Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 38

Chapter 38

 

“…What?”

 

This time, Garam couldn’t hide his surprise. When his astonishment showed on his face, Sa Muheon burst into loud laughter.

 

“Haha! Why are you so surprised?”

 

“Really?”

 

This time, Garam thought Sa Muheon was joking again.

 

“What do you think?”

 

But instead of answering Garam’s question, Sa Muheon threw another one back at him. Garam, thinking it was just another joke, stayed silent.

 

Instead of answering, Sa Muheon sighed lightly and began to unbuckle Garam’s seatbelt. Garam’s eyes widened as Sa Muheon’s hand got closer.

 

“As I said before, I’m a person with some common sense.”

 

He said this while unbuckling Garam’s seatbelt. Garam made a pouty face. When Sa Muheon saw Garam’s expression, he smiled and continued.

 

“I’m not kidding. I really am an alumnus here. Not from the Faculty of Natural Sciences, though.”

 

“…Really?”

 

Garam’s expression had softened, and his voice now held surprise.

 

“Is that so surprising?”

 

“No, it’s just…”

 

Sa Muheon pretended to sound hurt. Garam, realizing it was a joke, waved his hand in a flustered manner.

 

“Oh, no, that’s not what I meant.”

 

“Mm.”

 

“Just…”

 

Though he had said it wasn’t that, Garam wasn’t sure how to explain it. His gaze slowly scanned Sa Muheon’s face.

 

No matter how many times he saw it, Sa Muheon’s appearance was striking. Garam knew it wasn’t a good idea to judge someone based on their looks, but whenever he saw Sa Muheon’s face, certain thoughts naturally came to mind.

 

He was an undeniably stunning man, but because of his tall height and well-toned physique, Sa Muheon didn’t give off a weak or approachable impression. Instead, his overall presence exuded an air that made it difficult to approach him.

 

He remembered the day they first met. If it hadn’t been for the squirrel disguise, Garam would have never dared approach Sa Muheon.

 

Sa Muheon, partly hidden in the shadows, looked even more unreachable than usual. But Garam knew that behind that intimidating figure, there was a kindness toward animals.

 

Of course, when he first saw him, Garam thought he was a gigolo or a bum…

 

“…I’m sorry.”

 

As Garam recalled those thoughts, he quietly apologized. Instead of being annoyed, Sa Muheon looked flustered.

 

“No, why are you apologizing? I was just joking.”

 

“……”

 

Garam couldn’t bring himself to mention that he had once thought of him as a gigolo or a bum, so he remained silent. Sa Muheon continued messing with the back of his head, telling Garam not to worry about it until he finally stopped, and Garam kept his head lowered.

 

“Anyway… I get why you thought that. Most people wouldn’t believe a gangster graduated from law school.”

 

“What? No, that’s not it…”

 

Sa Muheon shook his head lightly as if he already knew everything.

 

“Well, I’ve heard that a lot, so it’s not surprising.”

 

“No…”

 

Garam tried to deny it again, but Sa Muheon had already taken his misunderstanding as a fact. Garam let out a small sigh.

 

“That’s not it. It’s just… when you graduate from law school, it’s typical to become a lawyer. Since you didn’t, it’s a bit… unexpected. I was just surprised because I hadn’t thought of it in that way.”

 

Fortunately, Garam was able to speak without interruption this time. Sa Muheon simply gazed at his face quietly. Garam felt a bit embarrassed and added.

 

“…Anyway, it’s true that I misunderstood, so I’m sorry.”

 

“Hmm…”

 

Sa Muheon looked at Garam with a very surprised expression upon hearing his apology.

 

“You’re a bit… unusual.”

 

“What’s unusual about me?”

 

When Garam replied gruffly, Sa Muheon burst into laughter. Finally, he thought, That’s more like him.

 

“You being like this is unusual.”

 

Although Garam still didn’t understand the comment, he nodded vaguely. Sa Muheon laughed again and reached his hand toward Garam’s head.

 

His hand gently ruffled Garam’s hair before pulling away without hesitation. Garam raised his hand to fix his hair and then asked something he’d been curious about.

 

“By the way…”

 

“Mm?”

 

“Why didn’t you become a lawyer?”

 

At Garam’s question, Sa Muheon made a thoughtful noise and rested his arm on the steering wheel. Garam quickly added when he saw this reaction.

 

“…I’m just curious. If you don’t want to answer, you don’t have to.”

 

Sa Muheon seemed to think for a moment before finally speaking up.

 

“Well, it’s not like there’s a special reason. I didn’t originally want to go to law school.”

 

“Then why…”

 

Garam was genuinely curious. With his grades, he could have entered any department he wanted at Korea University, so why did he choose to go to a department he didn’t want?

 

“Well, it’s more like a family business, I guess. A lot of people in my family are in the legal profession. It wasn’t that I wanted to, but I didn’t have anything else I particularly wanted to do either.”

 

“……”

 

“Actually, I even thought about whether I needed to go to college at all, but my mom told me, ‘If you don’t have anything you want to do, just go to college.’ She couldn’t bear to see her son living like a bum.”

 

Sa Muheon smiled as if recalling that time. Looking at his relaxed expression, Garam guessed that Sa Muheon had a pretty good relationship with his parents.

 

“Well, that’s how it happened. College life was more fun than I expected. I liked studying too.”

 

“Then why…”

 

“Why did I become a gangster, you mean?”

 

Sa Muheon grinned and asked. Garam hesitated for a moment at his choice of words but eventually nodded slightly.

 

“It’s not a big deal. It’s part of the family business too.”

 

“…Huh?”

 

“Well, you don’t really need to know the details.”

 

Not seeming to want to elaborate, Sa Muheon stopped there and unbuckled his seatbelt. Garam, uncomfortable with him constantly opening the door for him like an escort, reached for the door first, but Sa Muheon grabbed his arm.

 

Garam widened his eyes in surprise and looked at Sa Muheon, who, a moment ago had been laughing, now had a slightly stiffened expression as he spoke.

 

“Do you remember the condition I mentioned?”

 

“…Yes.”

 

Garam nodded. The condition was simple: he had to stay by Sa Muheon’s side at all times. It was the only condition, so he hadn’t forgotten it.

 

“It’s the same when we’re together. Stick close to me.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“The same goes for now. What if something happens if you go out first?”

 

“Ah…”

 

Garam finally understood why Sa Muheon had stayed so close to him throughout the day. He hadn’t thought of a crowded department store or familiar school as dangerous places for him, so he hadn’t realized the need to stay close. But Sa Muheon’s stern expression made Garam lower his gaze in silence.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“There’s no need to apologize. It’s for your safety, after all. But it’s not good for me if you get hurt, so just stick close.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Garam quickly responded.

 

“You answer well.”

 

Sa Muheon smiled in satisfaction and got out of the car first. Garam, following his words, stayed seated and waited for him to open the passenger door.

 

“Come on, get out.”

 

This time, Garam didn’t refuse the hand that was extended to him. Sa Muheon’s smile, with the corners of his mouth turned up, showed he was pleased that Garam was following his words.

 

The hand he held was still cold. Though it was September and the weather was still warm, his hand felt almost cold to Garam, who found it a bit strange. However, the moment Sa Muheon let go of his hand, the question didn’t linger.

 

Instead of asking why he let go, Garam looked at him silently, and Sa Muheon squinted one eye and spoke.

 

“I’m a person with common sense, you know. If you want to spread rumors among your department’s kids, I won’t stop you, but…”

 

“Ah, no.”

 

At the playful continuation of his words, Garam quickly shook his head.

 

“If you refuse that much, it hurts my feelings.”

 

“……”

 

“Anyway, you don’t need to hold my hand, but don’t stay too far away. Just in case.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Garam nodded and moved a bit closer to him. Sa Muheon, as if used to it, started walking toward the Faculty of Natural Sciences building. Garam followed him closely.

 

The campus was lively, as the second semester had just started. As they neared the Faculty of Natural Sciences building, Garam noticed some familiar faces. One of his classmates, who spotted him first, called out to him.

 

“Oh, Kang Garam!”

 

“Hello.”

 

A classmate who had just come out of the building recognized Garam and called out loudly. Garam smiled and greeted him as he quickly approached.