Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 116

Chapter 116

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Knock, knock—

Lying on his bed, Garam was startled by the sound of knocking on his door and hurriedly pushed himself up halfway. It seemed he had unknowingly dozed off while rolling around in embarrassment.

Before he knew it, the surroundings had darkened. At this hour, there was only one person who would knock on his door. Even though he knew that, he couldn’t help but tense up. Gripping a pillow tightly in one hand, Garam anxiously stared at the closed door.

Although he hadn’t responded, as if sensing his presence, the person outside spoke first.

“Dinner?”

“I… I didn’t really feel like eating.”

It wasn’t a lie. Perhaps because his mind was a mess, he didn’t feel hungry even though it was well past dinnertime. Fortunately, Sa Muheon didn’t press him further despite the excuse.

“Yeah? Alright.”

As Sa Muheon easily accepted it and seemed to step away, worry finally crept into Garam’s mind. Skipping a meal wasn’t a big deal for someone like him, who was perfectly healthy, but Sa Muheon was a patient who needed absolute rest.

Moreover, he had an outpatient checkup today, so he must have found out how much his condition had improved. Even though thinking about what had happened before he left for the hospital made Garam’s face burn with embarrassment, he couldn’t just ignore him. Regardless of his own flustered feelings, he had promised to take good care of the person he was living with, and he intended to keep that promise.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Garam quickly got up. He suddenly felt a sense of urgency, worried that Sa Muheon might walk away, thinking he was being avoided. As he hurriedly climbed out of bed, his foot got caught in the blanket, and he nearly tripped, but he managed to regain his balance and rushed to the door.

Just as he placed his hand on the doorknob, it turned from the other side.

“You okay? I heard a noise…”

Sa Muheon, who had opened the door, seemed slightly surprised to see Garam standing right there. His eyes quickly scanned Garam from head to toe, checking if he was hurt. Once he confirmed that Garam was unharmed, a faint look of relief settled on his face.

Seeing that expression made Garam’s heart soften instantly. Just moments ago, he had been agonizing over how to act in front of Sa Muheon, but now that felt pointless.

“I’m fine. I was just rushing a little.”

“What was so urgent? You should’ve taken your time.”

“Well…”

He couldn’t bring himself to say that he was afraid Sa Muheon would leave. Instead, he responded with an awkward smile.

“You said you weren’t going to eat, didn’t you?”

“Oh, right. I’m not really hungry… Did you have dinner?”

Since it was true that he wasn’t hungry, Garam repeated his answer and then asked about Sa Muheon. Sa Muheon gestured toward the kitchen with his chin and started walking. Garam followed behind him.

“I was about to eat. I picked up some food while I was out.”

“Oh, then should I eat now too?”

“It’s fine. Just eat when you get hungry later.”

If he had known Sa Muheon had prepared dinner in advance, he would have forced himself to eat. Feeling a little regretful, he brought it up, but Sa Muheon firmly reassured him that he didn’t have to eat if he wasn’t hungry. Only when Garam obediently nodded did Sa Muheon’s lips curve into a slight smile.

“Are you just going to sit there and watch me eat?”

“It’d be lonely if you ate by yourself…”

“Alright, then.”

Sa Muheon didn’t seem particularly moved by Garam’s reasoning, but he also didn’t refuse his company. There was enough food on the table for both of them. Once Garam sat down, Sa Muheon took the seat across from him and started eating. As Garam quietly watched him eat, he asked the question that had been on his mind.

“How was your hospital visit today?”

“It went fine. When I got back, you were sleeping, so I didn’t wake you. Should I have?”

At that, Garam lightly shook his head. Even if Sa Muheon had woken him, he wouldn’t have known how to face him and probably would’ve ended up saying nothing. Even now, he was struggling to keep his gaze from drifting to Sa Muheon’s lips, making it hard to focus on the conversation.

“What did the hospital say?”

“Hm…”

After swallowing his food, Sa Muheon slowly replied.

“Nothing much. They said my recovery is pretty fast, but I still need to be careful. Moving around a little is good, but I shouldn’t overdo it.”

“I see…”

Garam’s response was tinged with slight disappointment. Noticing this, Sa Muheon looked at him for a moment before adding,

“But they said I should be almost fully recovered in about a month.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Remember that.”

The bright smile that had appeared on Garam’s face instantly turned crimson at Sa Muheon’s following words.

“T-That…”

“I’m just saying.”

Garam was left opening and closing his mouth without a proper response, while Sa Muheon chuckled and continued his meal. Feeling flustered, Garam fanned his face before suddenly getting up and heading into the kitchen to gulp down some cold water.

“Didn’t you say you had an exam starting tomorrow?”

“Yes. The one on Friday is my last.”

“Must be nice, having the semester end.”

At Sa Muheon’s words, Garam smiled and nodded. Normally, he would be juggling his studies while browsing job-hunting sites in preparation for the break, but thanks to Sa Muheon’s support, he could spend this vacation without any worries.

“I’m going out for a bit tomorrow too.”

“Where to?”

“Just the office for a bit.”

At the mention of the office, Garam’s eyes widened.

“But you’re not even fully healed yet?”

At Garam’s words, Sa Muheon stared at him blankly, as if he had just heard the most ridiculous thing, before suddenly letting out a chuckle.

“Do you think I’ll get into a fight if I go to work? I’m just going to check some documents.”

“But usually, Chief Han brings those documents to the house.”

“I can’t stay away forever. As long as I’m careful, moving around a little and doing some work is fine. Don’t worry too much.”

Even with Sa Muheon’s reassurance, Garam couldn’t completely erase the worry from his expression. But he also couldn’t keep telling Sa Muheon to stay home indefinitely. In the end, he gave a small, sulky nod, and Sa Muheon smiled as he reached out and ruffled Garam’s hair.

“Am I really that much of a concern to you?”

“…Yes.”

“Hearing my baby worry like this, I’ll make sure to be careful.”

Strangely enough, those words eased Garam’s mood a little. He nodded with a much more relaxed expression.

“I’m heading out.”

“Mm, take care.”

“Be careful today.”

“Yeah.”

Sa Muheon waved at Garam with a smile. Even as he climbed into the passenger seat, Garam continued waving back at him. Sa Muheon only lowered his hand when Garam’s car was completely out of sight. He briefly wondered if his actions seemed childish, but as soon as he thought of Garam’s smiling face, he decided he didn’t care. Garam was that happy, so why should anyone else’s opinion matter?

As soon as he stepped back inside, his phone rang—it was Chief Han, as if he had been waiting for him.

• I’m calling ahead since I’ll be arriving soon.

“Alright, I’ll head out now.”

Sa Muheon ended the call, grabbed his jacket, and stepped outside. Chief Han’s car had already arrived, and he promptly opened the back door for him. Once Sa Muheon got in, Chief Han returned to the driver’s seat and started the car. As they drove, Sa Muheon quietly spoke up.

“Any new updates?”

“Thanks to the chairman putting out feelers in all directions, we’ve received a substantial amount of information. We’re sorting through the useful pieces now, so pinpointing the exact location is just a matter of time.”

“That’s good to hear.”

It was a satisfying answer. A slow smile played on Sa Muheon’s lips as he gazed out the window, murmuring to himself.

“This time, we have to catch him properly…”

“The last incident happened because President Yoo underestimated the target. We won’t fail this time, so you don’t need to worry.”

Chief Han’s expression was cold and rigid as he spoke. Given his perfectionist nature, the previous failure must have been a significant blow. On top of that, Sa Muheon had nearly lost his life because of that incident. It was obvious that this time, they would prepare flawlessly to take down Ryu Beomju.

“I’ll count on you, Chief Han.”

“Yes, sir.”

Yoo Taewoo had been an unreliable man from the start. Entrusting him with the task had been a mistake. Sa Muheon clicked his tongue in frustration. He should have handled it himself from the beginning. If nothing else, things wouldn’t have gotten this complicated if he had left it in Chief Han’s hands.

President Yoo had died on the scene. After dealing with the aftermath of his death, all the key personnel in charge of the construction sector had disappeared as well. Filling that void had now become entirely Sa Muheon’s responsibility. What was supposed to be a simple solution had only multiplied into an even greater hassle.

But there was no point dwelling on the past. Besides, this was something that needed to be dealt with eventually. If he could set things right now, that would be good enough.