Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 113

Looking at Garam, who smiled as if he truly felt relieved, Sa Muheon couldn’t say anything. The word “relief” that he had spoken and the “relief” Garam spoke of were the same in form, yet the weight of their meanings was entirely different.

Garam seemed to have developed a stronger heart than expected after experiencing several farewells over time. However, Sa Muheon couldn’t help but feel sorrowful for Garam, who could still smile and call this situation a relief.

Of course, even if Garam had possessed a fragile heart that could be hurt by the smallest words, Sa Muheon would have still found him just as lovable. But the fact that Garam could now smile so brightly even in this situation only made Sa Muheon feel as if he could see all the pain Garam had endured and the countless scars layered on top of it, tearing his own heart apart.

“…….”

He couldn’t even bring himself to say he was sorry. Yet, facing Garam, who was smiling, he couldn’t possibly be the one to break down in tears.

Sa Muheon forced up the corners of his mouth, which felt as if they had stiffened and wouldn’t move, shaping an ambiguous smile. Normally, putting on an expression was the simplest thing for him, something utterly effortless. Yet, only now did he realize for the first time how difficult it was to manage even a forced smile.

He did worry that the stiffly lifted corners of his lips might make his smile look strange to Garam, but there was nothing he could do about it. Fortunately, Garam seemed to understand the turmoil in Sa Muheon’s heart, as he made no comment about his distorted smile and simply changed the subject.

“They said the surgery went well, but since you remained unconscious even yesterday, your mother was very worried.”

“My mother?”

The words that came from Garam’s mouth surprised Sa Muheon. Of course, he knew his mother had come here, and since he had been injured, it was only natural for her to be somewhat concerned. But thinking of his mother’s usual demeanor, he hadn’t expected her to be overly worried.

“She didn’t sleep a wink all night… At first, she cried a lot. She felt much better after hearing that the surgery was successful, but… she said she had to see you wake up safely before she left, so she told me not to worry and to go home. She didn’t say it directly, but I’m sure she was very worried about you.”

As Garam continued speaking, Sa Muheon absentmindedly let his mouth fall slightly open. It was something that, in hindsight, made sense. Yet, to him, it was quite a surprising revelation. However, Garam had no reason to lie to him about something like this.

“…….”

While Sa Muheon remained silent, at a loss for words, Garam interpreted his silence in his own way and added lightly,

“Make sure to call her after you’re discharged.”

“…Yeah.”

At this point, it was hard to tell who was the older one between them. Sa Muheon felt like a child being scolded as he obediently nodded his head.

Only then did Garam smile in satisfaction and nod back. Just moments ago, he had spoken so maturely, but seeing this, it was clear that he was still just a kid. Sa Muheon also let out a small laugh. Only Garam, clueless about the reason, tilted his head in curiosity.

Considering the severity of the injury, the surgery had gone well, and his recovery was progressing smoothly. For Sa Muheon, who utterly despised staying in the hospital, this was the best news possible.

The moment he received the doctor’s approval for discharge—on the condition that he wouldn’t move around excessively—he couldn’t hide his wide, beaming smile. It was to the extent that Garam burst into laughter at how visibly delighted he was.

But in truth, Garam was just as happy that Sa Muheon was being discharged. Since the semester hadn’t ended yet, he had to juggle traveling between school, the hospital, and home just to see Sa Muheon. He had even insisted on staying overnight at the hospital, worried about leaving Sa Muheon alone, but not only had Sa Muheon opposed it, even Han Sijang and Jang Seokgyu had stepped in to stop him. As a result, every night, Garam had no choice but to bid Sa Muheon farewell and return alone to their empty home.

Moreover, with the end of the semester approaching, that also meant final exams were drawing near.

Visiting Sa Muheon every day wasn’t too difficult in itself, but squeezing in study time on top of that was physically exhausting. Things got so bad that Jang Seokgyu, after noticing how Garam was overexerting himself, informed Sa Muheon, leading him to tell Garam that he didn’t have to visit the hospital for a while—only for that to bring Garam to tears once again.

But now that Sa Muheon was finally being discharged, all those problems were solved.

“That’s it for today’s lecture. I can’t believe finals are already next week—time flies, doesn’t it? Make sure to prepare well, and I’ll see you all next week.”

At the mention of exams, sighs erupted from the students around him. The professor chuckled as he exited the lecture hall. Garam quickly packed up his bag and stood up.

Today was the day Sa Muheon was getting discharged.

Eager to see him as soon as possible, he hurried his movements. Just as he was about to leave, the classmate sitting beside him stopped him.

“Where are you rushing off to?”

“Oh, I have plans today.”

Would going home to see Sa Muheon count as “plans”? He hesitated briefly over his choice of words but didn’t dwell on it for long. If he gave a vague excuse, there was a high chance his classmates would try to rope him into studying together for finals.

“Ah, really? I was going to ask if you wanted to study for finals together, but if you’ve got plans, I guess it can’t be helped.”

Fortunately, his excuse worked. Though his classmate looked a bit disappointed, they didn’t press further.

“Are you free tomorrow, then?”

“Tomorrow’s no good either… I think I’ll be busy until next week.”

Even though it wasn’t a long conversation, he was growing more impatient. Checking his phone, he realized that quite a bit of time had already passed.

“I might be late for my appointment. I’ll head out first—see you next week!”

Before even waiting for a response, he practically flew out of the lecture hall. As Garam quickly descended the stairs, his footsteps carried both urgency and excitement.

The moment he stepped outside with a bright expression, his eyes met those of Jang Seokgyu, who had been waiting for him in the parking lot ahead. Seeing Garam’s cheerful face, Jang Seokgyu let out a light chuckle. Remembering how he had been walking around with a gloomy expression until recently, Garam gave a sheepish smile.

Only after Garam got into the car and fastened his seatbelt did Jang Seokgyu gently start the car. Keeping his eyes on the road, he quietly spoke.

“The director was discharged and went straight home.”

“Really? But he didn’t contact me at all….”

Startled by his words, Garam quickly checked his phone again. As expected, there was no message from Sa Muheon. Just in case, he swiftly opened his messaging app and checked all his notifications, but nothing had changed. Unable to hide his disappointment, he sighed, and Jang Seokgyu chuckled softly before adding more.

“He said he didn’t want to disturb you since your exams are next week. Instead, he contacted me separately to make sure I’d bring you home as soon as your classes ended.”

“Ah….”

A faint flush spread across Garam’s cheeks. His palms suddenly felt itchy for no reason. Pressing his lips together as his face warmed, he chose not to say anything more. Jang Seokgyu, sensing his embarrassment, also fell silent and focused on driving.

Although the distance between Sa Muheon’s house and Korea University wasn’t particularly far, today, the road home felt exceptionally long. Garam kept his eyes fixed on the window, waiting for the familiar scenery to appear. It felt like an eternity had passed before he finally recognized the now-familiar surroundings.

He could still clearly remember how disoriented he had felt the first time he left Sa Muheon’s house, unfamiliar with the roads. Yet now, it was almost strange how this place felt more familiar than the neighborhood where he had originally lived. At the same time, the realization brought him a quiet sense of warmth.

“Then, have a good weekend. I’ll see you next week.”

“Aren’t you coming in with me?”

After parking the car, Jang Seokgyu simply offered his farewell, showing no signs of getting out. Assuming that, since Sa Muheon had finished his short yet long hospital stay, Jang Seokgyu would naturally come inside to greet him, Garam was taken aback and turned to look at him. But Jang Seokgyu remained still in his seat, a small smile playing on his lips.

“There’s nothing urgent for me to report. Besides, I’m sure the two of you have far more to talk about than I do.”

He shrugged lightly as he spoke.

Before he even finished his sentence, Garam’s face turned noticeably red. Without another word, he hastily unbuckled his seatbelt, grabbed his bag, and got out of the car. Despite his clear embarrassment, he didn’t forget to leave Jang Seokgyu with a polite farewell.

“I’ll see you next week. Thank you.”

“Yes. Take care.”

After watching Jang Seokgyu’s car drive away, Garam quickly turned toward the house. He passed through the familiar garden and paused in front of the front door to steady his breathing. Then, with slightly trembling hands, he entered the passcode into the door lock.

Beep, beep, beep—

As the door unlocked and opened, Garam saw someone standing right in front of him. His face immediately broke into a bright smile.

“You’re here?”

It was Sa Muheon.

With the brightest smile, Garam nodded. His steps into the house were noticeably light.