The Woodcutter and the Fairy

High in the misty mountains of ancient Korea, where the peaks touched the clouds and ancient spirits were said to dwell, there lived a humble woodcutter named Park Minsu. He was a hardworking young man of twenty-five, known throughout his village for his honest nature and gentle heart. Every morning, Minsu would climb the steep mountain paths with his sharp axe, spending long days cutting firewood to sell in the village market below.

Minsu lived alone in a small cottage at the edge of the forest, having lost both his parents when he was younger. Though he was lonely at times, he found solace in the beauty of the mountains and the peaceful rhythm of his simple life. He had never married, partly because his modest income made it difficult to support a family, and partly because he had never met a woman who stirred his heart to love.

One particularly beautiful morning in early summer, as the mountain mist was beginning to lift and the sun painted the sky in shades of gold and pink, Minsu was making his way deeper into the forest than he had ever ventured before. He had heard rumors of excellent timber in a remote valley, and his curiosity had finally overcome his caution.

As he climbed higher into the mountains, following ancient deer paths through the dense pine forest, Minsu began to hear the sound of flowing water. The melody was unlike any mountain stream he had ever encountered - it seemed to sing with an otherworldly beauty that made his heart light and his steps eager.

Following the enchanting sound, Minsu pushed through a curtain of hanging willow branches and found himself at the edge of the most beautiful place he had ever seen. Before him lay a crystal-clear lake, perfectly round and surrounded by flowering trees whose blossoms fell like snow onto the mirror-smooth water. The air itself seemed to shimmer with magic, and the very atmosphere felt alive with mysterious energy.

But what truly took Minsu’s breath away was not the stunning scenery - it was the sight of seven young women bathing in the lake’s pristine waters. These were no ordinary women, however. They moved with an ethereal grace that seemed to defy earthly limitations, and their beauty was so radiant that it seemed to emanate its own light.

As Minsu watched in amazement from his hiding place behind the trees, he realized that these must be the celestial fairies he had heard about in ancient legends - the daughters of the Heavenly Emperor who would sometimes descend to earth to bathe in sacred waters.

The fairies laughed and played in the water like carefree children, their voices creating music more beautiful than any earthly song. Their long, flowing hair floated around them like silk, and their movements created ripples that caught the sunlight like scattered diamonds.

On the shore of the lake, Minsu could see seven sets of beautiful robes lying neatly on the grass. These were not ordinary garments, but the magical feathered robes that allowed the fairies to fly between heaven and earth. Without these robes, the legends said, the celestial beings would be unable to return to their heavenly realm.

Among the seven fairies, one in particular caught Minsu’s attention and held it completely captive. She was slightly smaller than the others, with a face of such perfect beauty and kindness that it seemed to embody all the gentleness in the world. Her laughter was like the sound of silver bells, and when she moved, it was as if she danced even while simply swimming.

As Minsu watched this enchanting fairy, he felt something he had never experienced before - a love so immediate and overwhelming that it seemed to transform his very soul. He knew, with absolute certainty, that he would never be able to love anyone else for the rest of his life.

But even as his heart filled with this powerful emotion, Minsu’s practical mind reminded him of the impossibility of his situation. These were celestial beings, daughters of heaven itself. What could a simple woodcutter possibly offer to such magnificent creatures?

As he wrestled with these thoughts, Minsu noticed that the sun was beginning to set, and the fairies were preparing to return to their heavenly home. One by one, they began leaving the water and retrieving their magical robes from the shore.

In that moment, an idea came to Minsu - an idea that was born of desperation and love, but which he knew was also deeply wrong. If he were to hide one of the robes, its owner would be unable to return to heaven and would be forced to remain on earth. It was a selfish and deceptive plan, but his love for the beautiful fairy had overwhelmed his usual moral judgment.

Moving as quietly as he could, Minsu crept closer to the shore. The fairy who had captured his heart was still playing in the water, unaware that her sisters were already beginning to dress. With trembling hands, Minsu reached out and grasped her delicate robe, quickly hiding it beneath his own rough clothing.

As the fairies prepared to depart, six of them rose gracefully into the evening sky, their robes allowing them to fly like birds toward the heavens. But the seventh fairy - the one Minsu loved - searched frantically on the shore for her missing garment.

“Sisters!” she called out in despair, “my robe is gone! I cannot find it anywhere!”

The other fairies circled back, their faces filled with concern for their sister. They searched the area thoroughly, but of course could not find what Minsu had hidden.

“We cannot wait any longer,” one of the elder sisters said sadly. “The gates of heaven close at midnight, and we must return before then. We will petition our father to send help for you.”

With heavy hearts, the six fairies departed, leaving their sister alone and stranded on earth. The abandoned fairy sat on the shore and wept, her tears falling like precious pearls into the sacred lake.

Minsu’s heart was torn by the sight of her sorrow. Part of him wanted to return her robe immediately and restore her happiness, even if it meant losing her forever. But his love and loneliness were stronger than his conscience, and he convinced himself that he could make her happy on earth if she would only give him a chance.

Stepping out from his hiding place, Minsu approached the weeping fairy with what he hoped appeared to be surprise and concern.

“My lady,” he said gently, “what has brought such sorrow to this beautiful place? How can a simple woodcutter like myself assist you?”

The fairy looked up at him with eyes that were like pools of starlight, and even in her distress, her beauty took Minsu’s breath away.

“Kind sir,” she said in a voice like music, “I am called Seonnyeo, and I am stranded far from my home. My garment - the one that allows me to fly - has disappeared, and without it, I cannot return to my family in the heavenly realm.”

Minsu’s heart ached at the pain in her voice, but he pressed forward with his deception. “Beautiful lady,” he said, “I live in a cottage not far from here. You are welcome to stay there while we search for your lost garment. Perhaps in time, we will discover what has become of it.”

Seonnyeo, having no other choice and sensing the genuine kindness in Minsu’s voice, accepted his offer. She accompanied him to his humble cottage, where Minsu did everything in his power to make her comfortable and ease her homesickness.

As days turned into weeks, Minsu’s kindness and gentle nature began to win Seonnyeo’s heart. Though she still grieved for her lost home and family, she found herself growing fond of the honest woodcutter who treated her with such respect and care. Minsu, in turn, was happier than he had ever been in his life, blessed with the company of the woman he loved.

Gradually, their friendship deepened into love. Seonnyeo began to see the beauty in earthly life through Minsu’s eyes - the simple pleasure of sharing meals together, the satisfaction of honest work, and the deep contentment that came from caring for another person.

After a year had passed, Minsu gathered the courage to propose marriage to Seonnyeo. To his overwhelming joy, she accepted, and they were wed in a simple ceremony attended by the villagers, who were amazed by the otherworldly beauty and grace of Minsu’s bride.

Their marriage was blessed with great happiness. Seonnyeo proved to be not only a loving wife but also a skilled weaver whose magical talents produced cloth of such extraordinary beauty that it was sought after by nobles throughout the land. Their prosperity grew, and Minsu was able to give up his dangerous work as a woodcutter.

As the years passed, Seonnyeo gave birth to two beautiful children - a son and a daughter who inherited their mother’s ethereal beauty and their father’s kind heart. The family lived in contentment, and Seonnyeo seemed to have found peace with her earthly life.

However, Minsu’s deception weighed heavily on his conscience. Though Seonnyeo appeared happy, he sometimes caught her gazing longingly at the sky, especially when the moon was full and bright. He knew that deep in her heart, she still missed her celestial home and her sisters.

The secret of the hidden robe became an ever-present burden. Minsu had hidden it in a place where he was certain Seonnyeo would never find it, but its existence haunted him every day. He knew that his happiness was built on a lie, and that knowledge poisoned some of his joy.

After several years of marriage, Minsu’s guilt finally became unbearable. He loved Seonnyeo too much to continue keeping her prisoner on earth through his deception. One evening, as they sat together watching their children play in the garden, he made a decision that he knew might cost him everything he held dear.

“My beloved wife,” he said, taking her hands in his, “there is something I must tell you - something I should have told you long ago.”

Seonnyeo looked at him with surprise and concern, sensing the gravity in his voice.

“Do you remember,” Minsu continued, his voice shaking with emotion, “how your robe disappeared on the night we first met? I told you it was a mystery, but that was a lie. I was there that evening, hidden in the trees, and I took your robe because I had fallen so deeply in love with you that I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you.”

Seonnyeo’s eyes widened with shock and hurt. “You mean… all this time, you have had my robe? You could have returned it to me, but you chose to keep me trapped on earth?”

“Yes,” Minsu admitted, tears streaming down his face. “I have hidden it all these years, and my conscience can no longer bear the weight of this deception. I love you too much to keep you prisoner any longer.”

Rising from his seat, Minsu went to the storage chest where he had hidden the precious robe for so many years. With trembling hands, he retrieved it and placed it before Seonnyeo.

The moment she touched the magical garment, it began to glow with celestial light. The power of her heavenly nature, which had been dormant for so long, began to stir within her.

“I understand if you can never forgive me,” Minsu said, his heart breaking. “I understand if you must leave me and return to your rightful place in heaven. I only ask that you remember that everything I did came from love, even though it was wrong.”

Seonnyeo held the robe in her hands, feeling its power calling to her. For the first time in years, she could sense her family in the heavenly realm, and she knew they were still mourning her loss. The robe would allow her to return to them, to reclaim her place as a daughter of heaven.

But as she looked at Minsu’s tear-stained face and then at their children playing innocently nearby, her heart was torn between two loves - her love for her celestial family and her love for the earthly family she had built with this kind, honest man.

“Minsu,” she said softly, “what you did was wrong, and it has caused me great pain to learn of it. But I also understand that love makes people do things they would never otherwise consider. And in all the years since, you have been nothing but loving and devoted to me and our children.”

She paused, struggling with the most difficult decision of her existence. “I cannot pretend that I don’t miss my heavenly home and my sisters. Part of me has always longed to return there. But I also cannot pretend that my life here with you has not brought me great joy and fulfillment.”

Minsu waited in agonized silence, knowing that whatever decision she made, he would have to accept it. He had given up the right to influence her choice when he chose deception over honesty so many years ago.

Finally, Seonnyeo spoke again. “I will return to heaven,” she said, and Minsu’s heart shattered. “But only temporarily. I must see my family again, explain what has happened, and seek their blessing for the choice I wish to make.”

“What choice?” Minsu asked, hardly daring to hope.

“The choice to return to earth and remain with you and our children,” Seonnyeo replied. “My love for you and our family has grown stronger than my need for my heavenly home. But I must make this choice openly and honestly, with the full knowledge and blessing of my celestial family.”

That night, Seonnyeo donned her magical robe and rose into the sky, leaving Minsu and their children watching from the ground. As she disappeared among the stars, Minsu’s heart was filled with both hope and terror. Would she truly return, or would the call of her heavenly home prove stronger than her earthly love?

For seven days and nights, Minsu and his children waited anxiously for Seonnyeo’s return. The children, too young to fully understand what was happening, asked constantly when their mother would come home. Minsu could only hold them close and pray that love would prove stronger than duty.

On the eighth morning, as the sun rose over the mountains, a figure descended from the sky like a falling star. It was Seonnyeo, radiant with celestial light but smiling with earthly joy. In her arms, she carried gifts from her heavenly family - tokens of their blessing and acceptance of her choice.

“My beloved,” she said as she embraced Minsu, “I have seen my father and sisters, and they understand the depth of my love for you and our children. They have given me a choice - I may remain in heaven and resume my celestial life, or I may return to earth and live as a mortal, accepting both the joys and sorrows that come with human existence.”

“And what have you chosen?” Minsu asked, though her presence already suggested the answer.

“I choose love,” Seonnyeo replied simply. “I choose our family, our life together, and the beautiful, imperfect, wonderful world of human experience. Though I will always treasure my celestial heritage, my heart belongs here with you.”

With these words, Seonnyeo removed her magical robe and carefully folded it away. By her own choice, she was giving up her immortality and her ability to return to heaven, choosing instead to live and eventually die as a human being alongside the man she loved.

Minsu and Seonnyeo’s renewed marriage was stronger than ever, built now on complete honesty and mutual choice rather than deception and circumstance. Their children grew up healthy and happy, blessed with the best qualities of both their parents.

The story of their love became a beloved tale throughout Korea, teaching that true love requires both passion and honesty, that happiness built on deception cannot last, and that the greatest love is that which chooses to remain even when free to leave.

Seonnyeo lived a long and happy mortal life, never regretting her choice to abandon immortality for love. And when she finally passed away peacefully in old age, surrounded by children and grandchildren, the villagers swore they saw a bright star appear in the sky - her celestial family welcoming her home at last, this time as one who had experienced the full depth and beauty of human love.

Their tale reminds us that love without trust cannot flourish, that honesty, though painful, is the foundation of all lasting relationships, and that the greatest gifts are those we choose to give rather than those we are compelled to accept.