Jinki’s father had been a cattle driver. He could remember when he was very young and living up in their mountainside barn, he would sit and talk to the cows and marvel at how they navigated the jagged slopes as if it were nothing, despite their huge bodies. Jinki himself had always been a clumsy child, a simple trip causing him to often roll far down the sloping land surrounding the family barn. He would return home covered in dirt and scrapes and his mother would fuss over the thought of him ever having to herd the animals up and down the mountainside. He had two older brothers, though, and there was no real expectation that it would be small, ungainly, Jinki to inherit the family land. 

Jinki remembers the first time he ever saw Gwiboon. It had been overcast that day, the air thick and hot with monsoon season fast approaching. A calf had gotten separated from the herd and Jinki’s elder brothers were too busy wrangling the other animals into the manger, so it had come on the youngest to go out into the woods to find her. His mother had said to forget about the creature, the calf having been born a little too early and with a lame leg anyway. But Jinki felt a sort of camaraderie with the way the undersized calf would wobble behind her mother, always lagging behind the rest of the herd. So he had assured his mother he would return before the rain started; After all, how far could a lame calf really go?  

Apparently very far indeed. Jinki was already more than halfway down the mountain, quickly approaching the rabble of houses that made up the village just outside of the imperial city walls. He was beginning to wonder if the calf had been carried off by a predator and he should just give up, but he had always been an emotional boy and could not bring himself to give up just yet. Suddenly, a sweet voice caught his attention and he startled, wondering what any other sane person would be doing so far out in the woods with an impending storm. He pushed through the foliage and his breath caught heavily in his chest. In the ethereal purple light just before a storm breaks, the white skin of a dark haired woman shone like marble in moonlight. Her features were sharp and Jinki wondered if he had stumbled upon a gumiho, a fox spirit that could turn into a beautiful woman and seduce young men before eating their organs. Jinki was just thinking he would not mind having his heart eaten by the woman before him when a rustling in the underbrush caught his attention. The calf that he had come out to look for, and momentarily forgotten all about, was struggling in some thorns where she seemed to be caught and the gumiho was speaking soothing words under her breath as she tried to free the trapped and scared animal. 

“DdeungDdeung!” Shouted Jinki without thinking, already bursting forth from his hiding place and startling the young woman into dropping the bundle of sticks he had not noticed she was carrying. When she turned to fully face the young man he was sure that she must be something beyond human, her eyes slanting perfectly as if painted by the most skilled artist and her upper lip a supple cupid’s bow. Jinki wondered distractedly if he should kneel or offer her his organs. 

“Um,” He said intelligently, “That’s my cow.”

The gorgeous gumiho looked from the trapped calf to the stricken young man.

“You named your cow ‘fatty’?” She finally said, arching her brow and smiling at him. 

It’s honestly more of a condescending smirk, but Jinki was charmed all the same. He though it would be a good time to say something funny or charming but when he opened his mouth only a strained sound wheezed out and he wanted to hurry up and be eaten. 

Just then a strike of lightening lit up the sky above them and a loud crash of thunder followed closely behind. The gumiho looked worriedly up at the sky and the calf began to thrash in the branches, further entangling itself.

“She’s yours right? Help me get her out quickly; The lightning is striking close and I don’t want to be stuck out here when the rain starts.”

Jinki startled forward to calm down DdeungDdeung as the beautiful woman used her dainty fingers to pull at the brambles around the calfs legs. He tried to remember if gumiho’s are the kinds of spirit to take care of other animals. 

The first fat drops of water had just begun to fall when the calf was finally pulled free and it nuzzled its head affectionately into Jinki’s thigh. The young man was tying the rope he’d brought to secure the calf if he found her when he noticed the young woman quickly gathering the wood she had dropped and wrapping it in a cloth bag he only then noticed around her back. Looking at her closer, her hanbok seemed slightly worn and not like he’d imagined a powerful spirit to dress.

“Do gumiho’s live in wooden houses?” He asked pensively to himself, but judging by the woman’s suddenly still posture and shocked face she must have heard him. 

“Gumi-? Are you stupid or something? I’m the carpenter’s daughter!”

Another strike of thunder interrupted anything else Jinki might have said and as the storm started in earnest, he only heard the retreating laughter of the carpenter’s divine daughter.

Later, when Jinki told his family he would like to enter an apprenticeship under the village carpenter his mother glanced nervously at his stubby fingers but his father and brothers seemed to deflate in relief.

Despite what some people thought, jinki’s mind was not as slow as his sometimes unwieldy body. He was quite and observant and had an admittedly peculiar sense of humor that was sometimes difficult for others to understand. He began to notice after only a few weeks that there was something special about his mentor. Kim Donghae had a way with his hands, an innate sense for creation that went above an average person’s ability. The old man spoke about woodwork as if the wood itself were alive, a soul inside every piece waiting to materialize. Jinki could tell there were times when his mentor would get frustrated when unable to communicate a certain skill or carving method to his young apprentice. At the time, the boy had thought it was because he came into carpentry late and had been raised too long as a cow herd. 

But there had also been other things… Once, Jinki had thrown his coat to catch a mouse that had snuck into the shop, only to find a still and unmistakably wooden body trapped under his cloak. There had been other such occurrences, especially after he and Gwiboon started having children. The old man would carve small figurines or fold paper animals for the little girls and on more than one occasion Jinki could have sworn he saw them move on their own. 

When jongin’s rabbit came alive before the entire Kim household, Jinki did not feel necessarily afraid or surprised. It was a feeling as if he had been looking at a puzzle that had not been put together correctly, and had finally managed to switch the two pieces that didn’t fit, now looking at the perfect picture. Jinki did not feel afraid of his son or his father-in-law, the thought of turning them in never crossed his mind. 

He felt very blessed. 

Jinki watches his son now with that same satisfaction and contented pride. As he watches the young man teach the son of the household they are working on how to hold the hammer properly, Jinki thinks that though Jongin is almost the spitting image of his grandfather, his humble and quite nature has truly taken after Jinki himself. He wonders, not for the first time, if he did something wonderful in a past life to be blessed with such a wonderful son. 

“Jinki-sii,” calls the owner of the house he and Jongin are repairing, “thank you for coming on such short notice. Forgive me for calling you out so late on a work-day. I know that you are busy enough without having to worry about this old house.”

“It is my pleasure to be able to help a neighbor, Junho-ssi. No forgiveness is necessary; no man can predict the weather and it has been uncommonly windy this season.”

It was true, the town had suffered a few wind storms as the weather dropped and Jinki and Jongin had spent most of the week repairing houses and shops that had been damaged by falling trees or flying objects. An entire roof that Jinki had been in the midst of repairing from the strong summer monsoons had been completely felled, forcing the woodworker and his son to start from scratch. But Jinki was never a man to complain about having work, and so he only took the increased jobs gratefully. That afternoon he and Jongin had been getting ready to call it a day after re-creating the foundation for the felled roof when one of their neighbors son’s had come to seek out their help. A strong gust of evening wind had caused a tree to fall near their house and one of the branches had taken down the wall that protected the master bedroom from the elements. Though it was late, Jinki had at least agreed to put up a temporary scaffold that would protect the family overnight. 

“Please, take these rice cakes home to Gwiboon-ssi, to apologize for keeping you from dinner.”

 The man bows as he hands the still warm basket to Jinki and the wood worker smiles happily, never one to turn down food. Jongin appears by his side like a spirit summoned by the smell of the warm cakes. This was yet another quality he had inherited from his father and Jinki cannot help but feel incredibly fond of his son. The two thank Junho’s family for the food and promise to return in the morning to properly fix the wall. 

It’s when they’re almost to their house that Jongin’s mood seems to drop a bit. It was not the first time that week that Jinki noticed his son had seemed cautious or nervous; ever since the weekend market the young man has seemed off. He follows Jongin’s gaze to their front yard where there are two unfamiliar horses with glossy coats and majestic looking saddles. Jongin hesitates in his steps, shifting the bag of tools higher onto his shoulder. 

“That’s… unusual,” says Jinki, watching his sons expression for any signs that he knows what’s happening. Jongin only nods in agreement and begins to walk towards the house again. 

Jinki can hear his wife’s voice from the kitchen, as well as two other voices that he doesn’t recognize. Before Jongin can move to the lit room, Jinki grabs his son’s upper arm and hands him his own box of tools.

“Take this to the shed and wait by the back porch until I send someone to get you.”