Epilogue

EPILOGUE The old man shut the door of his office and sank into his leather chair. He swung around toward the window, propping his feet on a ledge. They hurt more than usual today. At his age, he disliked long walks. From below, the muffled sound of traffic wafted upward, the frustrated shouts of motorists, the frenzied calls of sidewalk vendors. A constant reminder of life's true desperate meaning— speed, desire, possession. He was tired of it all. But it wouldn't be long now. The proper path was finally clear. He flicked on his music system. Richard Strauss's Death and Transfiguration. Oddly appropriate, after what happened today. A stressful day. What was necessary was not

老人关上办公室的门，坐进他的皮椅子里。 他转身朝窗户走去，把脚搁在窗台上。 今天比平时更疼。 在他这个年纪，他不喜欢长距离散步。 从下面传来低沉的车流声，驾车者沮丧的喊叫声，路边小贩的疯狂叫卖声。 不断提醒着我生命的真正意义——速度、欲望、占有。 他厌倦了这一切。但现在不会太久了。 正确的道路终于畅通了。 他打开音乐系统。 理查德·施特劳斯的《死亡与变形》 奇怪的是，在今天发生的事之后。 紧张的一天。什么是必要的，不是吗

always pleasant. Ah, well. First the death. Now the transfiguration. He pressed a button on his intercom. "Eun-hee, please contact Mr. McIntyre for me. I have some news for him." He waited a few seconds but received no response. Strange. Eun-hee had been there when he walked in a few moments ago. She never left her desk in the outer chamber. "Eun-hee…?" he tried again. The intercom crackled to life. But the reply was not at all what he expected. "Hello, Uncle," said a deep, silken voice that sent a knife of fear down his spine. "I trust your trip to the park was pleasant?" Bae Oh's bony finger began to shake. "Who… who is this?" "Why, it's your heir," the voice returned. "What, did I spoil your day? And what a lovely day it was indeed, seeing me die and thus realizing you were spared the trouble of doing the job yourself."

总是令人愉快的。啊,好。 首先是死亡。现在是变形。 他按了一下对讲机上的按钮。 “恩熙，请帮我联系麦金太尔先生。 我有些消息要告诉他。” 他等了几秒钟，但没有得到回应。 奇怪。几分钟前他进来的时候，恩熙还在那儿。 她从来没有离开过外间的办公桌。 “恩熙……？”他又问。 对讲机噼里啪啦地响了起来。 但是，这个回答和他所期望的完全不一样。 “你好，叔叔。”一个低沉、柔软的声音说，让他感到一阵恐惧。 “我相信你的公园之旅很愉快吧？”裴欧瘦骨嶙峋的手指开始颤抖。 “你……你是谁？”“啊，这是你的继承人，”那声音回答。 “怎么，我毁了你的一天吗？” 这真是多么美好的一天啊，看着我死去，你就知道不用自己动手了。”

"But…" Bae Oh sputtered. "How could you have survived…?" "A lot of people are wondering this. But I guarantee that when I'm through with you, they won't be asking the same question." Bae Oh may have been in his ninth decade, but his reflexes were still unmatched. He leaped from his chair and opened the door to the outer chamber. The room was empty. The distant sound of footsteps on the outer carpet resounded, then stopped. He was gone. Bae Oh's knees crumpled. He propped himself on the edge of the desk, feeling his heartbeat race, as behind him, the music swelled.

“可是……”裴欧结结巴巴地说。 “你怎么能活下来……？”“很多人都在想这个问题。 但我保证，当我和你谈完之后，他们不会再问同样的问题了。” 裴欧可能已经90多岁了，但他的反应能力仍然无与伦比。 他从椅子上跳起来，打开了通向外屋的门。 房间是空的。远处地毯上的脚步声响起，然后又停了下来。 他走了。裴欧（音）的膝盖皱了起来。 他靠在桌子边上，感觉自己的心跳加速，身后的音乐越来越响。