Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 39

Chapter 39

 

“What? I thought you took a leave of absence!”

 

“Yeah, I did, but….”

 

Garam glanced nervously at Sa Muheon standing beside him. Following Garam’s gaze, the classmate also looked at Sa Muheon.

 

It seemed they were only now getting a good look at his face because their eyes widened noticeably, something Garam could clearly see. Worried that they might try to talk to Sa Muheon, Garam quickly spoke up.

 

“I took a leave of absence because something came up, but it got resolved unexpectedly, so I came to cancel the leave.”

 

“Really? I don’t know what happened, but it’s a relief that everything worked out.”

 

Thankfully, the classmate quickly shifted their attention away from Sa Muheon and focused on Garam’s explanation. Their sincere words about being relieved brought a smile to Garam’s face.

 

“But, who’s this…?”

 

However, Garam’s relief was short-lived as the classmate followed up with another question. Feeling awkward, Garam looked up at Sa Muheon, unsure how to introduce him.

 

The easiest thing would be to call him an acquaintance, just like Sa Muheon had done earlier. But Garam didn’t have the courage to say it out loud.

 

Fortunately, Sa Muheon noticed Garam’s silent plea for help and smiled as he placed a hand on Garam’s shoulder.

 

“Curious about what kind of relationship we have?”

 

“Huh?”

 

But the words he blurted out were completely unexpected. The classmate glanced nervously between Garam and Sa Muheon, their eyes filled with curiosity. Shocked, Garam looked up at Sa Muheon with his mouth slightly open.

 

Sa Muheon, however, burst out laughing at their reactions. His laughter was loud enough to make a few people passing by in the hallway turn and look.

 

“Haha! What kind of relationship? I’m about twelve years older than him. We’re just family friends.”

 

“Oh, I see….”

 

The classmate responded but still seemed a bit skeptical, eyeing the two of them suspiciously. Garam wanted to deny it outright, but Sa Muheon was quicker to speak again.

 

“We just met up for something, and since he was heading to school, I gave him a ride. I graduated from here too.”

 

“Oh, really? You’re an alumnus?”

 

“I was in the law department.”

 

“Wow.”

 

Thankfully, the explanation seemed to ease the classmate’s suspicions. Instead, they now looked at the handsome alumnus with newfound interest, their eyes sparkling.

 

“Ah, but we’re a bit busy, so we’ll head off now.”

 

“Oh, okay! See you later, Kang Garam!”

 

“Yeah, see you.”

 

Before the classmate could bombard them with more questions, Garam was relieved to have ended the conversation. He sighed quietly and looked up at Sa Muheon.

 

“Did I do well?”

 

“……”

 

Hoping for praise, Garam said this, but Sa Muheon didn’t respond and simply followed behind him quietly.

 

Even though there was nothing particularly special about the building, Sa Muheon kept glancing around as if everything caught his attention. Garam noticed this and quickened his pace.

 

When Garam opened the door to the department office, all the eyes inside turned toward him. At first, they focused on Garam, but soon enough, their attention shifted to Sa Muheon standing behind him.

 

Receiving their stares, Sa Muheon lightly tapped Garam’s shoulder and gestured toward the hallway. It seemed he was indicating he would wait outside. Garam nodded, and Sa Muheon stepped aside with a smile.

 

Bowing his head slightly, Garam entered the office. Some people inside recognized him.

 

“Hello.”

 

“Oh, didn’t you take a leave of absence?”

 

The teaching assistant who had processed his leave greeted him warmly. Garam smiled awkwardly and approached.

 

“I’d like to cancel my leave of absence.”

 

“Huh? Didn’t you say something came up at home?”

 

“Ah, yeah… but it’s been resolved now….”

 

Garam trailed off ambiguously. Thankfully, the assistant didn’t press further and just patted Garam’s shoulder, laughing.

 

“Hey, that’s great. I’m glad it worked out. Your grades are good, and you were still getting scholarships, so it would’ve been a waste to take a break.”

 

“Haha… I guess so.”

 

Hearing the assistant’s genuine relief, Garam responded with a smile.

 

“If you cancel the leave, you can continue receiving your scholarships, too.”

 

“Really? That’s great. Thank you so much.”

 

“Sure. I’ll process it quickly, so just have a seat over there.”

 

“Okay, thanks.”

 

Following the assistant’s guidance, Garam sat and waited for the paperwork to be prepared.

 

Just as promised, the leave cancellation was processed quickly. The only thing left was course registration.

 

Even though the registration period had already ended, a few classes were still available since it was the adjustment period. Fortunately, most of the courses Garam wanted to take for his major still had open slots.

 

After successfully registering for his courses, Garam stood up with a cheerful expression. The assistant smiled at him and said goodbye.

 

“Good luck in the second semester. Come by again if you need anything.”

 

“Thank you so much.”

 

Garam bowed several times before leaving the office.

 

When he stepped outside, he immediately spotted Sa Muheon standing by the door.

 

“Have you been waiting here this whole time?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Sorry… I didn’t think it would take this long. If I knew, I would’ve told you to wait somewhere else….”

 

Realizing that the course registration had taken quite a while and imagining Sa Muheon standing there the whole time made Garam feel a surge of guilt. Seeing Garam’s apologetic expression, Sa Muheon simply smiled as if it was no big deal.

 

“It’s fine. It didn’t take that long.”

 

“Still… I’m sorry.”

 

“It’s fine. I just stayed here because I was worried someone might snatch you away.”

 

Hearing the teasing remark, Garam’s expression finally softened a little.

 

“…How could anyone just snatch me away?”

 

“Do you even know how small squirrels are?”

 

As Garam played along with the joke, Sa Muheon chuckled and continued speaking. While their lighthearted conversation carried on, a familiar voice called out from behind.

 

“Garam hyung?”

 

“Uh….”

 

Recognizing the voice, Garam quickly turned around. There stood Minjae, his eyes wide in surprise.

 

“Minjae!”

 

Garam’s face lit up as he approached. Minjae, still looking bewildered, alternated his gaze between Garam and Sa Muheon standing behind him. Noticing Minjae’s lingering stare at Sa Muheon, Garam hurriedly spoke up.

 

“I didn’t expect to see you today.”

 

“You didn’t even call me.”

 

Hearing the slightly pouty tone, Garam let out a small laugh.

 

“Sorry. I didn’t have my phone with me….”

 

“It’s fine. But what’s going on with your leave of absence?”

 

“Oh, that… I came to cancel it.”

 

“What?”

 

Minjae, who knew all about Garam’s situation, raised his voice in surprise. Garam quickly clapped a hand over Minjae’s mouth.

 

“Shh…!”

 

Then he pushed Minjae toward the opposite hallway, not forgetting to motion for Sa Muheon, who was watching the scene with amusement, to follow them.

 

“Haha….”

 

At Garam’s flustered gesture, Sa Muheon laughed softly and trailed behind them without complaint.

 

After leading them to a quiet hallway far from the office, Garam explained the situation calmly.

 

“Well… it’s not completely resolved yet, but most of it is taken care of.”

 

“Oh… well, that’s good to hear.”

 

Minjae, initially confused, responded with relief. But then he looked up and turned his gaze toward Sa Muheon, who was smiling faintly.

 

Garam, who was used to seeing people get captivated by Sa Muheon’s face, was surprised to see Minjae’s eyes filled with hostility instead. However, Sa Muheon seemed unbothered, maintaining his relaxed smile.

 

“Hyung, do you know this guy well?”

 

“Huh?”

 

Minjae bristled like a cat ready to pounce. Considering Minjae was a cat shapeshifter, it wasn’t entirely inaccurate. Still, Garam couldn’t understand why Minjae was being so defensive toward someone he had never met before.

 

“Well… we do know each other….”

 

“You know each other?”

 

Trying to calm Minjae down, Garam gave a vague response. But instead of settling down, Minjae looked even more shocked and stared at Garam with wide eyes.

 

“Uh….”

 

Garam, unable to hide his confusion, hesitantly nodded. Minjae, who was usually as laid-back as a well-fed cat, was acting completely out of character, leaving Garam at a loss.

 

What snapped Garam out of his daze was the feel of Sa Muheon’s hand lightly touching his shoulder. Garam turned to look at him.

 

“Is there some reason we can’t know each other?”

 

“……”

 

Minjae didn’t answer but continued glaring at Sa Muheon with sharp eyes. While Garam stood awkwardly between them, Sa Muheon kept speaking with a smile.

 

“We’re family friends.”

 

“Ha.”

 

“And right now, I’m his guardian.”

 

Minjae scoffed at Sa Muheon’s words, then looked at Garam as if to ask if it was true.

 

It was an awkward situation. But Garam couldn’t exactly deny it, so after hesitating, he eventually nodded.

 

“Seriously?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

This time, Garam answered without hesitation. Only then did Minjae seem to relax a little, lowering his guard.

 

“…What exactly is going on?”

 

“Uh….”

 

Hearing Minjae’s slightly calmer voice, Garam couldn’t come up with an answer and simply gave him a weak smile.