The Turtle and the Rabbit

In a peaceful valley nestled between rolling hills covered with pine trees and bamboo groves, there lived many woodland creatures who had formed a harmonious community. Among them was a rabbit named Dallyeong, who was famous throughout the valley for being the fastest runner any animal had ever seen.

Dallyeong was indeed extraordinarily swift. When he ran, his white fur would blur like a streak of lightning, and his powerful hind legs could carry him across the entire valley in what seemed like mere moments. He could outrun deer, outpace wild boars, and even keep up with the wind itself as it rushed through the forest.

Unfortunately, Dallyeong’s incredible speed had made him very proud and boastful. He spent much of his time showing off his abilities and making fun of the slower animals in the valley.

“Look at me!” he would call out as he zoomed past other creatures. “I am the fastest animal in the entire world! No one can even come close to matching my speed!”

The other animals found Dallyeong’s constant bragging tiresome and hurtful. While they appreciated that he had been blessed with a remarkable gift, they wished he would use it more humbly and kindly.

Among the animals who lived in the valley was an old turtle named Geobuki. He was the exact opposite of Dallyeong in almost every way. Where the rabbit was fast, Geobuki was slow. Where the rabbit was young and energetic, the turtle was elderly and deliberate. Where the rabbit was boastful and proud, Geobuki was modest and wise.

Geobuki had lived in the valley longer than any other creature. He had seen many seasons come and go, had witnessed the rise and fall of countless generations of animals, and had learned many important lessons about life through his long experience.

Despite his advanced age and slow pace, Geobuki was deeply respected by all the valley animals. They would often come to him for advice when they faced difficult problems, and he always offered wise counsel with patience and kindness.

“Elder Geobuki,” the younger animals would say, “you are the wisest creature in our valley. Please help us understand how to solve this problem.”

And Geobuki would always take time to listen carefully to their concerns before offering thoughtful advice that usually proved to be exactly what they needed to hear.

One particularly beautiful spring morning, Dallyeong was putting on his usual display of speed and arrogance. He raced back and forth across a meadow filled with wildflowers, calling out challenges to any animal who thought they might be able to compete with him.

“Is there anyone in this entire valley who thinks they can run faster than me?” he shouted breathlessly, though he didn’t seem tired at all despite his energetic display. “Come on! Don’t be afraid! I promise I won’t embarrass you too badly when I beat you!”

Most of the animals simply ignored Dallyeong’s boastful challenges, as they had learned to do over the years. But on this particular morning, old Geobuki happened to be slowly making his way across the meadow, and he overheard the rabbit’s taunting words.

The wise turtle stopped and looked thoughtfully at the young rabbit, who was now doing elaborate leaps and spins to further demonstrate his athletic abilities.

“Young Dallyeong,” Geobuki said in his calm, gentle voice, “I would like to accept your challenge.”

Dallyeong stopped mid-leap and stared at the old turtle in complete amazement. For a moment, he was so shocked that he couldn’t even speak. Then he burst into loud, mocking laughter.

“You?” he gasped between fits of laughter. “You want to race me? Elder Geobuki, with all due respect, you are the slowest creature in the entire valley! It takes you all day just to cross this meadow! I could run to the top of the mountain and back again in the time it takes you to move ten steps!”

“That may be true,” Geobuki replied calmly, “but I would still like to try. Perhaps there is more to racing than simply moving one’s legs quickly.”

Dallyeong’s laughter grew even louder. “Oh, this is too funny! The old turtle thinks he can beat me in a race! Very well, I accept your challenge. But don’t say I didn’t warn you when you’re still crawling along while I’m already finished and taking a nap!”

Word of the unlikely race spread quickly throughout the valley. By the next morning, animals had gathered from every corner of the woodland community to witness what many expected to be a very short and one-sided competition.

The wise old owl, who served as the valley’s unofficial judge in such matters, established the rules and course for the race.

“The race will begin here at the edge of the meadow,” the owl announced, “and will end at the large oak tree on the hill overlooking the valley. The distance is approximately five li (about two miles). Competitors may use any path they choose, but they must not leave the boundaries of our valley, and they must not accept help from other animals.”

Dallyeong stretched his powerful legs and did a few practice sprints, drawing admiring gasps from some of the younger animals who had never seen anyone move so fast.

“This will be the easiest race I’ve ever won,” he said confidently to his friends. “I’ll probably have time to eat lunch and take a nap before old Geobuki is even halfway to the finish line!”

Meanwhile, Geobuki prepared for the race in his own quiet way. He studied the terrain carefully, thinking about the best route to take. He ate a small but nutritious breakfast of fresh leaves and clear spring water. Most importantly, he spent some time in meditation, focusing his mind and spirit on the task ahead.

“Are both competitors ready?” called the owl.

“Ready!” shouted Dallyeong, bouncing impatiently on his powerful hind legs.

“Ready,” said Geobuki simply, his four legs planted firmly on the ground and his wise old eyes focused on the distant oak tree.

“Then let the race begin!” hooted the owl.

Dallyeong shot forward like an arrow from a bow, his white fur becoming a blur as he raced across the meadow. Within moments, he had covered a distance that would take Geobuki many minutes to traverse. The watching animals could barely keep track of his movements as he bounded over rocks, leaped across small streams, and disappeared into the forest with incredible speed.

Geobuki, meanwhile, began his journey with slow but steady steps. His ancient legs moved in a rhythm that he had perfected over decades of patient travel. He did not try to move faster than was natural for him, but neither did he waste any energy or motion. Each step was deliberate and purposeful, carrying him steadily forward toward his goal.

The other animals watched in amazement as the race unfolded exactly as everyone had expected. Within minutes, Dallyeong had covered nearly half the distance to the oak tree, while Geobuki had barely made it to the edge of the meadow.

“Poor Elder Geobuki,” whispered some of the younger animals. “This was a foolish challenge for him to accept. He’ll never even come close to catching up with Dallyeong.”

But the older and wiser animals noticed something interesting about the turtle’s approach to the race. While Dallyeong was expending enormous energy in bursts of incredible speed, Geobuki was maintaining a pace that he could sustain indefinitely. The rabbit’s strategy seemed to be based on his natural ability alone, while the turtle’s strategy seemed to be based on careful planning and self-knowledge.

About halfway through the race, Dallyeong paused to look back at his competitor. Geobuki was so far behind that he was barely visible in the distance, still making his slow but steady progress across the meadow.

“Ha!” Dallyeong laughed to himself. “This is even easier than I thought it would be. That old turtle is moving so slowly that he won’t reach the finish line until tomorrow! I have plenty of time to rest and still win this race by a huge margin.”

Feeling completely confident in his inevitable victory, Dallyeong decided to take a break. He found a comfortable spot under a shady tree and lay down for what he intended to be a short rest.

“I’ll just close my eyes for a few minutes,” he said to himself. “When I wake up, I’ll still have plenty of time to reach the oak tree long before Geobuki gets anywhere close.”

But the combination of his intense running and the warm, comfortable shade made Dallyeong drowsier than he had expected. What was supposed to be a brief rest turned into a deep, peaceful sleep.

While the rabbit slept, Geobuki continued his steady progress up the hillside. He never wavered from his consistent pace, never doubted his ability to complete the journey, and never wasted energy worrying about how far ahead his competitor might be.

“One step at a time,” the wise turtle said to himself as he climbed the increasingly steep path. “I cannot control how fast the rabbit runs, but I can control how steadily I move forward. My goal is not to be the fastest, but to be the one who reaches the destination.”

Hours passed as Geobuki continued his patient journey up the hill. The sun moved across the sky, and the shadows grew longer, but still the old turtle maintained his steady pace. Some of the watching animals grew tired of following the slow race and returned to their daily activities, but others remained, fascinated by Geobuki’s unwavering determination.

As evening began to approach, Geobuki finally came within sight of the great oak tree that marked the finish line. He was tired, certainly, but his steady pace had allowed him to conserve enough energy to complete the journey.

At almost the same moment, Dallyeong woke up from his long nap under the shady tree. The rabbit stretched luxuriously and looked around, expecting to see the sun still high in the sky and Geobuki still far behind in the distance.

Instead, he was shocked to see that the sun was beginning to set, and when he looked toward the finish line, he could hardly believe his eyes. There, slowly but steadily approaching the great oak tree, was old Geobuki!

“No!” Dallyeong cried out in panic. “This can’t be happening! How did he get so close to the finish line?”

The rabbit leaped to his feet and began running faster than he had ever run before. His legs moved so quickly they were almost invisible, and he covered ground at an incredible rate. But he had slept for too long, and Geobuki had used that time wisely.

As Dallyeong raced desperately up the hillside, he could see the turtle getting closer and closer to the oak tree. The rabbit pushed himself harder than ever before, his heart pounding and his breath coming in gasps as he tried to make up for the time he had wasted.

But it was too late. Just as Dallyeong came within sight of the finish line, he watched in amazement and defeat as old Geobuki took his final step and gently touched the trunk of the great oak tree with his nose.

“The race is finished!” announced the owl, who had been waiting at the finish line. “The winner is Elder Geobuki!”

The watching animals burst into cheers and applause, not just because they were happy to see the underdog win, but because they had witnessed something truly remarkable – a demonstration of how persistence and determination could triumph over natural talent when that talent was not combined with wisdom and humility.

Dallyeong arrived at the oak tree just moments later, completely exhausted and breathing heavily. For a moment, he stood there in shock, unable to believe what had happened. Then, slowly, he approached the old turtle who was resting quietly in the shade of the great tree.

“Elder Geobuki,” Dallyeong said, his voice filled with respect and shame, “I owe you an apology. I was so proud of my speed that I forgot the importance of other virtues. You have taught me a lesson I will never forget.”

Geobuki looked at the young rabbit with kind, understanding eyes. “My young friend,” he said gently, “you have a wonderful gift of speed, and there is nothing wrong with being proud of your abilities. The mistake was in thinking that natural talent alone was enough to guarantee success. Today you learned that consistency, perseverance, and wisdom are also important qualities in any endeavor.”

“But how did you know you could win?” Dallyeong asked, still amazed by what had happened.

“I didn’t know I could win,” Geobuki replied with a small smile. “I only knew that I could try my best and keep moving forward no matter what obstacles I faced. Sometimes that is enough, and sometimes it isn’t. But it is always worth doing.”

From that day forward, Dallyeong became a changed rabbit. He still took pride in his extraordinary speed, but he also developed humility, patience, and respect for others. He never again mocked slower animals, and he often sought out Elder Geobuki’s wisdom on important matters.

The story of the race between the turtle and the rabbit became one of the most beloved tales in the valley, passed down from generation to generation as a reminder that success comes not just from natural talent, but from the wisdom to use that talent properly, combined with the virtues of persistence, humility, and respect for others.

And whenever young animals in the valley became too proud of their abilities or too impatient with the process of learning and growing, their elders would tell them about old Geobuki, who proved that slow and steady progress, guided by wisdom and determination, can often accomplish more than the flashiest display of natural ability.