Ballad of the Mountain Fox

Prelude

You wouldn't happen to have a healthy liver, would you?

No no no—I'm sorry, please come back.  I didn't mean to scare you.  It was just a harmless question, really.

But livers are quite tasty.

Wait, don't go!  I promise I'll be on my best behavior.  I can make do with rabbit heart, anyway.  You see, what I really wanted to ask was if you'd seen the street performers who passed by not too long ago.  I'm curious if they're any good.  I used to be one—not for a very long time, mind you, but I was a member of a troupe all the same.  It certainly wasn't one of my proudest moments, since dancing around and acting silly isn't very high on dignity.

How long ago was this?  Oh, quite some time.  The years tend to blur when you're immortal like I am.  Yes, you heard that right, and no, I'm not insane.  See the tails?  I hide them well, but I'll let them show if I want.  I'm a gumiho, you see.  A nine-tailed fox spirit.  Hence the craving for a nice, delicious human liver—but don't fear, I can always ask someone else.

My name is Moon Sun, by the way.  Yes, it sounds a bit odd if you know English, but both names match well, so I don't have a problem with it.  Oh, though I suppose you would call me Sun Moon, if you're the type who puts family names last.  Disrespectful to your family, in my opinion, but you aren't alone in the practice.

Now, I was going to tell you about my forest.  Have you heard of Joryeongsan?  It's where I live.  Oh, don't worry about the long name—you can call it Joryeong Mountain, if you want.  Anyway, it's full of lots of beautiful trees and nice, tasty rabbits.  There's a roadway that connects Seoul and Busan by crossing that mountain, and quite a few people would pass by that way during the Joseon Era.  That was how I joined the street performers—I met them when they were on their way to the fishing villages in Busan.

 Now, why I joined them is quite a very long story. It involves a curse, a noble noble, a not-so-noble noble, a nobleman's daughter, and a not-nobleman's daughter.  And me, of course.  But if you have time, I wouldn't mind telling it...