Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Beep—beep—.

A familiar sound reached his ears.

The rhythmic beeping of a machine, the dry air, and a mix of countless unfamiliar smells.

Even though his eyes remained shut, Garam knew exactly where he was. That was precisely why he didn’t want to open them.

Even after his consciousness fully returned, Garam kept his eyes tightly shut. The sounds around him were enough to tell him that he was in a hospital.

He didn’t know why he had ended up in the hospital again, but he didn’t want to open his eyes to confirm the situation.

As he lay there with his eyes closed, memories of what he had heard before being discharged last time faintly surfaced. He seemed to recall being told that if he became stressed again, his fever might suddenly spike, putting him at risk.

Perhaps the hollow feeling he had been experiencing had caused immense stress. Thinking about it now, it all seemed to add up.

But how had he made it to the hospital? Sa Muheon had left, saying he would sleep in another room. After all, if not for him, there was no one else who would have noticed Garam. Perhaps he should be grateful that he’d made it to the hospital in time, but the thought only left him more drained.

Sa Muheon had always been frustrated by their inability to communicate, and now, having collapsed again, he might truly start to find Garam a nuisance. How much longer he’d have to remain in this mute state was uncertain, and being a housemate who frequently collapsed and required trips to the hospital would surely make him an unbearable burden.

While his thoughts spiraled into gloom, the sound of curtains being pulled back broke the silence.

“Has the patient not woken up yet?”

Hearing the question, Garam thought it might be time to open his eyes. But before he could, he heard a response from beside him.

“…Not yet.”

“The delay seems longer than expected… You don’t look well either. Are there no other guardians?”

“I’m fine. There are no other guardians.”

The curt response drew Garam’s attention, compelling him to open his eyes. The first thing he saw was Sa Muheon’s profile as he looked at the doctor.

“…Squeak.”

The sound was barely audible, but Sa Muheon’s head snapped toward him in an instant. When their eyes met, Sa Muheon’s widened in surprise. Then, with a clatter, he hastily stood up from his seat.

“You…!”

Sa Muheon looked like he had something to say to Garam. But before he could, the doctor stepped in front of him and approached Garam instead.

“You’re awake. Do you remember how you ended up here?”

“Squeak…”

Garam shook his head. Now that he looked around, it was the same hospital as last time. The familiar-faced doctor smiled gently and spoke in a kind tone.

“You were brought here because of a sudden fever. While your condition has stabilized quite a bit, it was quite severe for the past two days. You won’t be able to move for the time being.”

“…Squeak.”

When Garam weakly nodded, the doctor smiled reassuringly once more.

“For now, as I mentioned last time, managing stress during the recovery period is crucial. You should be nearly recovered by now, but…”

The doctor trailed off. Garam could easily predict what would come next.

“But I didn’t expect your condition to deteriorate so suddenly. Have you been under significant stress lately?”

“Squeak.”

He shook his head again. While he hadn’t been completely worry-free, Sa Muheon had done his best to ensure that Garam could live comfortably. Although Garam had been preoccupied with a few things, he didn’t think they had caused him substantial stress.

Seeing Garam’s response, the doctor nodded slowly, carefully choosing his next words. At that moment, Sa Muheon, who had been silently standing behind the doctor, spoke up.

“No. There have been a few things on his mind recently. He’s also seemed a bit down. I think some stress may have built up.”

“Really? Sometimes, even if the patient doesn’t notice, they could be under significant stress. You may be right, as someone observing closely.”

The doctor looked back and forth between Sa Muheon and Garam before continuing.

“If he’s in the recovery phase, he would have been close to succeeding in humanization. However, since his condition has worsened recently, it’s hard to predict the exact recovery period.”

“Then…”

Hearing that the recovery period was uncertain, Garam felt like closing his eyes again. The time already spent waiting had been long enough, and now, the uncertainty of how much longer it would take was overwhelming. Even Sa Muheon’s urgent questioning tone carried a hint of dismay.

“Oh, of course, it doesn’t mean he’ll remain like this indefinitely. Since he’s already partially recovered, continuing to live in his original form for now should naturally lead to successful humanization.”

“I see…”

It was a small relief amidst the misfortune. Yet, seeing Sa Muheon’s sigh of relief made Garam feel inexplicably conflicted.

“However, it’s difficult to predict the timing exactly. It’d be best to monitor the situation for a few days. Avoiding unnecessary outings is also advisable.”

“Understood.”

“You heard that, right? And stress management is absolutely essential.”

“Squeak.”

Confirming Garam’s nod, the doctor smiled with satisfaction and advised him to rest well. After one last check on Garam’s condition, the doctor briskly left, leaving Garam and Sa Muheon alone in an instant.

“……”

Sa Muheon didn’t say a word, simply staring at Garam. Garam, in turn, didn’t bother avoiding his gaze and quietly met it head-on.

It was Sa Muheon who broke eye contact first. With a short sigh, he dragged the chair next to him over and sat by Garam’s bedside.

The mere fact of being alone with him made Garam feel uneasy, and the closer distance now only made him more uncomfortable.

Even as he sat by Garam’s side, Sa Muheon remained silent for a long time. Unable to bear looking at his face any longer, Garam turned his head to fix his gaze on the window. Outside, the blue sky and branches adorned with autumn leaves came into view. The season was now deep into fall.

It was a strange thought, but Garam realized it had been quite some time since he first met Sa Muheon.

Lost in thought, Garam was pulled back to reality by Sa Muheon’s voice.

“Sorry.”

The apology came out of nowhere. Garam, not expecting to hear such words from Sa Muheon, quickly turned his head to look at him.

But Sa Muheon couldn’t bring himself to meet Garam’s eyes. Instead, he fixed his gaze somewhere on the bed where Garam lay and continued speaking.

“…I’m sorry.”

The apology came again, and Garam tilted his head in confusion. Sa Muheon, noticing the lack of response, raised his eyes slightly to meet Garam’s gaze. Seeing Garam’s puzzled expression, he bit his lip.

Even so, Garam genuinely couldn’t understand why Sa Muheon was apologizing to him. Thanks to Sa Muheon, he had made it to the hospital in time and was able to save his life. There was no reason for Sa Muheon to apologize—if anything, Garam should be the one expressing his gratitude.

But Sa Muheon’s thoughts seemed to differ as he opened his mouth again.

“…I said it before, didn’t I? That it’d be better if we slept in the same room since I didn’t know what might happen to you.”

Garam nodded.

“And yet, even after saying that, I ended up leaving you to sleep alone without realizing you were unwell.”

“Squeak?”

Even after hearing those words, Garam couldn’t understand why that was Sa Muheon’s fault. Sensing that Garam wasn’t grasping his meaning, Sa Muheon let out a heavy sigh.

“They said it was really dangerous this time. I didn’t know your fever would spike like that so suddenly. If I’d been just a little later…”

Sa Muheon trailed off, clenching his fists tightly.

He seemed to feel guilty for leaving Garam alone. But Garam felt grateful that, no matter the circumstances, Sa Muheon had come back for him and found him in time.

Garam wanted to express his gratitude. But in his current form, he couldn’t put those feelings into words. When he tried to sit up, Sa Muheon, startled, half-rose from his seat to stop him.

“What are you doing? Don’t get up. Didn’t you hear the doctor say it’d be hard for you to move?”

“Squeak…”

Sa Muheon was right. Garam found it difficult to even sit up.

Feeling like nothing was going his way, his spirits sank in an instant, and tears began to fall.

“Squeak… Squeak…”

Seeing Garam cry, Sa Muheon froze, unable to react. Coming to his senses a moment later, he hastily moved closer to Garam. Practically kneeling beside him, Sa Muheon leaned in, his voice flustered.

“Wait, wait. What’s wrong? Are you hurting somewhere? Huh?”

“Squeak…”

Garam shook his head, but tears continued to pour down.