Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 42

Chapter 42

 

“So that’s what it was…”

 

“What is?”

 

Hearing Garam mumble, Minjae’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

 

“Oh, nothing. I just remembered something I heard before.”

 

Disappointed by the bland answer, Minjae leaned back in his chair with a hum.

 

“Anyway, when I saw that guy last time, I thought he might be the debt collector who came looking for you.”

 

“Ah…”

 

“That’s why I was worried… but if he’s not, then that’s a relief.”

 

Minjae smiled, looking reassured. While it was nice to ease Minjae’s concerns, it wasn’t exactly true, so Garam hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

 

“Actually, that’s right.”

 

“…What?”

 

“I mean… I didn’t borrow the money myself, but the loan under my name is from his company.”

 

Minjae’s eyes widened to their limits. He quickly glanced around, then leaned in and whispered in a very small voice.

 

“Hyung, are you being threatened or something?”

 

“What?”

 

“Be honest. If it’s hard to say directly, I can talk to Lawyer Yang for you.”

 

“No, it’s nothing like that. And I already met with Lawyer Yang about it.”

 

Garam spoke calmly, trying to soothe Minjae’s alarmed reaction.

 

“I know it sounds strange. But there are circumstances…”

 

After some hesitation, Garam lowered his voice and whispered.

 

“Actually, Sa Muheon even assigned a bodyguard for me.”

 

“What?”

 

Minjae looked around again. But there was nothing to see in the windowless room. Garam couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.

 

“…Where is he?”

 

“Probably outside.”

 

Shrugging, Garam replied, and Minjae’s expression turned serious again.

 

“You’re not caught up in anything dangerous, are you?”

 

Garam just laughed off the question. He didn’t want to share more and make Minjae worry unnecessarily, nor did he think it was wise to let too much information slip out.

 

Fortunately, Minjae seemed to take Garam’s laughter as reassurance and sighed in relief. Relaxing, he slouched back in his chair.

 

“Anyway, I hope it all gets resolved soon. It’s such a hassle for you.”

 

“Haha, thanks.”

 

Garam smiled, appreciating Minjae’s concern. He was grateful that Minjae cared about him simply because they were close.

 

As their conversation wound down, Garam checked the time and saw that it was almost time for class.

 

“Shall we go? I have a 2 PM lecture.”

 

“Oh, me too. Let’s go!”

 

Checking the time as well, Minjae quickly packed up his things. When they stepped out, the restaurant owner approached them near the kitchen.

 

“Did you enjoy your meal?”

 

He patted Minjae’s head familiarly as he asked. Minjae didn’t seem to mind and nodded without hesitation.

 

“Yeah. If it weren’t for you, I might have starved to death.”

 

“Such a smooth talker.”

 

The owner chuckled and turned his attention to Garam.

 

“Come again next time.”

 

“Oh, sure. Thank you. About the bill…”

 

“You’re fine. You’re with this kid, so it’s on me.”

 

“Still…”

 

Even though the owner insisted it was okay, Garam felt uneasy. But Minjae tugged lightly on his arm.

 

“I’ll be back later! Hyung, let’s hurry. We’re going to be late!”

 

Worried about being late to class, Minjae urged Garam along, and Garam had no choice but to follow. Once they were outside, Minjae grinned and spoke up.

 

“It’s really okay. I come here often with other people, but he doesn’t give them free meals. I think he just likes you. Don’t overthink it—it’s just a meal.”

 

“Hmm… okay.”

 

Even with Minjae’s reassurance, Garam couldn’t shake off his unease completely, though it did help a little.

 

Still holding onto Garam’s arm, Minjae looked around before leaning in and whispering.

 

“Is that guy over there the one?”

 

“Huh?”

 

Garam followed Minjae’s gaze and saw one of Sa Muheon’s subordinates.

 

The man, who had introduced himself as Jang Seokgyu, met Garam’s eyes and grinned, even giving a small nod. Garam found himself nodding back reflexively.

 

“Whoa, no way. It’s really him?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Garam responded to Minjae’s fuss with a vague smile and a nod. As they hurried back to school, Garam cautiously spoke up.

 

“About what we talked about today… Minjae, I’d prefer if you kept it to yourself.”

 

“Of course! I don’t have many close friends besides you anyway, so there’s no one to tell.”

 

Minjae replied confidently. Garam briefly wondered if having few friends was something to be so proud of, but decided that if Minjae was happy, then it was fine. He nodded.

 

“Thanks.”

 

Hearing Garam’s gratitude seemed to put Minjae in an even better mood.

 

“No need to thank me! But I think I’m really going to be late, so I’ll head off first. Take care and let’s talk again soon!”

 

Before Garam could respond, Minjae had already finished what he wanted to say and took off running. Watching Minjae’s quickly retreating figure, Garam checked the time and hurried his own pace, realizing he didn’t have much time left either.

 

—

 

After his lecture, Garam got into the car driven by Jang Seokgyu and returned to Sa Muheon’s house.

 

“See you tomorrow.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

When Garam bowed slightly in response to Jang Seokgyu’s farewell, the man let out a hearty laugh and nodded once before driving off.

 

Watching the car leave the garage, Garam entered the house.

 

“I’m home.”

 

He greeted out of habit, but then noticed there were no shoes at the entrance.

 

Realizing that Sa Muheon hadn’t arrived yet, Garam tilted his head slightly before heading to his room.

 

After a quick shower, Garam sat at his desk and looked at his phone. Staring at the screen with a stiff expression for some time, he eventually let out a sigh.

 

“What should I do…”

 

The phone in his limp hand displayed a dwindling bank balance.

 

“Could I… get a part-time job…?”

 

His muttering faded into the air. Although he hadn’t directly asked Sa Muheon about it, it seemed obvious he wouldn’t approve.

 

“Hmm…”

 

Truthfully, it wasn’t a situation where he could work part-time anyway. Who knew what might happen if he tried?

 

As Garam had told Sa Muheon, he didn’t see Ryu Beomju often, but he knew what kind of person he was.

 

He had heard stories from his grandmother, and even though he had only met Ryu Beomju a few times, those encounters had been enough to show him the man’s nasty temper.

 

Even during his grandmother’s funeral, Ryu Beomju hadn’t acted any better than a stranger.

 

The sudden death of his grandmother had left relatives and friends mourning, filling the funeral hall every day. Yet Ryu Beomju didn’t properly greet anyone, and the guests had only given Garam pitying looks as they noticed his behavior.

 

As if that wasn’t enough, Ryu Beomju had left behind a debt so large that Garam would struggle to pay it off even if he worked his entire life.

 

It wasn’t hard to imagine that, once cornered, Ryu Beomju could do anything to Garam.

 

“Sigh…”

 

But even more than worrying about the distant threat of Ryu Beomju, Garam was more concerned about his rapidly draining bank account.

 

Checking his phone again, Garam confirmed that the six-digit balance hadn’t changed. He let out another deep sigh.

 

“Phew…”

 

“What’s a kid like you sighing so much about?”

 

Startled by the sudden voice, Garam jumped up.

 

“Oh, when did you get here?”

 

Through the half-open door, Sa Muheon’s figure came into view.

 

Garam had left the door open, worried he might not hear Sa Muheon return, but he’d been so lost in thought that he hadn’t noticed him coming in at all.

 

“I just got back. Did you eat dinner?”

 

“Not yet. What about you?”

 

“Me neither. Want to eat together?”

 

“Sure.”

 

While Sa Muheon changed clothes, Garam rummaged through the refrigerator.

 

Although there was a kitchen in the house, Sa Muheon didn’t cook himself. The housekeeper prepared and stocked the food, and he would simply heat it up when needed.

 

To Garam, Sa Muheon’s eating habits seemed a bit unusual—he skipped breakfast entirely but consumed large amounts of food at dinner.

 

When Garam had first come to the house in his squirrel form, he had secretly been shocked to see Sa Muheon eat such massive portions at night.

 

But after hearing what Minjae said earlier, it seemed like that habit was somehow related to Sa Muheon being a snake shifter.

 

Now, looking back, Garam found it funny that he hadn’t noticed anything strange about it before.