Kevin (aka Big Hominid) mentioned in the comments to the birthday post that the restuarant where I dined was named “Nolbu Myeong-ga.” He alluded to Nolbu being a character in a Korean fable and suggested that I have a Korean tell me the story. So, courtesy of Ms. Kim, Yong-im I share the following:

이제 내가 흥부와 놀부의 이야기를 들려 줄게~
It’s a story time. The story about Hungbu and Nolbu…

옛날에 흥부와 놀부라는 형제가 살았습니다.
Once upon a time, there were brothers whose names were Hungbu and Nolbu.
동생 흥부는 마음씨가 착했고, 형 놀부는 심술쟁이 , 욕심꾸러기였어요.
Younger brother, Hunbu, was very kind.
But older brother, Nolbu, was grumpy and very greedy.
부모님이 돌아가시자 놀부는 흥부네 식구들을 쫓아냈어요.
As soon as thier parents died Nolbu foreced Hungbu’s family to leave the house.
흥부는 자식이 많은데다가 가난하기까지 했어요.
Hungbu was very poor and had many children to feed.
흥부는 놀부네 집에 가서 보리쌀을 달라고 했어요.
Hungbu went to Nolbu’s house and asked some boiled rice with barley.
그런데 놀부의 아내는 밥주걱으로 흥부를 철썩 때렸어요.
But Nolbu’s wife slapped his face with a rice spetula.
결국 흥부는 빈손으로 터덜터덜 돌아왔어요.
So Hungbu had to come back home with bare hands.
따뜻한 봄이 왔어요.
Spring had arrived.
가난한 흥부네 집 처마 밑에도 제비들이 집을 짓고 알을 낳았죠.
Swallows nested and laid eggs under the poor Hungbu’s eaves.
어느 날, 제비집에 구렁이 한 마리가 나타났죠.
Oneday, a snake showed up to eat swallows up.
흥부는 급히 구렁이를 쫓았지만 새끼제비 한마리가 다리를 다쳤어요.
Hungbu shooed the snake but a chic had a broken leg.
그리고 흥부는 정성껏 보살펴 주었어요.
Hungbu took care of it sincerely.
가을이 되자 제비들은 흥부네 집을 한 바퀴 돌고는 하늘 멀리 날아갔지요.
When it came fall, swallows circled around the Hungbu’s house one time and flew away.
다음해 봄이에요.
It was next spring.
어디선가 제비의 노랫소리가 들려왔어요.
There was a bird singing somewhere.
그리고는 제비가 박씨를 떨어뜨리고 갔지요.
Then a swallow dropped a seed of pumpkin and disappered.
흥부는 박씨를 담 밑에 정성껏 심었어요.
Hungbu planted the pumkin seed closed to the fence.
며칠 후, 금세 박씨는 쑥쑥 자라기 시작 했죠.
Few days later, the pumpkin started to grow already.
그리고 커다란 박이 주렁주렁 열렸어요.
And huge pumkins grew in clusters.
흥부와 아내는 박을 탔어요.
Hungbu and his wife saw the pumpkin.
첫 번째 박에서 흰쌀이 쏟아져 나왔고, 두 번째 에서 금, 은, 보화가 나왔어요.
White rice was inside the first pumpkin.
Gold, silver and treaures were in the second one.
그리고 목수들이 나와서 대궐 같은 집을 지어주었죠.
Carpenters showed up and built a mansion for Hungbu.
그리고 놀부는 제비 다리를 일부러 부러 뜨리고, 제비의 다리를 고쳐 주었어요.
On the other hand, Nolbu broke a pwallow’s leg on purpose and cured it.
제비가 박씨를 가져다 주었죠.
The swallow brought a pumkin seed to him.
박이 열리고, 놀부 부부는 박을 탔어요.
It produced plenty of pumpkins and Nolbu cut them with saw.
첫 번째 박이 갈라졌는데 똥물이 쏟아졌어요..
When the first pumkin was opened, there was flood of dirty waste.
두 번째는 도깨비들이 나와 몽둥이로 마구 두들겼어요.
Spooky monsters came out from the second pumpkin strated to beat him with sticks.
그리고 세 번째 박은 마귀들이 나와서 집을 부수어 버렸어요.
Finally witches from the third pumpkin destroyed his house badly.
그리고 흥부를 찾아가 용서를 빌고 흥부와 놀부는 의좋게 살았다고 하네요.
Nolbu ran to Hunbu’s house and begged forgiveness.
Hungbu and Nolbu lived happily ever after.