Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 40

Chapter 40

 

Fortunately, Minjae didn’t press Garam any further and gave a slight nod toward Sa Muheon.

 

“Sorry. Hyung has been caught up in some trouble recently. I apologize for the misunderstanding.”

 

“Well….”

 

At the polite apology, Sa Muheon also nodded.

 

“If you’re close, it’s natural to worry like that.”

 

“Thank you for understanding. Hyung, I’ll see you next week then. Let’s grab a meal together.”

 

“Oh, okay….”

 

After hearing Garam’s response, Minjae walked away without hesitation. Garam stared blankly at his retreating figure before shifting his gaze to Sa Muheon.

 

“Do you know him?”

 

“Not that I recall….”

 

“Why is he acting like that? He’s not usually like this.”

 

While Garam tilted his head in confusion, Sa Muheon gave a meaningful smile, but Garam didn’t notice it as he continued to watch Minjae disappear.

 

“I’ll explain to him later. Sorry for the trouble I caused….”

 

At Garam’s apology, Sa Muheon lightly shook his head.

 

“Forget it. Don’t worry about something so trivial.”

 

Then he gave a gentle pull on Garam’s shoulder, guiding him forward.

 

“Let’s go. You’re done with everything you needed at school, right?”

 

“Uh… yeah.”

 

Hearing Garam’s reply, Sa Muheon started walking without hesitation. Garam followed closely, half-leaning into his side. He felt like people were staring, but he couldn’t bring himself to push Sa Muheon’s hand away.

 

Fortunately, once they left the building, Sa Muheon let go of Garam’s shoulder. Without saying much, the two headed back to the parking lot.

 

The campus was still bustling with students. Garam’s heart stirred with quiet excitement once more.

 

Having lived alone without family, Garam always enjoyed coming to school.

 

Chatting with close classmates and seniors was fun, and being able to continue studying what he loved made him happy. He even felt frustrated that he couldn’t devote all his time to studying because he had to juggle a part-time job.

 

That’s why he had felt so down when he applied for a leave of absence. Being able to come back to school like this felt like a dream.

 

As Garam watched Sa Muheon walking a step ahead, he quietly reached out and grabbed the hem of his jacket. It was a light touch, but Sa Muheon immediately stopped and turned to look at him.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

Sa Muheon looked slightly surprised at first but quickly returned to his usual smile after seeing that Garam was fine.

 

Garam wanted to say thank you, but looking at his face made the words feel awkward. Still, it was something he had to say. Tightening his grip on Sa Muheon’s jacket, Garam mustered the courage to speak.

 

“I don’t think I ever properly thanked you….”

 

“For what exactly?”

 

Seeing Sa Muheon smile as he said that, Garam felt his nervousness melt away. A faint smile appeared on his own face.

 

“For letting me go back to school.”

 

“Do you really like school that much?”

 

Sa Muheon muttered as if he was genuinely curious. Garam finally let out a laugh and nodded.

 

“Yes. I really do. That’s why I wanted to say thank you.”

 

His words were filled with sincerity. Sa Muheon looked down at him, saying nothing. Then he lightly patted Garam’s head before continuing to walk. Garam silently followed him.

 

When they reached the car, Sa Muheon opened the passenger door and spoke.

 

“You’re such a peculiar kid.”

 

“That’s probably why I ended up living in a park.”

 

This time, Garam responded playfully as he got into the car. Sa Muheon chuckled and closed the door.

 

—

 

“Ugh….”

 

Getting out of the car, Garam stretched.

 

He had thought they were heading straight home after leaving school, but Sa Muheon had dragged him to another department store instead. This time, it was a different one.

 

Garam looked at Sa Muheon as if to ask why they were here, but Sa Muheon only said there was more shopping to do, leaving Garam exasperated.

 

No matter how much he protested, Sa Muheon wouldn’t budge. In the end, Garam had no choice but to follow him around and buy everything he claimed they needed before they could finally head home.

 

Even though Garam wasn’t in bad shape physically, being dragged around shopping endlessly was exhausting. He stretched again as soon as he got out of the car, prompting Sa Muheon to burst into laughter as if he’d just seen something hilarious.

 

“How is that enough to wear you out?”

 

At those words, Garam shot him a glare. But Sa Muheon only laughed harder, finding even Garam’s annoyed look amusing.

 

Regardless of whether Sa Muheon was laughing at him, the stretch made Garam feel a bit better. After lowering his outstretched arms, he saw Sa Muheon already heading toward the front door.

 

When they stepped inside, Garam froze at the sight of the shopping bags lined up in the entrance.

 

“…There’s this much stuff?”

 

“There’s more that hasn’t even arrived yet.”

 

Garam looked at them with a tired expression, but Sa Muheon only glanced at them once, shrugged his shoulders, and walked inside.

 

Stopping in front of the room that had been empty until now, Sa Muheon gestured for Garam to come over. It was only then that Garam tore his eyes away from the line of shopping bags and stepped into the house.

 

Following Sa Muheon’s direction, Garam peeked into the once-empty room and blinked quietly.

 

“What? You don’t like it?”

 

“No, it’s not that….”

 

It was closer to being too surprised to react.

 

While they were shopping earlier, Garam had noticed Sa Muheon talking to someone on the phone. He had assumed Sa Muheon was asking a subordinate to come to the house since furniture was supposed to be delivered today and no one was home.

 

Garam had overheard that a bed was arriving this morning, so he thought there’d be nothing more than that. However, contrary to his expectations, the room was already furnished with everything he might need.

 

“I figured just a bed wouldn’t be enough.”

 

“Ah….”

 

“If anything’s missing, let me know. There are extra rooms anyway.”

 

“N-No, it’s more than enough already. Thank you.”

 

Garam quickly bowed his head in gratitude. Sa Muheon chuckled and gently lifted him up by the shoulders.

 

“If sorting out your clothes is too much trouble, just leave them. Only take out what you need for now. The housekeeper will organize the rest later.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Sa Muheon patted Garam’s head a few times before glancing around the newly furnished room again with a satisfied smile.

 

“Now you can finally sleep comfortably.”

 

Whether he was talking to Garam or to himself, Garam wasn’t sure, but for some reason, those words made his chest ache.

 

“You must be tired. Go to bed early.”

 

“Ah… Yes. Thank you.”

 

“You sure are thankful for a lot of things.”

 

Sa Muheon let out a small laugh before heading to his bedroom. Garam stared blankly at the closing door, then stepped into his own room.

 

Knowing how empty this room had been before, its sudden transformation felt strange. Since Garam usually spent his time in Sa Muheon’s bedroom or the living room, this room felt even more unfamiliar.

 

He carefully sat down on the large new bed. It was soft but firm—probably similar to Sa Muheon’s bed, though Garam wasn’t certain.

 

“…….”

 

After slowly smoothing out the blanket, Garam suddenly stood up and began undressing. He walked to the en suite bathroom.

 

After taking a quick shower, Garam rummaged through one of the shopping bags in his room, pulled out a pair of pajamas, and put them on before lying down on the bed.

 

“Ha….”

 

But everything felt different from yesterday. Garam tightly shut his eyes before sighing and opening them again.

 

When he stretched his arms and relaxed, it felt as if the bed was pulling him in. Normally, the soft mattress would have felt pleasant, but tonight was different.

 

Garam blinked up at the ceiling for a while before turning onto his side. Curling up and pulling the blanket over himself felt a little warmer, but it still wasn’t satisfying.

 

He had a comfortable bed, brand-new furniture, and everything he needed, yet Garam felt empty inside. The house, which once felt so cozy, now seemed completely unfamiliar.

 

“It’s cold….”

 

Murmuring to himself, Garam stroked the soft blanket. In reality, the blanket was warm, but it didn’t feel that way to him.

 

His fingers twitched slightly as if remembering the feel of Sa Muheon’s cool hands. Slowly, his hand moved as though reaching out for them again.

 

Sa Muheon’s hands could hardly be called warm. Garam didn’t know why his body temperature was so low, but oddly enough, holding those hands had felt warmer than this.

 

Lost in thought, Garam closed his eyes. But sleep wouldn’t come.

 

Since his parents passed away, Garam had grown used to sleeping alone for a long time. Yet after spending just a few nights sharing a room with Sa Muheon, he felt completely ruined.

 

It’s all his fault.

 

He tried blaming Sa Muheon in his head, but the feeling didn’t last. He was far more grateful to him than resentful.

 

His thoughts kept spiraling. In the end, Garam tossed and turned for a long time before finally managing to fall asleep.