The protagonist of the story is told by an acquaintance that they want to buy a piece of land deep in the mountains. Apparently, there is a village tucked away in these mountains where only millionaires live. These people weren't born wealthy; they supposedly became rich after buying land there and starting their lives in the village. This means if the acquaintance can buy a plot of land there, they might have a shot at wealth too.
The protagonist ends up getting dragged along, and the two of them head toward the remote mountain village. The landowner of this property is extremely strict about "manners." A servant, acting as the landowner's representative to greet them, demands all sorts of strict etiquette. The acquaintance repeatedly commits breaches of etiquette, but desperately begs for forgiveness each time, and is somehow let off the hook.
Soon, the acquaintance's cell phone starts ringing with a series of emergency calls bringing tragic news: "Your mother has collapsed and is in critical condition," "Your lover has been in an accident and is critical," and so on. In reality, breaking the rules of etiquette in this land results in having "the lives of yourself or your loved ones taken away."
The acquaintance falls into a panic and starts sobbing. In that moment of distress, they commit one final breach of etiquette, causing their own physical condition to suddenly worsen and placing them in critical condition as well. The protagonist realizes the truth: the unseen "landowner" is actually the mountain god.
Although the protagonist was originally uninvolved, they challenge the servant to a "manner battle" in order to save their good-natured acquaintance. Using their signature cunning, the protagonist successfully tricks the servant into committing several etiquette violations of their own. When the protagonist demands, "Since you broke the rules of etiquette, I want you to return everything you took from my acquaintance," the acquaintance's condition stabilizes (and presumably, the acquaintance's mother and lover are safe as well).
Outwitted, the disgruntled servant becomes furious and urges the protagonist to continue the contest. However, the protagonist refuses to go on, quoting the saying, "Let sleeping dogs lie," and quickly leaves the mountain with the acquaintance in tow. (Personally, I wish the protagonist had just defeated the mountain god.)
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