Leon bared his sharp fangs and, with a deep, thunderous growl, warned off the human intruder.
Faced with Leon’s fierce presence, the human was terrified and threw down the kittens before fleeing without so much as a glance back.
It would have been dangerous if the little kittens had fallen from that height to the ground.
At that moment, Leon’s large body leaped into the air.
He caught the kittens gently in his mouth and landed safely on the ground.
Then, once again, he returned the kittens to safety.
From that day forward, Leon trailed after Minky and her precious kittens like a shadow, guarding them day and night with unwavering vigilance.
Leon’s reliable and devoted demeanor gave Minky a sense of security like never before.
Now, there was no more danger for her.
A loyal subordinate always watched over her.
When their human Friends heard the news, they rushed over to Monk with worried faces, bringing concern and warm comfort.
Jian carefully cradled Minky in her arms.
With gentle hands, she stroked Minky’s back and handed over the special treats that Minky loved most, soothing her fears.
Though it had been a truly dangerous moment where she nearly lost her kittens, right now, Minky felt a deeper happiness than ever before.
Around her were her beloved family, reliable Friends, and her loyal subordinate.
Could there be a more perfect happiness than this?
Minky curled up small in the arms of her warm-hearted humans.
More than anything, what made Minky truly happy was watching her lovely kittens, feeling the joy in her heart, and seeing her human Friends share that happiness, beaming with pure, radiant smiles.
Within those innocent smiles, it felt as if all the joy and peace in the world was contained.
Minky wished she could hold on to that warm smile forever.
She gently nuzzled bread with Jian’s small fingers, desperately hoping that these happy and peaceful moments would continue forever.
Though there had been a small commotion, Minky’s day faded away, filled with love, happiness, and warm smiles.
She fell into a deep sleep in her cozy home, together with her loving family.
***
On his way home, the Village Head’s shoulders shook continuously, unable to contain his anger.
Deep wrinkles etched his brow, and the look in his eyes was sharp and unfriendly.
The reason for the Village Head’s foul mood was a single piece of news he’d heard while visiting town.
The price of his land on the hillside had gone up yet again.
“Damn it, I should have sold it back then!”
Regret surged inside him to the point of madness.
If he’d held on to that land, he could have made a fortune.
It was a pain as if a chunk of his own flesh had been cut away.
“Damn that Sang-woong!”
Just thinking about Sang-woong made him grit his teeth.
On top of that, hadn’t he been completely humiliated by the villagers when he was caught putting bugs in the food at the Restaurant the other day?
In a small village, rumors spread in an instant, and his authority had plummeted to the ground.
Even now, though people didn’t say it to his face, he knew they were whispering behind his back.
At this rate, he might lose the next election for Village Head.
His gaze fell on the old Livestock Shed in a corner of his yard, taking up space.
He no longer kept cattle, so the building was useless, but he’d left it standing out of laziness.
Seeing the Livestock Shed, his eyes gleamed and a sly grin spread across his lips. He thought up a very good way to take revenge on Sang-woong.
The next day, the Village Head called in two villagers loyal to him, Baek Donghun and Do Wonwoo, from early in the morning.
“Village Head. What’s the matter?”
Do Wonwoo, still half-asleep, scratched his head and asked.
“It’s nothing much. Just help me with something today. I’ll buy you both a nice drink tonight.”
“Will that do?”
Baek Donghun’s voice was already tinged with annoyance, but he couldn’t refuse the Village Head’s request.
After all, he’d benefited greatly from the Village Head, so he had to tolerate these bothersome chores from time to time.
“I’m planning to tear down the Livestock Shed in the yard.”
“The Livestock Shed?”
Upon hearing this, the two men’s faces stiffened instantly.
Dismantling the Livestock Shed would be hard enough, but with that old smell, it was a daunting task.
But they couldn’t say no to the Village Head’s face.
With grim expressions, Do Wonwoo and Baek Donghun headed for the old Livestock Shed in the yard.
The thick wooden beams were rotted, and the lingering stench of years past wrinkled their noses.
Sweating profusely, they picked up hammers and saws and began to take the shed apart.
With creaking sounds and clouds of dust, the foul smell only grew worse.
After they finally demolished the shed, what caught their eyes were heaps of Waste Materials scattered everywhere.
“Donghun, go get the Truck.”
The Village Head, as if it were his own, ordered Baek Donghun to bring his Truck.
Reluctantly, Baek Donghun drove his Truck over to the Village Head’s house.
The two men busily loaded broken wood, rotted roofing, and all kinds of garbage onto the Truck’s bed.
Every time his freshly washed Truck got dirtier, Baek Donghun’s insides boiled.
“Whew~ this is no ordinary work.”
The Village Head looked at the Truck bed filled with Waste Materials and spoke with satisfaction.
“But Village Head, where are you going to dump all this Waste Material?”
All Baek Donghun wanted was to get rid of it quickly and go home.
“Oh, I’ll dump it next to his house.”
“What?”
The two men were shocked by the Village Head’s shameless answer.
Waste Materials, and such foul-smelling ones at that, to be dumped next to someone else’s house?
It was outrageous.
“It’s fine, don’t worry.”
The Village Head spoke firmly and motioned for them to get moving.
Baek Donghun and Do Wonwoo had no choice but to climb into the Truck.
Loaded with waste, the Truck rumbled along the village road.
The Truck stopped right in front of Sang-woong’s parents’ house.
At the Village Head’s signal, Do Wonwoo and Baek Donghun dumped the Waste Materials from the Truck bed next to the wall.
The fetid, hideous pile of garbage quickly filled the area beside Sang-woong’s parents’ house.
“Ah, that feels so satisfying.”
The Village Head clapped his hands and smiled in satisfaction at the towering heap.
When Park Mancheol returned home after his errands, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Lee Sunim, standing next to him, was just as shocked.
“D-dear, what is that?”
Lee Sunim asked in a trembling voice.
“I-I don’t know either.”
Park Mancheol was at a loss for words at the absurd sight.
The culprit was easy to find.
The Village Head had done it in broad daylight for all to see, so the entire village knew.
Park Mancheol went straight to the Village Head’s house.
“Village Head!”
Breathing heavily, Park Mancheol strode into the Village Head’s yard.
He was usually courteous in greeting, but now his face was contorted with anger.
The Village Head was sitting on the porch, sharing a drink of makgeolli with the two men who’d helped him.
Glancing up at the sudden appearance of Park Mancheol, he asked,
“Oh my, isn’t that Mr. Park? What brings you here, out of breath like that?”
“What’s that garbage heap next to our wall?!”
Park Mancheol’s voice was shaking with rage.
“How could you do something like this!”
The Village Head put down his drink and grinned slyly.
“Garbage? What garbage are you talking about?”
“Don’t you know? You dumped a pile of Waste Materials right next to our wall!”
Park Mancheol finally snapped and shouted.
At that moment, the smile faded from the Village Head’s face and a nasty look appeared instead.
“Hmph, so you noticed. And what do you plan to do about it?”
“Move it away right now!”
Park Mancheol stood his ground, refusing to back down.
The Village Head raised his voice, as if daring him to argue.
“Move it? Is that even your land? That’s Public Land. So stop making a fuss and get out of here. I can put whatever I want on Public Land—who are you to tell me what to do?”
“But even if it’s Public Land, how can you dump such Waste Materials next to someone else’s house? The stench is unbearable!”
Park Mancheol’s indignation now gave way to deep frustration.
“What are you talking about? You keep saying Waste Materials, but it’s all to be recycled. I just left it there because there’s nowhere else to put it for now.”
The Village Head waved his hand irritably.
“How can you be so unreasonable when it’s not even your land? Don’t ruin the good mood of this drinking party—just go.”
Realizing any further argument would only make things worse, Park Mancheol clenched his fists tightly.
Though his eyes burned with fury, he knew that pushing further would only worsen the situation.
He gritted his teeth and sighed.
“Fine.”
Park Mancheol spat out the words coldly and turned away.
His shoulders drooped, and every step felt heavier with anger and helplessness.
His talk with the Village Head had ended with nothing gained.
Every time Sang-woong’s parents looked at the hideous pile of Waste Materials by the wall, they stifled desperate groans at the choking stench.
Rotten wood, crumbling cement, and unidentifiable black stains mixed together into a pile that was nothing but repulsive.
In the end, Lee Sunim, her hands shaking, called her son.
“Sang-woong… Something terrible has happened. The Village Head… the Village Head dumped…”
She explained the situation in a tearful voice, and Sang-woong’s heart ached at his mother’s sobs over the phone.
Closing the Restaurant early, Sang-woong rushed over to his parents’ house, and the scene beside the wall filled him with cold anger.
The rotten smell stung his nose, and the monstrous heap of garbage seemed to weigh down on his parents’ home.
For a moment, the incident at the Restaurant flashed through his mind like lightning—the bug found in the food, and the Village Head’s cold eyes pinning all the blame on him.
‘I had a bad feeling then, but I never thought he’d take revenge like this.’
Sang-woong clenched his fists.
He wanted to confront the Village Head right away, but knew that rash action would only make things worse.
Challenging the most influential figure in the village recklessly could land him in even bigger trouble.
But he couldn’t just stand by and let this happen.
His parents were trembling with humiliation, anger, and helplessness.
“Father, Mother, please don’t worry too much. I’ll take care of this in a few days.”
Sang-woong did his best to hold back his emotions and reassure his parents.
Back at the Restaurant, he agonized over how to resolve the situation.
But since it was his first time facing such a problem, he had no idea where to start.
‘Should I report this to the Police?’
But that alone probably wouldn’t solve the root of the problem.
Since the Village Head was so powerful, the Police would likely side with him, and it would probably end with just a small fine.
That didn’t seem like a real solution.
With his worries deepening, Sang-woong felt his tangled thoughts begin to settle like a calm lake as he noticed a regular customer entering the Restaurant the next day.
Neatly dressed in a crisp suit, this customer worked at the Town Hall.
He’d held a few gatherings at the Restaurant before, so Sang-woong was somewhat acquainted with him.
‘Yes, if anyone knows how to solve this, it might be him.’
Sang-woong quickly took his order.
As the meal was ending, he approached the customer’s table with some hesitation.
“Excuse me, may I ask you something if you have a moment?”
“Ah, sure. Go ahead.”
Sang-woong hesitated briefly before speaking up.
“I’m sorry if this is inappropriate, but… I understand you work at the Town Hall. If something like this happens, what’s the proper way to handle it?”
The official looked at Sang-woong for a moment, then nodded.
“What happened?”
“It’s just… someone piled up a bunch of Waste Materials next to my parents’ house, on Public Land. He says it’s not Waste Materials but things to be recycled, but the stench is terrible and it’s really unpleasant.”
Sang-woong explained the situation as calmly as possible.
“Do you know who did it?”
At Sang-woong’s words, the official’s expression grew a little more serious.