Wicked Fox (Gumiho #1)(112)
jjigae (??) stew jjimjilbang (???) bathhouse with saunas, showers, massage tables, and areas for lounging and relaxing kimbap or gimbap (??) Korean dish made with rice, seaweed, and fillings such as meat and vegetables; the rice and fillings are rolled into the seaweed and sliced into small discs for ease of eating kimchi (??) fermented vegetables, most commonly napa cabbage or radishes, served as a side dish in Korean cuisine kitsune nine-tailed fox in Japanese mythology kut or goot (?) rites performed by Korean shamans, involving offerings and sacrifices, to commune with gods and ancestors; through song and dance, the shaman begs the gods to intervene in the fortune of humans maehwa (????) Asian flowering plum tree, also called a maesil (????) when emphasizing the fruit makgeolli (???) milky, sparkling rice wine miyeokguk (???) seaweed soup, often served on a person’s birthday or to someone recovering from an illness mul gwishin (??) water ghost Namsan Tower / N Seoul Tower (N????) communication and observation tower on top of Namsan mountain; a popular tourist site that affords views of the city of Seoul and is often a place where couples will go for dates and leave a lock
nappeun gijibae (?????) slang term used as a slur against girls; recently, some have started to reclaim the phrase, like CL in her song “The Baddest Female (?? ???)”
noraebang (???) private karaoke room ojingeo (???) squid Palgongsan (???) large mountain in the Taebaek mountain range
ramyeon (??) instant noodles saekki (??) slang that loosely translates to bastard Samcheongdong (???) neighborhood in Seoul with historical sites such as the Gyeongbok and Changdeok Palaces (from the Joseon Dynasty), Cheong Wa Dae (the president’s office), and Insadong nearby samjokgu (???) supernatural three-legged dog from Korean folklore that can see through a gumiho’s disguise
Sangdalgosa (????) “tenth month,” a ceremony of ejecting spirits from the household performed after harvest during the month of October to ask the house gods for peace and stability of the family and thank the gods for a prosperous year sansin (??) mountain god seolleongtang (???) beef bone soup seonbae (??[?]) someone senior in school or in the workplace soju (??) clear distilled alcohol usually made from rice, wheat, or barley
soondae (??) blood sausage, a popular street food in Korea suneung (??) nickname for the College Scholastic Ability Test or CSAT (????????) given to third-years (seniors) in high school in Korea every November; on the test day, the stock markets open late and bus and subway service is increased to avoid traffic jams that could prevent students from getting to testing
Sungkyunkwan (???) the top educational institute during the Goryeo and Joseon Dynasties; its original site is now part of the modern Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul sunsaengnim (???) teacher; saem is the abbreviated term for “teacher,” often said with affection tteok-bokki (???) hot, spicy rice cake wang donkatsu (????) “king donkatsu,” a giant breaded pork chop
yeo-chin (??) slang abbreviation for yeoja chingoo (?? ??), which literally means “girlfriend”
yeot (?) a variety of hangwa, or Korean traditional confectionery. It can be made from steamed rice, glutinous rice, glutinous sorghum, corn, sweet potatoes, or mixed grains yeowu (??) fox, or “foxy” when referring to a woman yeowu guseul (????) fox bead yogoe (??) monster, demon
NOTES
When women in Korea marry, they do not take their husband’s surnames, thus the different surname for Somin’s mother (Moon, not Lee).
In Korea, a person is one year old when they are born, and everyone turns a year older at the new year. Therefore, though Jihoon, Miyoung, and Somin think of themselves as eighteen years old, they are actually seventeen years old chronologically. They all turn nineteen years old (Korean age) when the new year passes.
Bujeoks contain letters or patterns that are believed to carry the power to chase away evil ghosts and prevent calamities. In Korean folk religion, amulet sheets are generally made by painting letters or pictures in red on a sheet of yellow paper. Nowadays, they are made with disassembled and combined letters written as abstract forms on a piece of paper. Bujeoks are often sought out before a big test or interview.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kat Cho used to hide books under the bathroom sink and then sneak in there to read after bedtime. Her parents pretended not to know. This helped when she decided to write a dinosaur time-travel novel at the tender age of nine. Sadly, that book was not published. She currently lives and works in NYC and spends her free time trying to figure out what kind of puppy to adopt.