Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 120

Chapter 120

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Tap—.

“Hmm….”

Stepping out of the car, Sa Muheon checked the darkened sign and casually scanned his surroundings.

“It definitely looks like the place is closed for the night. Are you sure that bastard really went in just now?”

He had come after hearing that Sa Mujin had entered the club, but now that he was here, the area seemed eerily quiet. It made sense, considering that most of the businesses around here were bars that operated late into the night.

The man they were keeping an eye on had entered the club at this hour, so it was almost certain that something was going on inside. Still, something about it felt off. When Sa Muheon asked with a skeptical tone, Chief Han stepped closer.

“Yes, I’m sure. Just a moment ago, someone suspected to be that tiger shifter from last night also entered.”

“Hmm…”

On the phone screen that Chief Han held out, a man in scruffy clothing was visible. His face was obscured by a tightly pulled-down cap, but judging by his height and build, he was almost certainly the same man from the photos they had seen yesterday. His frame was so unusually large that it was hard to mistake him for anyone else.

After a brief moment of consideration, Sa Muheon nodded and started walking. Chief Han quickly followed behind.

“…Still, wouldn’t it be better to send in some of our men just in case?”

“If the guy inside really is Ryu Beomju, sending them in would just get them all killed, don’t you think?”

“Even so….”

Chief Han trailed off, unable to shake his concerns. Seeing his expression, Sa Muheon grinned and spoke up.

“Don’t worry. Last time, things caught me off guard, but… if I return to my real form, I won’t go down so easily.”

Only then did Chief Han’s expression lighten a little. He gave a small nod and followed Sa Muheon while still keeping a wary eye on their surroundings. Though the area remained quiet, his tense posture made it clear that he was on high alert.

“Hmm….”

Leaving Chief Han behind to keep watch, Sa Muheon stood before the club’s front door and surveyed the area. During business hours, these doors would be wide open, but now they were firmly shut. Instead of wasting effort here, he decided to take a detour around the building.

According to their lookout, Sa Mujin had carefully checked his surroundings before entering through the club’s back door.

Unlike the lavishly decorated front entrance, the rear of the building featured a solid, heavy-looking metal door. Just in case, Sa Muheon tried pulling the handle, but it was locked, as expected.

“There’s not even a doorbell….”

Muttering to himself, he glanced around and then spotted a CCTV camera mounted above the door. A wide grin spread across his face. He even gave a small wave toward the camera.

Click—.

As he had anticipated, the door soon unlocked. When he pulled the handle again, it opened surprisingly easily, despite its heavy appearance.

Beyond the open door, a long hallway stretched ahead. Though dimly lit, he could tell that the interior was quite upscale. Lining the corridor were multiple doors, each completely closed off, hinting at whatever secretive activities were taking place inside.

After taking a quick look around, Sa Muheon stepped inside without hesitation. Behind him, the door swung shut again, but instead of feeling a sense of danger, he leisurely whistled as he walked forward. Just as he had told Chief Han earlier—if necessary, he could always return to his true form and escape. The thought that he might actually be in danger never crossed his mind.

The rooms flanking the dark corridor were eerily silent. Sa Muheon paid them no attention. His gaze was fixed on the door at the very end of the hallway. That was where the person he was looking for would be.

In the empty corridor, the sound of his shoes clicking against the floor mingled with his whistling, creating an eerie echo.

Tap—.

Once he reached the door, he opened it without a moment’s hesitation. Knocking in this situation would have been ridiculous.

As the door swung open, the scene before him made Sa Muheon’s brows furrow.

“Oh, looks like we have a guest.”

The room resembled an office, but with its large central table and oversized sofas, it looked no different from a bar lounge. The air inside was thick with the scent of alcohol, cigarette smoke, and an unsettlingly sweet fragrance.

A man lounging comfortably in the seat of honor gazed at Sa Muheon with an amused expression. Two attractive young men clung to him on either side, but they paid no attention to Sa Muheon, focused solely on the man on the couch.

“Quite the poor welcome for a guest.”

“Haha, well, I wasn’t expecting you to arrive so soon. No need to just stand there—why don’t you take a seat? As you can see, there’s no one hiding in here, let alone anyone who could be a threat to you.”

Normally, Sa Muheon wouldn’t have stepped foot in a place like this, but this was an unavoidable situation. Clicking his tongue, he stepped inside. The man sitting across from him was someone he had seen in photos before.

“You’re Yoo Jaehyuk, right?”

“You’re well-informed. Though, I figured you would be.”

“You don’t need me to introduce myself, do you?”

“Of course not. You’re Sa Muheon—your name is well known.”

Yoo Jaehyuk chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. In the photos, his face had seemed almost too clean-cut to be running a club like this. But seeing him in person, Sa Muheon realized that impression had been misleading. With that face, it was impossible to guess how many people he had lured in.

Casually brushing off the men clinging to him, Yoo Jaehyuk picked up an empty glass from the table.

“Care for a drink?”

“No. I’ll pass on the alcohol.”

His injuries hadn’t fully healed yet, so drinking was out of the question. Besides, he had no interest in leisurely sharing drinks with a stranger in a place like this. Seeing Sa Muheon’s firm refusal, Yoo Jaehyuk didn’t insist and instead poured a drink for himself. After downing the glass in one go, he got straight to the point.

“Hong Taegyu… or should I say Ryu Beomju? I need to meet him too.”

“For what reason?”

“That’s a bit hard to explain… but let’s just say there’s some money tied up. I need to collect it, no matter what. And I think you might be able to help with that.”

Yoo Jaehyuk spoke smoothly, his ever-present smile never wavering. Sa Muheon had suspected that Ryu Beomju had been borrowing money from various sources and dabbling in other shady dealings, but he hadn’t expected him to be involved with the kind of cheap drugs circulating in clubs like this.

“Well, I suppose you’d be quicker at finding him than I would. But from what I hear, someone I know has been coming here. What’s Sa Mujin’s connection to this place?”

“Oh, Attorney Sa? Calling it a connection might be an exaggeration—he’s just a customer.”

“Hah, a customer?”

Sa Muheon let out a hollow laugh as he spoke, and Yoo Jaehyuk picked up a small packet that had been carelessly scattered on the table. The white powder inside looked suspicious at a glance.

“Haven’t you heard the rumors? It’s been quite popular among shifter lately….”

“I’ve heard of it. But I didn’t know my cousin was stupid enough to mess with cheap drugs like that.”

“Haha, cheap drugs? That hurts my feelings….”

Even as he said that, Yoo Jaehyuk’s smile never faded for a moment. Unfazed by his act, Sa Muheon continued his questioning.

“That tiger shifter—was he bait prepared by your side?”

“Ah, that guy?”

Yoo Jaehyuk chuckled and pressed the call bell on the table. Before long, there was a knock at the office door, and soon after, a man stepped inside. The man who stood beside Yoo Jaehyuk was undoubtedly the tiger shifter Sa Muheon had seen in the photos. But seeing him in person, it was clear that although he bore some resemblance to Ryu Beomju, they were entirely different people.

“So you walked right into the trap. What is it you want?”

“There’s only one thing we want. To capture the runaway Ryu Beomju and recover our money. If you’re willing, we could even lend a hand in catching him….”

“No. I’ll pass on that.”

Sa Muheon flatly refused his offer. Things had already gone awry after entrusting the matter to President Yoo, and he couldn’t afford to let someone else handle it again.

“We’ll catch him first. Once our business is done, we’ll hand him over—provided you handle the cleanup properly.”

“Well, as long as he’s still breathing, we’ll take care of the rest on our end.”

Yoo Jaehyuk nodded with a grin. But suddenly, his smiling face blurred in Sa Muheon’s vision. It was then that Sa Muheon realized a headache was washing over him, and his eyes narrowed dangerously.

“What trick did you pull?”

“Ah… well, we needed some insurance. According to Attorney Sa, your true form is quite a dangerous entity.”

“That bastard….”

Not only was he foolish enough to mess with drugs, but he had also been leaking information about Sa Muheon. Grinding his teeth, Sa Muheon forced himself to stand. Though he swayed slightly, he managed to maintain his balance. However, as soon as he got up, the effect of the drug seemed to intensify, and a sharp pain pounded in his head.

He hadn’t ingested anything since entering this room, so the culprit had to be that strange scent in the air.

The tiger shifter standing beside Yoo Jaehyuk approached and tried to support him. But noticing the man’s oddly rough breathing, Sa Muheon sneered and spoke through clenched teeth.

“Quit panting after anyone you see and get lost. Unless you want to die from an overdose.”

Realizing that his own life mattered more, the tiger shifter hesitated and stepped back. Sa Muheon shoved the man blocking his way aside roughly and turned his gaze to Yoo Jaehyuk.

“It’s not a strong drug. Just a simple heat inducer—nothing harmful to the body.”

“Hah….”

“I’d appreciate it if you considered my request positively.”

His way of asking for favors was a complete joke.

Without another word, Sa Muheon left the room. The hallway felt unnaturally long, but he pushed through and stepped outside the building.

The moment he did, Chief Han, who had been waiting near the door, rushed to his side with a startled expression and supported him.

“Director!”

Chief Han asked what had happened, but Sa Muheon didn’t have the energy for a long answer.

He barely managed to mutter a short sentence.

“For now… let’s go home.”