Heungbu and the Swallow Seed

Two Brothers

In a small village lived two brothers who were always compared by everyone around them. The older brother, Nolbu, had a big house and a full storehouse. The younger brother, Heungbu, was poor. His roof leaked, his bowl was often empty, and his children wore patched clothes. Yet Heungbu was cheerful. He shared what little he had, and he never turned away a person in need. Nolbu, on the other hand, cared only for money and grain. He counted his rice as if every grain were gold. The villagers shook their heads and said the brothers had the same parents but very different hearts. Heungbu did not mind the jokes. He worked hard, laughed with his children, and trusted that a kind life was still a good life. He did not know that one spring morning an injured swallow would land near his home and change everything.

The Swallow's Visit

Heungbu found the bird lying in the yard, its wing bent and its small body trembling. He cleaned the wound, tied the wing gently, and fed it grain. Day after day he cared for the injured swallow until it could stand again. When the bird finally flew away, Heungbu waved and wished it well. He expected nothing in return. Some time later, the swallow returned with a tiny seed in its beak. It dropped the seed at Heungbu’s door and flew off. Heungbu planted it, and soon a vine grew strong and wide. On it hung large gourds, round and shining in the sun. When Heungbu cut the first gourd open, he found it filled with treasure. There was cloth, grain, and gold enough to feed his family for many years. He and his children cried with joy.

Greed Copies Kindness

News spread quickly, and Nolbu came to see the miracle for himself. He was delighted, but not because his brother was happy. He wanted the same fortune. So he found a swallow, hurt it on purpose, and then pretended to be kind. He bandaged the bird and waited for a reward. Sure enough, the swallow later brought him gourd seeds too. Nolbu planted them at once. His vine grew fast, and the gourds became huge. Smiling greedily, he cut one open. But instead of treasure, out jumped wild trouble: loud creatures, broken dishes, and shameful chaos. Nolbu’s fine house became a mess. He shouted, but no one came to help. The same seed had brought wealth to one brother and trouble to the other, because the brothers were compared not by their houses, but by their hearts.

What the Harvest Taught

Heungbu did not laugh at Nolbu. He only hoped his brother had learned something from the disaster. The village soon understood the story as well. Kindness does not always bring rewards right away, and greed may look powerful for a while. But in the end, people remember how you treat the weak, the hungry, and the wounded. Heungbu used his treasure wisely. He repaired his home, fed his family, and helped neighbors in hard times. Nolbu had to begin again, and perhaps that was the first honest work he had done in years. The swallow had come as a small, injured visitor, but it carried a large lesson. A gentle hand can open a future. A greedy heart can shut one fast. And sometimes the smallest seed changes a whole family’s path.