"The First Dream" is a Korean legend.

Once upon a time, a young man named Chin awoke from his sleep with a start. Tears were streaming down his face. Then he realized that a dream had awakened him

In this dream, he walked into a house where an old man and woman sat together, weeping. Chin reached out toward them, but then he stopped himself. He stepped backward, out of their sight. He could think of nothing to say or do for these sad people, and he feared they might see him.

Instead, Chin walked into another room, and there he saw a feast spread out upon a long table. He began to eat without asking permission.

A moment later he awoke, shivering with shame.

"How could I take from those people but offer them nothing?" he asked himself. Recalling the way their chests had heaved with sorrow, Chin too wept before at last he fell back asleep.

The next night, Chin dreamed the same dream. Night after night, he would fall asleep, only to awake recalling the old couple's sadness, ashamed at himself for offering them no solace.

Otherwise, Chin's life was going well. He was appointed by the king to be the governor of a large province. He was overjoyed, and when the day came for the celebration, Chin dressed in his finest clothes and set off for the palace.

He settled into his new position with ease, for Chin was a wise and good man. The people of the province admired him, and life was going well. Best of all, Chin stopped dreaming, and he no longer awoke in the middle of the night awash in shame.

Months passed, and then one night after a long, exhausting day, Chin lay down upon his bed and fell fast asleep.

The dream returned. This time it was so vivid, Chin could smell the feast upon the table, and he could see each line in the old people's faces. Their sobs seemed to be almost his own, and his body felt as if it might collapse from anguish. Still, he did not offer his help.

He awoke and discovered it was midnight, but the dream felt so close and so clear, he knew he must investigate. And so he got out of bed and dressed.

Chin walked as if drawn by something magical, though he had no idea where he was heading. First, he walked into his sweet-smelling garden, where he hesitated.

"Why should I leave home in the middle of the night?" he wondered aloud, but there was no answer, and so he walked on, into the village, then beyond the village gates. Suddenly, he saw on a narrow road the house of his dreams.

"That's it," he whispered.

The house was not unusual — a small hut-like structure with its curved tile roof. But he recognized the entryway, surrounded by blooming camellia gleaming in the first blush of dawn.

He reached for the door and discovered it was halfway open, and so he pushed it. There in the room he entered was the old couple, weeping just as he had seen them doing in his dream.

They looked up, surprised to see a stranger standing there. Chin nodded and said, "I am sorry, but may I ask you to tell me the cause of your sadness?"

The old man wiped his eyes. "Our son," he said tearfully. "He was a good boy, and wise beyond his years. He was so precious to us. But one day when he was young, we visited the governor, and our son said he wanted to be governor one day."

Now the woman spoke. "We explained to him that we are poor people, and for this reason he could not become governor."

Chin nearly cried out, but he held himself firm. "And your boy? What happened after that?"

"This news made him so sad, he fell ill, and soon afterward he died." The old man choked out these last words.

"We have never stopped mourning him," the woman said.

Chin too had once been poor, and now he understood. "I want you to come with me to the palace," Chin said, holding out his hand. "I am governor, and you shall be my parents."

The old couple moved into the palace, and their mourning ended. And that first dream that had long plagued Chin was finally laid to rest.