Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 46

Chapter 46

 

Sa Muheon’s daily life was flowing fairly peacefully as usual. At least, that’s what Sa Muheon himself thought.

 

However, perhaps it was only peaceful from Sa Muheon’s indifferent perspective, as it seemed that details of his recent life had leaked out through someone’s lips.

 

The vibration from the phone placed on his desk broke the silence. Sa Muheon glanced at the name displayed on the screen and then looked at Chief Han, who was standing in front of him.

 

Chief Han, having also seen the name on Sa Muheon’s phone, smiled as he met his gaze.

 

“…Stay there.”

 

Even as Sa Muheon reached for the phone, he sent a warning to Chief Han. Of course, Chief Han, who knew Sa Muheon better than even his father, simply smiled and sat down on a nearby sofa instead of taking the warning seriously.

 

Watching him, Sa Muheon let out a short sigh and quickly answered the call. He knew that if he delayed any further, he would definitely face a scolding.

 

“Yes.”

 

‘Why do you answer the phone like that?’

 

“What is it, Mom?”

 

Fortunately, he hadn’t answered too late, as the voice on the other end sounded cheerful.

 

‘Can’t a mother call her son?’

 

“That’s not what I meant.”

 

At Sa Muheon’s chuckling reply, his mother, Sa Heeran, also burst into laughter.

 

‘So, nothing unusual happening lately?’

 

From the probing tone of her question, Sa Muheon was certain she already knew everything that had recently occurred.

 

“You’re calling because you already know, aren’t you?”

 

‘Geez, can’t I at least ask out of courtesy? Why are you so prickly?’

 

“Well… it’s not a big deal anyway. You probably heard it all from Chief Han, right?”

 

Sa Muheon’s gaze shifted to Chief Han, who was sitting on the sofa. Perhaps anticipating that the call would last a while, Chief Han had made himself comfortable and was brewing tea.

 

Noticing Sa Muheon’s gaze, Chief Han smiled and gave a small nod.

 

‘Yes, I heard something about you bringing home another rodent.’

 

“It wasn’t a rodent; it was a hamster. This time, it was a squirrel.”

 

‘Same difference. Anyway, I heard that squirrel turned out to be a shifter?’

 

Sa Heeran’s voice was filled with laughter. It seemed the incident had even amused her, despite all the strange events she had witnessed throughout her life.

 

“You find this funny?”

 

‘Of course, it’s funny. What kind of shifter pretends to be an animal and lives on the streets? I was so shocked when I first heard about it. And it’s a kid, too, right?’

 

“Yes. He’s twenty-one this year.”

 

‘A student at Korea University, I heard.’

 

“You’ve already found that out?”

 

Sa Muheon’s tone betrayed his dismay, making Sa Heeran laugh out loud.

 

‘Naturally, I had to find out at least that much. Word reached me about how closely you’ve been sticking to him, so I got curious.’

 

“It’s not what you’re thinking.”

 

‘Did I say anything?’

 

Hearing her amused tone, Sa Muheon pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand.

 

“It’s really not like that. What would I even do with someone so young?”

 

‘He’s an adult now, so age doesn’t matter that much. Anyway, I actually called for another reason today.’

 

“Another reason?”

 

Despite asking, Sa Muheon had a good idea of what his mother might bring up.

 

‘Yes. Remember what you asked me to look into the other day?’

 

“You’ve already looked into it?”

 

It had only been about a month. Considering his mother’s always-busy schedule, this was an unusually fast turnaround.

 

Noticing the surprise in Sa Muheon’s voice, Sa Heeran chuckled.

 

‘Of course. When my son makes a rare request, I have to handle it quickly.’

 

“…Thank you.”

 

Even so, the speed of the results left him a bit dazed. He thanked her sincerely.

 

‘It’s not something to discuss over the phone. Why don’t you stop by the house sometime?’

 

“I’ll come whenever it’s convenient for you. When would that be?”

 

‘If you don’t mind, you could even drop by the office.’

 

At Sa Heeran’s suggestion, Sa Muheon let out a bitter laugh.

 

“That won’t work. You know what people will say if a gangster shows up at your office.”

 

At his self-deprecating comment, Sa Heeran’s voice turned noticeably colder.

 

‘Who says that to you? If anyone dares—’

 

“No one would say it to my face, of course. It’s just what people might think.”

 

Realizing he had upset her, Sa Muheon quickly tried to calm her down, and her voice softened slightly.

 

‘Still, if anyone ever says something like that to you directly, you’d better tell me. Got it?’

 

“Yes, I got it.”

 

Although Sa Muheon was already a grown man in his thirties, he still seemed like a child in his mother’s eyes. Her tone, completely softened by Sa Muheon’s compliant response, turned cheerful as she told him to wait for a moment while she checked her schedule.

 

The sound of pages flipping filled the silence, likely from a calendar resting on her desk.

 

Having visited his mother’s office a few times before, Sa Muheon could easily imagine her sitting in that spacious room.

 

Bookshelves packed with books lined the walls, and in between them stood a large desk perpetually piled high with documents. As a child, Sa Muheon had been in awe of how his mother could sift through the chaos and find exactly what she needed.

 

A faint smile played on Sa Muheon’s lips as he recalled those memories. After some time, the rustling of paper stopped, and a bright voice announced that she had found a suitable date.

 

‘How about this weekend? I’ll have some free time on Saturday.’

 

“Sure, I’ll come then.”

 

‘Alright. Come by around lunchtime. Let’s eat together.’

 

“Okay, sounds good.”

 

After adding a few more words of concern about her son’s health, Sa Heeran ended the call.

 

Once the call was over, Sa Muheon leaned back in his chair. He didn’t dislike talking to his mother, but it often left him feeling a bit drained.

 

From across the office, Chief Han, who had been waiting for the mother-and-son conversation to finish, spoke with a chuckle.

 

“Attorney Sa is still the same as ever.”

 

“You were the one who told her, weren’t you?”

 

“I didn’t tell her directly. I happened to meet Chairman Ko a few days ago and mentioned it in passing….”

 

“If you told my father, it’s no different from telling my mother directly. Do you really think there’s anything my father knows that my mother doesn’t?”

 

At Sa Muheon’s chiding remark, Chief Han chuckled awkwardly and drained the rest of his tea in one go.

 

“This could’ve been avoided if you visited them a bit more often.”

 

“…You’re not wrong.”

 

Sa Muheon remained silent, knowing there was truth to Chief Han’s words. It wasn’t that he avoided visiting his parents’ house, but his naturally reserved personality made it hard to respond to their constant words of concern.

 

“At least if you visit this time, they’ll be reassured for a while.”

 

“Probably.”

 

Nodding at Chief Han’s conciliatory words, Sa Muheon rose from his seat.

 

“Heading out?”

 

“Yes, I have someone waiting for me at home.”

 

“Ha, must be nice.”

 

“You know better than anyone that it’s not like that.”

 

Sa Muheon shook his head with a faint smile at Chief Han’s teasing tone.

 

Though his mother had said something similar, he couldn’t understand why everyone around him seemed intent on linking him with that young man.

 

Of course, when Sa Muheon first met Garam, he had briefly suspected that the boy might be Ryu Beomju’s hidden lover. But he quickly dismissed the idea.

 

Even as he entertained the thought, Sa Muheon found it absurd to view someone eleven years younger than him in such a way. Knowing how crazy Ryu Beomju was, he had even clicked his tongue, thinking, Not even he would stoop that low.

 

For Sa Muheon, the idea of people pairing him with Garam was preposterous. As such, he brushed off their remarks as mere playful banter.

 

“Anyway, I’ll get going. It’s his day off, so I should at least buy him a meal.”

 

“Ha, yes, you should.”

 

Setting down his empty teacup, Chief Han followed Sa Muheon out of the office.

 

“By the way, the little cat seems quiet these days.”

 

At Sa Muheon’s question, Chief Han nodded.

 

After glancing around, perhaps to make sure no one was listening, Chief Han lowered his voice slightly.

 

“There’s been no news at all lately. It’s strangely quiet, so I’m keeping an eye on things.”

 

“Hmm….”

 

The unusual silence felt ominous, like the calm before a storm.

 

“Well, I trust you’ll handle it as you always do. I’ll leave it to you.”

 

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered.”

 

After exchanging polite farewells with the smiling Chief Han, Sa Muheon climbed into his car.

 

Inside the quiet vehicle, his fingers lightly tapped the steering wheel. On the way home, he pondered what Ryu Beomju could be plotting, but nothing concrete came to mind.

 

By the time he arrived home, he still felt uneasy, as if something were unresolved.