Part. 1
등장인물 : Seongwon (narrator, Shimchong) Steve (Hakkyu)
narrator
A very long time ago, there lived a poor blind man by the name of Shim Hakkyu. And he had a beautiful daughter whom he named Shimchong. It was never easy for a blind man to raise a child all on his own but Shim Hakkyu did the best he could. Together the two of them endured great hardships and Shimchong grew up to be a filial daughter who accompanied her father as soon as she could walk and started helping her father the moment she could speak.
Hakkyu
“Shimchong, these handmade candles are incredible!”
Shimchong
“Thank you father, I used the melted wax from the other candles we couldn’t sell last time.”
Hakkyu
“Oh, Shimchong, what would I do without you. You are the most precious daughter ever!”
narrator
And It was not many years before she was a beautiful, wise woman.
One day, Old Man Shim Hakkyu was out alone and suddenly, he stumbled into a deep ditch filled with water. As he was foundering in the water, trying to climb out, lamenting his bad fate, he heard a voice speak to him from above.
Hakkyu
“Help! Somebody help!”
voice above
“Old man.”
Hakkyu
“Help! Arhh! “Uh? Who’s there? Yes?”
voice above
“I have heard you lamenting about your fate and blindness. If you send 300 sacks of rice to my temple as a tribute, we will offer up our prayers to return your sight.”
Hakkyu
“Oh, my sweet destiny! Really? Yes! It’s a deal! Please help me!”
narrator
Gentle but firm hands that seemed to reach down from the heavens themselves took hold of Old Man Shim Hakkyu’s trembling arms and pulled him out of the water. Shim Hakkyu was so thankful and so full of hope that he momentarily forgot his circumstances, and without thinking, he blurted out.
Hakkyu
“Thank you, kind monk. Thank you! I promise I’ll offer up those 300 sacks of rice! You have my word!”
narrator
It wasn’t until much later that Old Man Shim Hakkyu had the terrible realization that he didn’t have 300 sacks of rice. Why, he didn’t even have three bowls of rice to spare!
Hakkyu
“Oh, no! What have I done! Where am I going to get 300 sacks of rice!”
narrator
That evening, Old Man Shim Hakkyu called in his daughter Shimchong, recounting his misfortune.
Hakkyu
“What shall I do? I was blinded by the fact that someone actually saved my life. Other men are always busy pushing me out of the way or steal from my hands the handmade candles you make. But this monk, he was different. He was kind. All I wanted was to return his kindness, and look what I have done! What terrible thing would happen to us if I am not able to fulfill my promise?”
narrator
That night Shimchong lay on her thin bed mat unable to sleep, worrying about her father’s promise to the monk. It was clearly impossible for Shimchong and her father to raise the 300 sacks of rice as tribute to the temple, no matter how much she pondered it. And by and by, she slowly fell asleep.
In her dreams, an angel appeared and told her one way to get the rice for her father.
angel
“Hello. Go to the harbor.”
Shimchong
“What? Who’s there? Who’s talking to me?
angel
“It’s me, your guardian spirit! Go to the harbor.”
Shimchong
“To the harbor...?“
angel
“There you will find a merchant looking for a young woman. Go with him and he will provide you the 300 sacks of rice.”
Shimchong
“Oh, really? That’s all I need to do for that much rice?
angel
“No, silly. You will be offered up as a sacrifice.”
Shimchong
“What?”
angel
“Things are never free, girl! But remember, in return, your father will receive the sacks of rice.”
Shimchong
“.....Okay, I’ll do it. It’s not easy being a 효녀 these days. But this is it. This is the only way I can save my father and this family.”
Part. 2
등장 인물: Seongwon (narrator, shimchong, merchant 1) Steve (merchant 2, Hakkyu, Dragon King)
narrator
Why did Shimchong’s guardian angel send her to the harbor to meet the merchant? Well, the Dragon King of the East Sea was displeased with the merchant fleet and had sent bad weather and horrible thunderstorms that had sunk ship after ship. To appease the Dragon King, the merchants needed to sacrifice a beautiful maiden, but as of yet they had found no family willing to sell a maiden daughter. Who would do that, right?But Shimchong did, and when she appeared the next dawn and offered herself in exchange for the tribute for her father, the captain of the merchant fleet was more than happy to accept.
merchant 1
“Reeeeeaaaally? You’re really willing to do this? Okay. No time to talk. Let’s do this!
Yo! Send the temple 300 sacks of rice. On Shimchong’s father’s name. But put the delivery fee as 착불! He, he, he.”
merchant 2
“He, he, he. This should definitely please the Dragon King. But, hmm... you’re going to want to run away the minute you step up on that deck. She would do that just like the other coward girls! Tie her up!”
narrator
Although Shimchong told them that she would leap into the waves of her own will, they did not believe her and had her hands and feet securely bound.
In the meantime, the 300 sacks of rice were taken to the temple and the prayers to the Buddha were offered up as agreed. But for some reason, Old Man Shim Hakkyu remained blind.
Hakkyu
“Why... why am I still blind? Was this a scam? Oh, no! What have I done...? I made a promise I couldn’t keep and now I’ve lost my one daughter? What kind of a father am I?”
narrator
Old Man Shim Hakkyu felt so sad, angry, weak and frustrated. Now, he was not only poor and blind, but had lost his only daughter.
The sky was gray and ominous. The sea at first, was only choppy, but then it boiled as if the Dragon King were thrashing his massive body beneath the waves. Lightning flashed from the dark clouds and the wind ripped at the sails. The merchant captain brought Shimchong out of the hold, dressed up in brightly-colored dress.
Shimchong
“If my body serves as a means to Father’s happiness, there’s nothing I should be afraid of. Come on, Shimchong! You can do this! Breathe in....breathe out....happy thoughts.... happy place....”
merchant 2
“Ah come on! What are you waiting for? Jump!”
narrator
Without having any second thoughts, Shimchong held her breath and leapt overboard into the ocean. And just as she disappeared under the waves, the violent seas grew calm and quiet.
Shimchong descended into the deep, deep sea. As she sank deeper and deeper, the water around her grew suddenly bright with light and she found that she could breathe. She looked around her in wonder as the minions of the Dragon King approached her, released her from her bounds, and escorted her to the magnificent underwater palace. She saw crabs and jellyfish and wonderfully crafted sea shells. She was having the time of her life seeing all the wonders of under the sea. And there she dwelled happily with the Dragon King.
But after a time, she was homesick for the world of the surface, and she longed to see her dear father again. Her cheerful face grew sad, and it came to the notice of the Dragon King.
Dragon King
“Shimchong, I cannot bear to see your unhappiness any longer. I have seen that your filial piety and your selfless devotion are far greater than that of any other person I have known.
Shimchong
“Thank you, your majesty.”
Dragon King
“It touches my heart to see your concern for your poor father. So, as a reward for your devotion, I will send you back up into the world above.”
narrator
And with this, the Dragon King transformed Shimchong into a beautiful... not a normal human being, but a giant lotus flower. (sarcastically) Yes. Of all things... A GIANT, LOTUS, FLOWER.
Part 3.
등장 인물: Seongwon (narrator, fisherman, shimchong) Steve (king, Hakkyu)
narrator
Shimchong, who turned into a giant lotus flower by the Dragon King, appeared at the mouth of a river along the coast, and the local fisherman, awed by the beautiful but grotesque, decided to make it a gift for the king. The King was recently widowed, and known to be in a deeply mournful state of mind. The fisherman hoped the bright flower would lift his spirits.
fisherman 이선균
“Here, I have brought you a beautiful lotus flower as a gift, your majesty.”
king
“Oh, I have never seen in my life a lotus blossom this beautiful. I shall build a special room and have it installed in there.”
narrator
The King rewarded the fisherman for bringing in the lotus with some sacks of rice. Then, he had the giant lotus flower installed in its own special room where he would stand for hours each day, admiring its beauty. And each night, Shimchong would emerge from the blossom, and at the crack of each dawn, she would disappear into it again.
king
“It has already been six months since I laid eyes on you, oh, beautiful giant lotus flower. And my fascination for you did not wane. Why are you a lotus? Why are you giant? Oh, I don’t know, but how I wish you were a person...to answer all of these questions on why you are... oh, so big.”
narrator
One moonlit night, the King was restless, and as he wandered the palace, he found himself standing in the middle of the chamber where the giant lotus flower had been installed. He slowly walked closer to the lotus to gaze upon it in the moonlight. But what he saw was far more wonderful, a woman so beautiful it took his breath away.
king
“Who... who are you?”
Shimchong
“It...is only I... It is... I... who... who live in the giant flower...”
narrator
Shimchong tried to hide herself, but when she turned, she found the giant lotus flower had disappeared. The King was startled to see Shimchong but eventually fell in love with the girl who came out of the giant lotus that he had adored for so long. And Shimchong came to be the King’s bride.
There was a magnificent wedding, and they passed their days together in great happiness, but the King sensed a great sadness about his new Queen. One day, he found her weeping in the garden.
king
“I cannot bear to see your tears. Tell me your wish, any wish, and it shall be granted.”
Shimchong
“Please let there be a great public banquet, with musicians and lots of food, and I want roses everywhere. No, lotus flowers, please. I want all this to celebrate our marriage, and one more thing: let all the blind men of the Kingdom be invited. That is what will make my heart glad.”
king
“Whoa! I was actually expecting you to say ‘I want a ring or a necklace...’ But OK. I’ll give you all you asked for.”
narrator
The King honored his Queen’s somewhat strange, weird and bizarre request, and he had the whole palace filled with music, great food and lots and lots of lotus flowers. He also had, from all corners of the kingdom, the blind men, mostly beggars, come to the banquet to celebrate the wedding. For three days, they came to drink, dine and talk about lotus flowers, and each day, Shimchong, the new Queen, watched from behind her curtains, hoping that the next blind man might be her father. But it was to no avail.
narrator
On the last day, as the gates were closing and the Queen had turned sad again, a loud racket was heard outside. The servants were turning away a blind beggar who had arrived too late. And just as the gates were closing, the Queen happened to glance backwards to see that under the dirt and dust of his long journey, the old man was holding something in his hands.
Shimchong
“Good man, what do you have in your hands? What are you holding?”
Hakkyu
“This is the only thing I have left from my precious daughter. She was such a talented girl!“
Shimchong
“Oh, my lotus flower! Is that... a handmade candle?”
Hakkyu
“Yes! How did you know?
Shimchong
“I,...I... fa....Father!”
“Father! It is my dear father! Let him in!”
narrator
Old Man Shim Hakkyu slowly stepped inside, nearly losing his balance from the shock of hearing the familiar voice.
Hakkyu
“아이고! 심청아! Are you a ghost? Is this a joke? My daughter! Is that your voice I hear? Why do you smell like a lotus flower? Let’s have a look at you, my dear daughter!”
narrator
Old Shim Hakkyu opened his eyes wide, and when he did so, he found that he could suddenly see. Before him was his daughter, as beautiful as he had ever imagined! Shim Hakkyu wept with joy and embraced her, and she, too, who was no longer a poor girl but the queen of the kingdom, teared up with joy. From the reunion with her father, Shimchong realized her special power to open the eyes of the blind. So, she spent the rest of her life opening the palace to gather and help every blind man restore his vision. But before being a queen, she was Shimchong, the most filial daughter ever, who jumped into the sea, befriended the Dragon King and was turned into a giant lotus flower, and she lived happily ever after with her father.
