Young-hee and the Pullocho (2 page)

Woo took a slight step back, removing his hand from Young-hee, his voice softening. “The fact of the matter is, rules are rules. Without laws and contracts, all would be chaos. No one would ever close a deal, would ever make any money.”

Young-hee breathed in, the scratchy pressure of the goblin's touch fresh on her skin. She felt broken. But just then, one of the dokkaebi's words reverberated. “Money?” she said. “I could give you something for him, to get him back. That would be fair, right?”

“Like what?” asked the dokkaebi, rubbing its chin skeptically.

She rooted through her jacket pockets, one stuffed with her brother's doll, but the other full of hair bands. “Uh… I have all the hair bands you want.”

“Hair bands?” said the nearly hairless creature, “Why would I want hair bands?”

“Money, then?” she implored. “I have some money.”

“Gold!?”

“No, it's regular money,” said Young-hee, digging through her pants pockets. “But it's worth a bit. It's my birthday money.”

The dokkaebi looked disdainfully at the crumbled won notes. “Paper money? I never heard of anything so silly. This isn't even mulberry paper. No!”

“But I have to get Bum back. I'll do
anything
to get him.”

“Anything?” he said, his voice betraying his attempt to look uninterested.

“Yes!”

“Well, I like the sound of ‘anything.'”

“Please, just tell me.”

The dokkaebi looked thoughtful. “Would you go anywhere?”

“Yes!”

“Would you brave great danger?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Would you … get a
pullocho
for me?”

“Yes, anything!” she exclaimed, grasping at hope. “Er, what's a pullocho?”

“It is a very special plant,” explained the dokkaebi, “A root, like ginseng.” The dokkaebi turned and went digging into a pile of papers.

But suddenly, Bum shouted “
Hiya!
” and he put all the fury of a frightened four-year-old into a kick to the dokkaebi's ankle.

The goblin looked momentarily surprised, then merely annoyed. “Don't do that,” he commanded, and immediately Bum went quiet. “Stand over there,” he said, and Bum obeyed. “Part of being a servant is doing what you're told,” he explained, returning his attention to the piles of papers and extracting an old drawing—simple, but quite vivid, of a green, wrinkled root. “They used to be rare, but you could find one with a bit of work. Now, though, I cannot remember the last time I saw even a piece of a pullocho. Some think they no longer exist.”

“So how can I find one?”

“That's your problem. That is, if you really want your brother back.”

“I do!”

“Good. It so happens I heard a rumor that a noble-hearted
simmani
might be able to find a pullocho in the ruins of the great Sacred City, in the shadow of the first sandalwood tree.”

“And where is the Sacred City?” Young-hee could barely understand anything the dokkaebi was saying.

“I only know that it is far away, across the lake of Mey, over the Cheongyong Mountains, past the Great Woods. You will need to ask the animal-spirit women to find out where exactly.”

“The animal-spirit women?”

“Yes, three sisters: Bear, Fox, and Snake. They live on their own near the Hungry River. They are very old and know many things.”

“Oh. That sounds far….”

“Doubtlessly. Or I would have gone myself.”

Young-hee racked her brain, trying to think of what else she could do. She doubted whether the great frogs or the Grannie Dol would help her. The jangseung couldn't walk, of course. Besides, Woo didn't seem worried about anyone she might be able to enlist. She could go back to the real world and get help from her mom or someone, but how could she begin to explain all of this? Who would believe her? And how could she find this world again without her brother? There were no good options. The dokkaebi had won.

“Okay, I'll do it,” she said. Woo seemed pleased, but Young-hee wasn't finished. “But you have to promise me something, too.”

Woo immediately stopped smiling. “Promise what? You're in no position to demand anything of Woo.”

“If I am going to go on your stupid quest, you need to promise you'll take care of my brother.”

“Agreed.”

“You cannot sell him or do anything to him or let anything bad happen to him.”

“Agreed.”

“And you have to promise to be here, in this market, in the same place, and return him to me safely once I bring you your pullocho. No tricks.”

He sighed, looking impatient. “Agreed.”

“That's a promise?”

The dokkaebi's face grew very serious. “It is a true vow. But, little human, understand you must keep your part of our bargain too. Do not try to trick me or take back your brother by force. He is mine now, and if you break our deal, I can do with him whatever I will—sell him or maybe just eat him myself. I bet he is tender and juicy.”

“I want a contract,” said Young-hee impulsively.

“A true vow is binding,” said Woo, turning into his shop to root through his piles. He emerged with a small, fiery-red jewel. “Put this under your tongue,” he said, handing the jewel to Young-hee. She held it between her thumb and finger. “It's a
yeouiju
,” explained the dokkaebi, “a jewel from the jaw of a yellow dragon. If it is under your tongue when you make a promise, the promise cannot be undone.”

Young-hee put the dragon jewel to her mouth, gave it a quick sniff, put it under her tongue, promised to get the pullocho, and then handed it back. Not bothering to wipe it off, Woo put it straight under his tongue. She could barely make out what he said, but it sounded like a promise to keep their bargain. He took out the jewel, wrapped it in a small bag, and put it away.

“I don't feel any different.”

“Nor should you … as long as you don't break our agreement.”

Young-hee looked down at her brother, standing at the far wall of the shop and watching. He seemed scared, even if he didn't grasp everything going on.
How can I leave him behind?
she wondered.
He won't understand. He'll be so scared and lonely.
But if she thought about Bum's feelings, she would never be able to go. A sadness—deeper and more painful than anything she had felt since her dad went away—cascaded through her. But she had to lock up those feelings and fears and frustrations. She gave Bum a big hug.

“I'm so sorry, Bum, but I have to go.”

“No,
don't
,” he pleaded. Young-hee was surprised at how much he seemed to have understood. “Don't leave.”

“I don't want to. But I have to.” She wished she could have hugged him for the whole year, until his contract with the dokkaebi was finished. She looked at the half-eaten biscuit in his hand. “Come on, you should at least eat your yakgwa.”

“I'm not hungry anymore.”

“Here, take your Gangjee,” she said, pulling the ragged doll from her jacket pocket. “It's just his toy. No tricks,” she told Woo. He glanced at it and nodded. “Gangjee is very strong and very brave. He'll keep you safe.” Bum held the toy and looked up at his big sister.

“I suppose you want old Woo to give you food and supplies to help you on your way,” said the goblin.

“I don't want anything from you,” snapped Young-hee, more bitterly than she intended. “I just want to get my brother back.”

“Then you better get going. The sooner you find the pullocho, the sooner you can have him back.”

Young-hee hugged Bum once more. It took everything she had to walk away. Each step felt heavy as stone, as long as a mile. She kept looking back, but after just a couple of stalls, the trudging masses of indifferent shoppers and merchants swirled around her and hid Bum and Woo's stall. Young-hee dropped to the ground and sat against a wall, holding her knees and crying harder than she could remember. She cried until her tears were all gone and her eyes burned. Then she stood and started marching through the market. She knew what she had to do.

The Fox and the Farmer

Many years ago, high in the Taebak Mountains, there was a wealthy farmer who lived on a large property with his wife, many servants, and three strong, healthy sons whom he loved very much. But deep down, he was sad they had no daughters.

One day, while walking with his eldest two sons high in the mountains, he discovered a beautiful baby girl. The farmer and his sons searched high and low for the baby's mother, but to no avail. He returned to the farm and announced that he would raise and love the baby as his own daughter. For the next few years, the farm prospered, and everyone was happy.

But on the night after the daughter's fifth birthday, a wild animal killed one of the farmer's servants as he slept. The distraught farmer sent out many hunters, but they could not find the creature responsible.

The next night, another servant was killed by an animal, and the night after that, and the night after that. Soon, the whole farm was swamped by fear and swirling with rumors: Maybe it was a crazed bear. Maybe a pack of wolves. Maybe, some whispered, an evil ghost.

More nights passed and more servants died. Traps were set, but they caught nothing. They could not even find any footprints.

Finally, the farmer's eldest son vowed to hide and keep watch all night. At the darkest hour, he saw something move in the shadows. As it drew closer to his hiding place, he realized that it was his adopted sister. In horror, he watched as she snuck around a wall and transformed into a fox, but one with nine lush tails. The animal jumped through a high window, and what followed was the terrible noise of a fox killing a man.

The son ran to the window, crying out to wake the whole house. The roused inhabitants found the servant dead, but no sign of any fox. When the son explained what he saw, his father grew enraged. “How dare you slander your sister?” yelled his father. “You are an ungrateful and jealous son, and I will not tolerate such evil scheming. Leave this farm.”

The following night, the next-eldest son kept watch. Hidden in the tallest tree in the middle of the farm's central courtyard, he saw his sister emerge from the darkness, transform into a fox, steal into a servant's room, and kill him. When he, like his elder brother, sounded the alarm and tried to capture the fox, she was nowhere to be found. Asked what he had seen, he told his father the truth. Again the father was furious. “Another dishonest, scheming son!” he cried. “What did I do to deserve such an unfaithful family? Leave this house.”

The next night, the youngest son hid in the darkness and witnessed his sister turn into a fox and kill yet again. But frightened of his father's wrath, he blamed a mountain tiger. “Ah, at last, the truth,” said the anguished father. “Your older brothers really were wicked.” But try as they might, no one could catch the tiger—because, of course, there was none. And each morning, another servant was dead.

Meanwhile, the two exiled brothers wandered the mountains together for many months, sad and alone. Until one day they met a venerable Taoist monk, begging for alms. The brothers gave the monk the little money they had, and shared the little food they carried. Seeing their sadness, the monk asked if he could help and listened as they told of their fox sister. The monk said, “Your family has been cursed by Gumiho, a truly evil and strong spirit. Do not underestimate her power or her need for blood. I fear it is too late for your family, but you must return and try to help.” The monk wrote some holy verses for the brothers, and gave them three small vials: one white, one blue, and one red.

By the time they returned home, their youngest brother and mother had both been killed, and the servants had either been killed or ran off. Only their father remained, living in the run-down house, surviving on scraps. The father wept when he saw his exiled sons, and begged forgiveness.

As they cried together, the sun set, and the fox walked into the room, looking at the three of them, hungrily. “Sister! We know you are the Gumiho. Why are you doing this?” cried the eldest brother. “How could you hurt your father so, after he took you in and raised you as his own daughter?” asked the second brother. “Stop now, and leave our ruined family in peace.”

The Gumiho, her eyes blood-red, her nine tails waving menacingly, grinned, and spoke with their sister's voice—but layered with ancient power. “Brothers, how good of you to return,” she said. “But I have no interest in peace. I have already eaten the hearts of ninety-seven people from this farm, and with three more, I will be made a Queen of Heaven and rule all these wretched lands. Three more and I shall have the power over life and death, on earth and in the sky, from the furthest realms and across creation. How lucky for me that there are three of you.”

As the fox crept forward the eldest son read the incantation the monk had provided. Just as the fox lunged, she heard the magic words and fell writhing to the floor. Howling, she covered her ears. Then the younger brother released a drop from white vial and, instantly, a vast thorny hedge sprang from the floor, and trapped her. The brothers took their father and started to run, but the fox pulled off the pricking thorns and ran after them. So the younger brother released a drop from the red vial. Instantly, a huge fire engulfed the fox, and she howled in agony. But she was strong with magic, and fought through the flames. So the elder son took out the last, blue vial, and let a drop fall. Instantly, a huge lake opened under the fox, swallowing her up in deep, cold water.