Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 13

As his father had assured him, the work was not particularly difficult. Everything was going smoothly except for the fact that some employees who disliked shifters had left after learning that Chairman Go’s wife was a snake shifter and that their child was also a snake shifter. In fact, even that posed no real problem for Sa Muheon.

“I’m sorry. We’ve been hiring new employees recently, so their training might have been a bit lacking.”

The person bowing in front of Sa Muheon was his father’s loyal subordinate, who had practically managed Mirae Capital for years.

“Well, that happens. It’s not like it’s unusual for people to dislike shifter.”

“Director, it’s just…”

“Especially snake shifter. It’s understandable, isn’t it? Even among shifter, there are many who dislike snake shifter. What they said isn’t entirely wrong, don’t you think, Manager Han?”

“Hmm…”

Manager Han averted his gaze awkwardly in response to Sa Muheon’s question. Prejudices or opinions about snake shifter were well-known even among ordinary humans. Sa Muheon’s gaze shifted to the person bowing his head to the floor. If he had just gossiped behind his back, it might have been overlooked, but he had foolishly tried to curry favor with Manager Han by criticizing Sa Muheon in front of him and ended up being dragged here.

“Tsk…”

“I’ll make sure the others are properly educated.”

“And what about this one?”

Sa Muheon gestured with his chin toward the person lying on the floor. Manager Han’s expression turned cold.

“Everyone needs to learn not to wag their tongues carelessly.”

“Well, do as you please. I trust you’ll handle it well, Manager Han.”

“Yes, thank you. I’ll make sure you won’t need to concern yourself further.”

With a slight nod from Sa Muheon, Manager Han kicked the person’s shin, knocking him over, then grabbed him by the back of the neck and dragged him out of the room.

Sa Muheon leaned back in his chair, watching them leave with an indifferent expression. As his father, Chairman Go, had said, there wasn’t much to do, but he started to wonder if accepting the position had been a mistake.

The work itself wasn’t difficult, and there wasn’t much for him to personally handle, but the thought that others might be taking on bothersome tasks because of him left a sour feeling.

Still, deciding there was no point dwelling on it any further, Sa Muheon straightened up. When he stepped outside, Jang Seokgyu, the employee waiting at the door, quickly stood up. Perhaps because he had seen the man being dragged out earlier, his movements were more alert than usual.

“Are you heading out?”

“I’m going to get something to eat. Want to join me?”

“Yes, of course.”

The two headed to a nearby barbecue restaurant and enjoyed a hearty meal. To be precise, it was only Sa Muheon who seemed to enjoy the meal. Jang Seokgyu spent most of the time either trying to gauge Sa Muheon’s mood or being shocked by the sheer amount of food he consumed, leaving him unable to properly eat. Seeing Jang Seokgyu’s startled expression, Sa Muheon offered an apologetic smile.

“Ah, it looks like you didn’t eat properly. Are you okay?”

“Y-Yes! I’m fine!”

Jang Seokgyu looked at Sa Muheon with a slightly overwhelmed expression. It was understandable—after all, he had just witnessed him devour about seven servings of meat without batting an eye. For any normal human, such a sight might seem bizarre.

Fortunately, Jang Seokgyu was smarter than the man who had spoken ill of Sa Muheon in front of Manager Han. He tried hard to hide his expression and keep his composure. Since it would have been awkward to keep asking if he was fine, Sa Muheon simply nodded and stepped outside.

It was a warm summer day. As a snake shifter with naturally low body temperature, Sa Muheon enjoyed summer the most. He liked the way his body warmed up and relaxed under the sun’s rays.

But he knew all too well that, for ordinary humans, it was just an uncomfortably hot day. He thought about sending Jang Seokgyu back inside, but the man insisted on following him, sweating profusely while declaring his duty to assist Sa Muheon. Deciding not to argue, Sa Muheon let him tag along.

While they were walking at a leisurely pace, Jang Seokgyu suddenly let out a surprised sound. Sa Muheon turned to look behind him and followed Jang Seokgyu’s gaze. On a park bench, there was a small cage.

“What is that?”

Sa Muheon was the first to move toward the cage. He crouched down in front of the bench and peered inside.

The cage was filled with wood shavings and tiny structures. There was a food dish and a water bowl, as well as a small exercise wheel. When Sa Muheon inspected one of the structures that resembled a house, he found a small furry creature hiding inside.

“…A hamster?”

The hamster seemed limp, likely overheated from being left out in the blazing midday sun. Sa Muheon quickly picked up the cage. Jang Seokgyu, who had been peering inside from behind, jumped back in alarm.

“Wait, you’re not seriously…”

“What else? Is there an animal hospital nearby?”

“I-I’ll look it up right away.”

Jang Seokgyu, who had been staring at Sa Muheon with a startled expression, seemed relieved at Sa Muheon’s mention of finding an animal hospital and quickly took out his phone.

“What’s with that look? Did you think I was going to eat this thing or something?”

“……”

Sa Muheon’s words were meant as a joke, but there was no reply. Jang Seokgyu, sweating profusely, kept his mouth tightly shut. Sa Muheon’s lips curled into a faint smirk. Though nothing was said, the silence made it clear that Jang Seokgyu had indeed misunderstood him.

“I have no interest in hamsters, so you can relax.”

“…N-No! That’s not it!”

“They’re hard to eat because of all the fur.”

Even though it was another joke, Jang Seokgyu’s wavering eyes showed he couldn’t tell whether Sa Muheon was serious or not.

“It’s just a joke. Hurry up and find a hospital.”

“Y-Yes, sir.”

Jang Seokgyu finally focused on his phone. Fortunately, they found a nearby animal hospital that could treat hamsters and headed there.

“Hmm… It seems a bit overheated, but with some rest in a cooler place, it should be fine. There are no other issues.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. But since you mentioned finding it in a park, what do you plan to do with it afterward?”

“Ah…”

Relieved to hear there were no serious problems, Sa Muheon turned his gaze to the doctor’s follow-up question. Seeing the hamster still slumped like a ball of sticky rice cake, he hesitated.

“If you decide to take it, we can provide guidance. If not, we can process it through proper procedures.”

“What kind of procedures?”

“Well, sending it to a shelter, for example.”

The mention of a shelter made Sa Muheon frown slightly. A tiny hamster like this wouldn’t survive long in a shelter. The chances of someone adopting it from there were slim as well. In the end, he made a firm decision. It was a bit impulsive, but since he was the one who had picked up the droopy little creature, he felt responsible for it.

“…What do hamsters eat?”

When they left the hospital, Sa Muheon was holding the cage, and behind him, Jang Seokgyu carried large shopping bags in both hands.

“…Are you really going to keep it?”

“I told you, I’m not going to eat it. Don’t worry.”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

Jang Seokgyu tried to explain, still sweating. It wasn’t hard to guess what he wanted to say. He probably thought it was completely out of character for Sa Muheon to take in a cute pet like a hamster, but he couldn’t say it out loud, so he just kept sweating nervously.

Since the adoption hadn’t been planned at all, Sa Muheon also felt a bit awkward. But…

“……”

The hamster, which had regained some energy, was now moving about inside the cage. The light weight shifting in his hands didn’t feel bad. Before he realized it, Sa Muheon was looking at the cage with a slight smile.

“A name…”

The hamster looked up at him as if it understood.

“Hmm… Let’s call it Yulmu.”

“…Yulmu?”

Jang Seokgyu repeated the name in disbelief. For something Sa Muheon had named, it seemed unusually cute. But the hamster’s fur did resemble the color of a yulmu tea drink.

Sa Muheon knew he wasn’t particularly good at naming things, but he was confident this adorable little creature couldn’t have a more fitting name. He nodded firmly.

And so began the first encounter between Sa Muheon and his hamster, Yulmu.