말자가 물뿌리개를 기울이기가 무섭게, 흙 밑에서 볼멘소리가 새어 나왔다.

[No sooner had Malja tipped the watering can than a sulky voice seeped up from under the soil.]

“그만 좀 부어. 삼십 년을 말해도 못 알아듣나.”

[”Quit pouring, would you. Thirty years I tell you and still it doesn’t sink in.”]

“죽은 양반이 목은 마르시나 보네.”

[”So the dead gentleman gets thirsty after all.”]

말자는 놀라기는커녕 물뿌리개를 마저 기울였다.

[Far from being startled, Malja tipped the can the rest of the way.]

“마르다마다. 땅이 이렇게 질척이는 통에 잠을 설친다니까.”

[”Parched, of course I am. With the ground this soggy I toss all night, I tell you.”]

해골은 흰 꽃 무더기 사이에서 누런 이를 딱 부딪쳤다.

[The skull clacked its yellowed teeth among the tangle of white blossoms.]

“잠은 무슨. 살아생전에도 코 고는 소리에 옆집까지 깼는데.”

[”Sleep, my eye. Back when you were alive, your snoring woke the house two doors down.”]

“그 소리 또 하는가. 오죽하면 내가 먼저 갔겠어.”

[”There you go again. Is it any wonder I went first.”]

“먼저 가긴. 등 떠밀려 간 주제에.”

[”Went first, sure. As if you weren’t shoved along.”]

말자가 나직이 코웃음을 쳤다.

[Malja gave a low snort.]

“뭐? 방금 뭐랬어?”

[”What? What did you just say?”]

“아무것도. 저기 이씨네 안 보이더니, 그 집도 영감이 갔다더라.”

[”Nothing. Say, haven’t seen the Lee family about; word is their old man passed too.”]

“사람은 다 가기 마련이지. 순서만 다를 뿐이고.”

[”Everyone’s bound to go in the end. Only the order differs.”]

“당신은 그 순서를 좀 앞당겼을 뿐이지.”

[”You just moved your own turn up a touch, that’s all.”]

누가 들을세라, 말자가 목소리를 낮췄다.

[Wary lest anyone hear, Malja lowered her voice.]

“들어 봤자 누가 믿겠어. 흙한테 말 거는 노인네 얘기를.”

[”Even if they heard, who’d believe it. An old woman chatting to the dirt.”]

“믿거나 말거나. 나야 심심풀이지, 뭐.”

[”Believe it or not. It’s a pastime for me either way.”]

“그나저나 저 상추, 다 시들었더구먼.”

[”Anyhow, that lettuce, I noticed it’s gone all wilted.”]

“당신 죽고부터 밭일이 손에 잡혀야 말이지.”

[”Ever since you died, farm work just won’t come to my hands, and that’s the truth of it.”]

“신혼 때는 새벽같이 나와 매던 사람이.”

[”And here was a woman who used to be out weeding at first light when we were newlyweds.”]

“좋기는. 당신은 그때부터 잔소리였어.”

[”Good days, sure. You were nagging even back then.”]

“그래도 그때가 좋았지. 안 그런가?”

[”Still, those were good times. Were they not?”]

“좋았지. 그 잔소리만 빼면.”

[”They were. Bar the nagging.”]

말자가 흙에 붙은 꽃잎 하나를 떼어 냈다.

[Malja plucked a single petal that clung to the soil.]

“이 흰 꽃 말이야. 해마다 당신 위로 잘도 피더라.”

[”These white flowers. Year after year they bloom right over you, sure enough.”]

“곱기는 곱더구먼. 무슨 꽃인데?”

[”Handsome things, I’ll grant. What flower is it?”]

“디기탈리스. 여우장갑꽃이라고도 하고.”

[”Foxglove. Some call it fairy gloves.”]

“이름 한번 곱네. 저게 무슨 꽃인지도 모르고 심었나?”

[”A pretty name. Did you go and plant it not even knowing what it was?”]

“모르고 심었을 리가.”

[”As if I’d plant a thing not knowing.”]

말자의 손이 잠깐 멈췄다.

[Malja’s hand paused for a moment.]

“당신, 그날 차 맛이 좀 씁쓸하지 않았어?”

[”Say, didn’t the tea taste a touch bitter that day?”]

“...차?”

[”...Tea?”]

“당신 가기 전날 밤, 내가 끓여 준 그 차 말이야.”

[”The tea I brewed you the night before you went.”]

“씁쓸했지. 그런데 당신이 하도 몸에 좋다길래.”

[”It was bitter. But you kept insisting it was good for me, so.”]

“좋긴 좋았겠네. 저 꽃한테는.”

[”Good for something, all right. For those flowers.”]

흙 밑에서 한동안 아무 소리도 없었다.

[From under the soil there came no sound for a long while.]

“...알고도 마셨느냐고, 지금 그걸 묻나?”

[”Are you asking whether I drank it knowing? Is that it?”]

“묻긴. 그냥 짚어 보는 거지.”

[”Asking, no. Just piecing it together.”]

“알았던들 어쩌겠어. 당신 손맛을 믿었는데.”

[”And what if I had known. I trusted your cooking.”]

“디기탈리스는 심장을 슬며시 멎게 하거든.”

[”Foxglove quietly stops the heart, you see.”]

“한 잎이면 노인 하나 배웅하기 딱 좋고.”

[”One leaf is just enough to see one old man off.”]

“허, 참. 그럼 그날 유난히 곱게 웃던 게…”

[”Well, I’ll be. So that unusually sweet smile that day was…”]

“삼십 년을 참았으면 그럴 만도 하지.”

[”Thirty years of biting my tongue, I’d say I’d earned it.”]

“그럴 거면 진작 말이나 하지 그랬어.”

[”If it came to that, you might’ve just said something sooner.”]

“말해서 들을 양반이었나. 잔소리를 무덤까지 싸 짊어지고 가더니.”

[”As if telling you would’ve worked. Hauled your nagging clear into the grave, you did.”]

“그 잔소리, 지금도 하고 있잖은가.”

[”And that nagging, you’re still at it now, aren’t you.”]

“…그러네.”

[”…So I am.”]

말자가 물뿌리개를 내려놓고 무릎을 짚었다.

[Malja set the can down and braced a hand on her knee.]

“물은 이제 그만 줘. 정말이야.”

[”No more water now. I mean it.”]

“알았어, 알았어. 내일 또 옴세.”

[”All right, all right. I’ll come again tomorrow.”]

“올 거면 상추나 좀 봐 줘. 저러다 다 죽겠다.”

[”If you’re coming, see to the lettuce. It’ll all die at this rate.”]

“죽으면 여기 묻지, 뭐. 당신 옆에다.”

[”If it dies I’ll bury it right here. Next to you.”]

말자가 치마를 툭툭 털고 일어섰다.

[Malja brushed off her skirt and rose.]

“그 꽃만 안 심으면 돼.”

[”Just don’t go planting those flowers.”]

“그건 약속 못 하겠는데.”

[”That, I’m afraid I can’t promise.”]

해골은 흰 꽃 그늘 아래에서, 오래오래 이를 드러내고 있었다.

[Beneath the shade of the white flowers, the skull kept its teeth bared, long and long.]