Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 21

“Hmm…”

Instead of answering right away, Sa Muheon fell into thought. While the squirrel at home was indeed adorable, he had no particular interest in squirrel demi-humans. After all, their outer appearance might be that of a squirrel, but on the inside, they were just humans like him.

Still, he was a little curious. Squirrel demi-humans were among the rarest of their kind. If there was a chance to ask one questions about squirrel behavior, it might be worthwhile.

Ryu Beomju watched Sa Muheon nervously. Whatever his angle was, it seemed harmless enough to let it slide this once. After some deliberation, Sa Muheon nodded, and Ryu Beomju’s face brightened.

“Alright, do as you like.”

“Yes! I’ll bring him over soon.”

“No rush… Is it a man?”

“Pardon? Yes. I believe he’s about twenty years old.”

Sa Muheon nodded. As a member of the snake clan, a matriarchal lineage, Sa Muheon found interacting with women incredibly challenging. He’d been taught since childhood to revere women like the sky itself, and when faced with women frightened by his dangerous profession, he often didn’t know how to act. Dealing with men was easier in comparison.

If it was a twenty-year-old boy, he was young, but at least he wasn’t a woman. Interacting with him wouldn’t be too difficult. Dealing with kids was far easier than dealing with women.

“Fine. Bring him over when you get the chance.”

Before Ryu Beomju could respond, Sa Muheon turned and left the office. He was eager to see the squirrel waiting at home.

“Will they come out to greet me again today…?”

His voice carried a tinge of excitement, his lips curling into a faint smile.

—

Beep-beep-beep!

The quiet house was stirred by the sound of the door lock disengaging. Garam’s ears perked up. Lifting his head, he saw the front door slowly open.

“Oh?”

“Chirp.”

Sa Muheon’s eyes widened more than usual as he stepped inside. His face openly displayed his surprise as he hurried into the house.

Meanwhile, Garam, who had been lying on the floor, stretched languidly. Before coming to this home, he had slept nestled in a tuft of cotton inside a tree hollow, but now he found himself dozing off on the hard floor, leaving his body feeling stiff.

Sa Muheon knelt on one knee in front of Garam, carefully lifting him into his hands. He placed Garam in his palm and touched the floor where Garam had been lying. His expression turned grave.

“Were you here for long? The floor is still warm.”

“Chirp!”

He hadn’t been there that long, but Sa Muheon looked as if Garam had spent the night outside in the cold. His serious expression was both amusing and slightly touching. Feeling shy, Garam began grooming himself, and Sa Muheon watched him with an affectionate smile. When Garam extended a paw, Sa Muheon gently scratched his chin before heading to the living room.

“You ate well.”

Noticing the empty food bowl, Sa Muheon patted Garam’s head.

“Still, I don’t feel comfortable leaving you alone…”

Garam’s ears twitched. Sa Muheon fell silent, deep in thought, though his hand continued to stroke Garam’s head.

“Hmm… I should figure out a way to bring you to the office.”

The words were so unexpected that Garam froze, holding his breath as he waited for what Sa Muheon would say next. Sa Muheon lifted Garam to eye level.

“That would be better for you, right?”

Garam didn’t want to be left alone, but he also couldn’t let that happen. Spending every day commuting with this man would make it harder to leave when the time came. After some hesitation, Garam grabbed Sa Muheon’s finger and nuzzled it with his cheek.

“……”

Sa Muheon said nothing, but his wide eyes betrayed a flurry of thoughts. Completely melted by Garam’s display of affection, Sa Muheon lingered in the moment before finally exhaling a long-held breath when Garam pulled away.

“Hah… How can you be this cute?”

“Chirp…”

The sincerity in his words made Garam let out a slightly awkward chirp. But to Sa Muheon, everything about Garam seemed delightful and endearing. Smiling broadly, he headed for the bedroom.

Although Sa Muheon had initially planned to convert one of the rooms into Garam’s own space, he seemed to have forgotten all about it. Instead, he had set up a small bed for Garam on the nightstand beside his own, and every night, he would tuck Garam into that little bed to end the day.

The tiny bed was so cozy that Garam didn’t mind sharing a room with him. Besides, Sa Muheon, who was often annoyingly talkative during the day, became completely silent at night. So much so that Garam would sometimes jump down to check if he was even breathing.

“Alright, let’s get ready for bed.”

As always, Sa Muheon gently placed Garam in his small bed before heading into the bathroom attached to the bedroom.

Garam waited quietly until Sa Muheon was out of sight, then leapt onto the spacious bed.

Thump!

Throwing himself onto the thick, soft blanket, the little squirrel’s body was completely buried in the bedding. Garam shook his head lightly and looked around. Judging by the sound of water, it seemed that Sa Muheon had started showering. Garam curiously wandered around the room. However, in such a meticulously tidy space, there wasn’t much for him to find.

The only conclusion he could come to was that this room was indeed meant solely for sleeping. While there were drawers, Garam could tell without even opening them that they wouldn’t contain anything revealing about Sa Muheon’s identity. Reflecting on the past, Garam realized Sa Muheon had only ever used this room for sleeping and nothing else.

Garam nodded solemnly as he recalled these memories. The sight of a tiny squirrel sitting in the middle of the expansive bed, nodding seriously, wasn’t serious at all—it was simply adorable.

Just then, Sa Muheon’s phone, which had been on the bed, started ringing. Startled, Garam jumped slightly.

“Chirp!”

The ringing continued, but the sound of water from the bathroom showed no signs of stopping. Garam glanced toward the bathroom, then scurried over to the phone.

[Manager Han]

“Manager Han?”

Garam tilted his head slightly. Was it someone from work? He kept tilting his head, pondering, before glancing back and forth between the bathroom and the phone. Finally, as if making up his mind, he stretched out a tiny hand.

Tap.

His little paw touched the screen.

“…Director?”

From the other end came the voice of a middle-aged man. Startled by the unexpectedly mature voice, Garam hesitated.

‘W-What should I do?’

When there was no response, the person stored as “Manager Han” spoke again in a slightly lowered voice.

“Director, is everything alright? If you’re unable to speak—”

“Oh, Manager Han, just a moment.”

A large hand suddenly reached over Garam’s head. Startled, Garam let out a small “Chirp!” and crouched down. Sa Muheon, dripping water from his damp hair, chuckled as he adjusted the phone. Switching it to speaker mode, the voice on the other end became clearer and louder.

“I was worried because you weren’t saying anything… Are you alright?”

“Ah, yes, I’m fine. It seems my little one accidentally pressed it while playing.”

“…I see.”

After a brief silence, Manager Han responded. Even Garam could sense the awkwardness in his tone, but Sa Muheon seemed unbothered, drying himself with a towel as he continued.

“So, was there something urgent you needed to discuss today?”

Although Sa Muheon held the title of president at Mirae Capital, it was Manager Han who handled most of the actual work. This allowed Sa Muheon to come and go from the office as he pleased, with no complaints from Manager Han.

Furthermore, knowing that Sa Muheon disliked being contacted after work hours, Manager Han rarely reached out late at night. So, for him to call at this hour meant the matter was pressing. Aware of this, Sa Muheon calmly asked.

“Well, Manager Hong visited earlier today, didn’t he?”

“Oh, yes. The little kitten was unusually quiet today. Looks like he got quite the scolding from President Yoo.”

Sa Muheon chuckled as he replied, but there wasn’t a hint of amusement in Manager Han’s voice when he responded.

“As he should. He was out of line to begin with.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Even so… What I wanted to discuss is something else.”

The cautious tone in Manager Han’s voice made Sa Muheon realize it was time to take the call seriously. Sitting down on the bed, he gave Manager Han his full attention. Meanwhile, Garam, who had been quietly observing, tried to sneak back to his small bed, only for Sa Muheon to scoop him up first.

“Chirp…!”

Garam let out a startled chirp but kept his voice low, mindful that Sa Muheon was on the phone. Chuckling softly, Sa Muheon gently stroked Garam. Wearing a loosely tied bathrobe, Sa Muheon’s chest was right in front of Garam’s eyes. Unable to endure it, Garam tightly shut his eyes.