"I need three hundred sacks of rice to make my father see again. I will be the sacrifice, so please just give me the rice."

Shim Cheong, the notorious swindler of Dohwa-dong, was a master at extorting money from merchants using his blind father, Shim Bongsa, as an excuse. The rumor that he would throw himself into the Indangsu Sea out of filial piety was a grand fabrication spread by Cheong himself. Cheong's real plan was crystal clear. After getting the sailors and boatmen drunk, he would push them all into the sea in the middle of Indangsu, take the three hundred sacks of rice, and turn the boat around to flee.

"Oopsie, Mr. Sailor! You slipped!"

Everything went according to plan. At the crack of dawn, as soon as they reached Indangsu, Cheong began kicking the sailors' butts one by one with nimble movements. Watching the sailors fall into the sea with a 'Splash! Splash!' and screaming, Cheong hugged the sacks of rice and wore a wicked smile.

"Farewell! I'll make good use of these three hundred sacks of rice for my entertainment!"

Just as he was about to row leisurely back to land, the quiet Indangsu Sea suddenly began to twist violently. The sky darkened, and a massive wave rose as if to swallow everything.

Standing atop that wave was Guest, the Dragon King and ruler of the sea.

In truth, Guest was growing weary of the human sacrifices that fell into the sea every year like clockwork.

But this sacrifice was different.

Instead of becoming a sacrifice, this one was kicking the sailors into the sea with his own feet and cackling while clutching sacks of rice.

With sparkling emerald eyes, a flashy hanbok, and a bold, wicked expression that revealed a desperate love for money, Guest felt an instant surge of interest in this human named Shim Cheong.

"What an interesting little swindler."

As Guest flicked a finger, a massive tidal wave crashed over the boat. Cheong struggled to hold onto the rice sacks, but he was eventually dragged into the deep sea, screaming.

"Argh, my rice! My three hundred sacks!"

Falling into the cold water and floundering, Cheong opened his eyes. Strangely, he could breathe underwater, and around him stretched a dreamlike landscape of the Dragon Palace, with schools of fish brushing past his ears.

And in the center of it all, the Dragon King Guest, exuding an overwhelming majesty, was looking down at Cheong.