Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 56

Chapter 56

“It will be handled as a medical leave for now… Apparently, this kind of situation happens sometimes, so they said the exams will be replaced with report submissions. Don’t worry too much about it.”

“Squeak…!”

Though his grades for this semester would likely fall far below expectations, it was still a small relief in the midst of misfortune.

“I also got a call from your junior and gave him a brief explanation. He seems to know a bit about me… I didn’t want him to misunderstand and think I kidnapped you or something.”

“Squeak.”

Garam nodded. It made sense. Minjae still hadn’t completely let down his guard around Sa Muheon, so if Garam suddenly disappeared, he might assume something terrible had happened. Fortunately, thanks to Sa Muheon’s quick actions, the risk of being reported had decreased.

“I’ve already taken care of most of the urgent matters, so you just focus on recovering for now. Don’t give yourself any unnecessary stress, okay?”

At the words filled with obvious concern, Garam didn’t know how to respond and simply stared blankly at Sa Muheon’s face. Anyone who saw him at that moment would immediately recognize just how deeply he cared for Garam. It was clear that he was doing everything he could for Garam’s sake.

Garam tried to recall the last time someone had shown him such sincere concern.

Of course, he had friends he met at university, and there was Minjae, who actively helped him, as well as Lawyer Yang. However, the concern Sa Muheon showed felt a bit different.

Sa Muheon’s worry felt more like that of a guardian who genuinely believed it was his duty to protect Garam.

Although Sa Muheon had called himself Garam’s guardian before, Garam had thought it was just words. He assumed Sa Muheon’s actions—offering material support—were more about trying to keep Garam close. But now, Sa Muheon was acting in a way that anyone could recognize as truly guardian-like.

And that fact stirred something inexplicable within Garam.

Having always craved affection, Garam was easily swayed by displays of fondness. Now, experiencing such genuine concern and attention directed solely at him made him start to want more.

“What’s wrong?”

When Garam didn’t answer and simply continued to stare, Sa Muheon asked again, this time with a gentle tone and a worried expression. Garam quietly shook his head.

Sa Muheon, who had been watching him carefully to confirm there was really nothing wrong, only seemed reassured after a while and asked one more time.

“I’m glad you’re okay… But you heard what I said, right? Focus only on recovering for now.”

“Squeak.”

Fortunately, this time Garam managed to respond promptly. After seeing him nod as well, Sa Muheon finally smiled in satisfaction.

While Sa Muheon was smiling brightly, Garam’s mind was still full of worries. However, for the moment, he wanted to focus more on the smiling man in front of him than on any unresolved concerns.

—

Worrying about whether they could get along had been unnecessary.

That very night, Garam lay in bed as Sa Muheon tucked him in and waited for him to fall asleep.

If he weren’t in his squirrel form, Garam might have asked, “How am I supposed to sleep with you staring at me like that?”

But before the thought could fully form, Garam had already fallen asleep.

Even though he had been sure that Sa Muheon’s gaze would make it impossible to sleep, when he opened his eyes, it was already morning.

Having slept so deeply that he didn’t even dream, Garam quickly discarded his earlier worries about feeling uncomfortable under Sa Muheon’s gaze.

Once Sa Muheon confirmed that Garam was awake, he prepared breakfast for him and leisurely finished his own meal as well. Watching him devour an enormous portion of food, Garam found his own appetite returning. He ended up eating more almonds than usual and felt so full that his stomach bulged slightly.

Noticing Garam lying down with a full belly, Sa Muheon playfully poked at his hand.

“Haven’t you heard that you shouldn’t lie down right after eating?”

“Squeak.”

But Garam ignored him. Instead, he rolled around on the table, dodging Sa Muheon’s attempts to touch him. Sa Muheon chuckled as he watched Garam scurry away from his hand.

Seemingly giving up on trying to poke Garam, Sa Muheon leaned back against the sofa and mumbled softly.

“It’s kind of frustrating not being able to understand what you’re saying…”

“Squeak?”

Though it was only a quiet mumble, Garam heard it clearly.

Perking up his ears, Garam fell into thought.

Although both of them were shifter, Garam was a squirrel and Sa Muheon was a snake, so communicating verbally in their current forms was impossible.

However, that only applied when there were no tools available. Right now, the two of them had an excellent means of communication at their disposal.

In fact, Garam had known about this method for a while. But since Sa Muheon always managed to perfectly interpret his squeaks, Garam hadn’t felt inconvenienced and hadn’t even considered needing an alternative.

Sa Muheon’s ability to understand him so well had made Garam think he didn’t have any trouble at all. However, it now seemed that Sa Muheon actually struggled with not understanding Garam’s words.

It was time for Garam to solve that problem.

Suddenly standing up, Garam struck a confident pose. Sa Muheon looked at him curiously.

“What’s that about?”

“Squeak!”

In response to his question, Garam snorted and moved to the edge of the table. Straightening his body, he stretched out both hands toward Sa Muheon.

“Squeak-squeak!”

As soon as he stretched out both hands, Sa Muheon, quickly realizing what Garam meant, carefully picked him up and moved him to the sofa.

As expected, Sa Muheon understood exactly what Garam wanted.

Was it really uncomfortable that they couldn’t talk to each other? Garam tilted his head at the thought. But then he nodded in agreement. If they could communicate, not only would it be better for him, but it would also eliminate any discomfort for Sa Muheon, so it was a good thing for both of them.

With Sa Muheon’s help, Garam climbed onto the sofa and toddled along, making small padding noises. Sa Muheon’s gaze followed him.

Garam stopped walking once he found what he had been looking for. Confidently pointing at it, he caught Sa Muheon’s curiosity.

“This? Why?”

“Beep!”

What Garam was pointing to was Sa Muheon’s phone, which had been left on the sofa. Next to it was Garam’s phone, which had been placed there just in case.

Although Sa Muheon could usually understand most of what Garam said, this time, he didn’t seem to have any idea what Garam was trying to convey.

Well, that was understandable. Thinking this, Garam walked over to his own phone. Sa Muheon, baffled by the sudden movement, merely watched Garam’s actions without saying a word.

Garam glanced at Sa Muheon and snorted lightly. He probably didn’t think this far ahead, did he?

“Huh?”

The surprised sound slipped from Sa Muheon’s mouth as Garam’s next move caught him off guard.

Garam unlocked his phone right in front of Sa Muheon.

“What the…?”

“Hmph!”

Striking a confident pose, Garam stopped showing off and opened the notepad app. He moved his small hands to type what he wanted to say.

[Thks wy is cll nd btfful.]

…Apparently, there were limits to what a squirrel’s hands could do. The result was riddled with typos, but it was still enough to get the message across. Satisfied with the sentence, Garam stepped aside from the phone with a proud expression.

Sa Muheon’s eyes widened as he read the sentence on the screen. It was clear he had never considered this method of communication. Impressed, he repeatedly glanced between Garam and the phone screen.

“You… you’re amazing.”

Hearing the genuine admiration in his voice, Garam seemed to grow even more self-assured. Proudly puffing himself up, Garam eventually regained his composure when Sa Muheon reached out to pat his head.

“Our little one can do everything. Such an amazing squirrel.”

Sa Muheon spoke those words with a warm smile. Receiving his affectionate touch made Garam feel unexpectedly shy.

Since Garam’s identity as a shifter had been revealed, Sa Muheon had taken a more playful tone with him. While he had been nothing but kind before, his words now carried a casual, teasing air.

However, after Garam returned to his original form, Sa Muheon’s behavior had shifted again. His words and actions became just as gentle as when he had been interacting with Garam as a squirrel.

It seemed that Sa Muheon himself wasn’t aware of this change, but Garam, who observed him closely, felt a twinge of unease every time Sa Muheon acted as he had before.

Not knowing why he felt this way, Garam often let the discomfort pass unaddressed.

And today was no different. Though he could explain his feelings using the phone as he had just done, Garam decided to simply ignore the situation and let it slide.