Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Fortunately, Sa Muheon continued his conversation with Jang Seokgyu without noticing anything.

Garam shook his head, scolding himself for having useless thoughts. Sa Muheon looked at him curiously, but Garam pretended not to notice and curled up.

“Are you going to sleep?”

“Squeak.”

Garam gave a short reply and hugged his tail. Sa Muheon then signaled to Jang Seokgyu, who had been listening in on their conversation, to stay quiet.

From that moment until they arrived home, the car was filled with silence. Sa Muheon and Jang Seokgyu didn’t seem to find it uncomfortable at all. Instead, it was Garam—who had settled down to sleep—who felt uneasy in the overly quiet atmosphere and shifted around restlessly.

Unaware that he was the one creating the atmosphere, Sa Muheon saw Garam squirming and whispered softly for him to hold on just a little longer.

Thankfully, the ride home didn’t take very long.

Once they arrived, Jang Seokgyu left with a much quieter farewell than usual. He did so even after noticing that Garam had already opened his eyes. Sa Muheon didn’t stop him. Instead, he went along with it and finished his goodbye with nothing more than a wave.

Watching their behavior, which was so different from usual, Garam recalled a story he had heard before.

He remembered hearing that sunfish could die from even a little bit of stress. Supposedly, just being touched by a person could stress them out to the point of death. He vaguely recalled seeing a game where you played as a sunfish and tried to prevent it from dying suddenly while avoiding various obstacles.

It made Garam wonder if he wasn’t a squirrel at all but a sunfish instead.

Sa Muheon waited patiently as Garam seemed lost in thought. When Garam failed to reach any conclusions and tilted his head in confusion, Sa Muheon began walking again.

The care and attention given to even his steps made Garam feel like he was being treated as a precious treasure, leaving him unable to hide his embarrassment.

Unable to endure the feeling, Garam raised his tiny hands and rubbed his face furiously. Seeing this, Sa Muheon chuckled, finding the sight cute. Since Sa Muheon had slowed his pace, Garam ended up washing his face for quite a long time.

When they entered the house, Sa Muheon passed by Garam’s room without hesitation.

Garam assumed he’d be left in the living room since they had already passed his room, but his guess was wrong. Sa Muheon carried him past the living room as well and straight into his own bedroom.

“Squeak?”

Garam raised his head and looked at Sa Muheon, but Sa Muheon didn’t even glance at him. He simply carried Garam into his bedroom and gently placed him in the middle of his spacious bed.

Meeting Garam’s questioning gaze, Sa Muheon knelt down to match his eye level.

“You heard what the doctor said earlier, right?”

“Squeak?”

Garam tilted his head, unsure what he was referring to since he had heard so many things.

“The doctor said you need to be careful during the recovery period. Stress could make it longer, and your fever might spike again, so we need to be cautious.”

Garam remembered that well. The three weeks already felt long enough, and the thought of it taking even longer had left a deep impression on him.

When Garam nodded, Sa Muheon also nodded lightly and continued.

“Do you also remember that the doctor told me to watch you closely?”

“Squeak.”

Garam nodded again, and Sa Muheon smiled in satisfaction.

“Then this will be easy.”

What will be easy? Garam tilted his head again, feeling a growing sense of unease. Unfortunately, his bad feeling turned out to be right.

“Let’s sleep in this room together during your recovery.”

“Squeak!”

Garam squeaked loudly and shook his head furiously, hoping to make his refusal clear.

But Sa Muheon didn’t budge.

“That’s making me dizzy.”

After calming Garam down, Sa Muheon continued speaking calmly.

“Listen, if I stay by your side, I’ll notice right away if your condition worsens. That way, we can respond quickly.”

“Humph.”

Garam snorted and smacked the bed with his tiny hands. The blanket made a soft “poof” sound under the weight of his small paws. However, Sa Muheon pretended not to hear anything.

“Even though this time the situation was a bit different, your condition could still worsen suddenly. If something happens while you’re asleep, you won’t even be able to call me. What if it turns into an emergency?”

It wasn’t that he was angry, nor was he pushing with unreasonable logic. Realizing that Sa Muheon was genuinely worried about him, Garam couldn’t refuse as firmly as he had earlier. His hands, which had been pounding on the blanket, stopped mid-air.

But he couldn’t immediately nod either. While he knew there was nothing wrong with Sa Muheon’s reasoning, sharing the same bedroom still felt like a completely different matter.

To make things worse, he suddenly recalled the prejudices Sa Muheon had mentioned about snake shifter. Garam felt pathetic for entertaining such thoughts when the person in front of him was so concerned about him. Letting out a deep sigh, Garam watched as Sa Muheon interpreted the sigh in his own way and tried to persuade him again.

“I know you’d feel uncomfortable… but think about it one more time. It could actually be dangerous, you know? Even this time, they said it was really serious.”

By the end, Sa Muheon’s words sounded almost like a plea. Garam stared at him intently as he desperately tried to convince him.

Honestly, Garam felt like he should be the one pleading in this situation, but their roles seemed strangely reversed. For some reason, he couldn’t take his eyes off Sa Muheon’s sorrowful expression. Sa Muheon’s face gradually brightened, likely believing his persuasion was working.

Garam couldn’t bring himself to coldly shake his head in response to such an expression. In the end, Garam let out a deep sigh and nodded.

“Phew…”

Regardless of Garam’s sigh, Sa Muheon beamed and immediately began chattering away.

“If you’re worried about being uncomfortable while sleeping, don’t be. I still have your bed.”

“Squeak?”

That was an enticing suggestion. While Garam liked the room Sa Muheon had prepared for him, what he loved the most and often thought about was the small bed Sa Muheon had given him when he first arrived at this house.

Garam turned his head, and just as Sa Muheon had said, there was the small bed placed neatly on the nightstand, as if it had been prepared in advance.

Yes, as long as they weren’t sharing the same bed, this seemed fine. He just had to think of it as living in a dormitory for a while.

Garam nodded again, and Sa Muheon’s face lit up even more.

However, despite the cheerful face in front of him, Garam’s mind continued to wrestle with concerns.

Sharing the same bedroom wasn’t exactly new—he had done it before. As long as he endured a bit of discomfort, he figured he’d eventually adapt, just like before.

But that was back when the other person believed he was simply a squirrel. Now that Sa Muheon knew he was a shifter, would he really not feel uncomfortable?

Garam stared at Sa Muheon’s bright, smiling face. Sa Muheon didn’t seem to have the slightest clue about Garam’s worries, maintaining his cheerful expression.

Seeing that face, Garam came to one conclusion. From the hospital to now, Sa Muheon seemed to see him entirely as a squirrel.

Perhaps it was because this was the form in which they first met, and Sa Muheon had been very fond of him back then. He now treated Garam’s every little move with worry and joy, as if it was completely natural.

“…Phew.”

Even so, Garam couldn’t blame him. After all, he was in squirrel form now, and people are naturally influenced by what they see. Wasn’t it understandable for Sa Muheon to feel happy as if the pet he cherished had returned?

Garam tried his best to think positively. It would be a problem if he stressed out and prolonged his recovery period.

He decided to take it in stride, and his mood eased a little. When Garam snorted, Sa Muheon chuckled as if he found it adorable and continued speaking.

“Also… as you heard earlier, you won’t be able to go to school for a while.”

“…Squeak.”

The confidence Garam had shown earlier vanished instantly, and he replied weakly. Seeing his sudden deflation, Sa Muheon tried to comfort him.

“Why are you so down? Is it because you can’t go to school? Don’t be too upset. Stress will just make your recovery take even longer.”

“Phew…”

It hadn’t been that long since Garam took a leave of absence to avoid debt collectors. He had only recently resolved those issues and was finally happy about returning to school. Yet now, this unexpected situation had thrown his plans off track again. How could he feel good about it?

“I was actually going to tell you not to worry too much. I already made some calls before you woke up earlier.”

“Squeak?”

Garam, who had been slumped over, lifted his head slightly. Sa Muheon laughed, as if he found Garam’s reaction amusing.