Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 136

—…Hello?

When there was no reply, Garam raised his voice in confusion. Only then did Sa Muheon barely manage to open his mouth.

“Yeah, baby.”

—Ah, you weren’t saying anything, so I thought something might’ve happened….

With a playful sigh of relief, Garam let out a small laugh. But Sa Muheon couldn’t bring himself to laugh along.

Just as he had worried about Garam, that past incident clearly still lingered in Garam’s mind, making him anxious too.

“…No. It’s not that—maybe the sound just didn’t come through for a moment.”

—Got it… So why did you call? Are you coming home early?

He had called just to make sure Garam was safe, but he couldn’t say that out loud so suddenly. Thankfully, Garam had asked first, giving Sa Muheon a chance to make up an excuse.

“Yeah. There’s been a small issue with my afternoon schedule, so I was thinking of heading back early. I figured if you’re still out, maybe we could head home together.”

His afternoon was originally wide open, but even if it hadn’t been, he wouldn’t have been able to focus on anything anyway.

—But it would take a while for you to get all the way here. Should we just meet at home?

“No, it’s fine. Aren’t you still at the department store?”

Noticing the background noise coming through the receiver, he asked, and Garam confirmed it.

—Yeah, that’s right. But I’ve already bought pretty much everything I came for… I’ll just browse a bit more.

“Okay, do that. Team Leader Jang is with you, right?”

—Yeah, he’s right next to me.

“Alright. I’ll be there soon.”

Only after confirming that Jang Seokgyu was right by Garam’s side did Sa Muheon feel a bit more at ease. Ending the call, he immediately stood up. It felt like this anxiety wouldn’t settle until he saw Garam with his own eyes.

“Wow…”

From the moment the villa came into view, Garam had been endlessly exclaiming in awe. Even after the car came to a stop, he couldn’t seem to bring himself to get out, letting out another breathless “Wow.”

“Enough sightseeing—let’s go in.”

“Okay!”

Snapping out of it at Sa Muheon’s words, Garam quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car.

Every little movement was brimming with excitement. Rather than a squirrel, he looked more like a puppy delighted to see the first snow.

Sa Muheon knew Garam didn’t like being told he was childish, but still—seeing him like this made it obvious how young he really was.

As Sa Muheon stepped out of the car with a smile, Garam, who had already dashed ahead, called out to him with eager excitement.

“How do you open the door?”

“It should already be unlocked.”

At his nod toward the door, Garam scurried over and tried it.

“Wow…”

Just as Sa Muheon said, the villa door was already open. Garam, as if entranced, stepped inside.

The warm, inviting interior looked exactly like the image one would picture upon hearing the word “villa.”

He’d seen pictures before, but in person, it was even more beautiful and cozy than any photo.

While Garam wandered inside to explore, Sa Muheon began organizing the luggage they’d brought and then called out to him.

“Baby, where are you?”

“I’m here!”

Garam shouted back loudly and hurried out of the room. Sa Muheon stood in the kitchen, checking the ingredients that had been prepared in advance.

“Is there anything you want for dinner?”

“Hmm… Honestly, I feel like anything would taste amazing here.”

“So you’re saying anything’s fine?”

“Yes.”

Garam nodded with a smile. Sa Muheon chuckled and began putting the ingredients in order.

Perhaps thanks to his mother’s prior arrangements, everything in the villa was perfectly prepared. And to think they’d be staying here, just the two of them—nothing could be more perfect.

“Wanna step out for a bit later?”

“Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

Garam looked at him with concern. He knew Sa Muheon didn’t like cold weather or snowy places, so he seemed worried.

Even when Sa Muheon first suggested this short trip, Garam had wondered if he was forcing himself to do something he disliked just for Garam’s sake.

But Sa Muheon felt confident that even if it was something he hated, he could grow to love it if it was something Garam enjoyed. This trip was no exception.

As a child who knew nothing, he’d come to this villa a few times led by his mother’s hand. But after growing up, he hadn’t returned once.

Now, being here with a beaming Garam made him feel like he wouldn’t mind being trapped in this villa forever.

“I’m fine. We should do everything you want to do.”

“Still…”

“Seriously, I’m fine. I don’t like the cold, but that doesn’t mean I hate it.”

To be honest, it was closer to hate, but Sa Muheon lied smoothly without even blinking. Thankfully, Garam accepted it easily and nodded.

“Then let’s just step out for a little bit?”

“We can go out for a while if you want. Didn’t you say you wanted to build a snowman?”

“That can wait until tomorrow. Let’s just go out for a bit today.”

Sa Muheon tried dangling an enticing offer, but Garam didn’t fall for it so easily. And turning down Garam’s kindness was no easy task, so Sa Muheon eventually raised his hands in surrender.

“Alright. Then let me just finish up here and we’ll go. Look around a bit more while you wait.”

“Okay!”

As if he had been waiting for just those words, Garam beamed brightly. As he was about to leave the kitchen, he turned around, kissed Sa Muheon on the cheek, and chuckled as he walked out.

Even just watching his back, it was clear that Garam was extremely happy, and a sound like air escaping slipped out between Sa Muheon’s lips in the form of a laugh.

The past few days had been spent in tension, and this was a rare moment of peace.

Only after confirming that Garam’s presence had completely faded did Sa Muheon take out the phone he had kept in his pocket. The first message that appeared was from Chief Han.

[We’ve increased the security in the area since last night. So far, nothing suspicious has been found.]

Though it wasn’t a long message, it was enough to ease his anxiety.

Since the report that Ryu Beomju had shown himself, they had thoroughly searched the area where he had last been seen, but no results came from it.

As if to show off his abilities, Ryu had completely vanished without a trace.

It was natural for Sa Muheon’s anxiety to grow. If it were just him dealing with Ryu alone, it wouldn’t be a major problem, but now, he had someone he needed to protect.

Furthermore, Ryu Beomju had already eluded Jang Seokgyu and directly threatened Garam in the past, so it was only natural that Sa Muheon would be on higher alert.

He hadn’t said anything to Garam yet. Though Ryu Beomju had appeared nearby, there was no telling when he might disappear again. So Sa Muheon thought there was no need to unnecessarily plant fear in Garam.

Besides, whenever Garam went outside, he was always accompanied by security, and he spent most of his time at home, so there was little chance he would find himself in a dangerous situation.

If catching Ryu Beomju was delayed again, Sa Muheon figured it wouldn’t be too late to explain the situation to Garam then.

Sa Muheon left a message for Chief Han to increase security around the area and then put his phone back in his pocket. He heard Garam returning.

“It’s snowing again outside!”

Garam’s eyes were wide open, caught between excitement and concern for Sa Muheon. Sa Muheon chuckled and patted Garam on the head.

“That’s great, little one. You’ll be able to make plenty of snowmen.”

“That’s not the important part… Do you think I’m a kid or something?”

Even his small grumbling reply was adorable. By now, everything about Garam seemed lovely to him, and he didn’t even feel like that was a problem anymore. If anything, it felt like a good thing.

“True, you’re not a kid.”

As Sa Muheon said this, he kissed Garam’s slightly pouting lips. He saw Garam’s eyes open wide in surprise.

“Can’t do this with a kid.”

“Oh, seriously.”

Garam’s wide-open eyes crinkled into a smile. Then, suddenly hugging Sa Muheon’s neck as he pulled away, Garam left a deep kiss on his lips.

Sa Muheon had intended to let things be today since Garam had seemed so happy, but now that Garam had approached first, he had no reason to refuse.

As he wrapped his arms around Garam’s waist, Sa Muheon kissed him roughly, as if devouring his lips.

“Haa…”

Sa Muheon let out a long sigh. His relationship with Garam always brought him new pleasure, but today it had felt especially different.

One wall of the bedroom was a large floor-to-ceiling window, and beyond the small terrace connected to it, the outside world was entirely blanketed in white.

Even the small, long-frozen lake was now covered in a soft layer of snow, making the whole world look white.

Just looking at it made one feel as if their whole body might freeze from the cold. But the room they were in now was filled with the intense heat the two of them gave off.