Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 28

Chapter 28

 

—

Garam, who had just left Sa Muheon’s house, remained tense until he passed through the garden and stepped out the gate. Even as he walked along the long wall after completely exiting the house, he stayed alert to his surroundings. Yet, his worries seemed unfounded as there was no one in sight. The neighborhood, lined with obviously expensive houses surrounded by high walls, made it impossible to discern where he was.

 

Walking along the wall, Garam saw a car speeding past him and was reassured that he was heading in the right direction. Walking in shoes that didn’t fit his feet made it especially tiring, but he pressed on determinedly.

 

How long had he been walking? At last, a main road came into view in the distance. Strength returned to his steps, which had been sluggish until then.

 

However, when he reached the road, there were no bus stops in sight—only an empty stretch of road. As he stood there in confusion, a taxi appeared from a distance.

 

“Thank you. Have a nice day.”

 

After paying with Lawyer Yang’s card, Garam bowed several times to the taxi driving away. When he raised his head and turned around, Lawyer Yang was still standing there, staring at Garam with a bewildered expression. Feeling disheartened, Garam lowered his head again.

 

“Lawyer… I’m sorry.”

 

At Garam’s apology, Lawyer Yang seemed to come to his senses and waved his hand dismissively, helping Garam to his feet.

 

“No, no, it’s not that… What on earth happened to you during that time…?”

 

Lawyer Yang’s gaze scanned Garam from head to toe. It was obvious at a glance that the oversized tracksuit and loose sneakers weren’t his.

 

Having been worried sick when Garam hadn’t shown up since their last meeting, Lawyer Yang had searched the large park, trying to find traces of the squirrel. However, all he heard were accounts from a few people saying that the squirrel, which had occasionally appeared before, had vanished without a trace.

 

And now, Garam, who had disappeared, suddenly reappeared, only to call from in front of a building saying he didn’t have money for the taxi fare. Lawyer Yang wanted to ask what had happened, but seeing Garam’s downtrodden face, it was hard to press him for answers right away.

 

“Let’s go inside and talk.”

 

Suppressing the sigh threatening to escape, Lawyer Yang led Garam into the building. Garam followed closely behind, his head still hung low.

 

Click.

 

At that moment, there was a sound like a photograph being taken. Garam quickly looked around, but he couldn’t see anyone suspicious.

 

“Is something wrong?”

 

Lawyer Yang asked curiously and glanced around as well. But there was no one nearby. Garam forced a smile and shook his head.

 

“No, I must have misheard.”

 

—

 

Click.

 

Lawyer Yang set down a teacup in front of Garam. Then, placing another teacup on the table across from him, Lawyer Yang took his seat and looked at Garam.

 

“So, what happened during all that time?”

 

Lawyer Yang’s face was full of concern for Garam, who had been out of contact for so long. Seeing that expression made Garam feel a pang of guilt for not escaping earlier.

 

“I’m not trying to scold you. I’m just curious. I was worried about how you were doing.”

 

“I’m sorry…”

 

“So, were you doing okay?”

 

After a moment’s hesitation, Garam nodded.

 

“…Yes.”

 

“That’s good to hear. If you were okay, that’s all that matters.”

 

At Garam’s response, Lawyer Yang finally smiled in relief.

 

“I was worried when you suddenly disappeared. But I’m just glad you’ve returned safely.”

 

“…I’m sorry for worrying you. Things just… happened so suddenly.”

 

Garam began to recount what had happened. Lawyer Yang let out a sigh of exasperation when Garam mentioned barely escaping a cat’s clutches.

 

“My goodness… At least you met someone good.”

 

“Yes, but…”

 

As Garam continued his story, Lawyer Yang’s expression, initially relieved by the mention of a kind person, gradually hardened.

 

“Goodness…”

 

“That’s how it happened. Oh, by the way, I learned something while staying at that house…!”

 

Garam spoke quickly.

 

“Ryu Beomju. He’s alive. But it seems like he’s living under a different name now.”

 

“How do you know that…?”

 

“I heard it at the house. I’m not sure about the exact name, but I think they called him Chief Hong. I’m not certain, but… it seems like he’s living as a human, not a shifter.”

 

As Garam went on, Lawyer Yang’s eyes widened in shock.

 

“That’s right. Do you remember what I told you the last time we met?”

 

Garam nodded. He still recalled how shocked he had been upon hearing that Ryu Beomju was supposedly dead. But he had been reassured when Lawyer Yang mentioned finding another tiger shifter who might be Ryu Beomju. Based on what he had learned, Garam was convinced that the man called Chief Hong was Ryu Beomju in disguise.

 

“Yes, I remember.”

 

“Do you also recall that we’d identified a man in his thirties who was suspected to be Ryu Beomju?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Garam nodded again. Lawyer Yang also gave a small nod and continued speaking.

 

“The person we found was named Hong Tae-gyu. He works as a director at a construction company, but it’s more like he’s from a group that split off from a gangster organization than anything related to construction.”

 

“Then…”

 

His heart raced. Finally, they had a clue.

 

“That’s right. He’s Ryu Beomju. Just as you mentioned, Ryu Beomju, or rather, Hong Tae-gyu, is known to the public as an ordinary human, not a shifter.”

 

“Why…”

 

Garam murmured, furrowing his brows. Lawyer Yang shook his head slightly before speaking.

 

“I don’t know the full story, but it seems that only his close associates know about it. The information we received came from someone who had known Ryu Beomju, and they saw him living under the name Hong Tae-gyu.”

 

“Ah…”

 

Garam nodded subconsciously. If that hadn’t been the case, they wouldn’t have been able to know. Fortunately, due to Ryu Beomju’s rare characteristic as a tiger shifter, someone had remembered him.

 

“And recently, Hong Tae-gyu has been visiting your house, Garam. It seems he’s looking for you…”

 

“…”

 

Garam, already aware of this from the story he had heard at Sa Muheon’s house, swallowed hard.

 

“Ryu Beomju wants to take me somewhere.”

 

“Take you? To whom…?”

 

“To the president of the capital company(Mirae) who made me borrow money under my name.”

 

Upon hearing Garam’s words, Lawyer Yang’s eyes widened in surprise.

 

“The president of Mirae Capital? That person is…”

 

Garam, surprised by Lawyer Yang’s reaction as if he knew who he was, cautiously asked.

 

“…Do you know who he is?”

 

“Of course I do. He’s quite well-known in that circle. But why would Ryu Beomju want to…”

 

Muttering quietly, Lawyer Yang seemed to need some time to gather his thoughts and closed his mouth.

 

“For now, it would be best to avoid being caught by Ryu Beomju…”

 

Lawyer Yang spoke again, looking at Garam as if asking what to do next. After a brief hesitation, Garam slowly opened his mouth.

 

“Hmm… wouldn’t it be best to return to the park?”

 

“Hm…”

 

After some thought, Lawyer Yang nodded.

 

“Right. If anything happens again, be sure to come back here. I can certainly hide you, if that’s what you need.”

 

“Yes, thank you.”

 

Garam gave a faint smile.

 

—

 

After bidding farewell to Lawyer Yang, Garam left the office wearing the new shoes that he had brought him. Lawyer Yang had even offered to get him new clothes, but Garam had firmly declined. At least the shoes didn’t make walking difficult, and he felt somewhat relieved. Walking in human form for the first time in a while felt a little awkward. Garam, absentmindedly, fixed his hair as he entered the elevator.

 

Ding.

 

The elevator doors opened on the first floor. As Garam stepped out of the elevator, his pace briefly halted, then he slowly moved forward as if nothing was wrong. Trying to act nonchalant, Garam couldn’t help but feel unsure if he was even walking properly. His gaze kept drifting toward a man standing in front of the building.

 

‘Why is he here…’

 

In front of the building, Sa Muheon was leaning against a car.

 

Garam broke into a cold sweat as he stepped outside. Sa Muheon’s gaze clung to him as he emerged from the building, but Garam tried to maintain a calm demeanor and kept walking. Just as he was about to pass in front of Sa Muheon, the man chuckled softly.

 

“You were always reckless, but now you’re even brazen.”

 

As he muttered that, Garam’s arm was grabbed, and his body was turned around.

 

“You used to greet me every day at home… but now you’re just walking away when we meet outside?”

 

Then, as the man’s words continued, Garam’s body froze.

 

“Huh? Baby.”