Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 6

The squirrel tilted its head as if it understood something, then scurried down the railing and fearlessly climbed onto the bench where Garam was sitting. Instead of the squirrel showing any fear of humans, it was Garam who recoiled, putting some distance between them.

Judging by its small size and fluffy fur, it was still a young squirrel. Since it was unlikely for such a young squirrel to roam the park in its true form if it were a shifter, it was certainly a wild squirrel. The thought that leaving traces of human contact might lead to trouble for a wild squirrel briefly crossed Garam’s mind.

The squirrel, which had seemed ready to jump onto Garam’s lap at any moment, decided not to come closer when Garam moved away. Instead, it settled at the edge of the bench and began grooming itself.

Garam stared blankly at the fearless squirrel. He was amazed that a squirrel could live in an urban park like this and even more surprised—and concerned—that it showed no wariness toward people.

“…You know, if you approach just anyone like this, you’ll be in big trouble.”

Of course, the little squirrel couldn’t understand what Garam was saying, but he found himself scolding it nonetheless. The squirrel, however, ignored him and continued grooming itself.

After a while, the squirrel, having finished its quick grooming session, glanced up at Garam before leaping to the ground and disappearing into a distant bush. Garam watched its retreating figure until it was out of sight. Only then did he manage to shift his gaze.

“I hope it’ll be okay…”

The little squirrel lingered in his thoughts, tugging at his heart. Perhaps it was because Garam himself was a squirrel shifter that he felt such an affinity for the small creature.

One comforting thought was that the scorching summer was nearly over, and with autumn approaching, the conditions wouldn’t be too harsh for a wild squirrel to survive. Garam found himself silently hoping that the squirrel would make it safely through the fall and the coming winter. But then, a sudden thought flashed through his mind, making him blink in surprise.

“Huh…?”

Garam turned his head toward the direction the squirrel had disappeared. After staring at that spot for a moment, he shifted his gaze to take in the park’s surroundings. Until now, he hadn’t paid attention to the kinds of trees around, but upon closer inspection, he noticed that there were quite a few fruit-bearing trees.

In other words, the park seemed like a place where a small squirrel—or even two—could live comfortably.

If anyone found out what Garam was thinking right now, they might seriously question his sanity. But Garam genuinely believed it wasn’t a bad idea. Slowly standing up, he began walking along the park’s paths, as if on a casual stroll.

As he walked and observed, it became clear that this park wasn’t a bad environment for a squirrel to live in. Whether the little squirrel had been born here or not, it seemed like a perfectly suitable place for it to thrive.

There was a water fountain providing clean water, and the abundance of fruit-bearing trees meant food wouldn’t be hard to come by. Being an urban park, there were no dangerous animals in sight. At most, there might be cats or dogs, but climbing a tree would allow escape from them. Garam carefully examined the surroundings.

“This might actually work…”

Garam murmured softly as he stopped in a quiet spot.

Of course, he wasn’t planning to settle in the park right away. But it seemed like a viable option worth considering. Garam didn’t have much time, nor did he have enough money to find another place to stay.

Even though he had saved money from his part-time jobs, it had all gone toward his living expenses. The 3 million won he had managed to save was all he had left.

Since he didn’t know how long his life on the run would last, he had to conserve as much of that money as possible.

When he had joked about sleeping in a park while leaving Minjae’s house, it had been nothing more than a quip. But after seeing the small squirrel and exploring the park, the idea of actually living there didn’t seem so far-fetched.

By the time he finished his exploration, the surroundings had grown dim, and Garam realized he had spent more time than expected. He felt apologetic toward Minjae but decided he’d have to impose for just one more night. Taking out his phone to find Minjae’s number, Garam hurried out of the park.

—

The next morning, Garam woke up and busied himself. After getting ready, he went to the living room to thank Minjae’s parents for their hospitality for another night. Though they said there was no need to thank them, they seemed to appreciate Garam’s polite demeanor and told him to reach out anytime he needed help before leaving.

Back in the guest room, Garam placed the business card he had received from Lawyer Yang the day before on the desk. He hesitated for a moment, unsure how his words would be received, but ultimately felt this was the best course of action. He waited until he felt the lawyer would have arrived at the office, then made the call. It didn’t take long for the other party to answer.

“Garam, is something wrong?”

Lawyer Yang greeted him with a worried tone, concerned that something might have happened for Garam to call so soon. Hearing the warm voice of someone he had only met yesterday filled Garam’s heart with a comforting warmth. After calming his slightly stirred emotions, Garam spoke in a steady voice.

“Hello, sir. I hope I’m not calling too early…”

“No, not at all. I just got to the office, so your timing is perfect. What’s the matter?”

“Well, actually…”

Though Garam was convinced there was no better way, he couldn’t hide his nervousness when it came time to speak. He swallowed hard and continued.

“Yesterday, I applied for a leave of absence and thought about where I might stay for the time being….”

Garam spoke slowly and clearly, explaining his thoughts in detail. Lawyer Yang seemed momentarily taken aback but listened without interrupting. Even after Garam finished speaking, there was a brief silence. As the nervous Garam took a discreet deep breath to steady himself, Lawyer Yang, who appeared to be deep in thought, finally spoke.

“…Now that I think about it, it doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.”

“Right?”

Garam’s face lit up with a bright smile.

“At first, I thought it was absurd, but now that I’ve heard your reasoning, it might be the safest option. After all, your opponents don’t know you’re a shifter, and even if they did find out, most people can’t distinguish between a shifter in their original form and an ordinary animal.”

Garam nodded enthusiastically at Lawyer Yang’s calm explanation. Though the lawyer couldn’t see it, Garam’s face was filled with pride, as if he’d just been praised like a child.

“Still, it might be difficult to stay in just any park. Can you come by the office again today? I think it’d be good to discuss this further.”

“Yes, of course! When should I come?”

“How about we have a simple lunch together? If that works for you, that is.”

“I’m fine with that…”

“Haha, don’t worry about it. You remind me of my son, that’s all. Let’s meet around 11:30, then.”

Hearing Lawyer Yang’s hearty laugh, Garam felt reassured that everything would be okay. After the call ended, Garam stared at the now-dark phone screen for a long moment.

His situation was far from ideal, and he couldn’t afford to look at things optimistically. But even so, he realized there were still good people around him.

It was truly a blessing to have such good people in his life. Without them, Garam might not have been alive in this world anymore.

A faint smile appeared on Garam’s lips.

—

By the time Garam arrived at the lawyer’s office, Lawyer Yang had already sent all the staff home and was waiting for him.

“I thought you might feel self-conscious if we ate outside, so I ordered food in advance. I chose something simple that I figured most students would like. I hope it’s to your taste.”

“It’s fine. I eat everything. Thank you for being so thoughtful.”

Garam gave a small bow and followed Lawyer Yang to his seat. The table was filled with food, including dishes like pasta and salad that were generally well-received. While Garam wasn’t particularly picky about food, he did have his preferences. Fortunately, all the dishes Lawyer Yang had prepared were ones Garam liked.

“How is it? Does it suit your taste?”

“Yes! These are some of my favorite foods.”

Garam answered with a smile, and Lawyer Yang nodded, satisfied.

“I asked my son for advice, and it looks like that was the right call. He said students these days like these kinds of things. Of course, I like them too.”

Even until the very end, Lawyer Yang went out of his way to make sure Garam wouldn’t feel burdened.

“Go on, eat before it gets cold.”