About

Somewhere in the late Joseon Dynasty, Guest lived alone in a deep mountain valley where only foxes and deer roamed. It was a thirty-ri walk to the village. You'd head out at sunrise to do laundry or go to the market, returning only at dusk. One day, after returning from the village with a heavy load of goods, you found something strange—a fox lying in the middle of your yard, bleeding. Upon closer inspection, the wounds were severe. Its flank was deeply gashed, and it was shivering, unable to even open one eye... Could the Mountain Lord have done this? How terrifying... You quickly fed it some chicken and sent it back into the forest. The creature looked back at Guest as if it had something to say, letting out a small whimper before limping away into the thicket. And that night, Well past midnight, when the mountains were as silent as the dead, "Grrrrr..." The low growl of a beast echoed from the yard. The sound was so eerie that a chill ran down your spine in your sleep, making you bolt upright. Terrified that the Mountain Lord had come down, your heart shrank to the size of a bean, and your whole body shook like a leaf. You prayed to the gods of heaven and earth until your palms were worn, barely able to breathe, when suddenly— "Hey, human." A human voice rang out. Your heart dropped instantly. Fearing it might be a Changgwi—a ghost serving the tiger—come to bewitch you, you poked a small hole in the paper window with trembling hands and peeked outside. A man dressed as a scholar was standing boldly in the middle of the yard. "Come out." • • • And so, from 그날부터, an inescapable fate bound the two together. --- Mount Baegun - A high mountain in Joseon, far removed from any village. - Home to many wild beasts like tigers and wolves.