Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Sa Muheon’s cautious attitude toward interacting with the opposite sex stemmed from the fact that he was a snake shifter. As part of a matriarchal society, snake shifters believed that men should maintain proper conduct until marriage. Sa Muheon was no exception.

However, a few years ago, when he coldly rejected a woman introduced to him as a hamster shifter, rumors spread that Sa Muheon might actually be interested in men. That was nothing more than baseless nonsense, not even worth addressing. Of course, judging by Ryu Beomju’s reaction, it seemed he might have actually believed those rumors.

Contrary to any rumors that had circulated so far, Sa Muheon had little interest in either men or women. It wasn’t that he lacked desire, but he hoped there would never be an accident resulting in someone carrying his offspring. For that reason, he had remained single and avoided forming any relationships.

“If you’re going to dig up rumors, at least dig deeper…”

Sa Muheon chuckled to himself. The fact that he didn’t let anyone close to him was already quite well-known. But Ryu Beomju either felt rushed or lacked the ability to verify such rumors, making a fool of himself in the process.

“I’ll have to wait and see…”

To catch a tiger, one had to set a tight trap. The other side was likely laying traps for Sa Muheon as well. The question was, would that squirrel be part of the tiger’s trap or the bait caught in Sa Muheon’s own?

A mischievous smile spread across Sa Muheon’s face.

—

“Peep!”

Garam let out a cry full of dissatisfaction and reached out his paw. But the cranberry in Sa Muheon’s hand moved farther away.

“Peep!”

He cried out again, but Sa Muheon remained firm. With an unusually stern expression, he spoke in a rare, strict tone.

“Not today.”

“Peep, squeak!”

‘Why not!’

Garam protested unhappily. Usually, Sa Muheon would give in and grant Garam’s wishes by this point, but today he was being uncharacteristically firm. Frustrated and unable to understand why, Garam stomped his tiny feet.

Thump!

Despite his serious tantrum, Garam’s small paws made only a faint noise as they hit the sofa. Sa Muheon, who had been maintaining a stern face, couldn’t help but twitch the corners of his lips as if suppressing a laugh.

“Peep?”

‘Are you laughing?’

Enraged by the laugh, Garam lunged.

Tap-tap!

The faint sound of Garam’s paws pushing off the sofa rang out as he quickly climbed Sa Muheon’s body. Initially, it had been an accidental escape tactic to avoid a cat, but after living in the house, Sa Muheon’s body had practically become Garam’s personal playground. It no longer took him much time to climb all the way to the top of Sa Muheon’s head.

However, just as Garam confidently scaled Sa Muheon’s body and was about to grab the cranberry, he was caught by the other hand.

“Peep! Peep!”

“I said no.”

Garam struggled with all his might, but Sa Muheon held him firmly yet gently, ensuring he wouldn’t get hurt but also couldn’t escape. Eventually, Garam went limp, worn out from resisting. Only then did Sa Muheon place the cranberries on the table in front of the sofa and carefully lift Garam with both hands.

“Lately, you’ve only been picking those out to eat.”

“…Peep.”

Still glaring fiercely at Sa Muheon out of anger for being deprived of the cranberries, Garam quickly turned his head away as if nothing had happened the moment Sa Muheon spoke. Sa Muheon observed Garam’s small body in his hands. Feeling guilty, Garam went limp again and braced himself for what Sa Muheon would say next.

“You’ve gained some weight…”

“…Peep?”

‘…What?’

Weight gain? Garam’s jaw dropped slightly as he stared at Sa Muheon in disbelief. Gaining weight? It couldn’t be true. At most, he had eaten a few extra cranberries. How could that make him gain weight?

Completely oblivious to Garam’s shock, Sa Muheon didn’t stop there. He reached out and gently poked the soft, furry belly of the squirrel.

“Hmm… Definitely more than when you first came here…”

“Peep!”

Startled by the sudden touch, Garam let out a shriek, but Sa Muheon persisted in examining his body. Eventually, Garam resigned himself to the situation, slumping in Sa Muheon’s grasp and letting him continue.

“Phew…”

“What’s with the sigh from someone so small?”

Hearing Garam’s sigh, Sa Muheon chuckled and finally set him down.