#2 Korean Storytelling: Under The Burning Sun

A collection of Korean stories about love and devotion, taken from historical records and classic folktales.

[Chapter 1] Hyo: Filial piety
> Story #2: Under the Burning Sun

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Transcript

Korean Story,

Under the Burning Sun A brush seller once arrived in a village and went to the village school to sell his wares.

When he got there,

He found several young children reading books on the veranda of the school house.

Most of the children were in the shade,

But one child was sitting reading his book under the burning sun.

The man thought this strange and asked the boy,

How old are you?

I'm seven years old,

The boy replied.

Why are you reading under the sun,

While other students are on the cool floor?

The boy,

Wiping the sweat from his forehead,

Answered,

My family is poor,

And my father works as a day laborer in order to pay my school fees.

My books,

Brushes,

And papers are all the result of my father's hard work and sweat.

I feel guilty reading on the cool floor while my father is working in a field in the summer heat.

That is why I'm reading this book under the burning sun.

Deeply moved,

The brush seller praised the boy for his thoughtfulness towards his father and gave him his best brushes as a reward.