Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 63

Chapter 63

 

No matter how small the wound was, the fact that there was a mark left by him on Sa Muheon’s hand had always made Garam feel uneasy. So, it was a relief that the wound had disappeared quickly. But…

 

“Squeak…”

 

The wound disappearing without a trace made Garam think that perhaps he, too, might someday disappear from Sa Muheon’s life without leaving any trace. Lowering his head with a slightly dejected expression, Sa Muheon stared at Garam for a moment before moving his outstretched hand closer.

 

“Squeak?”

 

“Come on up.”

 

When Garam hesitantly raised his head, he was given permission to climb onto the hand. Without hesitation, Garam stepped onto Sa Muheon’s hand, and he gently held Garam’s body and lifted him up.

 

“Why were you sitting there looking so down?”

 

“…Squeak.”

 

As if you’d understand even if I told you.

 

With his lips slightly pursed, a good idea popped into Garam’s head. In this state, no matter how honestly he poured his heart out, there was no way Sa Muheon could understand him.

 

“Squeak, Squeak, Squeak!”

 

“Ah, really?”

 

Without even understanding what Garam was saying, Sa Muheon gently stroked Garam’s back as if to agree with him and encourage him to continue.

 

It felt like an invitation to say more, so Garam eagerly poured out everything he had been holding inside.

 

“Squeak, Squeak, Squeak… Squeak?”

 

“Yeah, I see.”

 

Sa Muheon’s responses sometimes came at random moments and didn’t align with what Garam was saying, but just the fact that he was listening made Garam feel much better.

 

After sitting on Sa Muheon’s palm for a long time, chirping and squeaking, Garam finally got up, feeling relieved after letting out everything he had kept inside.

 

“Finished?”

 

“Squeak.”

 

When Garam nodded, Sa Muheon smiled and gently set him down on the seat beside him.

 

Though he felt a brief pang of disappointment as Sa Muheon distanced himself again after the conversation was over, the fact that he seemed to understand his feelings made Garam happy. Energized, he leapt off the sofa and onto the floor.

 

Sa Muheon seemed startled by Garam’s sudden disappearance under the sofa, sitting up halfway in surprise. But when he heard the sound of Garam’s little chirps, he smiled in relief and sat back down.

 

“Squeak!”

 

“Oh, you want this?”

 

“Squeak!”

 

Perched on the table, Garam pointed toward the phone. Sa Muheon, quick to catch on, handed the phone to Garam.

 

Unlocking the phone with practiced ease, Garam opened the memo app.

 

[Thank yuo]

 

…There was a typo in the middle, but Garam rationalized it as unavoidable and showed the screen to Sa Muheon.

 

Sa Muheon couldn’t take his eyes off the five simple characters for quite some time. A smile as radiant as a picture slowly spread across his face. Garam, staring blankly, thought it might be the first time he’d seen such a beautiful smile from him, though he’d seen him smile countless times before.

 

“You’re welcome.”

 

Leaving that short reply, Sa Muheon lightly stroked Garam’s head, still dazed, before standing up.

 

“Wanna eat?”

 

“Squeak!”

 

At his question, Garam answered enthusiastically and hopped off the table to follow him closely.

 

—

 

At first, Garam had felt a pang of sadness, but as more time passed, he got used to the peculiar distance Sa Muheon seemed to maintain.

 

Looking back, it was clear that Sa Muheon had been too free in handling Garam before. Now, maintaining a certain distance seemed like a good thing for both of them, and Garam could finally accept it. Of course, his feelings still got hurt occasionally, but it was manageable enough to brush off.

 

Sa Muheon was making such an effort to keep his distance from Garam, so Garam felt no need to undermine that effort. Instead, he tried to respect Sa Muheon’s unspoken wishes and maintain the balance he seemed to want.

 

Though Sa Muheon had never explicitly stated this, his recent behavior made it clear to anyone what he intended.

 

Thus, even without directly discussing it, the two naturally maintained their boundaries while living together. The only unchanged part of their routine was that they still slept in the same room.

 

Today, as always, the two were in the living room, each occupied with their own activities. Garam was watching a movie. It was a long series he’d wanted to see for a while, and today felt like the perfect day to start it.

 

But as Garam sat comfortably on the table watching the film, his gaze kept drifting behind him.

 

Sa Muheon seemed a little different today. During the day, he’d behaved as usual, but after dinner, he started dozing off earlier than usual—much earlier than his typical bedtime.

 

Garam had been keeping an eye on him ever since. It was clear that something was off. Normally, Sa Muheon would have picked up on Garam’s gaze immediately, but today he seemed oblivious, his reactions sluggish.

 

Even Garam could tell that Sa Muheon’s condition wasn’t normal. Yet Sa Muheon either didn’t realize it himself or didn’t want Garam to notice, simply sitting with his arms crossed and dozing off without any intention of going to bed.

 

Finally, Garam couldn’t take it anymore and pretended to yawn, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

 

“Eee-yawn…”

 

Only then did Sa Muheon open his half-closed eyes and look at Garam. Shaking his head slightly as if to wake himself, he spoke in a slightly hoarse voice.

 

“Sleepy? Should we go to bed?”

 

“Squeak.”

 

It wasn’t Garam who seemed truly sleepy, but Sa Muheon. Yet Sa Muheon, focusing only on Garam’s yawn, acted as if he himself wasn’t tired at all and asked the question. However, Garam, wanting to get him into bed right away, nodded obediently.

 

Sa Muheon held out his hand in front of Garam. When Garam quietly climbed onto it, he headed straight for the bedroom.

 

While Sa Muheon quickly freshened up, Garam sat on his own bed and washed his face.

 

After confirming that Sa Muheon, who came out later than usual, said “Let’s sleep” and turned off the lights to lie down, Garam thought that his job was done. Lying down comfortably, Garam waited for him to fall asleep as usual.

 

Since sleeping with someone else was unfamiliar to him and living in his current form made him sensitive to his surroundings, Garam always ended up falling asleep later than Sa Muheon.

 

When Sa Muheon fell deeply asleep, he hardly made a sound. He slept so quietly that even his breathing was barely audible, to the point that Garam had initially worried if he might have stopped breathing and approached him to check on his safety.

 

But now Garam was accustomed to Sa Muheon’s quiet sleeping habits. He would wait for him to fall asleep, and when even his faint breathing could no longer be heard, Garam would finally follow him into slumber.

 

However, something seemed off tonight.

 

“…Hoo.”

 

Sa Muheon let out a sigh-like sound. In the darkness, Garam’s ears perked up.

 

Unable to suppress his curiosity, Garam turned slightly and looked in Sa Muheon’s direction. Though the room was shrouded in darkness, the squirrel could observe the man in the shadows without difficulty.

 

He appeared to be asleep already, but his brow was deeply furrowed. Occasionally, he let out groans as if in pain.

 

Sa Muheon was unwell.

 

Confirming this, Garam, at a loss for what to do, jumped down from his bed and began circling the bedside table, observing Sa Muheon’s condition. Even then, he couldn’t bring himself to approach him directly. Perhaps it was because he had recently developed the habit of not getting too close to Sa Muheon unless necessary, but it felt a bit challenging to break that pattern now.

 

Yet, as time passed and Sa Muheon’s condition showed no signs of improvement, Garam had no choice but to make a decision.

 

“…Eep.”

 

‘…Alright.’

 

Without hesitation, Garam jumped down from the bedside table.

 

Poof!

 

The small squirrel landed softly on the fluffy blanket, the faint sound of impact disappearing into the fabric. The moment his feet touched the blanket, Garam scurried forward, moving closer to Sa Muheon’s face.

 

Considering the circumstances, he thought that even if Sa Muheon woke up, he likely wouldn’t scold him.

 

Garam cautiously approached Sa Muheon’s face, his brow still tightly furrowed, and gently placed his small paw on his cheek.

 

“Squeak…!”

 

He felt heat radiating from his skin. Startled, Garam let out a small cry before quickly covering his mouth. He worried that Sa Muheon might wake up. However, Sa Muheon only groaned in pain and showed no signs of opening his eyes.

 

But even though Garam now knew he was unwell, there was nothing he could do.

 

Realizing belatedly that he had no way to help, Garam felt a deep sense of despair. He resented his current body for its limitations, for forcing him to remain in this form.

 

“Squeak….”

 

Even so, he hesitated to wake Sa Muheon right away. It felt a bit wrong to disturb someone who was suffering from a fever. As Garam continued to ponder, he glanced up at Sa Muheon’s face.

 

“Squeak!”

 

Startled, Garam jumped back. Sa Muheon’s eyes, which had been closed until just moments ago, were now half-open. However, even though their eyes met, Sa Muheon showed no reaction.