Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 62

Chapter 62

 

“How close have you gotten to be taking his side?”

 

Jang Seokgyu shrugged and replied.

 

“As you said, Director, he’s still young. He doesn’t have a proper guardian… I’m human too; of course, I can’t help but worry.”

 

“…Hmm.”

 

Sa Muheon nodded silently. There was no flaw in what he said.

 

“Speaking of which, about the matter I said I would report today.”

 

“Oh.”

 

As Sa Muheon showed interest, Jang Seokgyu handed him the file he had been holding, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

 

“As you mentioned, appearing frequently seems to have had quite an effect. Those guys have been spotted near Korea University quite often. You remember we caught some people taking pictures recently, right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

When Sa Muheon answered, Jang Seokgyu continued.

 

“Well, it seems the kid’s been getting antsy since he hasn’t been able to go to school for the past few weeks due to these incidents.”

 

“Really?”

 

“I planted a few people around the area just in case. At first, a few people with cameras were lingering, but they all disappeared. Now there’s a suspicious vehicle circling near Korea University.”

 

“Hmm…”

 

When Sa Muheon examined the documents handed to him, there were several photos of a van that clearly looked suspicious. The heavily tinted vehicle gave off a dangerous impression at a glance.

 

“Have they grown desperate because they’ve been in and out of sight?”

 

“They’ve already racked up debts in his name, so they’re probably anxious that we might catch on.”

 

“Hmm…”

 

Sa Muheon kept his eyes on the documents as Jang Seokgyu spoke. His fingers lightly tapped the edges of the papers.

 

As he pondered for a moment, he turned to the next page of the file.

 

“…Ha.”

 

“I was going to mention that as well…”

 

Sa Muheon let out a faint laugh as he saw a familiar face on the next page. Noticing his boss’s frown deepening, Jang Seokgyu cautiously spoke.

 

“It seems there’s no need for further explanation.”

 

Sa Muheon let out a small chuckle and tossed the documents onto the desk.

 

“So Samujin was really involved?”

 

“Based on the photos, he’s been meeting directly with Director Hong. They’ve been seen together multiple times recently, suggesting their relationship might be deeper than we initially thought.”

 

“Ha…”

 

A headache seemed to throb in Sa Muheon’s head. However, now that he could see the evidence with his own eyes, he felt somewhat at ease.

 

No matter how much he pretended not to care or even disliked his kin, Sa Muheon was also a snake shifter. Suspecting his own bloodline had made him feel slightly uncomfortable, but seeing irrefutable evidence before him seemed to erase even the faint trace of guilt he had felt.

 

“…What should we do?”

 

Jang Seokgyu cautiously asked the silent Sa Muheon. He didn’t take long to respond.

 

“What do you mean, what should we do? Dig deeper since the connection is clear.”

 

“Yes, understood.”

 

As Jang Seokgyu nodded without complaint, Sa Muheon’s gaze shifted to his phone, which was lying on the desk. Upon checking the screen, he immediately rose from his seat.

 

“Are you heading out already?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Sa Muheon gave a brief answer to the curious question and grabbed his jacket. A moment ago, an image of the sighing squirrel flashed in his mind.

 

After all, matters involving Samujin or Ryu Beomju couldn’t be resolved immediately. He had already ordered Jang Seokgyu to dig deeper into their surroundings, so the follow-up would be handled by him.

 

At that moment, the only thing Sa Muheon could do was comfort the squirrel at home, who had been sighing nonstop. Thinking about how many worries and thoughts that small creature must have been carrying made his heart ache.

 

“Click…”

 

The sound of Sa Muheon clicking his tongue in disapproval escaped his lips.

 

If only they had resolved this through a conversation that day, things wouldn’t have come to this. While it was true that the squirrel form was adorable to watch, the inability to communicate freely suddenly felt immensely frustrating.

 

“I wish he’d hurry up and return to normal…”

 

Even in the car on his way home, Sa Muheon’s thoughts lingered on Garam.

 

He thought about how much he wanted the little squirrel to quickly regain his original form, so he could once again see that bright smile. Lost in such thoughts, he found himself home before he knew it.

 

Sa Muheon got out of the car with movements more hurried than usual. Though he had been flustered the entire way here, he paused at the front door to take a deep breath. With a calmer mind, he unlocked the door.

 

The door opened, and he immediately heard the sound of something scampering from the living room.

 

“Squeak!”

 

Sa Muheon couldn’t help but burst into laughter as he watched the small squirrel eagerly greet him. He noticed Garam tilting his head in curiosity but found it impossible to stop laughing.

 

Had anyone ever welcomed him so warmly before? To his memory, not once. This squirrel was giving Sa Muheon a unique experience in his life.

 

The squirrel continued to look up at him from a slight distance. As he watched, Sa Muheon thought to himself:

 

This exact distance—this was just right for now. It seemed best to maintain this gap, neither drawing closer nor letting it widen for the time being.

 

Perhaps with a little more time, he’d be able to sort out his own feelings.

 

—

 

Hiding behind the corner of the sofa, Garam watched the man sitting on it without making a single sound—not even the faintest squeak.

 

Sitting half-reclined with a book in one hand, Sa Muheon seemed utterly unaware of Garam’s gaze, his eyes fixed solely on the pages. The occasional sound of a page turning indicated his complete focus on the book.

 

“…”

 

Though it was clear that Sa Muheon was engrossed in reading, Garam’s gaze didn’t waver from him.

 

There wasn’t anything particularly strange about sitting on the living room sofa reading a book on a day off. But the issue was that the person doing it was Sa Muheon. Even now, he seemed completely oblivious to Garam’s persistent attention.

 

Garam waited, hoping Sa Muheon’s gaze would eventually shift to him, but his eyes remained glued to the book as if stuck there. In the end, it was Garam who surrendered first.

 

“Phew…”

 

Sliding back behind the corner of the sofa so Sa Muheon couldn’t see him, Garam leaned against it and sank to the floor, letting out a deep sigh.

 

Not long ago, Sa Muheon had left the house briefly for some urgent business at the office. When he returned, he had burst into laughter the moment he saw Garam. Confused, Garam had stood up and examined himself thoroughly, wondering if something was off, but he couldn’t find anything unusual.

 

Sa Muheon, however, couldn’t stop laughing for quite some time. Finally, after lightly patting the back of Garam’s head, he disappeared into his bedroom, leaving Garam alone to tilt his head in confusion and wait for him to come back out.

 

And that was the day everything changed—when Sa Muheon started acting strange.

 

Although the frequency with which he touched Garam had already decreased significantly after the incident where he had grabbed Garam’s tail, Garam had understood that. After such a big incident, it would have been awkward for even Garam to act like nothing had happened. At that point, Garam had no complaints and didn’t think Sa Muheon’s behavior was particularly unusual.

 

But after that day, Sa Muheon became undeniably different.

 

It was as if he thought something catastrophic would happen if he touched Garam.

 

Until now, he had freely touched everything but Garam’s tail and ears, yet suddenly, it was as if he had never laid a hand on him. It was a sudden change from someone who used to tickle his belly or gently stroke his back until he fell asleep.

 

Of course, Sa Muheon being cautious wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for Garam. But his caution seemed excessive—enough to make Garam wonder what had caused such a dramatic shift in his attitude.

 

“Squeak…”

 

‘Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?’

 

Part of Garam wished he could dive into Sa Muheon’s mind to figure out what he was thinking, comb through every corner of his thoughts. But that was only a wish.

 

“Phew…”

 

A frustrated sigh escaped Garam’s lips.

 

“Why?”

 

“Squeak!”

 

At that moment, a shadow loomed over Garam’s head. Lost in thought, Garam hadn’t noticed Sa Muheon approach, and now he was leaning over him with his head peeking down. Startled, Garam let out a squeak and jumped up, but Sa Muheon simply smiled and reached out his hand.

 

“Why are you so startled?”

 

The hand Sa Muheon extended was the same one that Garam had bitten not long ago. Garam’s gaze instinctively moved to the finger he had left bite marks on.

 

But the wound had been so small that it had already healed without a trace.