Healing in the Country Side with a Baby Dragon - CHAPTER 24 (Came Here on Their Own Feet)

Hanseong Guild Executive Office

Recently, Executive Director Han Ga-ram had been in an absolutely foul mood.

‘When on earth is that site going to be restored!’

Her one and only hobby had been abruptly cut off. For Ga-ram, looking at the photos of Seol-ah posted on the blog and website of 'Happiness Growing Farm' was her ultimate form of daily healing. With the site down, the concentration of cuteness in her bloodstream had dropped to dangerously low levels.

While Ga-ram was still glaring intensely at the completely unresponsive webpage, her secretary knocked and stepped into the office, freezing instantly at the doorway. The secretary was utterly startled; who on earth could have triggered this much anger in Executive Director Han Ga-ram, a woman who rarely showed a sliver of emotion?

Fortunately, she had brought some news that would finally cheer the director up.

"Director, I have successfully located the 'Happiness Growing Farm'."

Ga-ram stood up from her seat so fast her chair nearly flew backward.

"It's a private homestead located deep in the countryside of Gangwon-do." the secretary reported. 

"Fortunately, it’s a very secluded neighborhood, so there haven't been any cases of outsiders visiting or anything like that."

"I see. And?"

"About the website crash you mentioned last time..." The secretary paused for a moment, choosing her next words with extreme care. 

"We believe there is an intentional motive behind it."

"An intentional motive?" Ga-ram’s eyebrows shot up.

So it wasn’t just because a massive wave of eager buyers had flocked to the shop all at once? It wasn’t just that the server couldn't handle Seol-ah’s explosive cuteness?

"You mean someone did this on purpose?"

"Yes. We found clear, unmistakable evidence of a cyber attack designed to paralyze the site."

A dangerous fire blossomed in Ga-ram’s eyes. 

'How dare they try to bring tears to our happy little Seol-ah's eyes? These absolute bastards.' 

In Ga-ram’s hyperactive imagination, a vision of Seol-ah crying had already materialized.

"Who is behind this?"

"We suspect a predatory distribution company. They’ve been spotted wandering around that rural village recently, trying to force open local sales channels."

"Wandering around the village?"

"Yes. They are notorious for threatening independent, novice farmers, seizing full control of their distribution lines, and ruthlessly exploiting their profits."

"So those lowlifes are deliberately crashing the site to cut off the farm's direct sales and force cooperation?"

"Exactly, Director."

The sinister imagery inside Ga-ram's head ran wild. Before she knew it, 'Happiness Growing Farm' had transformed into a tragic plantation filled with misery, and Seol-ah’s radiant, love-filled face was covered in mud.

'I have to protect Seol-ah.'

"Get the legal team ready."

"Understood, Director. Should I dispatch a security team to the village just in case?"

"No." Ga-ram replied, shaking her head firmly. 

"I am going myself."

After all, a single S-class hunter was infinitely more effective than hundreds of ordinary bodyguards.

Honestly, this was getting ridiculous.

"Why on earth is business going 'too' good?" I muttered to myself.

Why did my storefront site crash the absolute second I opened up sales? It had gotten particularly worse lately. The server had been on thin ice ever since the Golden Bell Tomatoes launched, but it completely gave up the moment I listed the Apples of Life.

Curiously, if I stopped the listings, the site returned to its original, stable state. But the exact moment sales went live, the server inevitably tanked.

To test it out, I decided to pull the Golden Bell Tomatoes and Apples of Life temporarily and put some of our other standard crops up for sale instead. This time, those regular vegetables sold like absolute hotcakes. The sheer velocity of the purchases was rising to a point that felt like pure madness.

‘If this keeps up, we’re going to hit the absolute jackpot!’

The real problem was that it was becoming impossible for an individual, independent seller like me to handle this volume of logistics. I had reached out to Kim Sang-do for tech support.

"Man, I've never experienced anything like this in my entire career." Sang-do had told me over the phone, sounding completely baffled. 

"I'll look into it deeper."

It was unprecedented for buyers to swarm a small agricultural site to the point of a total server meltdown.

"I'm really sorry, Jin-sol. I should have built a more robust infrastructure. The site crashing like this is costing you serious money."

Sang-do felt incredibly guilty, but honestly? I felt like I had survived 'because' the site went down. Even with the crashes, I was drowning in the logistical nightmare of fulfillment; if the server had actually held up and processed every single order, I wouldn't have lasted a single day.

"Take it slow, Sang-do. It’s totally okay."

In fact, I secretly wished this forced downtime would last just a little bit longer. It got me thinking—maybe I should hire a professional sales agent or setting up an automated system? Like an auction format where I could strictly control the volume of sales.

But doing that meant handing operations over to a corporate entity, which felt incredibly risky and unstable. My inbox was already completely overflowing with predatory emails from sketchy companies offering to buy out the entire tomato harvest at a premium or take over full distribution. Among them, it was glaringly obvious that a few bad actors were trying to prey on a novice farmer they assumed was completely clueless.

So, for the time being, I decided to just sit back and watch how things unfolded. Leaning back, I looked up at the clear sky.

"Shouldn't something be falling right about now?"

The sky had been remarkably quiet ever since the knight—that is Oh-sik, fell over, so logically, it was about time for another random delivery from above. If the universe was listening, I would highly appreciate a helper who could take full responsibility for corporate distribution.

"What is weighing so heavily on your mind, my lord?"

Oh-sik, who had been diligently harvesting crops in the garden, walked over. His bright blonde hair caught the afternoon sunlight beautifully. Now that I looked at him, he wasn't wearing his usual silver helmet.

"I was just wondering if anything was going to drop from the sky today."

"Something falling? My lord, it does not appear to be raining."

"Yeah, I know."

With a chuckle, I turned back to the garden. Nearby, Seol-ah and the three puppy brothers were having the absolute time of their lives playing in the dirt. Seol-ah was giggling up a storm, walking over the soft earth with her bare feet, while the puppies enthusiastically chased her tiny toes.

They ran around in clumsy little circles and occasionally rolled over, but they found even that completely thrilling, quickly scrambling back up to sprint after Seol-ah. Nurungji was practically glued to her side, while Siru quickly became entirely absorbed in exploring the rich scents of the crops even in the middle of playtime.

As for Seolgi, she was happily playing until she tripped over her own paws, tumbling onto the soft dirt floor and blinking up at the sky in mild confusion. It was chaotic, but watching them, you could tell they had their own little rules.

"Byebye—!"

Seol-ah came charging over and threw her tiny arms around my legs. Not wanting to be left out, Nurungji began scratching at my instep with his tiny claws, demanding a hug of his own.

"Ahaha, hey, that tickles!"

He kept scratching clumsily with his tiny paws. When I didn't pick him up immediately, he huffed and let out a sharp, disgruntled snort through his nose.

"Where on earth did this little guy learn to express his emotions so clearly?" 

I laughed, genuinely amazed. Who would have thought a tiny puppy could communicate frustration so vividly?

Seol-ah watched the interaction intently, then puffed out her chest. 

"Phew, phew!"

She blew a burst of air through her nose, perfectly mimicking Nurungji. It was clear she wanted to reclaim the spotlight after losing my attention for a split second.

"Ahahaha! Seol-ah, your nose is running now!"

She had literally given herself a runny nose trying to mimic the pup. I wiped her face, hoisted her up onto my shoulders for a quick piggyback ride, and then we all sat down to rest near the shade of the Apple of Life tree.

"Oh-sik, come take a break for a minute."

"My lord, has it not been a mere thirty minutes since our last recess?"

"Just get some rest. It’s fine."

"…As you command."

Despite saying he would rest, the guy immediately picked up a wooden sword and started swinging it. 

'Tsk, tsk. The man literally cannot stay idle.' 

Early this morning, he had meticulously carved a wooden practice sword out of a fallen branch and had been practicing his forms ever since.

It was quite the sight: a handsome blonde knight in full silver plate armor, executing flawless martial forms with a wooden stick, while a silver-haired baby dragon rested in my arms and three mythical hellhound puppies tumbled around the grass.

Suddenly, a rustling sound broke my train of thought.

"Great Master! You must not forget us!"

"If this continues, the secret underground fairy division will remain a secret for eternity!"

"Living in the shadows is far too exhausting, waahhh!"

A tiny swarm of furry little creatures erupted from beneath the roots of the apple tree, instantly rushing over to beat their microscopic fists against my shins. It was the earth fairies—the absolute number one contributors to our thriving garden. Previously, they had been incredibly stubborn about maintaining their "secret agent" status, insisting on working exclusively in the shadows. But it seemed they finally couldn't handle the isolation anymore and had broken cover.

"How could I ever forget about you guys?" 

I said, looking down at the tiny crowd.

"That's a lie! You haven't come down to visit us once!"

"Earth fairy rage! The hearts of the earth fairies are deeply wounded!"

"Alright, alright, my bad. Come on out, let's all hang out together. By the way, did you hear what I named the puppies?"

"Huh? They have names now?"

"Yep. From now on, they are Nurungji, Siru, and Seol-gi!"

"Clap-clap-clap! What incredibly cute names! They suit them perfectly!"

"And how are you doing, Little Master?"

"Bya—!" Seol-ah cheered.

The land fairies, appearing in full force for the first time in a while, created an absolute ruckus as they swarmed around Seol-ah, the puppies, and me. For creatures so incredibly small, they sure talked a mile a minute.

"Heh, heh, heh!"

*Sniff, sniff.*

*Slurp—*

The puppies immediately began wagging their tails in a synchronized blur to greet our tiny guests. Nurungji laughed happily and gently nudged the fairies with his head, while Siru began inhaling their earthen scent to his heart's content. Seolgi, naturally, opened her mouth wide and gave one of the fairies a massive, wet lick. It was a perfect display of affection tailored to each puppy's distinct personality.

"Eww! Nurungji, I'm going to suffocate under here!"

"Wait a minute! I explicitly told you we are not food!"

"Earth fairies are strictly not consumable!"

"Little Master, please rescue us!"

"Whimper—"

For the microscopic earth fairies, dealing with over-enthusiastic puppies was genuinely a matter of survival.

"Alright, alright, pups. If you push too hard, you're going to hurt them. Back up a bit, back up."

Once I finally separated them, the earth fairies scrambled to safety, breathing heavy sighs of relief. The puppies looked incredibly apologetic, sitting back with drooping ears. 

'Don't worry, boys. You'll get better at adjusting your own strength once you grow a bit bigger.'

"You guys have done an incredible job cultivating the apple tree." I praised, looking up.

The tree, which had initially been roughly my height, had now shot up to well over fifteen feet. Its thick, sturdy branches stretched out in all directions, casting a magnificent canopy of shade over the yard, while the heavy, ripe apples infused the air with an incredibly sweet fragrance.

"G-Great Master... we feel deeply empowered by the praise of the Great Master!"

"I will personally ensure this tree grows to a hundred meters tall!"

"We shall construct the grandest tree in the entire world!"

"Whoa, okay, let's relax. There's absolutely no need to go that far." 

I chuckled, trying to calm down the ecstatic fairies who were literally jumping for joy at the rare compliments.

Right then, a shadow fell over us.

"My lord, what is the situation here?"

Oh-sik had arrived, stepping forward with his wooden sword resting in his armored hand. The land fairies gasped in terror at his rather imposing, armored appearance and immediately bolted behind my legs for protection.

"Don't worry, guys. Remember what I told you yesterday?" 

I had mentioned to the fairies that I would soon introduce them to the newest member of our household.

Oh-sik looked down at the trembling little creatures, and then, with absolute grace, dropped down onto one knee, bowing respectfully.

"It is an honor to meet you, seniors. My name is Oh-sik. I look forward to serving our lord alongside you."

The introduction was flawlessly executed. 

'Wow, look at him. That was incredibly knightly.'

"Hey, Oh-sik. You were completely terrified when you saw a modern car for the first time, but you aren't phased by a swarm of earth fairies at all? Is it because they fit into your fantasy worldview better?"

"Ahem... *cough*."

When I teased him, his ears turned a bright, unmistakable crimson beneath his blonde hair.

"S-Senior?"

"He called us... seniors?"

"Of course!" Oh-sik replied smoothly. 

"You have dedicated yourselves to this land far longer than I have, which makes you my respected seniors."

The earth fairies were momentarily stunned by the unexpected title, and then their tiny faces erupted into absolute beams of joy.

"It is entirely clear that this giant is an exemplary individual!"

"We also look forward to working with you, Junior Oh-sik!"

Completely disarmed by a single well-placed compliment, the fairies abandoned their hiding spot and swarmed around Oh-sik, chattering away happily. It was a heartwarming sight.

As we all sat together under the cool shade of the massive tree, enjoying the gentle countryside breeze, a familiar feeling struck.

*Grumble.*

My stomach officially informed me that it was lunchtime. I stood up and stretched. 

"Alright, time to get cooking."

The menu was already a locked-in script: 'Janchi Guksu' (Festive Banquet Noodles).

The weather had started getting quite chilly in the mornings and evenings, and a steaming bowl of hot noodle soup was the ultimate comfort food. 

First, I prepped the base by removing the heads and innards of the dried anchovies, throwing them into a large pot of water along with thick sheets of kelp to get a rich, savory broth going.

While the stock was simmering, I stepped out into the garden to harvest the fresh toppings: a compact head of pumpkin, a few crisp carrots, and green onions. Back in the kitchen, I julienned the pumpkin and carrots, gave them a quick sauté in a hot pan, and seasoned them lightly with salt. Next, I finely sliced the green onions and mixed them with soy sauce, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes to create a sharp, savory seasoning paste.

"Oh, right. We have that leftover pork from yesterday."

I pulled the leftover boiled pork belly from the fridge, sliced it up, and tossed it into a hot frying pan to crisp up the edges. I figured adding some crispy pork as a premium garnish alongside traditional egg garnishes would elevate the dish completely.

Everything was prepped and ready. All that was left to do was drop the thin wheat noodles into boiling water.

Right at that moment—

"My lord."

Oh-sik called out to me from the yard. He had put his silver helmet back on, and his voice echoed seriously through the metal.

'Wait, is he really that hungry?'

"An unknown presence is approaching."

That wasn't the reason at all. Through the visor of his helmet, Oh-sik’s gaze was incredibly sharp and alert.

"Hey, why are you so tense? Relax." 

I said smoothly. Who could possibly be coming to a remote rural village like this to cause trouble?

I wiped my hands on my apron, walked over, and pushed the front gate open.

"Hello there."

Standing right outside our entrance was a stunningly beautiful woman wearing a pitch-black, tailored business suit. Her hair was neatly tied back, and her graceful, sharp facial features exuded a calm yet powerful elegance. The faint, incredibly luxurious scent of high-end perfume caught the wind and tickled my nose. She looked like someone who belonged on a bustling city street surrounded by towering skyscrapers, completely contrasting with the background of our quiet countryside mountains and open fields.

"Can I help you?" I asked. 

Who was this? I didn't know her, yet her face felt strangely familiar. Where had I seen her before?

As I combed through my vague memories—

"Identify yourself immediately." 

Oh-sik demanded from behind me, his voice booming with absolute authority as he gripped his wooden sword.

After a brief, poised silence, the woman elegantly reached into her coat, pulled out a sleek business card, and handed it over.

"Hello. My name is Han Ga-ram, and I am the Executive Director of the Hanseong Guild."

‘Executive Director? Han Garam?’

The moment my eyes scanned the crisp text on the card, the puzzle pieces instantly clicked into place. Han Ga-ram—the S-class hunter from the founding family of the massive Hanseong Guild. She was a literal celebrity who dominated the national news cycle. She was revered by millions of fans not just for her striking appearance, but for her notoriously calm, unshakeable charisma on the battlefield.

What on earth was a titan of the hunter industry doing standing at my doorstep?

"Is this home officially the 'Happiness Growing Farm'?" she asked.

"Yes, that's correct."

"Huh?"

Just then, Seol-ah popped her tiny head out from behind my leg, clearly curious about our unexpected visitor. The moment Ga-ram's eyes locked onto her, she let out a sharp gasp.

"Ugh—"

Ga-ram gripped her chest slightly, as if trying to suppress an overwhelming surge of internal emotion. Her eyes were completely glued to Seol-ah's face, utterly incapable of looking away.

"May I have a moment of your time to speak privately?" 

Ga-ram managed to say, recovering her composure.

"About what, exactly?"

"I would like to extend an official corporate proposal regarding your Golden Bell Tomatoes."

A powerful gut feeling washed over me. 

'Oh, wow. This is it. This is the perfect opportunity to hand over the entire logistics and distribution nightmare to a trusted partner.'

[Healing Life of a Beginner Farmer]

[Help has arrived!]

[A powerful guest has traveled here to offer assistance. Welcome them warmly! Will even more guests find their way to the village?]

This time, the solution hadn't dropped out of the sky; it had literally walked up to my house on its own two feet.

"That sounds like an excellent conversation." I smiled warmly, stepping aside to invite her in. 

"By any chance, have you had lunch yet?"

"No, I haven't."

"Perfect. Let's get some food in our systems and talk. Follow me."

Rule number one of negotiation: always feed your guests first. Deals always close a whole lot smoother when the stomach is completely full.