Day 26: 1950s Letters in the Attic

Dialogue

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1. 1

   C 연락받고 바로 왔어요. 다락에서 뭘 찾았다고요?

   Yeollakbatgo baro wasseoyo. Darageseo mwol chajatdagoyo?

   I came as soon as I got your message. What did you say you found in the attic?

   Line 1
2. 2

   A 네, 사장님. 유진이가 다락 구경 가자기에 따라갔어요. 그런데 구석에 이 상자가 있었어요.

   Ne, sajangnim. Yujiniga darak gugyeong gajagie ttaragasseoyo. Geureonde guseoge i sangjaga isseosseoyo.

   Yes, Mr. Kim. Yujin wanted to go and have a look in the attic, so I went with her. And there was this box in the corner.

   Line 2
3. 3

   B 소민이가 열어 보자기에 뚜껑을 열었더니 누렇게 바랜 편지가 수십 통 나왔어요. 전부 1950년대 거예요.

   Sominiga yeoreo bojagie ttukkeongeul yeoreotdeoni nureoke baraen pyeonjiga susip tong nawasseoyo. Jeonbu 1950nyeondae geoyeyo.

   Somin said we should open it, so I lifted the lid, and out came dozens of yellowed letters. They're all from the 1950s.

   Line 3
4. 4

   C 1950년대요? 이 집에서 그렇게 오래된 편지가 나오다니요! 산 지 이십 년이 넘었는데 다락은 거의 안 올라가 봤어요.

   1950nyeondaeyo? I jibeseo geureoke oraedoen pyeonjiga naodaniyo! San ji isip nyeoni neomeonneunde darageun geoui an ollaga bwasseoyo.

   The 1950s? Letters that old turning up in this house! I've owned it for over twenty years and hardly ever been up in the attic.

   Line 4
5. 5

   A 여기 봉투 좀 보세요. 받는 사람은 '인천 북성동 김순례'고, 보낸 곳은 부산이에요.

   Yeogi bongtu jom boseyo. Banneun sarameun 'Incheon Bukseongdong gimsullye'go, bonaen goseun Busanieyo.

   Look at this envelope. It's addressed to "Kim Sullye, Bukseong-dong, Incheon," and it was sent from Busan.

   Line 5
6. 6

   C 김순례... 들어 본 이름이에요. 이 집에 제일 처음 사셨던 할머니예요. 전쟁 때 피란 와서 여기 눌러앉으셨대요.

   Gimsullye... deureo bon ireumieyo. I jibe jeil cheoeum sasyeotdeon halmeoniyeyo. Jeonjaeng ttae piran waseo yeogi nulleoanjeusyeotdaeyo.

   Kim Sullye... I know that name. She was the old lady who first lived in this house. I was told she came here as a refugee during the war and stayed for good.

   Line 6
7. 7

   B 그럼 전쟁 때 헤어진 가족이 보낸 편지일 수도 있겠네요. 한 통은 "어머니, 저는 무사합니다"로 시작해요.

   Geureom jeonjaeng ttae heeojin gajogi bonaen pyeonjiil sudo itgenneyo. Han tongeun "eomeoni, jeoneun musahamnida"ro sijakaeyo.

   Then they might be letters from family she was separated from in the war. One of them starts, "Mother, I am safe."

   Line 7
8. 8

   A 아들이 군대에서 보낸 편지 같아. 여기 부대 이름도 적혀 있어.

   Adeuri gundaeeseo bonaen pyeonji gata. Yeogi budae ireumdo jeokyeo isseo.

   It looks like her son wrote them from the army. The name of his unit is written here too.

   Line 8
9. 9

   C 전쟁 때 피란민들이 차이나타운 뒤쪽에 많이 모여 살았어요. 이 집도 그 무렵에 지은 거고요.

   Jeonjaeng ttae piranmindeuri chainataun dwijjoge mani moyeo sarasseoyo. I jipdo geu muryeobe jieun geogoyo.

   During the war, lots of refugees settled behind Chinatown. This house was built around then too.

   Line 9
10. 10

    B 그럼 이 편지들을 어떻게 해야 할까요? 저희가 그냥 갖고 있기에는 너무 귀한 것 같아서요.

    Geureom i pyeonjideureul eotteoke haeya halkkayo? Jeohuiga geunyang gatgo itgieneun neomu gwihan geot gataseoyo.

    So what should we do with these letters? They feel too precious for us to keep.

    Line 10
11. 11

    A 저는 시립박물관에 기증하면 좋겠어요. 박물관 홈페이지에 옛 생활 자료 기증 공고가 있었거든요.

    Jeoneun siripbangmulgwane gijeunghamyeon jokesseoyo. Bangmulgwan hompeijie yet saenghwal jaryo gijeung gonggoga isseotgeodeunyo.

    I'd like to donate them to the city museum. There was a notice on its website asking for donations of old everyday items.

    Line 11
12. 12

    C 음, 나는 좀 망설여지네요. 혹시 김순례 할머니 가족이 찾으러 올 수도 있잖아요.

    Eum, naneun jom mangseoryeojineyo. Hoksi gimsullye halmeoni gajogi chajeureo ol sudo itjanayo.

    Hmm, I'm a bit hesitant. Someone from Kim Sullye's family might come looking for them.

    Line 12
13. 13

    B 그럼 박물관에 맡기면서 가족을 찾아 달라고 부탁하면 어때요? 전시를 하면 후손이 보고 연락할 수도 있고요.

    Geureom bangmulgwane matgimyeonseo gajogeul chaja dallago butakamyeon eottaeyo? Jeonsireul hamyeon husoni bogo yeollakal sudo itgoyo.

    Then how about leaving them with the museum and asking them to look for her family? If they're exhibited, her descendants might see them and get in touch.

    Line 13
14. 14

    A 맞아. 우리가 상자에 넣어 두면 또 칠십 년 동안 아무도 모를 거야.

    Maja. Uriga sangjae neoeo dumyeon tto chilsip nyeon dongan amudo moreul geoya.

    Exactly. If we just leave them in the box, nobody will know about them for another seventy years.

    Line 14
15. 15

    C 좋은 생각이네요. 사실 옛날 이웃 할아버지가 그 할머니 얘기를 해 주시곤 했어요. 아들을 평생 기다리셨대요.

    Joeun saenggagineyo. Sasil yennal iut harabeojiga geu halmeoni yaegireul hae jusigon haesseoyo. Adeureul pyeongsaeng gidarisyeotdaeyo.

    That's a good idea. Actually, an old man who used to live next door often told me about her. Apparently she waited for her son all her life.

    Line 15
16. 16

    B 아들을 평생 기다리셨다니... 이 편지가 그 아들한테서 온 거라면 더 소중하네요.

    Adeureul pyeongsaeng gidarisyeotdani... i pyeonjiga geu adeulhanteseo on georamyeon deo sojunghaneyo.

    She waited for her son all her life... If these letters are from him, they're all the more precious.

    Line 16
17. 17

    C 그럼 이번 주에 같이 박물관에 가 봅시다. 내가 이 집 예전 서류도 챙겨 갈게요.

    Geureom ibeon jue gachi bangmulgwane ga bopsida. Naega i jip yejeon seoryudo chaenggyeo galgeyo.

    Then let's go to the museum together this week. I'll bring the old papers for the house too.

    Line 17
18. 18

    A 네, 좋아요. 사장님이 같이 가 주시면 박물관에서도 더 믿어 줄 것 같아요.

    Ne, joayo. Sajangnimi gachi ga jusimyeon bangmulgwaneseodo deo mideo jul geot gatayo.

    Yes, great. If you come with us, I think the museum will take us more seriously.

    Line 18