Hello, everyone. Welcome to “Korean Folktales.” In this Monday corner, we introduce you to interesting Korean folk stories. I’m Jinny Na. Today, I’ll talk about how a greedy person ended up being unhappy and miserable eternally.

Once upon a time, there were three boys who were studying at a temple deep in the mountains. The three friends decided to take turns when preparing for their meals. The first boy always gave more rice to his friends and ate less himself. On the other hand, the second boy would equally divide the rice among the three, while the third one always put only a little rice into his friends’ bowls and more rice into his own. Clearly, the three boys had very different characteristics. Their ambitions were also different. The first child wished to be a Taoist hermit and the second one wanted to become a government official. And the third child dreamed of being a rich man.

Years passed. It was time to leave the temple. The three boys promised to meet again at the same temple in ten years. As ten years passed, the second man wondered what happened to his two friends. So as promised, he went to the old temple where he had studied with his friends a long time ago.

At the site where the temple was located, he found a thatched cottage. The friend who used to give more food to his friends, became a Taoist hermit, as he wished and he was now living in that cottage. Meeting for the first time in many years, the two friends hugged each other warmly and began to share their stories and reminisced about the good old days. The second man explained how he also realized his dream by studying hard and passed the state exam to become a local governor. The governor wondered about the third friend and so he asked the hermit if he had heard any news. Much to the governor’s surprise, the hermit replied, “Actually, he’s over there” pointing to a rotten tree nearby. Under the tree, a large snake was watching them, crying. The governor was shocked. He asked the hermit what had happened to their friend. The hermit explained that the friend died young and was reborn as a snake because he had been so greedy in his previous life. Although he now took on the form of a snake, he also returned to the place to see his old friends again.

The governor felt sorry for his poor friend. He pleaded with the hermit to do something for their snake friend. “I just can’t bear to see him in such a miserable state. I’m sure you know how to make him a human again. Why don’t you use your power to turn him into a man so three of us can be reunited?” The hermit thought for a while and then asked the snake to bring all the peaches from the backyard. The snake slithered away. While the animal was gone, the hermit said, “If he brings all the peaches, the heavenly god will forgive him and make him a man again. But if he doesn’t let go of his greed, nothing can be done.”

The snake soon returned, holding three peaches in its mouth. The hermit shook his head in disappointment and said, “There were four peaches on the tree. Obviously, the snake ate one and only brought three, even though I asked him to bring them all. Even in the form of a snake, our friend can’t let go of his greed. There’s nothing I can do. He will live as a snake for good.”

Hearing that, the snake began to cry and disappeared into the forest. Afterwards, the hermit and the governor continued with their lives, but they never saw their snake friend again.

That’s it for today’s “Korean Folktales.” Please tune in again next time for another interesting Korean folk story. Thank you for listening. I’m Jinny Na. Goodbye, everyone.