Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 127

“…For what?”

Garam’s voice betrayed his bewilderment. A sudden expression of gratitude—he had no idea what Sa Muheon was thinking.

Though Sa Muheon had his head buried in Garam’s shoulder and couldn’t see his face, he could sense the confusion in his voice, and without realizing it, he let out a soft chuckle.

“Haha…”

“What is it?”

Garam’s voice turned slightly petulant at the strangely weary laugh. Sa Muheon pulled him even closer, wrapping his arms more securely around his waist before speaking.

“I’m grateful that you chose me.”

Before Garam could respond, Sa Muheon continued.

“I’m much older than you, I don’t exactly do honorable work in the eyes of others, I’m overly possessive despite loving someone much younger, and on top of all that, I’m a snake shifter.”

As Sa Muheon’s words spilled out one after another, Garam’s expression gradually hardened. He could tell Garam wasn’t pleased, but he pretended not to notice and kept talking—because, in truth, there was nothing incorrect about what he had said.

“And yet, you still chose me.”

“……”

“You told me you didn’t regret loving me. And for that, I’m grateful.”

Garam, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke in a small voice.

“…So what?”

“What?”

“None of that matters. I like you because you’re Sa Muheon. So you don’t have to thank me for anything.”

Only then did Sa Muheon loosen his tight embrace and pull back slightly. Face to face, Garam was pouting like a child. He looked as if he might burst into tears at any moment, making Sa Muheon panic and quickly pull him back into his arms.

“…I’m grateful too.”

“For what?”

Sa Muheon chuckled softly at Garam’s delayed response. Garam remained silent for a moment before, just as Sa Muheon had earlier, he started listing things.

“For not treating me like a child, for letting it slide when I first pretended to be just a squirrel…”

Garam spoke slowly, as if recalling each moment.

“For letting me live here, for making sure I could go to school without worrying about money… and…”

Trailing off, Garam suddenly tightened his arms around Sa Muheon’s neck.

“And… for loving me.”

Sa Muheon was at a loss for words.

He wondered if Garam had felt the same way earlier when he had been the one on the receiving end of those words. But he didn’t ask. He simply held Garam tighter.

“…Yeah.”

That was all he could say.

After a moment, Sa Muheon slowly spoke again.

“I may have a lot of shortcomings compared to you…”

At that, Garam abruptly lifted his head. He didn’t say anything, but the expression on his face—an incredulous look, as if asking what nonsense Sa Muheon was spewing—made Sa Muheon chuckle.

“But even so, I will dedicate my entire life to loving you.”

His voice held a trace of laughter, and Garam’s eyes widened slightly before softening into a smile. Sa Muheon found himself momentarily mesmerized by the change in expression before Garam’s next words snapped him out of it.

“Was that supposed to be a proposal?”

“…What?”

For once, Sa Muheon was caught off guard, his mouth opening and closing in stunned silence.

Garam laughed brightly at the rare sight.

“Who proposes in such an unromantic way?”

“I thought it was nice.”

Garam blinked, countering him matter-of-factly. Sa Muheon finally let out a chuckle of his own.

“I wouldn’t mind setting up a newlywed home right away, but… shouldn’t we start with dating first since my little one is still young?”

Garam, who had been teasing him just moments ago, turned red in an instant.

“Hmm? What do you think, my little one?”

“…I like it.”

“What do you like?”

Sa Muheon playfully pressed for an answer, and Garam simply grinned and hugged him.

“I like the idea of starting with dating.”

Holding Garam in his arms, Sa Muheon felt his heart overflow with happiness.

It was a feeling he had never experienced before in his life.

He had never realized how sweet love could be when it was given solely to him.

Or perhaps, if it hadn’t been Garam’s love, no love would have ever felt this sweet.

For a long time, Sa Muheon was lost in the intoxicating warmth of happiness.

But what finally broke him out of it was a sharp pain in his shoulder.

He had been so overwhelmed with joy that he had tried to ignore it.

Unfortunately, the problem was that the wound, which had been healing, had reopened due to excessive movement.

The blissful moment shattered in an instant when Garam noticed it first and let out a horrified cry.

Even as tears streamed down his face, Garam remained calm and immediately grabbed his phone to call Jang Seokgyu.

Sa Muheon, under Garam’s stern gaze, had no choice but to stay still and watch as he hurriedly moved around.

Jang Seokgyu arrived shortly after receiving the call. Practically flying into the house, he first checked if his superior was in a sane state of mind, as if he had been forewarned by Chief Han.

Only after confirming that Sa Muheon was no longer in his heat-induced haze and could think rationally did Jang Seokgyu’s tense expression relax.

After calming the panicked Garam and examining Sa Muheon’s wound, he quickly ushered both of them into the car and drove straight to the hospital.

Thanks to Chief Han, who had arrived at the hospital ahead of them, the treatment process was swift.

The doctor who had performed Sa Muheon’s surgery let out a series of sighs as he examined the wound, seemingly unable to believe that his previously stable patient had managed to aggravate his injury to this extent.

“Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be seriously infected. But you must be extremely careful from now on.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Sa Muheon meekly responded, knowing he was at fault.

And also because Garam, still looking worried, was staring at him.

The doctor, looking a little exhausted, nodded and left the room.

“…At least it wasn’t worse.”

Chief Han, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.

He didn’t bother asking how this situation had come about.

After all, just the previous day, he had seen Sa Muheon, lost in his instincts, drag Garam inside. It wasn’t difficult to guess what had happened afterward.

While Sa Muheon shamelessly nodded, it was only Garam who lowered his head in embarrassment.

At first, he had been too shocked by the sight of blood to do anything but cry. But now that the doctor had assured them it wasn’t serious, the reality of the situation hit him—making it unbearably embarrassing.

After Chief Han’s comment, a short silence fell over the room.

It was Jang Seokgyu who broke it.

“I’ll take you back home for now.”

Garam nodded quickly, as if he had just been rescued.

Jang Seokgyu seemed just as eager to escape this awkward situation and swiftly took care of the paperwork before heading outside.

“Haa…”

Garam let out a long sigh as he returned home. So much had happened since yesterday. As exhaustion suddenly washed over him, he slowly blinked, and Sa Muheon, who had approached him, gently stroked his cheek.

“Are you sleepy?”

“A little tired.”

“Hm, that makes sense.”

Nodding quietly at Garam’s answer, Sa Muheon turned his head to check the time.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“I don’t feel like eating right now…”

Garam wasn’t as strict about meals as Sa Muheon, but he rarely skipped them. Because of that, Sa Muheon raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by his response.

“Really?”

“Yes… I’ll eat later if I get hungry.”

“Alright, then.”

His unexpectedly easy acceptance made Garam look at him curiously. Normally, Sa Muheon would have insisted that he eat something, but now he was backing off too easily. It felt like he had something planned.

As if confirming Garam’s suspicion, Sa Muheon smirked and leaned in closer.

“If you’re tired, should we go to bed early?”

Though he was exhausted, he hadn’t felt particularly sleepy. But strangely, the moment Sa Muheon said that, drowsiness suddenly crept in.

“Haaam… Maybe we should….”

Letting out a small yawn, Garam spoke sluggishly. Sa Muheon nodded as if giving permission. Only then did Garam slowly get up.

“Then I’ll go to bed early.”

With that, he started heading to his room. But he had barely taken a few steps before Sa Muheon caught him, stopping him in his tracks. Garam turned around with a puzzled expression, but Sa Muheon didn’t say anything—he simply stood up as well.

“Uh… Are you going to sleep already?”

Garam asked in confusion. Sa Muheon, despite looking like someone who would live a wild lifestyle, was actually quite disciplined in his daily routine. It was unusual for him to go to bed this early in the evening. As Garam stared at him, Sa Muheon smirked before finally speaking.

“We’re dating now, aren’t we?”

“Huh? Uh, yeah.”

“Then there’s no reason for us to sleep in separate rooms, is there?”

Sa Muheon’s tone was as if he were stating the obvious. Garam opened his mouth slightly, speechless for a moment. But soon, he burst into laughter and nodded.

After all, he also wanted to stay close to the person he had just begun a relationship with.