문학과 지성사

Eonni must remember that I’m still here.
Under the paulownia tree.

The day purple paulownia flowers are in magnificent bloom, Jeom ok’i remembers Eonni, with whom she used to play house. Jeom ok’i is a rag doll Eonni cherished as her younger sister, sharing bites of rice made of earth on the side of flower petals. In the peaceful but lively village, Eonni’s family and the villagers breezed through their days, ordinary with occasional glimpses of special memories. Jeom-ok’i was happy to be with Eonni. The puppy Baekdu guarded Eonni and Jeom-ok’i while they played. When the day’s playtime began, just like any other day, Eonni prepared a flower dinner under the paulownia tree for Jeom-ok’i and Baekgu. For reasons unknown to Jeom-ok’i, the puppy stared and barked at a bird on a branch, instead of playing pretend to eat the flowers as per usual. Was he trying to fend the bird off the dinner table? Did he know what was going to happen? Ever since the big bird appeared in the village sky, Eonni stopped making flower dinner. At their playhouse under the paulownia tree, Jeom-ok’i is waiting for Eonni to come back.