INTRODUCTION

“The Story of Jeon Unchi” is a classic of Korean fiction that incorporates the fantastic into the realistic. Unlike many of the moralistic works that came before it, “Jeon Unchi” is an adventure tale replete with action. Although no one knows who wrote the story, it has the characteristics of popular fiction written for commoners in the Korean vernacular script (hangul) that was produced in the late eighteenth and throughout the nineteenth centuries. Inspired by a historical figure with the slightly different name of Jeon Uchi (late fifteenth to early sixteenth century) who was reputed to be a master of the mystical arts, “The Story of Jeon Unchi” is the tale of a rebellious magician and has been adapted to the screen as both a Korean drama and a film. Originally published circa 1847, although even that fact isn’t certain, this is the first time this work has been translated into English.

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Unchi took his mother into a mountain, where he spent his days riding on a cloud and wandering around as it pleased him. One day, he came to a place where a white-haired old man was weeping sadly. Unchi asked him why he was so sad.
     “I am seventy years old and I have a son, but I am lamenting because he has been falsely accused of murder.”
     Unchi asked for details of the situation.
     “In our village, there is a man named Wang whose wife is very beautiful. My son came to share his affection with her, so he went in and out of their house. But the wife, being a licentious woman, also shared affection with a man named Jo. One day, Wang caught his wife with Jo and the two of them ended up fighting. My son happened to come by and separated the two before sending Jo away, but Wang ended up dying of his wounds. Wang’s cousin reported the death to the government office, turning it into a murder case. Jo is a houseguest of the magistrate Yang Mungi, so he was able to escape prosecution, so it was my son who ended up becoming written up as a murderous criminal. That’s why I am so sad.”
     “If that is the truth, I will make sure that your son is safe.”
     After Unchi left the old man, he shook his body and turned himself into pure wind before flying to the house of Yang Mungi. There, he found Yang in the main chamber, looking at himself in a mirror. Unchi gave himself the appearance of Wang and stood next to Yang, who, surprised by the uncanny appearance, put down the mirror and looked around. But he saw no one else in the chamber.
     “A ghost is playing a trick on me in broad daylight.”
     When he looked into the mirror again, he again saw the reflection of someone next to him who addressed him. “I am Wang who was killed by Jo. An official mistakenly arrested Yi for the murder while letting Jo go. If you do not avenge my death, I will not leave you alone.”
     And he disappeared.
     Yang Mungi, taking great fright, quickly made preparation for an interrogation and put Jo under arrest.
     When he questioned him, Jo pleaded innocence, but then Wang appeared out of nowhere and yelled at him. “Jo, you evil bastard! Why did you have relations with my wife and then murder me? You are the unforgiveable culprit, yet you dare to put the guilt on Yi!”
     And he disappeared. Jo became so frightened that he did not know what to do.
     Yang Mungi put Jo under torture and interrogated him further until the prisoner could not bear the pain anymore and confessed to everything. And so Yi was released and Jo was punished.
     After Unchi saved Yi, he flew around on a cloud again, until he came across two men fighting over a pig’s head in the middle of a market street. Unchi came down and asked why they were struggling so.
     One of them answered. “I bought this pig’s head at a fair price, but this official is using his position to steal it from me. That’s why we are fighting.”
     Unchi cast a spell, making the pig’s head open its mouth and bite the official, who took fright and ran away.
     And Unchi took to the sky once more and flew around until he heard the sounds of singing and musical instruments playing. He descended to the place and politely greeted the people he found there.
     “I am a passing traveler who would like to join in your merriment.”
     A group of young scholars returned the greeting and exchanged names with him. They were in the company of ten or so courtesans, who played instruments and sang. As Unchi conversed with the scholars, he found two named So and Seol to be arrogant.
     When food and liquor were served, Unchi addressed them. “I am so grateful to be tasting such precious food thanks to all of you.”
     Seol replied, “We may not be wealthy, but we can afford to keep the company of famous courtesans and eat fine food. Perhaps this is the first time you have experienced such things.”
     Unchi laughed. “That may be true, but there are things missing here.”
     “What might that be?”
     “I see no refreshing watermelon, no tangy peach, and no sweet grapes, so why pretend that this is such a sumptuous feast?”
     The scholars laughed. “How could you be so ignorant? This is late spring. Such fruits are not available now.”
     “I saw a place where all kinds of fruits were ripe.”
     Seol addressed him. “In that case, why don’t you go and get some of them?”
     Unchi took a servant and went up a hill where there were peaches hanging on trees. He had the servant pick some, and also grapes that were growing below them. They then went down to a field where there were plenty of watermelons growing on vines. They took about twenty of them and brought them to the scholars, who were astonished.
     After Unchi got drunk, he decided to play a trick on So and Seol, so he cast a spell on them.
     The two of them spoke. “My body feels so heavy, and my mind is in agony with dizziness. How strange this is.”
     Unchi addressed them. “You are arrogant and lack manners. And I don’t think you are fit to be with these courtesans.”
     The two of them became angry. “We are not eunuchs, so why do you say that we are not fit to be with them?”
     Unchi laughed. “Calm yourself and put your hands in your trousers.”
     Seol felt inside and addressed So. “My testicles have disappeared and everything is smooth down there. How could this be?”
     So asked to see, so Seol showed him, and indeed there was nothing there. So reached into his own trousers and also found nothing there as well.
     They exclaimed in shock, “Jeon ridiculed us and now this has happened. What do we do now?”
     At this point, one of the courtesans discovered that the small opening below her belly had disappeared, while a new opening appeared above her belly. She knew not what to do.
     Among the scholars, one named Eun was the brightest and the most learned, and he realized what was happening.
     He begged Unchi. “In our blindness, we committed an offense against you. Please forgive us.”
     “Don’t worry. Everything will return to normal.”
     The scholars and courtesan touched themselves again and were relieved to find that everything had returned to before.
     They expressed their gratitude. “We did not realize that a heavenly personage had descended among us, and we nearly paid for our ignorance by turning into freaks.”
     Unchi flew on a cloud to the south until he came across a group of people who were talking anxiously among themselves.
     “Jang the warehouse keeper is a good and filial man, so it would be a tragedy if he died unjustly.”
     When Unchi came down and asked for the story, one of them informed him, “There is a man named Jang Gyechang who works as a warehouse keeper at the Ministry of Taxation. He is a decent man who is good to his parents, and he also likes to help the unfortunate. But he made a mistake while writing an official report, so he ended up being blamed for the shortage of two thousand coins at the warehouse, which he did not take. We are sorry that he will be punished for it.”
     Unchi felt pity, so he rode his cloud and flew to the place where official punishments were administered. There, he saw a young man being brought forth in a wagon with his young wife following while weeping. When Unchi asked around, he was told that the man was indeed Jang Gyechang. A prison guard took the prisoner down from the wagon and announced that it was time for his punishment.
     Unchi turned himself into wind and gathered Jang Gyechang and his wife to carry them into the sky. The official in charge of the punishment was astonished by the occurrence, so he reported it to the king, who also took fright, as did all his officials who thought it all very strange.
     Unchi brought the Jang couple home, where he fed them medicine, which awakened them from an unconscious state. As they had no idea what was going on, Unchi explained everything that had happened, also informing his mother.
     Unchi took to the sky once more and flew about until he came across another person who was weeping.
     When Unchi asked what was the matter, the man answered him, “My name is Han Jaegyeong. My father just passed away, and I have a seventy-year-old mother, but I have no money to pay for the funeral or to take care of my mother. That is why I am crying.”
     Unchi took pity on him, so he reached into his sleeve and took out a scroll.
     “Take this scroll, hang it up at your house, and address it by the name of Gojik. If someone answers, ask for a hundred nyang¹  and it will be given to you. Use the money to start a business, and then ask for just one nyang per day, and use that to take care of your mother. But if you ask for more than that, a calamity will fall upon you, so beware.”
     Jaegyeong felt both hopeful and skeptical of Unchi, so he asked for his name and where he lived before he went home. When he unrolled the scroll, he found no writing on it but a drawing of a big house with a locked gate and a young boy standing before it. Just to see what would happen, the man called out, “Gojik.” The young boy answered and stepped out of the picture. When the astonished Jaegyeong asked for a hundred nyang, the boy took out the money and placed it in front of him. He subsequently started a business with it, and he called out “Gojik” every day to ask for one more nyang.
     One day, Jaegyeong had the need for more money, so he thought to himself, “What harm would it be if I asked to borrow a hundred nyang?”
     So he summoned Gojik and spoke to him. “I need a hundred nyang, so lend it to me.”
     When Gojik refused, Jaegyeong tried numerous times to persuade him. The boy went back into the picture without replying and unlocked the gate to the house before going inside. Jaegyeong became angry, so he went into the picture himself, kicked open the gate, and followed him in.
     At this time, the minister of taxation was getting ready to begin his work for the day, when an official came to him.
     “There’s noise of someone inside the warehouse, which is very strange.”
     The minister thought it odd as well, so he summoned his lower officials and sent them to the warehouse. They opened the door and found a man holding coins, which surprised them.
     “How did you get in here, you thief?”
     The officials then put him under arrest and reported the incident to the minister, who had the prisoner brought before him. When Jaegyeong was forced to prostrate himself below a stone staircase, only then did he realize that he was no longer at his house but at a government building.
     Jaegyeong spoke out in astonishment. “How did I come to this place? Is this a dream or reality?”
     The minister addressed him. “For the crime of sneaking into the warehouse to steal money, you deserve to die. If you seek mercy, reveal the identities of your fellow outlaws.”
     Jaegyeong told the minister everything he knew, revealing his encounter with Jeon Unchi. The minister questioned him, “When did you see Jeon Unchi?”
     “It’s been four or five months, near where I live in the southwest.”
     After the minister put Jaegyeong in prison, he went to the warehouse, where he found the place empty of money but chock-full of frogs. Another warehouse was found to be full of yellow snakes but no coins. The enraged minister reported this to the king, who gathered his officials to discuss the matter.
     At this time, officials in charge of other warehouses came and reported, “All the rice in the warehouse turned into insects.”
     Officials from military bases reported, “All the weapons have disappeared, replaced by stacks of tree branches.”
     Palace maidens reported, “All the hairpieces of palace maidens turned into golden crows and flew away, and a tiger appeared in the inner palace and killed a few servants.”
     The frightened king selected expert archers and dispatched them to the inner palace, where they found all the palace maidens there riding tigers. They couldn’t bring themselves to kill them, so they returned to the king, who became enraged and ordered them to put them all down. The archers were about to shoot them when a black cloud suddenly appeared, enwrapped the tiger-riding maidens, and took them up to the sky.
     The king spoke. “This is all the work of Jeon Unchi, so there will be no peace in the country until he is caught.”
     The minister of taxation addressed him, “The criminal who has been imprisoned is in league with Jeon Unchi, so I bid you to put him to death.”
     The king was about to order Jaegyeong’s execution, when a great wind suddenly blew and the prisoner disappeared without a trace, which was also Unchi’s doing.

—

     Unchi was wandering around when he happened to see one of the notices put up on the four gates of the capital calling for his surrender. He scoffed at it at first, but he ended up going to the entrance to the royal palace.
     “Your lowly subject Jeon Unchi has come to confess his guilt.”
     When the Office of the Royal Secretariat reported this to the king, he thought to himself, “This wretch possesses such powerful magic, he is liable to cause much mischief everywhere he goes. It would be a good idea to appease him by giving him an official position in the government. If he persists in making trouble after that, then I’ll have him executed.”
     So he summoned Unchi to court.
     Unchi prostrated himself before the monarch, who spoke to him, “Do you know your crime?”
     At those words, Unchi flattened himself even more to the ground. “I have committed acts for which I deserve to be executed a hundred times, so I can make no excuse for myself.”
     “In consideration of your talents, I have decided to pardon you and grant you an official position. So you must fulfill your duties with utmost loyalty.”
     He made Unchi a royal messenger, putting him in charge of the office that took care of the horses and carriages used by the king’s envoys. Unchi expressed much gratitude before leaving his presence.
     After Unchi began working there, he noticed that the other royal messengers acted harshly toward their subordinates, often hitting them with clubs. One day, Unchi casually picked up a stone pillar and smashed it into their clubs, hitting their hands as well. That caused them such pain that they stopped abusing their subordinates.
     A few months later, the other royal messengers sent their servants to Unchi with a demand that he show them respect by serving them a meal.
     Unchi replied, “Tell them to come out to the nearby beach tomorrow at dawn.”
     The next day, all the royal messengers rode their horses and went to the beach, where they found tents of blue canopies with colorful sitting mats arranged decorously inside. Sonorous music was playing, and a plentiful feast was laid out. It was all a magnificent scene.
     After everyone sat down to be served food and liquor, Unchi spoke. “All of you are here to enjoy yourself, but it would be no fun without women to keep us company. I know some women I used to be close to. Should I bring them here?”
     Many who were already getting happily drunk spoke out. “Who would have known that such a junior official would demonstrate such enthusiasm? Do as you will.”
     So Unchi took a servant and headed for the south gate of the capital.
     Many talked about him. “That junior official is so talented, I bet he could handle the most fearsome criminal.” And so they praised him.
     Unchi returned not long after, accompanied by many women whom he directed to stand outside the tents. He then had more food on large tables to be brought for the pleasure of the royal messengers.
     Unchi spoke to them. “As per your wish, I brought all these women here. How about I have them sit by all of you so that you can enjoy yourself with them?”
     When many assented happily, Unchi brought one woman and had her sit in front of the highest-ranking official. “Stay here and serve him well.”
     He then led the rest of the women and had them sit by the other officials, who only realized then that they were their wives. They were afraid to reveal what they had expected, so they kept quiet and kept their discontent to themselves. After they were done with the meal, they quickly left on their horses, which mystified their servants.
     When the royal messengers returned home, all of them found their households in disarray, as they were beset by family members, some who came to deliver terrible news, some who were on their way to the pharmacy to obtain medicine, some who were bringing a doctor who practiced acupuncture, and some who were lamenting a death. When the officials questioned them, they found out that all their wives had died.
     When a royal messenger named Kim came home, a servant girl informed him, “Your wife was fixing some clothes when she suddenly left this world.”
     Official Kim spoke out in rage, “That Jeon brought her to the party on the beach and reduced her to a courtesan. How could the wife of a nobleman bear such an insult? I am sure to lose my position now, and my family will be dishonored as well. How can I bear the sorrow of this calamity?”
     A servant girl came in a hurry. “Your wife has woken up.”
     The official’s rage died down as he ran to the woman’s chamber, where his wife sat up and spoke to him. “A while ago, I fell asleep and saw a man in a red robe who took me away. Then a servant in yellow clothing covered me with a veil, put me on a horse, and led me to some place. There, I saw many women who were respectable wives like myself. Then that wretch Jeon the royal messenger grabbed me by the back of my head and pushed me in front of you and said ‘serve him well.’ He then had the other women sit next to officials. When all the royal messengers finished their meal, they all saw how angry you were as you got up and left on your horse. So they also left without looking back and scattered, all in rage. I and all the other women had no idea what was happening, so we were on the verge of panic. Then I woke up and realized that it was all a dream. Everyone in the household seemed to be lamenting because they thought I was dead. What is happening?”
     When Official Kim heard this, he did not know what to say.
     All the other royal messengers were filled with indignation. “That wicked criminal Jeon Unchi wormed his way into the royal palace, and now he dares to humiliate us all. We should allay our anger by killing that bastard!”
     After Unchi tricked the royal messengers, he thought to himself, “The king did pardon me of my crime and gave me an official position, so I should be grateful for his great favor. I should turn over a new leaf and serve him with utmost loyalty.”
     And so he concentrated on fulfilling his duties well, taking good care of the horses under his charge until they gained weight and became healthy. The court became pleased with his work.

—

     At Gadal Mountain, there was a man by the name of Yeom Jun who was extremely courageous and greatly skilled in martial arts. He gathered thousands of bandits and set up a lair in the mountain, from where they went forth to pillage villages and assault towns to steal weapons and provisions, murdering people in the process. As a result, every town in the area became frightened.
     When the provincial governor sent a report of these events to the king, he became concerned enough that he summoned his officials to discuss the matter. “These bandits are so strong and flourishing, so who can destroy them?”
     No one replied at first, but then one official stepped forward. “My gratitude for the favors Your Majesty has granted me knows no bounds. I may not be a person of much talent, but I would like to allay Your Majesty’s concern by cutting off the head of Yeom Jun.”
     When the king looked up, he saw that it was none other than Jeon Unchi. He was greatly pleased.
     He questioned the other officials. “What do you think?”
     They all thought it was the right course, so the king spoke to Unchi, “How many soldiers do you need?”
     “They say that the bandits are very powerful, so I think it would be best if I went by myself and spied on them first. Soldiers could be deployed later.”
     The king assented and granted him a sword with permission to proceed according to his will. Unchi expressed his gratitude and left the court.
     The next day, Unchi rode a cloud and went southwest to visit his mother.
     When he told her that he received the command of the king and was on his way to assess the strength of the bandits, she cautioned him, “It would be dangerous to go there not knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your enemy. Be very careful as you fulfill the king’s mission.”
     Unchi returned to Gyeongseong, where he took ten or so police officers and set off at dawn. When they arrived at a provincial office, Unchi ordered the men to stay there for the time being. He then took up his sword and, with one shake of his body, turned himself into an eagle. He flew to Gadal Mountain, where he saw Yeom Jun riding a white horse beneath a large parasol. He was accompanied by many beautiful maidens in colorful dresses and about a hundred servants.
     Yeom gave out an order. “Today is the day that chieftains from all eight provinces return. Tomorrow, slaughter ten large cows and prepare a feast.”
     Unchi considered Yeom Jun and saw that he was a man of grand appearance with a reddish complexion, eyes that were like large water drops, and a beard that looked like needles tied together.
     Unchi came up with a stratagem and gathered leaves, which he transformed into so many spirit soldiers. He armed them with spears and swords and organized them in a well-defended camp with flying flags. He then put on a helmet with two phoenixes engraved on it and a red military coat, mounted a black-and-white horse, and proceeded to the enemies’ position. He burst through the entrance to their lair, where he found a firmly locked gate. Unchi cast a spell, which forced the gate to open up by itself, and rode through to find a bustling place full of brightly colored houses. After he looked around a bit, he turned himself into an eagle again and flew to an enclosed garden, where he found Yeom Jun sitting on a golden chair with his chieftains all around him and a hundred or so beautiful maidens standing behind them, serving them liquor.
     Unchi cast another spell, which brought countless eagles that covered the sky. They came down, picked up the tables in front of the chieftains, and bore them into the air. Then a great wind blew sand and pebbles all around, knocking down all the terrified people who could not even open their eyes. Canopies and floor mats flew into the sky as well. Yeom Jun became so disoriented that all he could do was climb up an incline and hold on to a tree stump while his soldiers tumbled through the air holding pieces of meat and cake, some of them vomiting in fright.
     Everything was in chaos from the Hour of the Snake₂  to the Hour of the Horse, until Yeom Jun regained enough composure to look around and see that snow was falling in great profusion. Before he knew it, the snow had accumulated to a full gil.₃  As none could move or see, they were on the verge of panic, but then the wind suddenly ceased, and all the snow disappeared without a trace.

     Yeom Jun went to the main hall of his headquarters and rang a large bell, summoning all his soldiers.
     They all spoke of the strange occurrences and argued over their meaning, until a soldier came and reported, “A general leading an army has broken through the east gate and is coming inside.”
     Yeom Jun, in shock, ordered his men to go and ascertain the situation before he picked up a spear and went forth on a horse.
     When Unchi saw him, he shouted at him, “What a lowly wretch you are, using your strength and ruthlessness to pillage villages and murder people. I mean to capture every single one of you ratlike bastards, so if you fear for your life, surrender at once and accept the will of heaven.”
     At that, Yeom Jun replied in rage, “I am following the will of heaven and the desire of the common people in seeking to topple the unrighteous king and save the multitudes who have fallen into misery. So how dare you get in my way!”
     And he charged forward.
     The two of them fought on horseback, exchanging blows of sword and spear in tens of rounds. Yeom Jun’s mighty spear blocked the light of the sun, while Unchi’s swift sword emitted light that produced a rainbow in the air. It was like a pair of tigers fighting over food in a mountain, or a pair of dragons over a pearl in the ocean. Both warriors became increasingly alert, so neither could overcome the other. Finally, it became so dark that gongs sounded from both camps, and the two of them fell back with their respective armies.
     When Yeom Jun returned to his camp, his chieftains praised him. “Despite the surprise of the calamity that fell on us, you fought well against that tigerlike warrior. Heaven must be on your side. But the enemy also seems to be a man of great courage, so we bid you to take care.”
     Yeom Jun laughed. “He may be courageous, but I have no fear of him. I will surely capture him tomorrow and march on the capital.”
     The next day, he opened the camp’s gate and went forth to shout out, “Come out quickly and face me and my blade. I swear that a victor will emerge on this day.”
     As he then dashed about, Unchi came riding out in fury, twirling his sword in a dance as he headed straight for Yeom Jun. Sword and spear clashed thirty or so times, Yeom Jun’s skill with the spear proving flawless.
     Unchi thought to himself, “I can’t beat Yeom Jun through combat alone.”
     With a shake of his body, he raised himself into the air but left a phantom image of his body behind to keep fighting Yeom Jun.
     He shouted at his foe, “I have never killed anyone, but I see no choice to put an end to one who dares to defy the will of heaven. So don’t blame me for your demise.”
     Unchi was about to strike Yeom Jun with his sword, when he stopped to think. “I should not kill someone so casually. I should capture him alive.”
     From the air, he made his sword shine as he shouted, “Behold my power!”
     Yeom Jun looked up in surprise and saw a massive cloud bursting with lightning, which was actually light coming out of Unchi’s sword. Yeom Jun became pale with fright and tried to ride back to his camp but then found his way blocked by Unchi with his sword. Another Unchi chased him from behind, and two more Unchis appeared at his left and right to surround him. Yet another Unchi came flying down on a cloud, swinging his sword in a dance as he prepared to strike Yeom Jun in the head. When Yeom became so disoriented that he fell off his horse, Unchi came down from the cloud and ordered the other Unchis to bring up his soldiers to restrain Yeom Jun and take him to their camp. Unchi then rode into the enemy camp, where all the chieftains and soldiers, having witnessed Yeom Jun’s capture, surrendered by binding their own hands together.
     Unchi ordered them to prostrate themselves before him, but he spoke in a gentle manner. “Since you have engaged in acts of treason against the country, you deserve to be executed a hundred times. But I will grant you a special pardon, so go back to your hometowns, farm the land, and become good subjects.”
     The chieftains all bowed their heads twice and scattered. This was reminiscent of the time Jang Jabang, the meritorious official of the Han dynasty, scattered the enemy soldiers of the Kingdom of Cho at Gyemyeong Mountain.₄  On a moonlit night of autumn, he had the song of their homeland sung sadly, which made the Cho men from the Gangdong region homesick.₅ 
     Unchi went to Yeom Jun’s dwelling place and released the hundred or so beautiful maidens, allowing them to return home. He then returned to the camp, where he sat down on the commander’s chair and ordered that Yeom Jun be brought to him.
     He reprimanded Yeom in a loud voice. “With all your talents and courage, you should have served the king with utmost loyalty, thereby earning royal favor for generations of your family. That is the righteous way. But you dared to act in a treasonous manner by causing disturbances across the country. There can be no pardon for that.”
     Unchi ordered a soldier to take him outside the camp’s gate and behead him, at which point Yeom Jun begged plaintively for his life. “Mine is a crime that is deserving of the execution of three generations of my family, but if you would show benevolence and spare my life, I swear to mend my ways and follow you.”
     Unchi replied, “If you are truly repentant, that would be a good thing.”
     He ordered his soldier to unbind Yeom and consoled him before letting him return to his original home. He then gathered his spirit soldiers and sent a report to the king of his victory. When he returned to the royal palace and bowed down before the king, his sovereign questioned him on how he had defeated his enemy. After Unchi related everything to him, the king praised him profusely and gave him many awards.

—

     Upon Unchi’s return, all the government officials praised him for his achievement, except for those of the Office of the Royal Messengers, none of whom came to see him. This was because they still hated him for the humiliation he had inflicted on them at the party at the beach. So Unchi decided to trick them again.
     One day, at the fourth watch,₆  the moon was shining brightly and there was not a single cloud in the sky. Unchi rode on a many-colored cloud and summoned a warrior spirit known as the Yellow Turban Strongman as well as all kinds of goblins.
     He addressed the warrior spirit, “Go quickly and bring me all the royal messengers.”
     The spirit received the order and presently brought them one by one.
     The frightened officials prostrated themselves on the ground and looked around at the most terrifying sight of ghosts and goblins all over the place.
     Unchi reprimanded them in a loud voice. “I played a trick on you once by briefly humiliating your wives, but is that any reason to hate me so much as to treat me like dirt? I had planned a while ago to send all of you to the underworld, but I got busy fulfilling my duty as an official in the Heavenly Realm by night and an official of the earthly government by day, so I put it off. But now I feel obliged to send you down to suffer for your arrogance and contemptuous behavior.”
     Unchi then summoned the Yellow Turban Strongman. “Take these criminals and turn them over to the King of the Underworld. After they spend eighty thousand years there, they are to be reincarnated as animals.”
     When the royal messengers heard those words, they shook so badly in fright that it felt as if their souls were leaving their bodies.
     They begged sorrowfully. “Out of our ignorance, we have done wrong. But please consider our bond as fellow officials and pardon us.”
     Unchi thought for a long time before he replied, “It is the right course for me to send you to the underworld to suffer, but considering that we were close once, I will pardon you for now. But I may change my mind depending on what I see in the future. Send them away!”
     At that moment, all the royal messengers woke up from a dream. They had sweated so much that their blankets were all wet, and their minds were in a disoriented state. When they got together and spoke of their dreams, they realized that they were the same. After that, they all treated Unchi with utmost respect.

—

     One day, the king summoned the minister of taxation and queried him. “You told me before that all the money at the ministry was transformed into other things. What is the situation now?”
     The minister replied, “Nothing has changed.”
     As the king became concerned, Unchi stepped forward and spoke. “I bid you to allow me to thoroughly investigate the strange occurrence at the warehouses.”
     When the king assented, Unchi and the minister went to the warehouse and opened its door. There, they found all the money restored.
     The minister exclaimed in surprise, “I inspected the warehouse yesterday, and it was full of frogs. But all the silver has returned overnight, so how strange this is.”
     They opened another warehouse and found all the weapons restored, which surprised everyone once again. When Unchi reported this to the king, he was pleased and guessed that it was all the work of Unchi’s magic.

To be continued in the next issue.

_{The Big Book of Classic Fantasy}

_{(Vintage Books, 2019)}

_{Ed. Ann and Jeff VanderMeer}

_{Trans. Minsoo Kang}

_{Copyright © 2019 Vintage}

_{Translation copyright © 2019 Minsoo Kang}

_{Reprinted with permission from Vintage.}