Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 66

Chapter 66

The tears didn’t stop for a long while after that. Eventually, Garam’s fever spiked again, and he was scolded by the doctor. Only then was he able to stop crying.

By that time, he was so mentally and physically exhausted that his vision blurred.

When Garam began to nod off, Sa Muheon carefully tucked a blanket around his small body. Warmth enveloped him. Garam gazed at Sa Muheon bustling about and soon drifted into sleep.

He thought it was a little strange how restless Sa Muheon seemed, but the joy in his heart outweighed that curiosity, leading him into a good dream.

—

Thankfully, Garam’s condition improved quickly. The very next day, after being discharged, he once again faced Jang Seokgyu, who had come to pick them up.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Squeak.”

Jang Seokgyu asked with a concerned expression, and Garam responded confidently. Seeing Garam nod so vigorously, Jang Seokgyu’s tense expression finally softened.

Jang Seokgyu safely escorted the two back home, adding a kind farewell for Garam to recover quickly. Surprised by Jang Seokgyu’s concern, which was unusual given his typically reserved demeanor, Garam still nodded obediently.

Satisfied with Garam’s response, Jang Seokgyu left with a content smile.

When only Garam and Sa Muheon were left, silence filled the air. Sa Muheon was the first to break it.

“Let’s go inside.”

Even without Garam responding, Sa Muheon walked ahead into the house.

He headed straight to the bedroom, laid Garam on his spacious bed, and covered him with a blanket.

“Squeak?”

Startled, Garam tried to sit up again, but Sa Muheon gently but firmly made him lie back down, his expression serious.

“No. Stay here and rest.”

“Squeak!”

Garam protested loudly, but it was pointless against someone who couldn’t understand a word he said. Sa Muheon shook his head resolutely and stayed there until Garam, sulking, gave up and let out a resigned sigh.

Finally, it was Garam who conceded.

“Piihew…”

With a deep sigh, he let his body relax and slumped down. Only then did Sa Muheon rise with a satisfied look.

“You’re not fully recovered yet. Just rest for now. I’ll go prepare something to eat.”

“Squeak…”

Even with his weak and exhausted reply, Sa Muheon ruffled Garam’s hair in approval before leaving the room.

Left alone, Garam raised his hand to rub the spot where Sa Muheon’s fingers had just been. It felt ticklish.

His heart raced at the unexpected gesture, leaving him startled. Garam tried to calm his pounding heart, pondering why Sa Muheon had suddenly decided to pat his head.

Was it because he’d forgotten to maintain some distance? Or perhaps seeing him sick had softened his heart…

Various guesses crossed his mind only to disappear again. In the end, he found no clear answer.

While he was lost in thought, Sa Muheon returned to the bedroom with some food. Seeing that Garam had stayed put as instructed, Sa Muheon smiled brightly. That radiant expression made Garam’s heart flutter for no reason. Feeling an inexplicable sense of embarrassment, Garam quickly turned his head away.

Sa Muheon, however, didn’t seem to mind. He approached Garam and began feeding him the food he’d brought.

Where he had found such a small spoon, Garam didn’t know—it seemed even smaller than the ones used in children’s playsets. Garam stared blankly at the spoon extended toward him, prompting Sa Muheon to ask, puzzled:

“What? You don’t like it?”

“Squeak.”

Garam shook his head. It wasn’t that he disliked the food. He wasn’t sure what it was exactly, but the dish looked like some sort of porridge. It even gave off a rich, savory aroma.

His small nose twitched slightly at the scent wafting from the food before him.

“If you really don’t want to eat, you don’t have to… But you’ll need to eat something to take your medicine. If it’s not too bad, just have a little.”

Sa Muheon spoke almost pleadingly. Garam didn’t understand why he was being so insistent, but the mention of needing to take medicine convinced him to open his mouth just a little.

As soon as he did, Sa Muheon’s face lit up. He moved quickly, as if afraid Garam might change his mind. In the end, Garam could do nothing but finish all the food Sa Muheon fed him while staring at his bright, cheerful face.

The savory porridge turned out to be quite tasty. As Garam smacked his lips, recalling the flavor, Sa Muheon immediately asked,

“What’s wrong? Are you still hungry? Want more?”

“Squeak.”

He shook his head at the question. He was already feeling full.

Moreover, judging from the way Sa Muheon was acting, it didn’t seem like he’d be allowed out of bed for the rest of the day. If he ate any more, it would only leave him feeling bloated since he wouldn’t be able to move around.

Fortunately, Sa Muheon didn’t try to force more food on him. Nodding in agreement, Sa Muheon cleared away the empty dishes and returned to the bedroom with medicine.

“Here.”

Garam quietly accepted the medicine he handed over. Since he couldn’t take pills in his squirrel form, he had to endure the bitter taste of liquid medicine. Garam grimaced as he finished the dose, and Sa Muheon immediately offered him a cranberry—Garam’s favorite.

Feeling somewhat baffled at being treated like a child, Garam looked up at Sa Muheon, but the man, oblivious, simply said something nonsensical.

“Don’t like it? Want something else instead?”

It wasn’t as though Garam had expected their communication to go smoothly. Besides, it would be more of a hassle to ask for his phone to correct him. Garam let out a small sigh and accepted the cranberry from Sa Muheon’s hand.

Even though he felt strange being treated like a kid, the cranberry tasted particularly sweet after the bitter medicine.

Once again, Sa Muheon tucked Garam in under the blanket. He told him to rest comfortably and left the room, leaving the door slightly ajar. Garam was a little taken aback by his actions, but before he could think too much about it, drowsiness overtook him—likely due to the medicine—and those thoughts quickly faded.

Right before he fell asleep, he thought he might’ve wished Sa Muheon would go back to maintaining a reasonable distance like before.

—

However, contrary to Garam’s wishes, Sa Muheon’s strange behavior continued.

It seemed as though Sa Muheon believed this entire situation had occurred because he had left Garam alone. On top of that, it appeared Garam’s collapse and subsequent hospitalization had left quite an impression on him. Sa Muheon now treated Garam more delicately than if he were handling fragile sugar art.

“Squeak!”

Irritated by the relentless gaze following him everywhere, Garam let out a frustrated cry. But instead of picking up on his annoyance, Sa Muheon, misunderstanding the situation, hurriedly knelt down in concern.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

“Squeak, Squeak!”

Garam shook his head and stomped his feet. He wanted to stomp hard enough to make a loud sound, but with his small squirrel feet, the sofa only gave a faint thump at best.

Nothing about this situation was to his liking. And what annoyed him the most was, of course, Sa Muheon.

Garam fumed, breathing heavily in frustration. He turned his head sharply and shot a glare at Sa Muheon, who stood there helplessly, staring at him with concern.

Ever since being discharged and returning home, Garam’s condition had been visibly improving by the day. No one was more aware of that than Garam himself—he could physically feel how much better he was getting.

Even during an outpatient visit, the doctor had complimented him on his recovery, noting how youth seemed to be on his side as he was healing much faster than the average patient.

Yet, only Sa Muheon continued to treat Garam with excessive caution.

It was as if he had completely erased from his memory the days when he used to keep a certain distance from Garam. Now, whenever Garam was out of his line of sight, he would grow visibly anxious and start searching for him.

Today was no different. Sa Muheon’s persistent gaze accompanied every move Garam made, and it was becoming overwhelming.

Trying to escape the scrutiny, Garam crawled under the sofa to spend some time alone. But Sa Muheon, lying flat on the floor in front of the sofa, pleaded with Garam to come out until he finally gave in.

Relenting to his pitiful request, Garam crawled out from under the sofa, and Sa Muheon began to spring to his feet every time Garam so much as twitched. It was only natural that Garam eventually grew fed up and lashed out in irritation at his overbearing behavior.

He couldn’t figure out what had caused this sudden change in Sa Muheon, but Garam didn’t like it one bit.

Already frustrated by his inability to speak his mind, Garam now felt like he was trapped under Sa Muheon’s constant watch. Finally, Garam scurried over to the table where a phone was lying.

Opening the memo app, Garam quickly began typing. After finishing what he wanted to say, he let out a sharp pip-pip to get Sa Muheon’s attention.

[Leave me alone. Please go away.]