Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 33

Chapter 33

 

Garam seemed to be hesitating as he watched Sa Muheon, but he didn’t leave out anything he had to say.

 

“Why did you stay in the park in the first place? You’re a shifter, not a real squirrel.”

 

That was the question Sa Muheon was most curious about. He understood that the debt collectors had threatened Garam, which caused him to leave his house, but why exactly had he been staying in the park in his shifter form?

 

“Well… I took a leave of absence from school. I went to the park, and I met a squirrel there.”

 

The response that followed started off with something completely unexpected. Sa Muheon, surprised by the sudden story, couldn’t help but interrupt Garam.

 

“A real squirrel?”

 

“Yes. A real squirrel.”

 

Garam nodded, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He was quite the cheeky little guy.

 

“Okay, go on.”

 

“But that squirrel came right up to me without any fear. It came really close, like this, and started eating food…”

 

“And then?”

 

“Then I suddenly thought it might be fine to live as a squirrel. I figured no one would suspect me of being a shifter…”

 

By the end, his voice had grown quieter. It seemed like he realized something was off while he was speaking. Sa Muheon couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

 

It was indeed a clever idea. As Garam said, who would suspect a stray animal on the street of being a shifter?

 

For beastmen, their animal form was their true form, but that didn’t mean they thought of themselves as just animals.

 

They saw both their human and animal forms as their true selves. However, they mainly lived in their human form.

 

Seeing a random animal on the street and wondering if it could be a shifter was something that no one would do. If anyone said something like that, whether human or shifter, they would likely receive a disdainful look from others. Discussions on whether beastmen were closer to humans or animals had been around for a long time, but generally, they were accepted more as humans than animals.

 

So, continuing to live in a form no one would suspect was quite a good plan.

 

Even Sa Muheon himself, though he thought the squirrel he picked up was smart, never once suspected it could be a shifter.

 

“Hmm…”

 

“…I know it might sound strange, but at that time, I really had no other choice. I had nowhere to go, and it’s not like I had a lot of saved-up money…”

 

“Yeah, well. That makes sense.”

 

As the silence grew longer, Garam added some more excuses. Sa Muheon nodded indifferently. He could believe that there really had been no other choice, and that Garam probably didn’t have much money.

 

He felt that it was okay to trust at least some of what Garam said. After all, once he dug deeper through Chief Han, it wouldn’t be difficult to figure out whether what Garam said was true or not.

 

But Garam, unaware of Sa Muheon’s thoughts, looked visibly brighter than before.

 

Seeing that made Sa Muheon realize just how young Garam still was. He didn’t have anyone around him that young, so the emotions displayed so openly on his face felt rather fresh.

 

It had been the same when he met Ryu Beomju.

 

This little squirrel had boldly expressed both anger and fear in front of a tiger. There was no denying that this had greatly intrigued Sa Muheon.

 

He turned his gaze to the window. The sun was slowly setting. It was getting late, and it seemed like it was time to decide where to let this cheeky squirrel stay.

 

“You.”

 

“Y-Yes…!”

 

His gaze immediately landed on Garam’s face. Garam seemed startled by the sudden call, swallowing nervously as his throat visibly moved.

 

“You said you had nowhere to go.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

Even in that short response, Garam couldn’t hide the gloom in his expression. Sa Muheon couldn’t help but smile softly.

 

“Then you’ll live here for now.”

 

“Yes…? But…?”

 

Garam seemed ready to refuse, his lips trembling, but Sa Muheon quickly continued before he could say anything.

 

“Just so you know, this isn’t a suggestion. I’m telling you that it’s already been decided. The only thing you can do is nod and acknowledge it.”

 

“…”

 

Garam just blinked, and Sa Muheon added with an unusually kind tone, despite the harsh message.

 

“I know you weren’t lying. But I can’t fully trust you yet. I brought you here, but how do I know what you might have decided in the meantime?”

 

“But…”

 

“Don’t interrupt. Let me finish.”

 

Startled by the sharp words, Garam quickly straightened up.

 

“I want to get rid of Chief Hong, Ryu Beomju. That bastard cat, I want him out of my sight.”

 

“…What?”

 

“But I don’t think he’ll leave on his own. I was waiting for an opportunity to get rid of him, and then…”

 

“……”

 

Sa Muheon dragged out his words and slowly scanned Garam. The intense gaze felt strangely chilling to Garam, who clenched his fist so hard his knuckles turned white. Sa Muheon’s gaze briefly flickered to Garam’s hand before rising again.

 

“Then, just when you showed up.”

 

“…Ah.”

 

“Of course, you have nothing to do with that bastard, but… I think I can handle things the way I want if I use you.”

 

Hearing his words, Garam didn’t say anything. However, Sa Muheon was certain that Garam understood exactly what he meant.

 

“That’s why I’m telling you. Stay here for now.”

 

“Then…?”

 

“Since my doubts aren’t completely gone, I think it’s better to keep you close.”

 

Sa Muheon met Garam’s trembling eyes and finished with a light smile.

 

“Anyway, you have nowhere else to go.”

 

After Sa Muheon finished speaking, Garam seemed to be deep in thought for a moment. But that hesitation didn’t last long. Sa Muheon, knowing Garam was pondering, added one more statement, almost like a final push.

 

“Oh, right. If you leave this house now, you’ll probably be caught by that cat bastard.”

 

“Ah…?”

 

“I told you, right? That you and I are in a relationship. I don’t know if you believe it seriously, but the fact is, I brought you here, so he’ll probably try to find something out from you.”

 

Fear appeared in Garam’s wide eyes. Even though he tried to act like it wasn’t the case, he couldn’t suppress his instinctive fear toward Ryu Beomju, a tiger shifter, as a squirrel shifter.

 

“So think about it carefully.”

 

“……”

 

“You can’t really refuse, but wouldn’t it be more comfortable for you to answer it yourself?”

 

After a short pause, Garam seemed to have made up his mind and took a short breath.

 

“…I’ll do it.”

 

The clear answer, not too loud but not too soft, was enough to satisfy Sa Muheon.

 

He hadn’t given Garam any other option than to nod, but hearing that Garam had genuinely decided to stay on his own made Sa Muheon feel pleased.

 

“Good. You thought well.”

 

Sa Muheon’s lips curled into a satisfied smile, and at the same time, he rose from the sofa.

 

As he moved closer, Garam flinched but didn’t step back. Instead, he stood firmly in place and looked up at him.

 

That, too, pleased Sa Muheon.

 

“Since you’ll be staying here for a while, I’ll have to prepare a separate room for you.”

 

“Ah…?”

 

“I liked the idea of you sleeping with my little one, but that’s too bad.”

 

Garam turned his head slightly, as if trying to hide his embarrassment.

 

He looked somewhat angry, but Sa Muheon clearly saw that Garam’s ear, now exposed, had turned red.

 

However, for some reason, Sa Muheon didn’t like that Garam’s gaze had shifted away from him. Maybe that was why his next words felt almost like a change of mood.

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll get you the furniture you need as soon as possible. But for today… sleep in my room.”

 

“What?”

 

Garam, surprised, quickly turned his head back to look at Sa Muheon. Sa Muheon smiled, feeling satisfied with Garam’s gaze returning to him.

 

“As I said before, it would be troublesome if you get caught if you leave. So sleep in my room today. I’ll sleep here, so don’t think about sneaking out.”

 

“If I just sleep in the living room instead…”

 

“No. I don’t know when you might try to escape.”

 

At his firm words, Garam’s eyebrows drooped. Seeing his deflated demeanor, Sa Muheon added in a playful tone.

 

“Or is it because you want to sleep with me?”

 

“Ah, no!”

 

Garam quickly shook his head, startled. Sa Muheon chuckled and led Garam to his bedroom.

 

Garam hesitated as he entered the room, then looked back at Sa Muheon, who was standing by the door. Sa Muheon watched Garam for a moment before straightening up.

 

“Well, sleep well. See you tomorrow.”