Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 129

Sa Muheon, who was asking the question, looked as if he was desperately hoping that Chief Han would say no. However, contrary to his hopes, Chief Han nodded heavily.

“Hah…”

Sa Muheon let out a short sigh and dropped the file he was holding onto the desk.

“So…”

After briefly choosing his words, Sa Muheon opened his mouth as if he still couldn’t believe it.

“That bastard Ryu Beomju bribed this man with money to kill someone, and the target is…”

He shook his head as if he couldn’t bring himself to say the next words. He stared at the file in front of him as though it were something horrifying before handing it back to Chief Han.

“So, it hasn’t been fully confirmed yet, right?”

“Yes. Not all the facts have been verified yet. But I thought it would be best if you knew in advance, so I delivered it to you first.”

“Yeah, at least I’ve bought myself some time to prepare mentally.”

The way Sa Muheon spoke sounded almost as if he was mocking the situation. Chief Han remained silent, showing no reaction, and Sa Muheon sighed, rubbing his face with both hands.

“I think this is the first time I’ve ever wished something wasn’t true…”

“…Same here.”

Chief Han had been in this line of work for a long time, encountering countless cases that exposed the darkest sides of humanity. Yet, for even someone like him to say such a thing meant that the shock Sa Muheon felt was beyond comprehension.

However, the person who would be truly shaken upon learning this truth was someone else. That was why it was even more crucial to verify the exact facts. Sa Muheon barely managed to collect himself and spoke.

“No matter how long it takes, find out the exact truth. That’s the most important thing.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Chief Han gave a brief nod and then left the office. Left alone, Sa Muheon organized his thoughts for a moment.

But simply sitting there alone wouldn’t solve anything, and merely sorting out his thoughts wouldn’t bring this situation to an end. Thinking this far, Sa Muheon immediately stood up.

Bang—! 

The office door swung open with a loud noise, startling Jang Seokgyu, who had been sitting at the front. He turned toward the sound in surprise, but Sa Muheon didn’t spare him even a glance and simply strode forward.

“Director, is something wrong…?”

Jang Seokgyu quickly approached Sa Muheon, carefully asking his question in an attempt not to irritate him. Despite noticing his cautious approach, Sa Muheon struggled to suppress his emotions.

“Team Leader Jang, if you’re not too busy, I need you to drive. I don’t think I’m in the right state to drive myself.”

The words he barely managed to force out were merely a request for someone else to drive. Yet, Jang Seokgyu sighed in relief, as if just getting a response was fortunate, and swiftly grabbed his car key from his desk.

As the elevator arrived at the perfect moment, they stepped in, and Jang Seokgyu carefully asked,

“Where are we going?”

“Home.”

Sa Muheon answered without hesitation. Without another word, Jang Seokgyu followed him out of the elevator.

During the entire drive home, with Jang Seokgyu at the wheel, Sa Muheon remained silent.

Though he wasn’t someone who talked excessively to begin with, he also wasn’t the type to maintain such complete silence. Noticing the difference, Jang Seokgyu kept stealing glances at him.

Eventually, unable to ignore the frequent glances any longer, Sa Muheon spoke up first.

“Stop glancing at me and just focus on driving.”

“Did something happen with Chief Han?”

Jang Seokgyu asked the question himself but tilted his head as if doubting the possibility.

Since it wasn’t even worth responding to, Sa Muheon turned his gaze toward the window. Seeing his silence as an answer, Jang Seokgyu didn’t ask any more unnecessary questions and simply focused on driving.

Not long after, the car entered a familiar road.

As soon as Sa Muheon stepped out of the car, the garage sensor notified the house of a vehicle’s arrival, and the front door opened, revealing Garam peeking out.

Garam’s eyes widened in surprise as he saw Sa Muheon return home so soon after leaving. He approached him, confused.

“You’re back already? Did you forget something…?”

As he spoke, Garam noticed Jang Seokgyu sitting in the driver’s seat. His gaze immediately returned to Sa Muheon, filled with concern.

“Did something happen?”

Garam stepped closer to Sa Muheon, who had been standing still. As the distance between them shortened, Sa Muheon suddenly reached out and pulled Garam into his arms.

“Uh…”

Caught off guard by the sudden embrace, Garam placed his hands hesitantly on Sa Muheon’s chest. He thought Garam would push him away, but unexpectedly, Garam only fidgeted slightly before wrapping his arms around Sa Muheon’s waist in return.

The unexpected reaction made Sa Muheon flinch. Garam let out a small chuckle and spoke.

“I don’t know what’s wrong, but…”

“……”

“If it’s something you can’t talk about, then just stay like this for a moment.”

“…Yeah.”

At his young lover’s quiet understanding, Sa Muheon barely managed a short response and held Garam even tighter.

Garam didn’t dislike physical affection, but he was quite shy about displaying it in front of others.

Sa Muheon knew this about him, so he always tried to restrain himself. Even now, since Jang Seokgyu was there, he knew he should hold back, but at this moment, he simply couldn’t bear not to hold Garam.

Perhaps sensing Sa Muheon’s turmoil, Garam, despite being aware of Jang Seokgyu’s presence, held onto him even more firmly.

“Are you feeling a bit better now?”

After who knows how long of feeling each other’s warmth, Garam whispered the question into Sa Muheon’s ear.

Still holding Garam tightly, Sa Muheon gave a small nod. His almost childlike behavior made Garam chuckle softly.

“Then shall we go inside now?”

“…Yeah.”

Sa Muheon finally lifted his head. Garam studied his face carefully. He looked a little better than when they first met, but he still didn’t seem to be in a good mood.

It was surprising enough that he had come straight home instead of going to the office, but Garam had no way of knowing what had happened in that short time to make him feel so down.

However, Garam didn’t ask Sa Muheon for the reason. Instead, he quietly took his hand and led him toward the house. He also didn’t forget to give a slight nod of acknowledgment to Jang Seokgyu, who was still sitting in the driver’s seat.

Sa Muheon obediently followed Garam. Once inside, Garam led him to the living room sofa and sat him down. Then, as if it were second nature, he took his usual seat beside him and leaned against him.

Like this, they could share each other’s warmth. And if they listened closely, they could sometimes even hear each other’s heartbeats.

That was why Garam liked these moments. He liked feeling Sa Muheon’s cool body heat, and he liked hearing the slightly quickened rhythm of Sa Muheon’s heartbeat whenever he leaned against him. Sa Muheon felt the same way.

There was no conversation between them, but neither found the silence uncomfortable. When Garam was with Sa Muheon, silence no longer felt awkward.

They stayed like that for a while. As Garam’s eyes started to grow heavy, lulled by the steady rhythm of Sa Muheon’s heartbeat, it was Sa Muheon who finally broke the silence.

“Thank you.”

Instead of replying, Garam reached out and pulled Sa Muheon into a hug. At last, a small chuckle escaped Sa Muheon’s lips. A bright smile also spread across Garam’s face.

He didn’t know what had happened, but what mattered to Garam was that Sa Muheon seemed to have regained some energy.

“Shall we go out for dinner?”

“Shall we? Do you have anything in mind?”

“Hmm… Let’s take our time and think about it.”

When Garam spoke with a smile, Sa Muheon let out a small laugh and reached out to ruffle his hair. It was a gesture of agreement.

“You really wanted to eat this?”

Sa Muheon didn’t bother to hide his reluctance as he asked. Garam found it amusing how transparent he was and laughed before nodding.

While deciding on their dinner menu, Garam suddenly mentioned something he wanted to eat. Without hesitation, Sa Muheon had agreed. But if he had known that what Garam wanted so badly was something as simple as this, he might have suggested something else.

“Do you not like pork cutlets?”

“No, it’s not that I dislike them.”

Or maybe he did? Sa Muheon hesitated for a moment but didn’t bother to correct his answer.

Garam had brought him to an old pork cutlet restaurant that looked like it had been around for quite some time. Saying it had suddenly come to mind, he had led Sa Muheon to this quiet spot in a residential area.

Fortunately, the food wasn’t bad. Sa Muheon would have preferred to treat Garam to something better, but seeing how satisfied Garam looked as he ate, his own mood quickly softened.

As they continued eating in silence, Garam suddenly looked around and let out a small exclamation. Sa Muheon followed his gaze.

There was a wall covered in scribbles. Among the traces left over many years, Garam’s eyes lingered on one particular spot, unable to look away.