A White Merman

Set during the Joseon era, the remote coastal village of Nanyang lies far from the capital, Hanyang. There, in a secluded temple, Cheong-ok encounters Baeki, a being venerated as the White Merman and condemned to a lifetime of confinement. When Cheong-ok uncovers the horrifying crime the village elders have perpetrated against Baeki, she attempts to free him—but her efforts fail, and her entire family endures a merciless punishment. Miraculously surviving the ordeal, Cheong-ok flees Nanyang and bides her time, nursing her resolve to exact revenge and rescue Baeki. Years later, she returns to Nanyang as a grown woman, infiltrates the temple where Baeki remains imprisoned, and takes up the role of its night attendant.