Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 24

Chapter 24

 

Garam’s eyes sparkled. He didn’t miss the small opening and immediately leaped toward the table.

 

“Hey!”

 

Thud!

 

If his landing had been scored, it would’ve earned a perfect 110 points. Garam turned his head and gave a quick glance at Sa Muheon, who was staring at him in disbelief, before swiftly grabbing two cranberries from the table and dashing away.

 

“Kid, I told you, you really can’t eat those because you’re gaining weight!”

 

Garam ignored Sa Muheon’s shout. Eating the delicious cranberries was far more important right now.

 

Without looking back, Garam ran as fast as he could. Since Sa Muheon was tall with long legs, he could easily catch up in no time, so Garam quickly darted into the nearest room and hid in a corner. The room, which was almost empty, was spotless without a speck of dust, showing just how meticulously it had been maintained.

 

Before eating the cranberries he had stolen from under Sa Muheon’s nose, Garam glanced down at his belly.

 

‘Hmm….’

 

The squirrel tilted his head as he examined himself.

 

“Peep….”

 

‘Looks about the same….’

 

Maybe it was because of Sa Muheon’s serious remark about him gaining weight, but Garam suddenly felt like he did look a bit chubbier. However, as far as Garam could tell, there wasn’t any noticeable change. Besides, a small-bodied squirrel gaining a little weight didn’t make much of a difference. There was no way he had put on that much weight in such a short period. If he had, Garam himself would have been the first to notice.

 

If it had been anyone else, he would have scoffed and brushed it off, but because it was Sa Muheon—who paid more attention to him than anyone else—Garam couldn’t help but be a little concerned. Yet, no matter how much he checked, aside from his fur looking shinier, he couldn’t find any major differences.

 

“Phew….”

 

‘I don’t know….’

 

Deciding that figuring out whether Sa Muheon’s words were true or not was less important than eating the cranberries, Garam leisurely nibbled away.

 

‘Delicious….’

 

It was a taste that moved him every time. Eating cranberries as a squirrel felt particularly special. Trembling slightly from the overwhelming flavor, Garam devoured the rest of the cranberries.

 

Just as he finished his relaxing meal, Sa Muheon’s voice rang out.

 

“Are they that tasty?”

 

It was as if Sa Muheon had known all along where Garam was hiding. He approached the room and stopped at the doorway, peering inside. Garam, still tucked away in the corner, met Sa Muheon’s gaze.

 

“Peep!”

 

Now that the cranberries were all gone, there was no reason to run anymore. Garam scurried toward Sa Muheon and climbed up his body. Sa Muheon casually picked him up and placed him in his palm. Garam, aware of his guilt, didn’t resist and let himself be moved. Sa Muheon let out a soft sigh-like laugh and gently scratched under Garam’s chin.

 

“Kid, you really can’t keep doing this.”

 

“Peep….”

 

Trying to act pitiful, Garam let out a small whimper. He could feel Sa Muheon’s resolve weakening.

 

“Do you misbehave more because you’re a baby?”

 

Sa Muheon’s muttering reached Garam’s ears.

 

Despite making such a fuss about needing to pick a proper name, Sa Muheon still hadn’t given Garam one. Instead, he kept calling him “kid,” which Garam found ridiculous.

 

Even though whatever name Sa Muheon eventually chose wouldn’t be Garam’s real name, he figured it had to be better than “kid.” Sometimes, Garam felt so embarrassed by the affectionate way Sa Muheon said it that he’d run away just to hide.

 

“I really need to give you a name soon….”

 

As Sa Muheon voiced his thoughts, Garam’s ears perked up in surprise.

 

“I have to give you a cute name that suits you perfectly. They say naming you after food will help you live a long life.”

 

“…….”

 

“All the others that came to my house had names like that.”

 

Curious, Garam tilted his head, and Sa Muheon chuckled before continuing.

 

“Barley, Grape, Walnut, Chestnut, and Rice Cake….”

 

“Peep.”

 

The names sounded far too adorable to come out of such a large man’s mouth. Garam trembled at the thought that he might end up with a similar cutesy name. It sent shivers down his spine.

 

“Normally, a name comes to mind right away, but it’s different with you. I wonder if it’s because I’m trying to think of something really good.”

 

Sa Muheon chuckled as he gently stroked Garam’s head. Garam’s ears twitched constantly, making Sa Muheon smile at the soft and light sensation.

 

“Enough. What am I even saying to a baby squirrel?”

 

“Peep.”

 

“Let’s go to bed.”

 

Even as he said that, Sa Muheon spoke to Garam again while heading toward the bedroom.

 

“I’ll really come up with a good name for you next week. I’ve already started looking into it.”

 

Garam didn’t respond this time. But Sa Muheon, clearly amused, even started humming a tune.

 

For Garam, who already had a name, it didn’t matter much. Still, seeing Sa Muheon so cheerful felt reassuring.

 

—

 

Exactly one week passed after Sa Muheon said those words to Garam.

 

Garam thought it was finally time to leave this house. He had resolved to leave several times, even today. But over the past week, each resolution failed to last more than a day, and in the end, Garam was still staying at Sa Muheon’s house.

 

The reason to leave was clear. By now, Lawyer Yang must have noticed Garam’s disappearance, and even if he hadn’t, he was likely worried about Garam not showing up for so long. Moreover, there might have been some progress in finding Ryu Beomju during this time. With no way to contact anyone, Garam needed to go in person to get an update on the situation.

 

Life in this house was incredibly comfortable and peaceful, but that didn’t mean Garam, a half-human, could live forever as Sa Muheon’s pet squirrel. Even so…

 

Garam slumped down on the sofa in squirrel form and looked around. The interior of the house, which had become so familiar, came into view at a glance.

 

He had tried to leave this house several times, but each time, Sa Muheon’s face lingered in his mind. Would that big man be sad after he left? That question was pointless. Sa Muheon would undoubtedly search for Garam for a long time. He would grieve and miss Garam.

 

The affection Sa Muheon gave was as sweet as the cranberries hidden among Garam’s food. That’s why Garam couldn’t leave easily. Just a little longer, just a little longer. Time flew by as he kept thinking that.

 

Beep-beep-beep—

 

At that moment, the sound of the door lock opening echoed. Garam perked up his ears and quickly ran to the entrance.

 

“Peep…!”

 

Intending to greet Sa Muheon as usual, Garam stopped in his tracks. The door opened, and Sa Muheon entered, but another unfamiliar man followed behind him. Garam’s bushy tail bristled and slowly swayed side to side, a sign of wariness.

 

Unaware of Garam’s presence, Sa Muheon was grumbling to the middle-aged man who followed him inside.

 

“Seriously, Chief Han. You didn’t have to come all the way here just to give a report.”

 

“You never know what might leak from conversations at the office. I just thought this was a good opportunity to update you.”

 

“Still, no one can stop your stubbornness.”

 

Sa Muheon sighed and turned his head. That’s when he noticed Garam’s tail swaying cautiously from side to side.

 

“Oh, my little one. You’re out here again today.”

 

With a smile, Sa Muheon stepped inside and picked up Garam. Noticing how tense Garam’s body was, he gently stroked him to calm him down.

 

“Don’t worry. He may look scary, but he’s not a bad person.”

 

“…Director.”

 

“Oh, Chief Han, isn’t my little one cute?”

 

Chief Han stared intently at the squirrel sitting in Sa Muheon’s hand and then gave a slow nod. Whether it was genuine or not, Sa Muheon didn’t seem to care and cheerfully walked into the living room. Garam gradually relaxed and lay down quietly in Sa Muheon’s palm.

 

Sa Muheon plopped down on the sofa and looked up at Chief Han.

 

“So, what’s so important?”

 

Chief Han handed over a file folder he was carrying. Even after taking it, Sa Muheon didn’t open it and instead waited for Chief Han to continue.

 

“It’s about the half-human squirrel Hong mentioned bringing in.”

 

“Oh, that one? Did you find him?”

 

Garam’s ears perked up. It was the same story he’d overheard during a previous phone call. The scary-looking man in front of him must have been the person on the other end of that call.

 

“Finding him wasn’t difficult. But… there was something unusual that didn’t seem like a coincidence.”

 

“Unusual?”

 

Sa Muheon asked as he absentmindedly stroked Garam’s fur.

 

“I previously mentioned the 1 billion won deposit into Hong’s borrowed-name account, didn’t I? Well, I also found out that the half-human squirrel has a 1 billion won loan under his name.”

 

“And?”

 

“It turns out… the loan was taken from our side.”

 

What?

 

It was a story that sounded oddly familiar. Garam blinked slowly.