear you, girlfriend.
(다 들려, 사돈쳐녀.)³

You're home late.
(늦었네.)

Sowŏn: Yeah. There was a lot of work....
(응. 일이 많아서....)

Chŏk'yŏng's Uncle: I see....
(...그래....)

Sowŏn: I'll be late tomorrow, too.
(내일도 늦을 거야.)

Chŏk'yŏng's Uncle: Got it.
(알았어.)


³ 사돈 査頓 (saton / sadon) –A general catch-all designation for a relative by marriage/in-law. Depending on one's generational/familial relation to the person and that person's gender, the form varies (saton + ___). Nowadays most people don't really use or bother with the full panoply of generational/relative appellations.

Relatives-by-marriage who are around the same generation group as you (and unmarried) and male would more often than not be referred to as 1) "saton toryŏng" {sadon doryeong} or 2) "saton ch'onggak" {sadon chonggak}. The latter is more standard, I think. For unmarried female relatives, "saton ch'ŏnyŏ" {sadon cheonyeo} or "saton akassi" {sadon agassi}.

I feel like when the full terms are used, they often crop up in contexts where you're talking about that someone in the third person, especially since in Korean there are ways to omit/avoid appellations completely when you're directly talking to someone. Or in direct conversation, people will just use "saton" or other forms of address would probably.

Ex.: referring to/directly addressing an older relative-by-marriage or among older relatives in the same generation bracket to each other in a general way: "saton ŏ'rŭn" {sadon eoruen}

It's a familial relationship where there's a connection, but no blood relation, so in Korean culture it's awkwardly close and also awkwardly not close. There's a saying that goes, "the further apart your in-laws' house and your outhouse, the better" ('사돈집과 뒷간은 멀수록 좋다') – lit. it's best to keep the shit that goes on in your own house out of the hearing range of your in-laws.

Anyway so Chŏk'yŏng's uncle using the term saton ch'ŏ'nyŏ [sadon cheonyeo] – i.e. highlighting that they're no blood relation – to address his own wife conveys a kind of irony and/or ribbing, so here I would say they're being (gently) snippy at each other.





In a flashback within the flashback, there's a short scene showing how Chŏk'yŏng's uncle lost his sight. He is the brother of Chŏk'yŏng's mother, who is married to the commander in charge of a castle/fortress. The fortress is under attack and he and Sowŏn have been cornered by one of the attackers, who's holding Chŏk'yŏng as hostage.

Chŏk'yŏng's uncle raises his left arm (his dominant arm) to the soldier in exchange for the child, saying that this way the man will have nothing to fear from him. He also offers the soldier the scattered jewels and coins and their feet. The soldier demands that he hand over 'the woman' as well, and to Sowŏn's shock, Chŏk'yŏng's uncle agrees, pushing her toward him.

As Sowŏn walks toward the soldier, the soldier shoves Chŏk'yŏng forward and raises his sword to cut the arm off, and Sowŏn sees a small dagger among the objects on the ground. She grabs the dagger, draws it and turns.

p. 68

...그떄...
내가 조금만 재빨랐다면
적어도 네가 그 눈을 잃는 일은
없지 않았을까...

나는 지금도 그런 생각을 몇 번이나 해.
너는 그런 생각을 몇 번이나 해봤어?

If I...
had been just a little bit faster then
at least you might not have lost your eyes...

Even now that thought crosses my mind all the time.
How many times have you thought about it?



Later in the evening, Chŏk'yŏng's uncle goes out into the night road, a lamp in one hand and Chŏk'yŏng asleep on his back, to go meet Sowŏn as she returns home.

pp. 80-90

Chŏk'yŏng's Uncle: Is that you, Sowŏn?
(소원이니?)

Sowŏn: I told you not to worry.
(걱정하지 말라니까.)

Chŏk'yŏng's Uncle: Chŏk'yŏng gets worried.
(적영이가 걱정해.)

Sowŏn: Walking around wearing shoes full of holes.
(빵구난 신발이나 신고 다니고.)

Chŏk'yŏng's Uncle: Who's going to see them at night?
(이 밤에 누가 본다고 그래.)

Sowŏn: How did things turns out this way for a young noble of Onju Castle...
(온주성(城)의 귀공자가 어쩌다 이 꼴이 되었는지....)

Chŏk'yŏng's Uncle: Sowŏn
(소원아.)

Sowŏn: Hm?
(응?)

Chŏk'yŏng's Uncle: Shall I sell, too?
(나도 팔가?)

Sowŏn: Sell what?
(뭘?)

Chŏk'yŏng's Uncle: My body.
(몸.)

Sowŏn: You knew about it?
(알고 있었어?)

Chŏk'yŏng's Uncle: There aren't a lot of things a woman can do to make money.
(여자가 돈 벌수 있는 일은 흔하지 않으니까.)

Sowŏn: Do you think I'm dirty?
(더러워?)

Chŏk'yŏng's Uncle: I didn't say anything like that.
(그런 말은 하지 않았어.)

Sowŏn.
(소원아.)

Sowŏn.
(소원아.)

Sowŏn.
(소원아.)

Sowŏn: What!!
(왜!!)

Chŏk'yŏng's Uncle: Don't cry.
(울지 마.)

Sowŏn: I really hate you.
(너 정말 얄미워.)

Chŏk'yŏng's Uncle: Sorry.
(미안.)

Sowŏn: You should've kept on pretending.
(계속 모르는 척하지.)

Chŏk'yŏng's Uncle: I couldn't do that. Then it's only you having a hard time. That's not fair.
(그럴 순 없어.)
(너 혼자 힘들잖아.)
(그런 건 불공평해.)

Don't go there again. If you do, I'll go and sell my body, too.
(앞으로 거기 가지 마. 네가 가면 나도 가서 몸 팔거야.)

Sowŏn: All right. I won't go anymore.
(알았어. 이제 안 가.)

Chŏk'yŏng's Uncle: Promise.
(약속해.)

Sowŏn: I promise.
(약속할게.)

Chŏk'yŏng's Uncle: Really promise.
(도장찍어.)

Sowŏn: What's with you, honestly.
(왜 이래, 유치하게.)

Chŏk'yŏng's Uncle (having asked for and gotten a kiss): You've promised.
(찍었다, 도장.)

Sowŏn: Whatever...
(...뭐....)

Chŏk'yŏng's Uncle: The two of us will be able to raise Chŏk'yŏng somehow.
(적영이는 우리 둘이서 어떻게 키울 수 있을 꺼야.)

Let's go, Chŏk'yŏng's going to catch a cold.
(가자.)
(적영이 감기 들겠다.)

Sowŏn: Why did you bring him along when he was asleep...
(너는 왜 자는 애를 업고 나와서....)

Chŏk'yŏng's Uncle: Leaving him alone made me uneasy... Have you been eating dinner?
(혼자 두고 나오긴 불안해서....)
(저녁은 먹고 다닌 거야?)

Sowŏn: Yeah, I've been getting by.
(응. 잘 얻어먹고 다녔어.)




Lying awake in the abandoned house of Myoun's family, Chŏk'yŏng thinks:

결국은 닫힌 그 문이 열리지 않고
둘의 발소리가 두 번 다시 울리지 않는 밤이 계속 됐어도
어린 나는 잘 살아왔음을 [기억한다].

Even though that door, once closed, didn't open again, and even though the night when their footsteps never echoed again went on and on, I remember that that young me lived a good life.

그리고 이제 그 빚을 갚을 때가 돌아왔다.
내가 다 자란 까닭이니.
슬픈 일도 아니고
억울한 일도 아니다.
괜찮다.
나도 할 수 있다.

Now the time's come to repay that debt. It's because I've all grown up, so it's not something sad, it's not something unfair, and it's fine. I can do it, too.





At the Jin house, the matter of Yisana's marriage to So'ryu, despite Yisana's decision, is not finished -- with his mother and even Rojin opposed, Yisana finds that he doesn't have much choice and even his father will be carrying on as though the topic had never come up.

pp. 99-100

Yisana (resignedly): How could I have won against two women to begin with?
(애당초)
(내가 두 여자를 어찌 이기겠느냐.)

In my life there seemed to be nothing I couldn't accomplish by using my illness as an excuse...
(살면서)
(병약을 핑계로)
(이루지 못한 뜻이 없었거늘....)

It seems that things go wrong at the most important moment. I should have left the best for last.
(가장 중요한 순간에 고꾸라지고 마는구나.)
(역시 가장 맛있는 것은 가장 나중에 먹어야 하는 것을.)

Rojin (mischievously): I promise I won't act like a proper sister-in-law to Miss So'ryu and everything.
(소류 아씨께 시누 노릇 안 하고 잘 할게요.)

Yisana: Even if you acted like a proper sister-in-law, I don't think she'd be won over by something like that.
(네가 시누 노릇 해봐야 그분께 먹힐 것 같이도 않구나.)

Rojin: And if there's someone else you like, you can bring her in as a concubine later.
(따로 맘에 둔 분이 계시면, 후에 측실로 들이시면 되고요.)

Yisana: That's not the sort of thing a child should say. I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that.
(어린애가 할 말은 아니구나. 못 들은 걸로 하겠다.)

Rojin has been half joking all this while, but her expression turns more serious as she asks Yisana if he really does have someone else he loves. Yisana recalls someone from his past (whose face we don't see), who, in his memory, is introducing herself as "Sŏng Hwiyŏn (성휘연)" from behind a screen.





Finally, the end of the volume involves the group who survived the events on the emperor's airship (Myo'un, Ryu Sang, Harim, Sŏng, and one of his comrades, Sangha). They've managed to meet up in the woods (So'ryu is still following them, although only Ryu Sang can see her) and still hiding from the Su troops.

In a somewhat comic scene, learning that Ryu Sang spared Harim because Harim began weeping (which Ryu Sang strenuously denies), Sŏng says that someone from his tribe would never fall for such a thing, and congratulates Harim on a crying job well done. [Sŏng seems to have a rather dark/weird and/or very dry sense of humor.]

Since they're still in danger and need to keep a low profile Harim tells the others that he knows of an abandoned shed nearby where they can rest and spend the night. Meanwhile, Sangha argues with Sŏng that they don't owe Myo'un's group anything and that they should head back home. Sŏng seems to want to stay with them, at least for a while.

The group falls asleep on straw in an old building with a hole in the roof, Ryu Sang falling asleep next to Myoun, face tangled in her hair, while Soryu stands alone outside.

We also see a scene from Ryu Sang and Myo'un's childhood, when Ryu Sang had been tasked with reading to the unconscious Myoun. On one of the days, he falls asleep next to her while reading, a very cute scene, although he's also shown as being incredibly annoyed at being made to read to Myoun and vowing that when she wakes up, he's going to make her his lackey for causing him to have to be stuck with such a tedious task. The book he had been reading from, in this scene from their childhood, is a story of someone who meets a prince and lives happily ever after.



Go to: Volume 14 Summary with Excerpts