There was a very famous story in the Yoon family’s folklore library. It was as following:
The Dragon and the Fox
Long ago, beyond a forest that few travelers dared to cross, there was a mountain filled with gold.
A dragon lived inside that mountain.
He was a large creature with pale scales, golden horns, and broad wings. Like all dragons, his strength came from the treasure he possessed. Gold was not merely wealth to him. It was the source of his magic, his health, and his very existence.
Yet despite his frightening appearance, the dragon was gentle.
He preferred collecting flowers to hunting animals. He enjoyed reading old books and making tea. When birds built nests inside his cave, he carefully avoided disturbing them. When travelers accidentally wandered near his mountain, he usually frightened them away rather than harming them.
The dragon had spent centuries gathering his treasure, and his cave was filled with coins, jewels, crowns, precious stones, and enchanted objects.
He was content with his quiet life.
Then, one autumn afternoon, a fox entered his cave.
The fox had been searching for shelter from the rain. He was thin, clever, and accustomed to living by his wits. He had stolen food from villages, tricked merchants, and survived many situations in which a less intelligent animal would have starved.
When he entered the cave and saw the mountain of gold, he immediately understood what kind of creature lived there.
The dragon found him hiding behind a pile of coins.
Instead of attacking, the dragon asked whether he was hungry.
The fox was surprised.
He admitted that he was.
The dragon brought him food.
There was bread, fruit, roasted vegetables, honey, and enough sweet cakes to feed several people. The fox ate until he was satisfied.
When the rain stopped, the dragon expected him to leave.
Instead, the fox returned the following day.
Then he returned again.
The dragon was delighted to have company.
The fox soon discovered that the dragon could take human form. In that form, he looked like a quiet young man with pale hair and golden eyes. The fox could transform as well, becoming a handsome young man with red hair and sharp features.
They began spending their days together.
The dragon showed the fox hidden springs in the forest, valleys filled with wildflowers, and an old bridge where the stars could be seen reflected in the water at night.
The fox taught the dragon how to play cards.
The dragon lost almost every game.
The fox found this amusing.
The dragon did not mind losing. He was simply happy that the fox was laughing.
As time passed, the dragon became deeply attached to him.
He began preparing the fox’s favorite meals. He kept books that the fox might enjoy. When winter arrived, he made a warm room for him inside the mountain.
The fox noticed everything.
He also noticed the dragon’s treasure.
At first, he took only small things.
A silver bracelet.
A handful of coins.
A small gemstone.
The dragon never questioned him.
When the fox asked where he had found the gemstone, the dragon simply told him that it had belonged to an ancient king.
The fox asked if he could keep it.
The dragon agreed.
Soon the requests became larger.
The fox wanted better clothes.
The dragon bought them.
The fox wanted a fine horse.
The dragon bought one.
The fox wanted a house near the capital.
The dragon purchased one.
Whenever the fox thanked him, the dragon became embarrassed and looked away.
Eventually, the fox understood the truth.
The dragon loved him.
He also understood something more important.
A dragon’s love was a dangerous thing to possess because dragons were willing to sacrifice almost anything for the person they loved.
The fox decided to take advantage of it.
He began telling the dragon that he wanted to travel.
The dragon offered to travel with him.
The fox said that traveling was expensive.
The dragon gave him gold.
The fox said that he needed more.
The dragon gave him more.
Whenever doubt appeared in the dragon’s mind, the fox would smile, hold his hand, and tell him that he was grateful.
The dragon’s doubts disappeared.
Over the following months, the treasure in the mountain slowly vanished.
Chest after chest was carried away.
Jewels were sold.
Ancient artifacts were exchanged for money.
Gold coins filled the fox’s new mansion.
The dragon continued giving until almost nothing remained.
He did not realize what was happening to himself.
As the treasure disappeared, so did his strength.
His scales became dull.
His wings became weaker.
His magic faded.
He could no longer transform as easily as before.
Eventually, only a small amount of gold remained in the cave.
The fox returned one evening and looked around.
There was almost nothing left.
He asked the dragon whether this was everything.
The dragon nodded.
He had given the fox nearly everything he possessed.
The fox was silent for a moment.
Then he told the dragon that he had never loved him.
The dragon did not understand.
The fox explained that he had stayed only because of the treasure. Every affectionate gesture had been deliberate. Every kind word had been meant to encourage another gift.
The dragon asked whether even their friendship had been real.
The fox answered that he had enjoyed the dragon’s company, but not enough to give up the wealth he had gained.
The dragon was devastated.
He looked around the empty cave.
For centuries, the gold had surrounded him. It had been his home, his power, and the source of his life.
Now there was barely enough left to sustain him.
The fox took the last valuable items and left.
The dragon remained alone.
He could have hated the fox.
Instead, he remembered the days they had spent together and wondered whether any part of them had been genuine.
He never found an answer.
The final pieces of gold lost their glow.
The dragon’s body began to fade.
Without his treasure, his magic could no longer sustain him.
Before disappearing, he returned to his human form and sat quietly at the entrance of his empty cave.
He watched the sunset over the forest.
Then his body dissolved into golden dust.
The wind carried it through the trees.
The fox never returned.
He moved permanently to the capital and lived in great comfort.
He bought fine clothes, expensive furniture, and enough land to make himself one of the wealthiest people in the region.
He became known for his cleverness.
People admired how successfully he had risen from poverty.
No one knew where his fortune had come from.
The fox rarely thought about the dragon.
When he did, he regarded the whole affair as a fortunate opportunity.
Years later, the fox grew old.
His wealth remained.
His house remained.
His servants remained.
His treasures remained.
But one evening, while sorting through his belongings, he found a small golden ornament that he had taken from the dragon’s cave.
It was a simple object, worth almost nothing compared with the rest of his fortune.
The fox held it for a long time.
He remembered the dragon sitting beside the fire.
He remembered the meals they had shared.
He remembered the dragon’s awkward smile whenever he received a compliment.
For the first time, the fox wondered what might have happened if he had stayed.
He quickly dismissed the thought.
There was no use thinking about the past.
He placed the ornament back among his valuables.
Outside, the moon rose over the distant mountains.
The fox never learned that, in the deepest part of the forest, a small patch of golden flowers had grown around the place where the dragon’s magic had scattered into the earth.
Travelers sometimes found the flowers there.
They said the blossoms never withered, even during winter.
Some claimed that if one stood among them at night, the flowers gave off a faint warmth.
The fox never saw them.
He had everything he had wanted.
And the dragon was gone.
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