Sample Translations
Heung Yong Park Year Zero E ng l i s h
Book Information
Year Zero (영년) Gimmyoung Publishing corp. / 2013 / 15 p. / ISBN 9788934964148 For further information, please visit: http://library.klti.or.kr/node/772
This sample translation was produced with support from LTI Korea. Please contact the LTI Korea Library for further information. library@klti.or.kr
Year Zero Written by Park Heung Yong
Squeak… squeak… Hello. I don’t know what you’ve been feeding him, but he sure looks strong. I mean your cow. Did you hurt your leg? Ah, yes. Climb on! Thank you so much. Squeak…squeak… Oh…You want to know what this is? Your cow is doing great because you’re a wonderful owner. I wonder who I should work for. I really wanted to give it some serious thought, so I’ve been looking for a quiet place to spend some time. Squeak… squeak… Is that booze? It’s for a feast. Squeak… squeak… Wowowong… Whoooosh!… Shooong! Thwack! It doesn’t look like a wedding…
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Or someone’s sixtieth birthday celebration…. What is this…? What kind of feast is this? Clang…Clang… Huh! Wham! Thwack! Bull’s-eye! Step back, or you’ll get hurt! Clang…clang… Second row! Step up! This is a game. Young men from the north village and the south village compete at slinging stones at each other to see who is better at it. They sling stones at each other? They say the village that wins will have a better harvest in the fall. So young men sling stones at each other even if they get hit on the head by a stone. So you mean the two villages fight by hurling stones at each other? Giddyup!...Giddyup!... Humph…humph… Giddyup!...Giddyup!... Smack! Ahhh… Neigh!… Smack! Bak Pan-ju, a brewery owner, lost the right to sell liquor to the Japanese when Korea was
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under Japanese occupation. He became furious and set a distillery owned by the Japanese on fire. He was chased by Japanese soldiers, and he came to our village while running away from them. They say young men in this village drove the soldiers away by slinging stones at them. Ever since then, Bak had thrown a feast for the village every year. The battle of stone slinging had been held on the day of Dano, but because of Bak, the village people changed the date, and instead of villages fighting each other, they just compete by showing off their prowess. Five bull’s-eye out of five throws! The best sling thrower is Kim Gap-sik from the south village. Wow! Four out of five! The second best goes to Lee Yong-pal from the north village. It’s more than 50 meters to that log across the river. Bubble…bubble…. Put the lead Into this tin can and boil it. Splash! Pour cold water here like this. And pour the boiled lead on top of it. Drip drip drip… Wow! The lead looks like small beads now. Doesn’t it? Now put the lead into a bullet shell,
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And close the end of each shell with this paper. I use real small lead beads to catch sparrows and bigger ones for pigeons. The bean-sized ones are for catching pheasants. That’s how I make and use different pellets. So when you shoot, lead beads spread towards your aim. Did you sleep well? Oh yes! It was better than staying at one of the inns. Have some breakfast before you leave! No, thank you. I’m still hung-over from last night. Shhk! Shhk! I’m pumping to compress the air inside the gun. Shhk! Shhk! I will load the lead pellet that I made before, and… Bang! Wow! So you must be a hunter. A hunter? What makes you think… Gap-sik! Look! He’s just holding the sling instead of spinning the leather strap. So? Gap-sik is going to sling that stone without spinning it. Huhp! If someone slings a stone at you using that method, you’ll see the stone coming at you but
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won’t be able to dodge it. Thwack! Oh! Birds in our village fly away when they even hear a sling spinning. This is Gap-sik, the best slinger from the competition yesterday. I’m honored to make your acquaintance. He is a hunter. I told you I’m not! You put my gun to shame. I have to be within 15 or 20 meters to game to shoot it with my gun. I looked around for some birds… But because this village is so famous for slings, I couldn’t even find sparrows even though it’s harvest time now. You won’t find sparrows or pheasants in the village. Is that right? Which is why no hunters come to our village. Ah! I’m not here to hunt. I’m just here to spend some time… I know! I’m the only one who knows. Lots of it is stashed away. Yes. You are the only one who knows it. When you go to that island… There is a cave. In that cave, unbelievable treasures are stashed away.
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Not treasures… Yes, you are the only one who knows. Crazy bastard! It’s too early for that fucking bullshit! During the Japanese occupation, he was dragged away as a slave laborer, and he must have gone through some terrible times because he came back crazy as a bat. That island… is no man’s island. Inside the cave in that island… Yes, Uncle, I know. Treasures are in there. What are you looking at, asshole? I’ll gorge your eyes out and sling them like stones! Uncle, stop! I’m afraid I need to say goodbye here. Is every man in the village a practiced slinger? What? You don’t get callouses on your hand by working with a pick or shovel. I am not a farmer, but I can tell whether a hand is a farmer’s hand or not. The best slinger from yesterday had callouses on his hand like yours. A man who appeared all of sudden with an air rifle said he was not a hunter. I have a feeling that we’ll see each other again. You mean me?
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You can always see me again when you visit our village. Will a sling become more powerful with a longer strap? No, not necessarily. How far can you sling a stone? They say men slung stones at the Japanese soldiers across the river from here. What are you looking at again? I’ll gorge your eyeballs out and sling them away! Uncle, stop! I’ll see you again! No! You shouldn’t eat the rice that was steamed to make makgeolli! Wait just a second. Uncle, have this! Now that I spread the rice on the straw mat to dry it, it’s getting cloudy! Uncle, I’ll get you some more rice. When you go to that island… Yes, I know. There is a cave. In that cave… Unbelievable treasures are stashed away. Seeing how Bong-seok has been babbling since this morning, it’s going to rain for sure. Bong-seok, stop bothering the young lady. I’m not talking nonsense! I know, Uncle. I have this feeling… I have this feeling that I don’t have many days left in me. So listen to me. In that cave, they hid enough military provisions to feed thousands of soldiers.
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Because it’s inside the cliff by the beach, it’s hard to find, but there is a huge pine tree at the entrance to the cave. You can feel the wetness in the breeze. I should get this mat inside the dry room. Wooroooo! Flash! Gyeong-hui! Your brother must be on his way home now. Take this umbrella and go wait for him by the new road. Hurry! Wooroooo! Mr. Kim! If you can’t put all that rice in the dry room, you can put some in my room. Yes! Mr. Bak Pan-ju! You must be the son of Mr. Bak! I came to see Mr. Bak. We are friends. What kind of friends do you mean? What? How do you know him? Oh! The truth is I don’t. I saw the university ring on your finger, and I figured in this village only Mr. Bak would be wealthy enough to send his children to university, so I just guessed. So what do you think about my power of deduction? I think the air rifle in your bag is actually a disguise, and you came to this village on some secret mission. So why are you here? Wooroooong!
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So what do you think about my power of deduction? Ah, yes, it shines just like your university ring! My father passed away, but it’s obvious you have a motive for using my father’s name in order to approach me. Did your father pass away? I really don’t have a motive for mentioning your father’s name other than what I said already. Gyeong-su! I’m so glad we met before it started to rain. Well, goodbye! Plip…plip… shwaaah! Who is he? So how are your friends? What did they want? They criticized me for being irresolute and called me a coward. What do you plan to do? I have no plans. I told them I’ll go back to them when I’ve finally been weaned. Ha ha. Wuuahhhh! Why does he go more nuts when it rains? Ooh-waaaahh! How can I stop him? Don’t bother. He’ll come get his clothes when he gets cold. Ooh-waaaahh! Woorooroo! Bang! Thud! Was he related to everyone in this village?
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Why is everyone calling him uncle? He was dragged away to work as a slave laborer during the war and when he came back crazy as a loon, his parents were dead. He didn’t have a place to stay, so everyone in the village gave him food and a place to sleep. Wait…how old is he? He never got married even at that age, and now he has dropped dead. When did we ever have that many policemen in our village? It was just one bullet that did him in. It struck him in the head and left through the back. But who would… Why… Anyone would… Kill Bong-seok? Looking at the empty bullet shell, the police said it must have been a Type 99 short rifle. Type 99? What is this stick for? Uncle Bong-seok was about my height. So? I cut this stick to my height. You stand there and hold it. But this is where Uncle Bong-seok was found dead. If we start from where the bullet struck in this tree and connect it to the end of the stick that you are holding, we should be able to figure out where the murderer fired from. I don’t know who he was, but he was watching the whole village. Gap-sik, why are you out here so early in the morning? Booong…
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Watch out! Whoosh! I made the sling strap 1.2 meters long, but there is no way I can hit that tree. They say that the range of the Type 99 short rifle is 800 meters. From here, he was able to fire at anyone in the village. He calculated the range of his short rifle, and then stationed himself right here. You are better than the police since you figured out it happened here… Bong-seok was not even sane. Was he so important that he had to be killed? The only stranger in the village was that hunter. But his rifle was a scattergun. By the way, didn’t you say that your family is going to harvest the rice today? Oh, shoot! Our family has a way of using yeast at exactly the right time, and we make sure everything is clean to prevent the alcohol from being contaminated by germs, so it has a crispy taste. Why don’t you try a glass and then decide? I really don’t know anything about the taste of alcohol. I started my restaurant just to sell food, but people keep asking me for drinks, which is why I came to buy makgeolli. I trust you. Mr. Kim! He’s going to deliver it to your place. Of course! You know the restaurant at the three-way crossroad? Yes.
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What is it? It looks heavy. Why didn’t you use a wagon? Nonsense! It’s only one barrel. I don’t need a cow to pull a wagon for this. It looks like it’s going to rain again. I will deliver it. I’m much faster. I want you to go home and study! Drip…drip… drop… Drip…drip…drop…. Drip…drip…drop… I guess Uncle Bong-seok didn’t mean that much to us. He was killed, but the village is just fine, as if nothing really happened. Drip…drip… What would you do if what Uncle Bong-seok said was true? You know the island… and the cave! I don’t think you are walking with me just to talk about that. I’m on my way to wait for my brother. I don’t know why, but his friends keep asking him to see them. How could you trust a person who was crazy? I don’t believe a word… I do! I believe him! Chirp…chirp… Tap…tap! Slurp….slurp… This is the best when you are thirsty. Wanna sip?
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You are supposed to deliver it, not drink it! So you want me to pay for the sip I had? Chirp…chirp… Chirp…chirp… That bird is crying a lot. It’s Bbak Guk. It’s Bbak Guk? Aren’t you dating? I thought you two might kiss. So I’ve been watching for a while, but it’s been boring just watching you two. And what kind of name is Bbak guk? It’s Park Guk, Guk meaning country! Just because I am an actor, you think I have a funny name? Is it true that you followed a circus around? Followed a circus around? Slurp….slurp… After my show, famous gisaengs from the city lined up with rickshaws to usher me to their place. There was an actress whose ass looked particularly juicy, so I gave it a slap or two. Shit, who knew she was the circus owner’s girlfriend. So I got canned. Wooorung! Kung! Kukung! There was a loud thunder on the day Bong-seok was killed. What I’m saying is that I was able to hear the shot that killed him, the shot that was fired between thunder claps. That’s the kind of ears I have. I can figure out the characteristics of a sound and imitate it.
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I am truly gifted, you see, because my ears can pick up tiny differences in sounds. The shot I heard was slightly different from a shot fired from a Type 99 short rifle. Chee-eek-ee-eek! Poo-oo-ook! There was something different about the sound of the shot that killed Bong-seok. Chee-chee-poo-pook! Chee-chee-poo-pook-gwak-aak! It really sounds like a train. Well, to Ryu Gwan-sun, that train sounded like “Liberate my country.” Anyway… The sound of that shot is still ringing in my ears. Chee-chee-poo-pook! “Liberate my country.” I’m off! “Liberate my country!” I can’t just have my mother do all the work at the brewery. I can’t just watch and do nothing when she is struggling to do it all by herself. I feel terrible. I wish you’d just leave me alone. How about your other mother, your mother country? Are you going to turn a blind eye to her and run a tavern? Did you say a tavern? Don’t you know what’s important anymore? Have you forgotten your principles? Since I have to run a “tavern,” I must have gotten drunk already. And I’m not sure if I have the other mother. How could you…! Can’t you hear the people shouting? You think they are just making a ruckus? Rumble rumble!
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Gyeong-su! You reeked of alcohol! Did you drink a lot? Rumble rumble! We oppose! We oppose! Shaaaa! Rumble rumble! We oppose! We oppose!
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