Hoping someone will recognize this picture from a children’s folktale book.

Shiiiii, I think I remember that illustration but it could just he my brain blending memories with other similar books.

Something about it tells me that it would be a large hardcover book though, probably the kind that has a white spine and each book’s title written in thick 궁서체.

The best bet you have, besides someone coming up with the exact book series, is to Google “전래동화 세트 중고” and scrolling thru until you find a match. Also do note that these book series often have loads of books with different illustrators, so one book might have this kind of illustration style while the very next one might have a totally different style.

It is a common story in Korea and Japan. It is about an old man with a growth on his face. He hides out in a tree trunk and some goblins come through. He gets to singing and dancing with them and they ask him where his songs are located. He smiles that they are in his cheek growth and they trade him money for it. His neighbor also has one and wants to know how he got the money and lost the lump. Old man tells him and he sets out to get the same. But the neighbor can’t sing and the goblins reward him with a beating and the other man’s lump.

Here [is an old Japanese version of the story.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobutori_Jiisan)

[this might be it](https://www.saybooks.net/shop/item.php?ca_id=10b060&it_id=1710486148)

I remember this! I loved this story haha.

This is a popular folktale so there’s no author. It’s called 혹부리영감 (hokburi yeonggam), or the old man with the lumps.