Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 34

Chapter 34

With a short greeting, he personally closed the bedroom door. As the door slowly closed, Garam couldn’t take his eyes off Sa Muheon’s face, which was visible through the crack.

Even after the door made a small sound and fully closed, Garam stood for a long time, trying to listen for any sounds from the other side. But after standing there for a while and hearing nothing, he finally gave up and turned around.

Although the bedroom had already become familiar after spending several days there, that was when he had been in his squirrel form.

Now, looking around the room from a completely different height, it felt entirely different.

Moreover, when he was in his squirrel form, the bed, which felt like a large playground, didn’t make him think much as he freely hopped around. But now, even approaching the bed made him feel hesitant.

However, since the only other option was to sit on the floor, Garam, though still hesitant, sat on the bed.

“Wow…”

Even though he had jumped around on the bed countless times in his squirrel form, now sitting on it, the soft mattress felt quite comfortable. The neatly arranged blankets were also very cozy.

Without realizing it, Garam brushed the blankets with his  hand, then suddenly snapped to his senses and quickly stood up.

“I need to wash up…”

It had been Garam’s long-standing habit to never sit or lie on the bed before changing into his outside clothes. But today, perhaps due to all the events, he had sat on the bed without changing into his clothes first—on someone else’s bed at that.

Garam stood there, unsure of what to do, before heading back toward the door.

Just as he was about to grab the doorknob, Garam stopped in his tracks.

…Is it okay to leave?

He seemed to hear Sa Muheon’s voice from before, saying that he would sleep in the living room to keep an eye on him.

Garam hesitated for a moment, but then grabbed the doorknob and turned it.

He wondered if it might be locked, but contrary to his concerns, the door opened smoothly. And standing in front of the walk-in closet door was Sa Muheon, and their eyes met immediately.

That’s when Garam remembered rummaging through the wardrobe in the walk-in closet before leaving the house.

“Ah, I… I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

Sa Muheon asked in confusion, not understanding why Garam was apologizing. Garam, looking at the disorganized floor of the walk-in closet, opened his mouth.

“I made a mess of the wardrobe…”

“Oh, that? Don’t worry about it.”

Hearing Garam’s answer, Sa Muheon smiled lightly, as if he hadn’t thought about it at all. After quickly glancing around the messy room, he turned his gaze back to Garam.

“So, I told you to sleep. Why are you already out?”

“Ah…”

That’s when Garam remembered the reason he had come out and spoke up.

“I was going to wash up, but I don’t have any clothes to change into. I was wondering if you might have something I could wear…”

“Ah, clothes.”

Sa Muheon nodded, then rummaged through the open drawer of the wardrobe. He pulled out a suitable t-shirt, pants, and a set of underwear that looked brand new.

“Sorry, I didn’t think of that.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Garam took the clothes Sa Muheon handed him and stood there for a moment, looking up at him. Sa Muheon met Garam’s gaze, then placed his hand on Garam’s shoulder and turned him around.

“Well…”

“Hurry up and wash up, then sleep.”

Sa Muheon pushed Garam back into the bedroom, closed the door behind him, and left.

It was true that he had a dangerous job and seemed like a scary person, but actions like these made him seem a bit kinder and more like a good person.

What’s the real side of that person, I wonder?

Garam briefly stared at the closed door, continuing to think about him. But that thought didn’t last long.

After all, he wasn’t close enough to judge him, and his opinion didn’t really matter, so there was no need to dwell on it.

Garam quickly shook his head and took off his clothes. As he wondered where to put them, his eyes landed on the nightstand next to the bed.

“Ah…”

He saw the soft and small bed that Sa Muheon had brought for Garam. Without realizing it, Garam approached it, as if mesmerized. Seeing the small bed that had once been his made the bed next to it feel even bigger.

Garam stood in front of his small bed for a long time, staring down at it. He carefully placed his clothes to the side of the bed and then entered the bathroom.

This was the first time Garam had entered this bathroom while living in this house. Sa Muheon, always cautious about anything happening to the small squirrel, had made sure to close off certain spaces to prevent the squirrel from entering, and this bathroom was one of those areas.

Thinking about it, Garam wondered why entering the bathroom should be such a big deal, but still, it was his first time setting foot in it.

For all the effort to keep him away, it was just an ordinary bathroom. Garam stood under the showerhead and turned on the water.

As the warm water poured down on him, Garam felt the tension in his body from the events of the day slowly melt away.

He stood there for quite some time, letting the water fall on him. He had always liked showering with warm water, but after living on the run from debt collectors, it had been a long time since he had the luxury of a leisurely warm shower like this.

As the warm water poured over him, Garam felt his mood brighten. After spending a considerable amount of time in the bathroom, he finally emerged back into the bedroom.

As Garam put on the clothes Sa Muheon had given him, he paused for a moment. After putting on the clothes, he raised his arm and sniffed the sleeves. A faint scent that belonged to Sa Muheon lingered on the clothes.

Sa Muheon occasionally wore perfume, but when Garam was in his squirrel form nearby, he didn’t wear it. After Garam was sent out, Sa Muheon would spray the perfume, ensuring the room was ventilated before letting Garam back in.

Garam’s keen squirrel sense of smell had sometimes made the lingering scent of Sa Muheon’s perfume feel overpowering.

Although Garam liked the perfume, he rarely had the chance to fully experience the scent. But now, back in human form, the faint trace of the perfume on his clothes made him feel a sense of calm and peace.

For a long time, Garam buried his nose in his sleeve, sniffing, until he suddenly felt a bit strange and suspicious of his own behavior. Quickly, he lowered his arm.

Though he thought it was unlikely, he worried that someone might be watching him through a camera, so he carefully checked the corners of the room.

“Phew…”

Garam confirmed that there was nothing in the room and, with his face flushed red, fanned himself as he sat at the edge of Sa Muheon’s bed.

Although he had just showered, sitting on someone else’s bed still felt a little uncomfortable.

But he couldn’t stay perched at the edge of the bed forever.

Having relaxed from the long shower, drowsiness began to creep up on him. Garam carefully laid back on the bed, but with his eyes still open, he stared at the ceiling.

When he had simply been sitting, he hadn’t noticed it much, but now that he was lying on the bed, the scent of Sa Muheon, which had once surrounded him, seemed to envelop his whole body.

Garam couldn’t even bring himself to close his eyes, and after blinking a few times, he sat up again.

No matter how much he thought about it, he didn’t think he could sleep here. Maybe it would be more comfortable sleeping on the floor, he thought, as his eyes landed on the small bed.

“Ah…”

Garam hesitated for a moment. But having used that small bed before, he knew it was just as cozy as it looked. Sleeping on the hard floor would be uncomfortable, so it seemed better to use the small bed.

He figured that if he turned human again before Sa Muheon came in, it would be fine, and even if he did come in, he would likely notice Garam sleeping and would not disturb him.

After a short deliberation, Garam carefully folded the clothes that still held Sa Muheon’s scent and set them aside. He then transformed back into his squirrel form and went to his familiar small bed.

As he lay down on his familiar bed, sleep immediately overtook him. However, the bed, which had always felt cozy, now felt slightly cold and hard. In fact, everything in the room felt that way.

Though Garam hadn’t realized it before, the warmth of Sa Muheon’s affection had always seeped into the care he showed.

Now that Garam was revealed not to be an ordinary squirrel, but a beastman, Sa Muheon’s once-kind attitude seemed to have changed, and Garam felt a different sensation now.

Garam couldn’t know exactly what Sa Muheon was thinking or if everything he had said was true. But at least, he knew that Sa Muheon had shown him great kindness instead of sending him away.

So, Garam thought he should endure this small loneliness. With that thought, he forced himself to close his eyes.

Fortunately, exhaustion led Garam straight into a dreamless sleep.