Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 79

—

Garam met Jang Seokgyu, who had been waiting nearby, and returned to the school. Although the distance from Seonhu’s shop to the school wasn’t far, they both knew they needed to be prepared for any unexpected situation, so Garam followed Jang Seokgyu without complaint.

As they returned to the school and headed toward the parking lot, Jang Seokgyu suddenly stopped. When Garam looked up at him, Jang Seokgyu took out his phone from his pocket and frowned. He gestured to Garam and answered the call.

“Yes, go ahead.”

He exchanged a few words with a grave expression. As his face grew darker, it became clear even to Garam that something bad had happened. Listening to the voice on the other end of the line, Jang Seokgyu’s expression twisted into a grimace. Shortly after, he ended the call and spoke with a mix of irritation and concern.

“Something urgent has come up, so I can’t accompany you further. Is there a safe place inside the building where you can wait?”

“It seems like it’d be harder for anything dangerous to happen inside the building.”

Garam replied with a slight smile. However, Jang Seokgyu remained serious, scanning the building. He seemed to be recalling the interior he had observed before.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Jang Seokgyu reluctantly nodded. While he didn’t completely agree with Garam’s assessment, there was no other option at the moment.

The phone call he had just received reported that a vehicle hiding nearby was causing trouble, trying to capture the “kid” standing in front of him. There was a scuffle to catch the man inside. Knowing the kind of tricks these people might pull, he had no intention of carelessly parading his target in front of them.

Fortunately, Korea University was a place with a lot of foot traffic, but it was still difficult for an unfamiliar person to sneak into the buildings unnoticed. Furthermore, sneaking in alone wouldn’t accomplish much. Openly threatening anyone was impossible with so many people around. The more eyes there were, the harder it would be to carry out anything covert. Having Garam wait in a familiar indoor area for a while seemed like the safest bet.

Jang Seokgyu gave Garam one last warning.

“Do not come outside alone under any circumstances. Stay where there are plenty of people. I’ll contact you when it’s safe for you to come out.”

“Alright, I understand.”

Garam nodded obediently, seeming to trust Jang Seokgyu’s judgment. Only after ensuring that Garam had entered the building completely did Jang Seokgyu quickly walk away.

After he left, someone else entered the building, but by then, Jang Seokgyu was long gone.

—

Garam thought about where the most populated place in the building might be. On the third floor, there were wide tables set up in the hallway, and there were always people spending time there. It was a common spot for those waiting out long breaks between classes or just killing time.

It seemed like a safe enough place. Thinking so, Garam began climbing the stairs.

However, as he reached the second-floor hallway, he suddenly heard someone hurriedly climbing the stairs. Normally, he wouldn’t have paid much attention, but for some reason, Garam turned to look behind him—and froze in shock. Before he could even scream, a hand clamped tightly over his mouth.

“Be quiet.”

Garam’s wide eyes stared at the person in front of him, forgetting even to blink. The man, whose face was so close to his that their breaths almost mingled, lacked his usual air of composure. But that only made him all the more terrifying to Garam.

“Shut up and follow me. Got it?”

“…….”

Garam had no choice but to nod. The hand covering his mouth belonged to none other than Ryu Beomjoo, who finally smiled in satisfaction and began dragging him along. His hand pressed firmly against Garam’s mouth, the contact of his skin making Garam feel disgusted. But Ryu Beomjoo didn’t care about Garam’s discomfort as he kept glancing around to check for any witnesses.

Garam’s eyes darted around as well. Unfortunately, the stairwell they were in was one that students rarely used. It was already a quiet area, and with classes in full swing, the chances of anyone passing by were slim. This was an unfortunate turn of events for Garam but a stroke of luck for Ryu Beomjoo. No one appeared in the hallway by the time he shoved Garam into an empty classroom.

After locking the door, Ryu Beomjoo finally turned his attention to Garam. Instead of immediately removing his hand from Garam’s mouth, he leaned in close and whispered threateningly.

“If you so much as think about screaming…”

“…….”

“I’ll tear your throat out, so think carefully, understand?”

Rather than nodding, Garam glared fiercely at the man still covering his mouth. But Ryu Beomjoo’s bloodshot eyes showed that he wouldn’t remove his hand until he received a response. In the end, Garam nodded. He didn’t want to find out what would happen if he disobeyed.

No matter how much people mocked him as being weaker than a cat, Ryu Beomjoo was still a tiger shifter. If he truly wanted to hurt Garam, the damage would be inevitable.

Only after Garam slowly nodded did Ryu Beomjoo reluctantly release his hand. Even after his hand left, Garam kept his lips firmly shut, causing Ryu Beomjoo to tap his cheek with the back of his hand.

“Are you resisting?”

“…….”

“Answer me.”

“…No.”

Only then did Ryu Beomjoo smile in satisfaction. He tapped Garam’s cheek a few more times before sitting on the desk.

“You’re hard to get a hold of these days.”

“…….”

Ryu Beomjoo’s expression darkened when Garam didn’t respond. Although Garam wasn’t necessarily scared of that expression, he at least knew that provoking Ryu Beomjoo in this situation wouldn’t lead to a favorable outcome. Moreover, the timing of his appearance was strangely precise.

It felt as though the urgent call Jang Seokgyu had received earlier was somehow orchestrated by the man standing in front of him. Otherwise, it seemed too much of a coincidence that Ryu Beomjoo would show up at the exact moment when Jang Seokgyu, who always stayed by Garam’s side, was momentarily absent.

As Garam quickly pieced these thoughts together, Ryu Beomjoo’s expression continued to grow more menacing by the second. His jaw muscles bulged and twitched, as though he was clenching his teeth. Before Ryu Beomjoo could raise his voice, Garam opened his mouth.

“…What do you want?”

“Hah, look at this.”

Ryu Beomjoo let out a dry laugh, loosening his clenched jaw. While he already knew Garam was fearless, seeing him maintain composure even in this situation irked him.

Ryu Beomjoo, who had been sitting on the desk, rose slowly. His movements exuded an air of leisure. Standing a short distance away, Garam quietly watched as he approached. When Ryu Beomjoo finally stood directly in front of him, he looked down at Garam, who met his gaze unwaveringly.

The foul mood that overtook Ryu Beomjoo came in an instant. In Garam’s steady gaze, there wasn’t even the slightest trace of fear toward him. That look reminded Ryu Beomjoo of someone else, and that alone was enough to crumple his expression into a scowl. A low growl rumbled from deep in his throat as Garam’s body instinctively stiffened. Without hesitation, Ryu Beomjoo grabbed Garam by the collar and hauled him up.

“You too, huh? Do you think I’m easy to mess with?”

“Urgh…!”

Crash!

As Ryu Beomjoo grabbed him by the collar, he shoved Garam backward. Garam’s body collided with the chalkboard, making a loud noise, but Ryu Beomjoo didn’t seem to care in the slightest.

It was as if sparks were flying from Ryu Beomjoo’s eyes. His pupils turned a glaring yellow, a clear indication that he had lost control of himself. But Garam had no time to leisurely observe his eyes.

Suspended by his collar, Garam twisted and writhed in agony. His clothes tightened around his neck, cutting off his air. Objects toppled to the ground with a clatter from the force of his struggles, but Ryu Beomjoo showed no sign of letting him go.

“Urgh… Hhh…!”

“Just because you’re hanging around that snake, you think you’re something special?”

“Hhh… Ugh… This is—ugh…”

Garam clawed at Ryu Beomjoo’s hand, which was gripping his collar. His nails scratched deep enough to draw blood, leaving marks on Ryu Beomjoo’s skin. However, Ryu Beomjoo showed no intention of letting go. Only when Garam’s hands went limp, drained of strength, did he finally release him, throwing him down onto the floor with a grinding of his teeth.

“Urgh… Hah… Hah…”

As Garam gasped for air, Ryu Beomjoo took a step closer. Reflexively, Garam scrambled backward, but Ryu Beomjoo simply followed, closing the distance again. He stood so close now that his foot brushed against Garam’s leg. Clutching at his own neck, Garam lowered his head, but Ryu Beomjoo crouched down to meet him. In a slouched posture, he gazed down at Garam with cold, sunken eyes.

Anyone seeing Ryu Beomjoo now would have no choice but to acknowledge him as a tiger shifter, a creature hailed as the king of predators. But here, there was no one else—only Garam. Although his body still trembled from the violence Ryu Beomjoo had unleashed earlier, Garam refused to acknowledge him.