Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 5

Before leaving the house, Garam even checked outside in squirrel form just in case. Only after confirming there were no suspicious people or vehicles around did Garam return home, grab the suitcase he had packed in advance, and quickly leave the house. After carefully locking up, he got into a taxi he had called earlier and headed to the address Minjae had given him.

Fortunately, Minjae’s house wasn’t too far. As he stepped out of the taxi, he saw Minjae waiting in front of the house.

“Hyung!”

Minjae, who had been leaning against the wall, moved toward Garam as he got out of the taxi.

“You said it was urgent… What’s going on?”

“Well…”

Garam hesitated for a moment. He worried that Minjae might think less of him after hearing about the foolish decisions he had made in the past. However, he couldn’t lie to someone who was offering to help him. In the end, Garam decided to tell Minjae everything truthfully.

“Actually…”

As Garam began to recount the events of the day, Minjae’s usually calm expression started to change. By the time Garam finished his story, Minjae’s eyes were wide open as he slowly spoke.

“That’s… a big deal, isn’t it?”

“…”

Garam nodded silently. Minjae looked at Garam for a moment before gently grabbing his arm.

“Hyung, stay over tonight. I’ll ask my dad if he can help.”

“Huh?”

“My uncle, well, my dad’s friend, is a lawyer. If I tell my dad, he’ll probably talk to my uncle for you.”

“Oh…”

It was the first time Garam had seen the usually quiet Minjae talk so much. Minjae, looking genuinely concerned, slightly furrowed his eyebrows and urged Garam to respond.

“Okay?”

Looking up at him with such earnestness, Minjae resembled a cat from a movie. Of course, since Minjae was a feline shifter, the comparison wasn’t entirely wrong. Seeing his sincerity, Garam eventually nodded.

After entering the house with Minjae, Garam greeted his parents and explained the situation. Just as Minjae had, they were startled by the story and promised to contact the lawyer early the next morning. They even offered Garam a room to stay in for the night.

Spending the night in that room, Garam was able to contact the lawyer, who turned out to be Minjae’s uncle. The lawyer, who ran his own practice, was furious upon hearing the story and insisted that Garam come to his office immediately.

Though things seemed to be resolving more easily than he had anticipated, Garam felt a mix of bewilderment and relief, focusing on the fact that there was finally a glimmer of hope.

After the consultation, Garam returned to Minjae’s house and started repacking his belongings into his suitcase. Watching him, Minjae spoke up.

“Hyung, is there anything else you need?”

“No, thanks, Minjae.”

“I didn’t really do anything…”

At Garam’s gratitude, Minjae blinked as if he truly believed he hadn’t done much.

“No, thanks to you, I was able to get help from the lawyer.”

“Hmm…”

Minjae seemed like he wanted to argue against that statement, furrowing his brows slightly, but eventually, he nodded in agreement.

“Well, let’s just say that’s how it is.”

“Yeah.”

Garam smiled and nodded.

As he packed, Garam looked down at the business card he held in his hand. One was a card that read “Mirae Capital,” and the other was a card he had received earlier at the lawyer’s office, bearing the name Yang Byungyoon.

The lawyer, introduced through Minjae’s father, had been deeply angered upon hearing Garam’s story. While Garam’s rash decisions under unfamiliar circumstances were an issue, he had been shocked and disgusted by the actions taken against a young person in such a dire situation.

Yang, who mentioned having a son around Garam’s age, expressed profound sympathy for Garam’s plight. Holding Garam’s hand tightly, he promised to help in any way he could. Feeling the rare warmth of an adult’s kindness, Garam’s eyes grew teary, but he struggled to hold back his tears, biting his lip and nodding slightly. Yang, seemingly moved, patted the back of Garam’s hand comfortingly.

“I’ll find that person no matter what, so don’t worry. The shifter community is small, and finding a tiger shifter should be especially easy.”

Reassured by his confident words, Garam nodded. Yang took Garam’s contact information and handed him a business card.

“Keep this card; you might need it someday.”

It was just a small piece of paper, but it seemed to radiate warmth. Garam repeatedly bowed his head in gratitude. Lawyer Yang patted Garam on the back and led him back to Minjae, who was waiting in the lobby.

After hearing the situation, Minjae’s parents said Garam could stay at their house a little longer, but Garam politely declined, saying he couldn’t impose on them any further. While it would have been nice to stay, he was worried that the men might track him down and cause trouble at Minjae’s house.

“So, what are you going to do now?”

“Hmm…”

Minjae, watching Garam pack his belongings, cautiously asked. When Garam didn’t answer immediately, Minjae hastily added, “Ah, if it’s hard to talk about, you don’t have to tell me.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just… I only have one clear plan for now.”

“And what’s that?”

Seeing Minjae practically radiating curiosity, Garam gave an awkward smile.

“I’m going to apply for a leave of absence.”

“A leave of absence?”

Minjae’s eyes widened. With the second semester about to start, the sudden news of taking a leave must have come as a shock. Garam smiled sheepishly and nodded.

“Yeah. It’s a bit abrupt, but…”

“Why do you need to go that far?”

Minjae asked in disbelief. Hearing that made Garam chuckle a little. He had also wrestled with whether it was truly necessary.

But if those loan sharks ended up coming to the school looking for him, things would get complicated. Since they believed Garam was an ordinary human, he thought taking a leave of absence and hiding might make it a bit harder for them to find him, though he wasn’t entirely sure.

“They might come looking for me at school, and I have someone I need to find, so I need some time.”

“Then, where are you planning to stay in the meantime?”

Minjae’s brow furrowed slightly. Garam had no answer for that. He planned to submit his leave of absence first and think it over afterward.

“For now, I’ll apply for the leave… and if it comes to it, I’ll sleep in a park or something.”

“Hyung…”

Despite Garam’s attempt to laugh it off, Minjae’s expression remained serious.

“Don’t even think about actually sleeping outside. If you really don’t have anywhere to go, you can always come back to our house…”

“Haha, thanks.”

Though he had no intention of returning, Garam appreciated Minjae’s concern. Leaving those words of gratitude, Garam picked up his bag.

“Well, I’ll be going. Thanks for everything.”

“…Okay.”

Even as he nodded to Garam’s farewell, Minjae still looked worried.

—

After stopping by the department office to submit his leave of absence form, Garam awkwardly smiled at the teaching assistant’s questions and said there were family issues. While he had taken care of the most urgent matter, there was still much to do. He needed to contact all his part-time jobs, change his phone number, and more.

Fortunately, as he handled things step by step, he managed to finish everything, even though it had seemed endless. After a full day of running around without eating properly, he felt so hungry that he thought he might collapse. As he reached the point where even walking felt too difficult, Garam found himself wandering into a convenience store.

Ding-dong.

Moments later, Garam walked out of the store with a triangular kimbap and a bottle of water in hand. Holding them, he headed to a nearby park.

The park, with its small pond, was nearly deserted. As evening approached, only a few people were visible—some on their way home from work, others walking dogs.

Garam unwrapped the kimbap he’d bought, watching the purposeful movements of the park-goers. Driven by hunger, it didn’t take long for him to finish both pieces of kimbap.

After throwing the empty packaging into a nearby trash bin, Garam collapsed onto the bench again. Staring blankly at the ripples in the pond, he found himself wishing he could drift away and disappear, just like the water.

How much time had passed? Something small scurried into Garam’s line of sight.

“Huh…”

Perched on the wooden railing around the pond was a small squirrel. It stood on the railing, staring at Garam. The squirrel and Garam’s gaze met in midair. Seeing a squirrel that didn’t even think of running away from him, Garam muttered to himself without realizing it.

“It’s not even running away…”