Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 138

Perhaps shocked that he hadn’t noticed Sa Muheon’s condition while he was having fun, Garam didn’t show any intention of going back outside afterward.

Sa Muheon tried to coax him into spending a bit more time outdoors, but each time, Garam firmly shook his head.

Seeing Garam’s stubbornness stem from concern for him, Sa Muheon decided it wouldn’t do any good to keep pressing and making him feel uneasy. In the end, he agreed to stay indoors.

Of course, considering his constitution that was sensitive to cold, staying inside was the more comfortable option anyway. Still, because Garam had looked so genuinely happy making the snowman, Sa Muheon couldn’t help but feel a little regretful—wondering if he had stolen away a happy moment from Garam.

But Garam dismissed his worries, saying that simply spending time with Sa Muheon made him happy.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“Mm… a little? Should we eat dinner early?”

At Garam’s suggestion, made as he tilted his head, Sa Muheon stood up right away. He figured Garam would be feeling hungry by the time the meal was ready anyway.

When Garam tried to stand up with him, Sa Muheon gently pushed him back onto the sofa. As Garam looked up at him with a puzzled expression, Sa Muheon stroked his hair and spoke.

“Just play for a bit. You must be tired—you can nap if you want. I’ll wake you when dinner’s ready.”

“I’m not that tired though….”

“Then just rest.”

Garam pouted at the idea of being left alone, but when he saw how firmly Sa Muheon spoke, he eventually nodded quietly.

Sa Muheon headed straight to the kitchen and began preparing the meal. Since they would be going back home tomorrow and the short trip would come to an end, he wanted to treat Garam to a particularly delicious dinner tonight. He hoped that all of Garam’s memories of this place would remain nothing but good.

Not long after, Garam peeked his head into the kitchen doorway. When their eyes met, he waved a glove he was holding in one hand.

“What’s with the gloves?”

“I was thinking of stepping outside for a bit.”

At those words, Sa Muheon glanced out the window. It was still winter, so the days were short, and since there were no streetlights in the area, it was growing darker even faster.

He turned his head to suggest going out together, but Garam shook his head quickly, as if reading Sa Muheon’s mind.

“No, I’m not going far. I just want to check on the snowman for a moment.”

“The snowman? Why?”

“To take a picture, and… maybe put these gloves on it…?”

Only then did Sa Muheon realize why Garam had been waving the gloves.

They’d rushed inside earlier without even taking a picture of the snowman they worked so hard on. Garam probably planned to take a quick trip outside to do that while dinner was being prepared.

“Alright. It’s cold, so don’t stay out too long.”

“Okay, I won’t.”

Once Sa Muheon gave his permission, Garam nodded with a smile.

“I wasn’t going to be out long anyway. Just a picture and I’ll come back in. I just told you ahead of time so you wouldn’t worry if I suddenly disappeared.”

“Alright, I got it.”

Garam chattered on, seemingly trying to ease Sa Muheon’s concerns. When Sa Muheon finally let out a small chuckle, Garam trotted up to him and gave him a quick kiss with a chu sound.

“Then I’ll be back!”

Afraid he might be stopped if he lingered, Garam quickly moved away, and Sa Muheon waved at him.

A moment later, the sound of the door opening and closing could be heard from afar. As the now-alone Sa Muheon recalled Garam’s actions and chuckled to himself, a sudden sound interrupted his thoughts.

Bzzzz—.

His phone, left on the dining table, began to vibrate loudly. His gaze shifted to the brightly lit screen.

If it had been from anyone else, he would’ve ignored it without hesitation—but this time was different. It was a call from Chief Han.

It might be nothing serious, but the moment Sa Muheon saw that name, a sudden sense of dread washed over him.

Without hesitation, Sa Muheon quickly answered the call.

“Chief Han?”

But on the other end, only faint, ragged breathing could be heard. The vague unease within him suddenly swelled.

“Chief Han. What’s going on?”

After several urgent prompts, a reply finally came from the other side.

—Director! It’s an emergency!

Chief Han was not someone who lost his composure easily. But now, the urgency in his voice was undeniable. Sa Muheon’s grip on the phone tightened.

“What happened?”

Even before hearing the answer, Sa Muheon had already started moving. The growing anxiety now felt like it was gripping his throat. As he headed toward the front door, his pace grew quicker and quicker, feeling like he could barely breathe.

—Ryu Beomju has appeared. He’s taking down the security team from the outskirts inward, one by one. His speed is so fast, it’s hard to determine his exact location. You need to prepare immediately…!

Chief Han reported the situation rapidly. But even before he could finish, Sa Muheon had thrown the phone to the floor and started running.

Bang—!

Sa Muheon threw open the front door with force and scanned the outside quickly. The world was still glittering, blanketed in white snow. But among that peaceful scene, an unnatural color caught his eye.

“…Kang Garam.”

Sa Muheon unconsciously murmured Garam’s name. He began to walk slowly. Where his steps were headed stood the snowman the two of them had made together.

However, the snowman that had once piled up as high as Garam’s chest was now half-destroyed, rolling around on the ground.

The head of the snowman, which had fallen to the ground and was now facing this way, looked grotesque.

Just ahead of it lay one of the gloves Garam had taken with him. And beneath that, small spots of red blood were scattered across the ground.

“Kang Garam.”

He looked around, but Garam was nowhere to be seen. Only the large footprints of some beast, stamped chaotically across the ground, suggested the direction in which Garam and the culprit had vanished.

“Kang Garam! Garam!”

Sa Muheon frantically called out Garam’s name as he searched the area, but he couldn’t find a single trace.

“Haah, ha…”

The situation was quickly spiraling into the worst-case scenario. As he caught his breath, Sa Muheon looked up at the sky at the cold sensation brushing against the tip of his nose.

The sky had already darkened, and white snowflakes were beginning to fall slowly.

“…Ha.”

Even the weather wasn’t on his side. The only remaining clue was the footprints left by Ryu Beomju as he fled. If the snow kept falling and erased those traces, there would be no way to pursue them.

There was no time to wallow in despair. Sa Muheon quickly gathered his thoughts and turned back toward the building.

The phone he had thrown down in haste earlier was lying near the entrance. Fortunately, except for a slightly cracked screen, it was still functioning. In the meantime, Chief Han had apparently been calling nonstop—several missed calls were displayed on the screen.

Bzzzz—

Just then, Chief Han called again. When Sa Muheon answered the phone, Chief Han urgently asked if he was all right.

“Director! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Where are you right now, Chief Han?”

“I’m currently on my way to your location. Just in case, I suggest you stay inside the building—!”

“No. That bastard is already gone.”

Sa Muheon gritted his teeth as he replied.

“Pardon? What do you mean…?”

“Ryu Beomju, that bastard, kidnapped Garam. Gather every security personnel in the area immediately. Bring in reinforcements from outside if needed. We have to track him while there are still traces left.”

At the mention that Garam had been kidnapped, Chief Han audibly gasped. But once Sa Muheon finished speaking, he quickly regained his usual composure.

“Understood. I’ll issue orders immediately. If there’s anything else you need, don’t hesitate to contact me. I’ll send Team Leader Jang there in my place for now.”

After hearing Chief Han’s response, Sa Muheon ended the call. Then he immediately headed outside, toward where the snowman had stood.

He picked up Garam’s glove, still lying on the cold snow, and quietly examined the bloodstains presumed to be Garam’s.

He slowly bent down.

When he scooped up a handful of the blood-stained snow, it gradually melted away in his hand. Sa Muheon fixed his gaze on the trace of Garam that had melted in his palm and slowly stood up.

The hand that had held the snow quickly turned numb from the cold, as if it were freezing over, but with Garam now missing, he didn’t have the luxury of worrying about something like that.

Sa Muheon remained there for a long time. He didn’t move until Jang Seokgyu arrived.

“Director!”

Jang Seokgyu came rushing in, first checking to see if Sa Muheon was safe. But since Sa Muheon was completely unscathed, he ignored the concern and walked over to the car Jang had arrived in.

“Leave the search here to Chief Han. We’re heading to the office.”

“Yes, understood.”

As the car departed, Sa Muheon quietly closed his eyes, gazing at the snowflakes falling from the darkened sky.