The Story of Hong Gildong

by Heo Gyun

At this time, Gil-dong was eleven years old.

He had a large physique and extraordinary courage.

There was nothing in the classics and various schools of thought that he didn't understand, but he was forbidden by the Lord to go outside.

He stayed alone in the detached house, studying Sun Wu's art of war.

He mastered magic that even ghosts couldn't fathom, and the harmony of heaven and earth, allowing him to control wind and clouds at will, as well as the elusive art of commanding the divine generals of the six *jeong* and six *gap*.

Now, there was nothing in the world that Gil-dong feared.

That night, it was past *samgyeong*.

Gil-dong had just cleared his desk and was about to go to bed.

Suddenly, a crow cawed three times outside the window and flew west.

Gil-dong was greatly surprised and thought to himself.

‘A crow cawed three times, "Guest is coming, guest is coming," and flew west, so an assassin must be coming. Who is trying to harm me? I must devise a plan to protect myself.’

Gil-dong set up the Eight Trigrams formation in the room, changing each direction.

He moved Yihejung of the south to Gamjungyeon of the north,

Jinhayeon of the east to Taesangjeol of the west,

Geonsamyeon of the *geon* direction to Sonhajeol of the *son* direction,

and Gonsamjeol of the *gon* direction to Gansangyeon of the *gan* direction.

Then, he placed wind and clouds within it, allowing infinite harmony to unfold, and waited for the right moment.

Meanwhile, Teuk-jae took his dagger and went to the detached house where Gil-dong was staying.

He hid himself and waited for Gil-dong to fall asleep.

But when a crow suddenly came to the window, cawed, and flew away, he became greatly suspicious.

‘Does this creature have some knowledge to reveal heavenly secrets? Gil-dong is truly no ordinary person. He is surely a figure who will be greatly used in the future.’

Teuk-jae intended to turn back.

However, the hermit's greed made him disregard his own life.

A moment later, he leaped into the room.

But Gil-dong was nowhere to be seen.

At that moment, a fierce gale arose, and thunder and lightning shook heaven and earth.

Clouds and fog were so thick that one could not distinguish east from west.

Looking left and right, myriad peaks and valleys surrounded him in layers, and the great sea surged, making it impossible to collect his thoughts.

Teuk-jae thought to himself.

‘I clearly entered a room, but what mountain is this, and what water is this?’

He didn't know where to go.

Just then, the sound of an jade flute was heard.

He looked and saw a boy in blue clothes riding a white crane, flying through the air and shouting.

“Who are you, to carry a dagger in the dead of night and intend to harm someone?”

Teuk-jae replied.

“You must be Gil-dong. I have come to capture you by order of your elder brother.”

He raised his dagger and threw it.

But suddenly, Gil-dong vanished, an eerie wind rose greatly, and lightning vibrated.

The sky was filled with murderous intent.

Teuk-jae was greatly terrified in his heart, searched for his sword, and said.

“I coveted another's wealth and fell into a deadly trap; whom can I blame?”

As he was sighing deeply.

Suddenly, Gil-dong appeared with a dagger and shouted from the air.

“Listen, common man. You covet wealth and try to kill an innocent person. If I let you live now, countless innocent people will be harmed in the future. How can I let you go?”

Teuk-jae pleaded.

“Indeed, this humble one's sin is not mine. This is the doing of Lady Cho from the young master's house. I beg you, spare this pitiful life and allow me to correct my mistakes in the future.”

Gil-dong could not contain his anger further.

“Your evil aura has reached the heavens, and today, I shall use my hand to eliminate the wicked.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Gil-dong beheaded Teuk-jae.

Then he commanded the divine generals to bring the physiognomist woman from outside Dongdaemun.

Gil-dong questioned her crime.

“You are a wicked woman who frequented the prime minister’s house and tried to harm people’s lives. Do you know your crime?”

The physiognomist woman, dozing in her house, was swept up in a whirlwind and dragged away, not knowing where she was going.

Then, suddenly hearing Gil-dong’s scolding voice, she pleaded.

“This is not all my fault, but the teaching of Lady Cho. I beg you, please forgive my sin with your benevolent heart.”

Gil-dong said.

“Lady Cho is my foster mother, so I will not discuss her. But how can I let a wicked person like you live? I will punish people in the future.”

He raised his sword, cut off the physiognomist woman’s head, and threw it with Teuk-jae’s corpse.

Unable to control his anger, Gil-dong immediately went before the Grand Minister to report this strange incident and intended to kill Lady Cho.

However, he suddenly thought.

‘Rather than letting others abandon me, I should not abandon my father first. And how can I sever human relations out of a moment’s anger?’

Gil-dong immediately went to the Grand Minister’s bedchamber and prostrated himself below the courtyard.

At that time, the Grand Minister woke up and found it strange that there was a human presence outside the door.

When I opened the window, I saw Gil-dong lying prostrate below the yard.

The Grand Minister asked.

“The night is already deep, why are you not sleeping and doing this?”

Gil-dong shed tears and replied.

“There has been a terrible change in the household, and I am fleeing to preserve my life. I have come to bid farewell to the Grand Minister.”

The Grand Minister was surprised and thought to himself.

‘There must be some story.’

And said.

“You will know what happened when day breaks, so return quickly, sleep, and await my command.”

Gil-dong prostrated himself and reported.

“This humble one is now leaving home. May Your Excellency take care of your health and enjoy abundant blessings. The day I shall see you again is distant.”

His Excellency considered.

Gil-dong is no ordinary child.

He surmised that Gil-dong would not listen even if he tried to stop him.

His Excellency asked.

“If you leave home now, where will you go?”

Gil-dong prostrated himself and reported.

“I am leaving, making heaven and earth my home to preserve my life, so how could I have a fixed destination? However, the lifelong resentment in my heart remains unresolved, never to be released, which makes me even more sorrowful.”

His Excellency spoke as if to comfort him.

“From today, I will grant your wish. Even if you wander in all directions, do not commit any crimes that would bring harm to your parents, and return quickly to comfort my heart. I will not say more. Please be careful.”

Gil-dong rose, bowed again, and reported.

“Since my father has granted my long-cherished wish today, I would have no regrets even if I were to die now. I am deeply grateful, and I pray that my father may live for ten thousand years without end.”

Gil-dong bid farewell and left.

He then went straight into his mother's chamber and said.

“Your son is now leaving home to preserve his life. Mother, please do not worry about your unfilial son. There will be a day when your son returns to see you, so do not worry otherwise, and please take care of your precious self.”

Gil-dong explained Cho-nang's plot in detail, from beginning to end.

After hearing the strange incident in detail, his mother knew she could not stop Gil-dong.

She sighed.

“Now that you are leaving to avoid danger for a while, please return quickly to see your mother's face. Do not let me fall ill with disappointment.”

His mother was deeply saddened.

Gil-dong comforted her several times, and she stopped crying.

Then, after bidding farewell, he stepped out the door.

In the vast world, there was no place for him to go.

Gil-dong sighed and set off on his journey without a destination.

Meanwhile, the Lady knew that she had sent assassins after Gil-dong.

She couldn't sleep all night and sighed countless times.

Her eldest son, Gil-hyeon, comforted her.

“I, your humble son, truly had no choice. Even if that child dies, how could I not feel regret? I wish to treat his mother even better, so she may live comfortably for the rest of her life, and to give his body a generous funeral, to alleviate my sorrow even a little.”

Thus, the night passed.

At dawn the next day, Cho-nang found it strange that there was no news from the detached house until daybreak.

She sent someone to check, and Gil-dong was nowhere to be found, but two headless bodies lay sprawled in the room.

Upon closer inspection, they were Teuk-jae and Gwan-sang-nyeo.

Hearing this, Cho-nang was greatly startled and rushed into the inner chambers to report the matter to the Lady.

The Lady was greatly surprised and called her eldest son, Gil-hyeon, to search for Gil-dong.

However, they could never find out where he had gone.

The wife summoned the lord, reported everything, and begged for forgiveness.

The lord scolded her severely.

“To cause such a calamity in the household, the misfortune will surely be endless. Last night, Gil-dong bid farewell, saying he was leaving home, and I didn't know why, but this is what happened.”

And he severely scolded Cho-nang.

“You previously fabricated strange stories, and I scolded you and told you not to utter such words again, yet you ultimately did not change your ways and caused such a calamity in the household. If your crime were to be judged, you would not escape death. How can I bear to keep you before my eyes?”

The lord called his servants and had the two bodies secretly disposed of.

And not knowing where to put his mind at ease, he felt uncomfortable even when sitting.

At this time, Gil-dong had left his home and was wandering in all directions.

One day, he arrived at a certain place.

Mountains piled up in layers seemed to touch the sky, and the vegetation was so dense that he could not distinguish east from west.

The sun had already set in the west, and no houses were visible.

It was a situation where he could neither go forward nor retreat.

Gil-dong wandered, hesitating.

Then, looking at one spot, he saw three strange gourds floating down the stream.

Gil-dong surmised that there must be houses nearby and followed the stream for several li.

Then, in a place where the mountains and rivers opened up, hundreds of houses were lined up.

Gil-dong entered the village.

In one place, hundreds of people were gathered, holding a feast, with tables of wine and food laid out in disarray.

The people's discussions were lively.