Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 114

Chapter 114

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Sitting with his back leaned against the dining chair, Sa Muheon watched Garam moving around the kitchen with interest.

When Garam returned home and saw Sa Muheon, who had arrived earlier and was waiting for him, he gave him a bright, radiant smile. Seeing that dazzling smile, Sa Muheon felt his heart start to race. However, the touching reunion was brief. The moment Garam realized that Sa Muheon hadn’t eaten properly yet, he was startled, then immediately turned determined as he declared he would prepare a meal and headed to the kitchen.

Sa Muheon followed him but didn’t have high expectations. Ever since Garam had moved into this house, cooking had mostly been Sa Muheon’s responsibility, and the dishes Garam made were usually very simple. Still, Sa Muheon was confident that whatever Garam put on the table, he would eat it gladly.

But in the end, things didn’t stray too far from his expectations. Since Garam didn’t cook often, he didn’t even know where the things he needed were kept. Even now, he was rummaging through the drawers, stopping halfway through making something.

“Ah, where was that again…?”

“The salt is in the second jar of the upper drawer.”

Startled and flustered, Garam followed Sa Muheon’s words, opened the upper drawer, and took out the jar containing salt. Then, he quietly turned around. Wearing a subtle expression, Garam looked at Sa Muheon.

“What?”

“…How did you know?”

“You can tell just by looking.”

Sa Muheon responded casually and smiled. Garam gave him a look of amazement, as if Sa Muheon had just read his mind, but to Sa Muheon, it really wasn’t a big deal.

“This was originally my kitchen, so of course, I know where things are. And looking at what you’re doing, I can roughly guess what ingredients you’ll be using.”

He said this to clear up Garam’s misunderstanding, but instead, Garam only looked more dispirited.

“…I should learn how to cook from now on.”

“All of a sudden? Why?”

“……”

It was a sudden declaration. When Sa Muheon asked, genuinely puzzled, Garam didn’t answer and instead quietly looked around the kitchen. Following Garam’s gaze, Sa Muheon’s eyes moved along as well.

Compared to when Sa Muheon usually cooked, the kitchen was noticeably more cluttered. But that wasn’t a big problem. If someone else had left his kitchen like this, it might have been annoying, but the one who had done it was none other than Garam.

Besides, it wasn’t as if he had intentionally made a mess. Since he didn’t cook often, it was only natural that he wasn’t skilled at it. If Garam found cleaning up afterward too difficult, they could just call someone to take care of it. Normally, Sa Muheon would handle everything himself, but right now, he couldn’t use his arm freely, so there was no helping it.

“It’s okay. Nobody gets things right from the start.”

Sa Muheon genuinely thought so. Besides, there was no rule that Garam had to be good at cooking. Not to brag, but Sa Muheon considered himself quite skilled at cooking, and he didn’t particularly want Garam to cook for him. If anything, he wanted to be the one making delicious meals for Garam.

However, his sincerity didn’t seem to comfort Garam much. Garam still hung his head, his eyebrows drooping sadly. By this point, Sa Muheon realized that Garam was truly upset.

“We can always eat out, and if that’s not possible, we can order delivery. If delivery doesn’t reach here, we can even ask Team Leader Jang to bring something over.”

“But… it doesn’t feel right to ask someone who’s resting to do that.”

Really? Garam furrowed his brows slightly, as if just the thought of it made him feel guilty, but Sa Muheon didn’t think it was a big deal at all. However, since Garam felt that way, he had no intention of arguing against it.

As Sa Muheon remained silent for a moment, Garam hesitated before speaking again.

“And… I wanted to cook for you myself. I’ve always been the one receiving, so this time, I wanted to do something for you…”

The moment Sa Muheon heard those words, his heart melted completely. Whatever thoughts he had before vanished. He had been a little hungry since it was past mealtime, but at that moment, he even forgot about his hunger. He leaned back against his chair again, deciding to wait patiently for Garam to finish cooking.

“Alright. If my baby wants to do that, then I have no choice. I can wait as long as needed. Don’t worry about me, just take your time.”

Hearing Sa Muheon’s words, Garam’s expression brightened a little. Watching him, Sa Muheon thought Garam was truly easy to read. The way he couldn’t fully hide his emotions made it clear he was still young. Yet, at the same time, that very trait made him all the more lovable.

In the end, it was quite some time later when the meal was finally ready. The dishes set on the table clearly showed a lack of experience, but that wasn’t something that mattered to Sa Muheon.

“Thanks for the meal.”

“Sorry it took so long… Next time, maybe we should just order instead.”

For Sa Muheon, the meal was more than satisfactory, but Garam didn’t seem to think so. Even though Sa Muheon had repeatedly assured him that it was fine to take his time, Garam kept apologizing for how late the meal was.

“It’s really fine. It’s delicious. Let’s eat.”

“…Okay.”

Although he still looked a little down, Garam began eating. As they continued their meal while chatting about trivial things, Garam’s mood seemed to gradually improve. By the time they finished eating, his spirits had completely lifted.

Ever since hearing that Sa Muheon was allowed to be discharged, Garam had declared that he would take good care of him.

It was an admirable thought, of course, but to be honest, Sa Muheon hadn’t expected much. Even though he had undergone surgery for a shoulder injury, it wasn’t as if he couldn’t move at all. As long as he endured a bit of inconvenience, he figured daily life wouldn’t be too difficult.

Moreover, Garam, who had grown up so delicately, was unlikely to be accustomed to taking care of others. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to reject Garam, who was determined to look after him, and the truth was, he was grateful for the sentiment.

As expected, Garam’s caregiving was more clumsy than anything else. However, rather than finding it inconvenient, Sa Muheon found Garam’s actions endearing, so he decided to simply enjoy their time alone together.

Although the doctor had allowed his discharge, they had warned that it would take quite some time for him to fully recover. However, Sa Muheon’s body was healing much faster than expected.

It was no surprise—he was eating better than usual, focused solely on resting, and doing nothing else, so there was no reason for his recovery to be delayed. Thanks to that, by the time his first outpatient checkup approached, he was in much better condition than he had anticipated and was able to prepare to leave the house.

“Hmm, let’s go with this one.”

“This one?”

“Yeah.”

At his response, Garam lifted one of the two shirts he was holding in his hands. After confirming his choice, he hung the remaining shirt back in the closet. Then, turning around to face Sa Muheon, he swallowed hard. His face was filled with visible tension as he approached with trembling hands, lifting the shirt.

Sa Muheon looked down at him with an unreadable expression. Garam, trying his best to avoid looking at him, unbuttoned the shirt, careful not to let his gaze linger on Sa Muheon’s bare upper body, fresh from a shower.

His recovery was progressing at an almost unbelievable pace. But precisely because of that, Garam was always careful to ensure he didn’t overexert himself.

Today was the scheduled day for his outpatient checkup, so Garam had decided to help him get ready to go out.

He should have realized the moment he saw the subtle expression on Sa Muheon’s face when he confidently offered to help him dress. If he had known he’d have to face him in this state of undress, he might have reconsidered. But what was done was done. Determined to finish as quickly as possible, Garam focused on his task and moved his hands.

Standing behind him, Garam carefully lifted the shirt, making sure not to strain his injured arm as he helped him put it on. Swallowing again, he slowly stepped around to stand in front of him.

It wasn’t as if it was his first time seeing Sa Muheon’s body, yet for some reason, seeing him standing there so languidly with the unbuttoned shirt draped over his shoulders made it difficult to meet his gaze directly. Garam hesitated, unable to close the distance between them, and instead stood awkwardly at a slight distance, his head lowering slightly.

“What are you doing?”

As Garam continued to stand far away, Sa Muheon spoke quietly. For some reason, his voice sounded lower than usual.

Trying not to let his nervousness show, Garam slowly stepped closer to him.

Taking a short breath, he clenched his fist tightly for a moment before releasing it, trying to calm his trembling heart. Then, he raised his hands.