Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 14

In typical shifter households, pets are not kept. Although Sa Muheon had a human father, his mother was a shifter, so he had never raised a pet. He never thought animals were particularly cute to begin with. Young animals, perhaps, seemed a little adorable to him, but grown animals didn’t evoke such feelings.

However, there was something Sa Muheon didn’t know about himself: he actually found small animals quite endearing.

From the day he brought Yulmu home, Sa Muheon became utterly captivated by the tiny creature. Never in his life had a living being captured his attention like this. He began leaving work on time every day, and upon returning home, he would sit for hours in front of Yulmu’s large enclosure, newly set up just for him, watching the little hamster play.

At first, Yulmu seemed frightened, refusing to leave his hiding spot. But over time, he grew bolder, sniffing Sa Muheon’s fingers or even climbing onto his hand, doing all sorts of endearing things.

Sa Muheon felt content just watching Yulmu, smaller than the palm of his hand, scurrying around. It brought him peace and made him realize he was happy. For the first time, he understood why humans, unlike shifter, kept pets.

What Sa Muheon had overlooked, however, was that small creatures like Yulmu have very short lifespans.

—

“…Director, are you okay?”

“Oh… No, I’m not.”

Jang Seokgyu glanced at Sa Muheon, who seemed more absent-minded than usual, with a worried expression. While he understood Sa Muheon’s shock, he quietly closed the office door, leaving him in peace.

It had been just over a year since Yulmu had entered Sa Muheon’s life.

In truth, Sa Muheon had been preparing himself for Yulmu’s eventual passing. Unlike when he first brought him home, Yulmu’s fur had long lost its luster, and he had been sleeping more often. He barely ate, leaving even the small amounts of food given to him unfinished. Sa Muheon knew the end was near.

But knowing it in his head and facing it in reality were two completely different things.

The previous night, Sa Muheon returned home after work and, as always, went to check on Yulmu in his enclosure. But Yulmu was nowhere to be seen. A sense of dread washed over him.

He eventually found Yulmu in his favorite hiding spot, lying peacefully. The tiny hamster had taken his last breath.

Sa Muheon gently placed Yulmu’s lifeless body on his palm and stared at him for a long time. Despite all his preparation, goodbyes always came suddenly. After taking time to accept Yulmu’s death, he began arranging for his pet’s funeral.

After mourning Yulmu’s death through the night, Sa Muheon managed to go to work the next day, though he was far from his usual self. Seeing their director in an unusually somber state, one manager cautiously asked if something had happened, and the staff soon learned of the death of the hamster Sa Muheon had doted on so dearly.

When rumors first spread that Sa Muheon had picked up a hamster, people, like Jang Seokgyu, initially speculated that he might have taken it home as a snack. But contrary to their fears, Sa Muheon cared for the hamster with great devotion, surprising everyone.

Now, the news of Yulmu’s death left many wondering if Sa Muheon would spiral into despair. However, Sa Muheon proved to be stronger than they had anticipated. After about a week of mourning, he cleared out all traces of Yulmu. He personally cleaned the hamster’s large enclosure and emptied the space. His final act of closure was to adopt a new hamster from a shelter.

—

Eight years had passed since Yulmu’s death. In that time, five hamsters had come and gone in Sa Muheon’s life.

Yulmu, Podo, Hodoo, Bamtol, and Haepssal. Those were the names of the hamsters that had graced his life, each lovingly cared for by Sa Muheon before they joined the stars.

The most recent addition to his household, Haepssal, had passed away just a week ago. As always, Sa Muheon went through the familiar process of bidding farewell and letting go of his memories with Haepssal. The final step in his ritual had always been adopting a new family member, but this time, he hesitated.

For Sa Muheon to waver over something—it was an occurrence that would have shocked anyone who knew him well.

—

However, Sa Muheon found himself deeply lost in thought. He was fine with bringing home a new family member from the shelter. Knowing that homeless hamsters could live a comfortable life in his home brought him happiness. Yet, each time one of the hamsters he had cherished with all his heart passed away, an unshakable loneliness accumulated within him.

His shifter mother thought he was doing something strange and couldn’t sympathize with his feelings at all. Even his human father, who somewhat understood him, couldn’t grasp why Sa Muheon cared so much about a small rodent-like creature.

In the end, Sa Muheon couldn’t confide his lonely feelings to anyone and faced those emotions alone. That’s why this convenience store was a great place for him. It was a spot he stumbled upon by chance, tucked away in a corner of a large park. Despite its size, its awkward location meant not many people came by. Only the store near the park’s entrance was bustling with customers.

Crowded places were nothing but a nuisance to him. Not only did people stare at him, but his somewhat intimidating aura often scared others away.

For various reasons, he avoided places with people. Even on days when the breeze was as pleasant as today, he typically stayed indoors. So discovering a place like this felt like a stroke of luck.

“Thanks to you, Haepssal…”

Haepssal, who had passed away not long ago, was a hamster with exceptionally white fur. When curled into a ball, it looked just like a freshly made rice cake. With a gentle personality, Haepssal had climbed onto Sa Muheon’s palm without hesitation from the very first day.

As he recalled memories of Haepssal, a small smile crept onto Sa Muheon’s face. At that moment, his ears caught the sound of tiny footsteps. It wasn’t the sound of a human—it was more like the steps of a small animal, as if a hamster were scurrying about. Instinctively, Sa Muheon turned toward the direction of the sound. Expecting perhaps a stray cat at most, what appeared before him was a surprisingly unexpected creature.

“Squeak…!”

The moment their eyes met, the creature let out an unusual cry. It froze in place, startled.

‘A squirrel…?’

Although the park was fairly expansive, he hadn’t expected to see a squirrel here. Weren’t they typically found in the mountains? Not being particularly knowledgeable about animals, Sa Muheon set aside his curiosity for the moment.

He wasn’t sure how large or small squirrels usually were, but this one seemed on the smaller side. It didn’t appear to be a baby, though it might have just recently left its parents.

Strangely enough, the squirrel didn’t run away after locking eyes with Sa Muheon. Instead, it stood there, staring back at him. Sa Muheon found this intriguing. Although he wasn’t a real animal, being a snake shifter meant that small animals often instinctively feared him and fled at the sight of his eyes. Yet this squirrel wasn’t afraid. It gazed at him with a calm expression, as if engaged in a staring contest.

Though it was his first time seeing this squirrel, Sa Muheon felt that being around it might lead to something interesting. He carefully sat down, hoping not to scare it away, and waited to see what it would do next.

Contrary to his expectations, the squirrel didn’t flee. After tilting its head a few times, it began approaching him. It climbed onto the table via the chair opposite him and, without fear, came right up to him. Sa Muheon held his breath as the squirrel drew closer.

“Squeak…”

Now right in front of him, the squirrel looked up at Sa Muheon and let out another adorable squeak.

Small enough to fit in the palm of his hand, the squirrel didn’t seem afraid of humans at all. On the contrary, it acted as if it thought it were human itself, chirping as it evaded his attempts to pet it. It almost seemed as if it was scolding him, though its tiny size made it nothing but cute. Watching its antics, Sa Muheon felt joy for the first time in a while.

After that fateful encounter, Sa Muheon began visiting the convenience store every day. He left a message at the office, telling his staff to contact him only if something urgent came up. For the time being, he stayed away from work entirely. Fortunately, his subordinates, aware of Haepssal’s passing, seemed to interpret his absence as a need for time to grieve.

In truth, he had already finished mourning Haepssal. He was simply captivated by the new, charming little creature that had appeared. Sa Muheon, however, let his employees misunderstand without correcting them.

“Suin/Shifter” (수인) is a term often used in Korean fiction, particularly in fantasy or supernatural genres, to describe humanoid beings with animal traits. These traits can include physical characteristics (like animal ears, tails, or fur) or abilities and behaviors associated with specific animals. shifter characters are usually hybrids of humans and animals, blending their qualities in various ways.

For example, in the story you shared, Sa Muheon appears to be a snake shifter, which means he possesses some snake-like traits (possibly in appearance, behavior, or abilities) while primarily maintaining a humanoid form.