Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 15

The squirrel appeared in front of the convenience store every day. However, the time was never fixed. There was no way for a human and a squirrel to set a meeting time, and just the fact that the squirrel showed up before him every day brought Sa Muheon joy.

Then, one day, when he felt like he had grown closer to the squirrel after their rainy-day encounter, it happened.

Sa Muheon was once again waiting for the squirrel with excitement. He had brought some nuts he had set aside as food for Hapsal. The squirrel usually appeared from the same direction, so Sa Muheon turned toward that side, watching intently. Suddenly, the sound of grass rustling wildly reached his ears.

Rustle!

Turning his head toward the source of the noise, he saw the squirrel he had been waiting for darting out like an arrow. However, something felt different from usual. Before he could fully process it, a large cat emerged from the same bushes, chasing the squirrel.

“Chirp, chiiirp!”

The squirrel squealed and ran straight to him. Before he could react, the squirrel began climbing up his body. In the blink of an eye, the squirrel was perched on his shoulder. The cat, which had belatedly caught up, hissed at the squirrel on Sa Muheon’s shoulder.

“Hiss!”

Sa Muheon looked down at the hissing cat near his feet. He could feel the squirrel’s heart racing rapidly through the contact with his skin. The cat, baring its teeth at the squirrel, hesitated when its eyes met Sa Muheon’s. As he continued to stare, the cat gradually backed away, its tail curling. Finally, it turned around and ran off.

After confirming that the cat was completely gone, Sa Muheon carefully examined the squirrel lying limp on his shoulder. He reached out cautiously, mindful not to startle it. Normally, the squirrel would only allow a gentle pat, but it was so exhausted that it made no resistance as Sa Muheon lifted it into his hand.

Placing the squirrel in his opposite hand, he saw it lying limp, breathing heavily. Its small body was still trembling.

“…Chiiirp.”

The squirrel let out a weak cry and pressed its body against Sa Muheon’s palm like sticky rice dough. Feeling pity, he gently stroked its back, and the squirrel’s breathing gradually calmed down. Sa Muheon closely examined the squirrel’s condition.

Its limp body and scratched paws spoke volumes about how much it had struggled to escape.

“Chirp, snif, chiiirp…”

The squirrel whimpered softly, its cries sounding like sobs, and then it suddenly went limp. Alarmed, Sa Muheon held its head and checked its state, but the squirrel’s eyes were already half-closed.

“Hey, hold on…”

Despite his urgent call, the squirrel couldn’t open its eyes and slowly closed them completely.

“Chiiirp…”

With a final faint cry, it shut its eyes entirely, leaving Sa Muheon in a panic.

The only relief was that the squirrel’s heart was still faintly beating. Feeling the tiny heartbeat against his palm, Sa Muheon cradled the squirrel carefully and began running toward the parking lot.

—

“Fortunately, there’s no serious issue. But where did you find this squirrel?”

“…I saved it from a cat chasing it in the park.”

“Well… This little one is lucky.”

The veterinarian’s gaze shifted to the squirrel, curled up and sleeping soundly. Sa Muheon also sighed in relief as he looked at the squirrel’s steady breathing.

“You did a good deed. If not for you, it might have ended up as a meal for that cat.”

“…Yes.”

Sa Muheon nodded and gently placed the squirrel into a small cage.

“Are you going to take it home?”

“At least until it recovers. Life outside must be so harsh for such a tiny creature.”

“That’s true…”

The vet chuckled and nodded.

“Well, as long as you don’t keep it for too long, it should be fine. Then, take good care of it.”

“Of course.”

The veterinarian, who had known Sa Muheon since he rescued a chipmunk named Yulmu, saw him off at the entrance of the clinic with a trusting smile. Sa Muheon carefully held the cage containing the sleeping squirrel and returned to his car, wondering how the squirrel would react when it woke up.

“…Rest well.”

He poked the sleeping squirrel’s nose, but the squirrel only twitched its nose slightly without any sign of waking up. Watching its mouth move as if in a sleepy protest, Sa Muheon chuckled and started the car.

Though he had given vague answers to the veterinarian, in truth, his mind was already filled with thoughts of setting up a comfortable home for this squirrel. If necessary, he was even willing to move into a house with high ceilings and create an artificial forest for it.

“Let’s go to my home.”

The squirrel was still sound asleep. Whistling cheerfully, Sa Muheon drove toward home.

—

Consciousness slowly returned. It was impossible to tell how deeply it had been sleeping. It took a while to fully wake up, and even after opening its eyes, it took some time to figure out where it was.

It was clear it had woken from sleep, but its body ached all over. It could recall living in the park and stopping by Lawyer Yang’s office before heading back to the park.

“Chirp!”

‘That’s right!’

Memories it had momentarily forgotten came flooding back, causing its tail fur to stand on end. Jumping up, it realized it was in a strange room, not its cozy burrow in the park. Garam quickly turned its head, looking around.

However, the room was too tidy to provide any clues. The barren room, devoid of even ordinary furniture, only heightened Garam’s anxiety. Moreover…

Tap-tap.

The squirrel tapped the transparent wall blocking its way with its tiny hands, and a clear, light sound rang out. It seemed to be made of quite sturdy glass. Looking up, the glass walls were high and smooth, making climbing them seem impossible. The top also appeared sealed, with white light reflecting off it.

Garam, despondent, slumped down in front of the wall. The floor was covered in soft wood shavings, but in this situation, such details were irrelevant.

“Chiiirp…”

‘Where on earth is this…’

Garam lamented in a small voice. It vaguely remembered collapsing on the man’s hand, but with no sign of his face now, it had no way of guessing what was happening. Worry crept in—what if it had been discovered by Ryu Beom-joo or the loan sharks who had visited the house while it was unconscious?

“Chiiirp?”

‘Could it be… I’ve been kidnapped?’

Though its mind was chaotic, there was nothing it could do for now. Garam sat blankly, staring at the closed door. It hoped that door would open soon and someone would enter to explain the situation. With that wish, it fixed its gaze on the closed door, and as if answering its prayer, the doorknob slowly turned.

Startled, Garam leapt to its feet and backed away. It pressed its body tightly against the glass wall and waited for the door to open fully.

The few seconds it took for the door to open felt like hours. Garam gulped nervously. Whoever appeared behind that door would determine its fate.

The door opened slowly, revealing a figure. Seeing who it was, Garam sank back to the ground.

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?”

It was that man—the one who had been giving Garam food every day. The one Garam had last seen before collapsing. It seemed he was the one who had brought it here.

Garam, too stunned to think of standing, remained seated, staring at the man. The man, his face full of concern, opened the top of the cage. He extended his hand slowly to avoid startling Garam.

There was a mix of worry and hope on the man’s face, as if unsure whether Garam would climb onto his hand. Garam looked back and forth between the hand extended toward it and the man’s face before standing up. It then scurried onto the palm extended before it.

Having fainted in this hand last time, Garam hadn’t gotten a proper look at it. Now, it noticed the man’s hand, though long and beautiful, was marked with quite rough calluses.

Once Garam was fully on his palm, the man gently raised his hand. He cupped both hands together to provide a more comfortable seat for Garam and slowly lifted it to eye level.

The man treated Garam with such delicate care, as if it were a dandelion seed that could fly away with the slightest breath. Embarrassed by the excessive gentleness, Garam began rubbing its face as though washing away invisible dirt.