Once upon a time, there were two brothers who used to live together but were very different. Older brother was spoiled and lazy where as younger brother Chun was hardworking and worked as woodcutter.
Younger brother used to work day and night, he would go to forest to gather wood and then make earning by selling that wood. He shared all his earnings with his mother and father as well with his older brother and his wife.
One day, after working whole day, younger brother was tired and lay down to rest beneath an oak tree. An acorn fell on ground beside him and then some more acorn fell.
He collected them all for himself and his family and started to go back home. But because of dark, he lost his way and began to walk in circles. He was shivering with cold and fear.
After walking for many hours, he came to a house. Relieved to find shelter from cold, he knocked upon door but no one answered. When he tired the handle, door opened. Once inside, he relaxed but too quickly heard some voices coming from doorway.
Fearful, he hid inside closet, leaving door open only a crack, to see who lived in that house.
From crack, he saw a gang of goblins walk through door, he was horrified. He hid his breath so they wouldn’t hear him.
Soon, goblins gathered in circles and began to pound their clubs upon wooden floor and began to chant, “Make gold, make gold, make gold.”
As they chanted these words and pounded clubs, a mountain of gold appeared in center of circle.
Chun couldn’t believe his eyes. He continued watching. Similarly, goblins made a pile of silver and rubies appear with their chant. They went on to ask for copper, diamonds.
Chun began to fear goblins might discover him and was terrified to think of what they might do to him if hey knew that he had seen their magic.
Suddenly, Chun’s stomach began to rumble with hunger.
Goblins heard that and looked around and one of them asked, “What was that sound?”
Another replied, “Must be a thunder.. We must be careful.”
But Chun’s stomach wouldn’t stop grumbling, he knew he had to find a way to quiet it. He felt acorns in his pocket and quietly, he took out one and put it in his mouth.
But to his horror, when he bit it down, he heard a thunderous sound.
Even goblins heard that and cried, “Get out..! The roof will fall down upon us if we don’t escape.”
Chun’s heart was thumping with fear but he didn’t move an inch until all goblins fled out and disappeared.
All night he stayed there, fearful that goblins might return and find him. But at dawn, he tiptoed out of closet and looked at treasure left by goblins, all around him.
Before leaving, as carefully as he could, he filled his sack with as many riches as he could and raced to door. There he saw a goblin’s left behind club and took that too.
He raced home as fast as he could. After returning home, he used that money to built a mansion and moved his parents into mansion.
From that day, whenever he needed money, he simply thumped his club upon ground and chanted, “Make gold, make gold, make gold”. Whatever he asked, would appear.
When his older brother saw Chun’s fortune, he was terribly jealous and he demanded his brother to know how his brother had made this fortune.
Chun loved his big brother, so he told his elder brother every tiny detail but his older brother began so busy thinking of how he rich he might become that he did not listen carefully.
That night Older brother walked into hills, chopped firewood and then just as his brother, he sat down beside an oak tree. When he hard an acorn fall, he picked it up.
But instead of thinking of his parents and his wife and brother, he thought only about himself.
When his pockets were full, he walked in search of house Chun has described. After long, he found it and waited until dark.
Then he walked inside house and hid in closet.
Just as Chun had explained, soon goblin entered and began to pound their clubs and chant, “Make gold, make gold, make gold.”
But older brother was so excited that he couldn’t wait to scare goblins away and he put acorns in his mouth and bit down hard. That made a loud crack and then waited for goblin to flee.
He peeked out of closet after a while but goblins were standing there, waiting for him.
Goblin’s cried, “You greedy fool..! You are a thief..!” and then they began to beat him with their clubs.
Before long, Older brother was flat, all beaten. When goblins were finished with him, they let him go. He staggered back home with no treasure, no acorns and no clubs. He didn’t even have so much as a stick of wood.
When Chun saw him, he asked what happened. His older brother wept told him everything and said, “I have learned my lesson.”
Older brother greediness and selfishness caused him suffer all that pain.
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Search Keywords: Korean Folktales for Kids, Two Brothers and Goblin Story about Greed