The King of the Birds

Dedicated to Grayson Piper and Hadley whose family supports us on Patreon

Hello, this is Jana, and I'm here with a delightful story that features two brothers,

one good and one bad, and some magical birds.

A long time ago in Korea there lived two brothers.

After their father passed away, the elder brother tricked

the younger and took all their father's property. As a result, he lived in luxury. While his

younger brother was very poor, the elder brother whose name was Nal Bo lived on a ranch with several comfortable houses.

Meanwhile, the younger brother, Young Bo, lived in a thatched hut, and when it rained, the water

dripped onto the earthen floor. The room was so small that when he laid down on the floor, his feet were up against the

wall. In summer the bugs bit so hard that it was more comfortable to sleep outside. But

Heung had one wife whom he loved very much, and several children whom he adored. Heung

and his wife made sandals and sold them in the market.

When times were good, they earned enough to buy food.

But when times were bad, they went hungry.

Then their children cried for food.

Even the rat who lived in their house squealed in despair. Heung left the house to look for work in the district. While he was away, the family grew even more hungry. Eventually his wife asked the oldest son to go to his rich uncle Nal.

The boy found cows grazing outside the house.

He saw fat happy pigs rolling in the mud

and hens clucking and pecking at corn scattered on the ground.

The dogs, who were tied up by rope, snarled at him viciously.

His uncle Nal was sitting on the veranda.

...