Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 53

Chapter 53

 

A sigh of relief nearly escaped him at the word “fortunately,” but it disappeared with the doctor’s next words.

 

If it had been discovered any later, it could have been dangerous. Sa Muheon’s gaze turned to the squirrel, still fast asleep.

 

He recalled the moment he had rushed into the emergency room, the small creature gasping for breath, looking as if it could die at any moment. Although its breathing had now stabilized, the earlier image lingered in his mind, leaving him uneasy.

 

If only he hadn’t been lost in useless thoughts, he might have found Garam sooner.

 

The thought of what might have happened if he’d been even a little later kept gnawing at him.

 

He clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palms and causing a faint pain. He needed to snap out of it somehow, or else he’d spiral into endless worry again. The idea that Garam had ended up in this state because he’d been distracted made him desperate to pull himself together.

 

“…Is it really okay now?”

 

“The fever has gone down, so I’d say the worst is over.”

 

“Ha…”

 

At last, a small sigh escaped him. The sound, heavy with relief, brought a faint smile to the doctor’s face.

 

“It seems you were very worried. It was a serious situation, but thanks to your quick response, everything turned out fine.”

 

“……”

 

Sa Muheon gave a silent nod, his gaze fixed on Garam. Seeing this, the doctor continued.

 

“Still, even though the crisis has passed… I’m a little concerned about what comes next.”

 

The word “concern” immediately darkened Sa Muheon’s expression again. When he looked up, the doctor gave him an apologetic smile.

 

“It’s nothing too serious. It’s just… the patient will need to remain in this form for a while.”

 

“For a while…?”

 

The doctor let out a thoughtful hum as he looked down at the chart before carefully explaining.

 

“I’d say about three weeks, at least. The patient’s stress levels are very high. Usually, in cases like this, it’s already difficult to control the ears and tail, so I’m surprised there were no earlier signs. Did you notice anything unusual?”

 

At the doctor’s question, Sa Muheon couldn’t answer.

 

He knew Garam had been under stress, but he hadn’t imagined it was this severe.

 

What had been going through that tiny head? Even while suffering enough stress to collapse and revert to his original form, Garam hadn’t said a word.

 

He’d shown no signs of struggling to control his ears or tail. On the contrary, he had always smiled comfortably when they were together, as if gradually adapting to this new life.

 

Thinking this far, Sa Muheon sighed and raised a hand to cover his eyes.

 

There was no way Garam hadn’t been stressed. The only explanation was that the small squirrel had been working hard to hide it from him.

 

The doctor, reading the situation, nodded knowingly and continued.

 

“I’ll prepare a medical certificate. It looks like he’s a student, and since this is a very unusual case, most universities should be willing to excuse his absence.”

 

“…Okay.”

 

Lowering the hand that had covered his eyes, Sa Muheon gazed at Garam, still sound asleep.

 

He would have to explain everything when Garam woke up. But what kind of reaction would Garam have when he learned he had to remain like this for three weeks?

 

This entire situation had been caused by stress. What if hearing the explanation caused even more stress? Sa Muheon’s mind swirled with worry.

 

“You can pick up the paperwork when you’re discharged. If the patient wakes up, just call the nurse.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

After finishing his explanation, the doctor quickly moved on to check other patients. Sa Muheon politely bowed his head before sinking back into his seat.

 

“Ha…”

 

Even as he let out a deep sigh, the squirrel didn’t stir.

 

Sa Muheon looked down at the sleeping squirrel, unable to hide the complicated emotions on his face.

 

“……”

 

When he first realized the squirrel was sick, it felt like his heart had dropped into his stomach. It was then he understood just how much he cared for the little creature.

 

Even knowing the squirrel was a shifter who could take human form as a clean-cut boy, the fear he’d felt didn’t go away. All he could think about was what might happen to the small and fragile creature.

 

He hadn’t even noticed his hands trembling until he grabbed his car keys. Deciding he was in no state to drive, he had called a taxi. But getting home and then to the hospital had still taken time.

 

Short as it may have been, those moments felt endless. Sa Muheon couldn’t stop the flood of thoughts racing through his mind during the ride.

 

“Wake up soon.”

 

His words were barely a whisper. Of course, there was no answer.

 

But as he listened to the faint, steady sound of the squirrel’s breathing, he felt a little reassured. That quiet rhythm did more to calm him than a hundred words could have.

 

—

 

Garam’s consciousness slowly rose to the surface, pulled out of sleep by the loud beeping of nearby machines.

 

He wanted to ignore it and go back to sleep, but once he’d noticed the noise, it only seemed to grow louder. Now he could even hear multiple voices overlapping.

 

He frowned, irritated.

 

He wanted to open his eyes and look around, but his eyelids felt unusually heavy today. He was sure he’d had a normal day yesterday…

 

That’s when Garam realized something was wrong.

 

There was no way Sa Muheon’s house would be this noisy. The moment he recognized that fact, his heavy eyelids slowly lifted, and a bright light flooded his vision.

 

“Squeak…”

 

‘Ugh…’

 

As the sudden burst of bright light poured in, Garam raised his hand to shield his eyes. But before he could, his hand froze in midair at the sound that escaped his own mouth.

 

“Squeak?”

 

‘What?’

 

A small hand blocking the fluorescent light came into view. A small hand. Garam stared at his hand in silence before suddenly sitting upright.

 

He saw several devices attached to his body, which had taken the form of a small squirrel.

 

“Squeak!”

 

‘What is this!’

 

No matter how many times he checked, it was clear that he was in his original form.

 

Before he could make sense of the situation, Garam, who had woken up in his original form in an unfamiliar place, was startled to hear a familiar voice.

 

“Baby…!”

 

It was only then that Garam realized someone was by his side. He turned his head toward the source of the voice.

 

“Squeak!”

 

Even though he couldn’t understand the squirrel’s words, Sa Muheon immediately recognized the relief in its tone and reached out his hand with a smile.

 

Garam instinctively scurried onto the outstretched hand. However, perhaps due to the devices attached to his body, Sa Muheon lowered his head instead of lifting him up.

 

“Why did you sleep for so long?”

 

At the reproachful voice, Garam tilted his head. Me?

 

Garam was not the type to sleep much. In fact, he had trouble sleeping in unfamiliar places, so when he first started living in the park, he had struggled quite a bit. But now…

 

The small squirrel turned its head quickly, scanning the surroundings. No matter how he looked at it, this place seemed to be a hospital.

 

The last thing Garam remembered was preparing a meal in the kitchen. Then, he had started to feel heavy and sent a message to Sa Muheon.

 

After receiving a quicker-than-expected reply, he had sent one back as well… but from that point on, his memory was blank.

 

Confused, Garam looked up at Sa Muheon, who gave him a concerned look before explaining the situation.

 

“You collapsed yesterday. Do you remember?”

 

“Squeak?”

 

Collapsed? He had no recollection of it.

 

Surprised, Garam shook his head, prompting Sa Muheon to let out a small sigh before continuing.

 

“When I came home yesterday, you didn’t come out. So I wondered what was going on…”

 

“Squeak.”

 

“I found you in my bed.”

 

“Squeak!”

 

Startled, Garam squeaked loudly. No matter how out of it he had been, how could he have ended up in that room?

 

But Sa Muheon, seemingly misinterpreting Garam’s reaction, gently stroked his back with his finger and said,

 

“At first, I thought you were just sleeping in a familiar place. But then… you didn’t wake up.”

 

Recalling the moment, Sa Muheon’s face darkened.

 

“…You wouldn’t wake up no matter what I did. When I picked you up, you were burning up and barely breathing…”

 

“Squeak…”

 

“I rushed you to the hospital, and they said it was really serious. Do you understand?”

 

Garam shook his head. Of course, he didn’t. He didn’t even remember how he had made it to that room and collapsed.

 

But seeing the lingering worry in Sa Muheon’s eyes, Garam could tell that whatever had happened had been quite severe.

 

Garam stared at Sa Muheon, who looked utterly drained from just one night, then moved a little closer and reached out his small hand.