Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 80

Chapter 80

 

Still coughing like he was on the verge of choking, Garam raised his head and glared at Ryu Beomju. Ryu Beomju smirked mockingly and grabbed a handful of Garam’s hair. Pulling Garam’s head closer to him, he spoke in a low voice.

 

“Don’t act so arrogant.”

 

“Cough, ha…”

 

“How long do you think that snake bastard will keep sticking to you like that? A lover? What a lunatic, bringing along a naïve little brat like you…”

 

Ryu Beomju looked Garam up and down and let out a short laugh. Despite being held in his grip, Garam’s gaze remained sharp.

 

“You really think he cherishes you sincerely?”

 

For the first time, a crack appeared in Garam’s expression as Ryu Beomju whispered. Having inherited the instincts of a predator, Ryu Beomju didn’t miss the faintest crack. Like a tiger even when mimicking a cat’s voice, he noticed everything. A sinister smile crept across Ryu Beomju’s lips.

 

“There’s no way he’d genuinely care about a pathetic little squirrel like you. You know, don’t you? That snake bastard was born into quite a decent family.”

 

“……”

 

“Why would someone who lacks nothing go out of their way to create a flaw like you, huh?”

 

Garam’s eyes, so close to Ryu Beomju, wavered aimlessly. Ryu Beomju sneered and continued speaking.

 

“That bastard surely wants something from you.”

 

“…Ha.”

 

“You’re just being kept around because he has a use for you, you idiot.”

 

Not wanting to reveal his shaken heart, Garam tightly shut his eyes. But his ears, still open, could not shut out Ryu Beomju’s relentless whispers.

 

“You’re not someone who’s being protected. You’re merely a tool waiting to be used.”

 

“…What do you know?”

 

“Plenty. At least more than you do.”

 

Ryu Beomju chuckled and loosened his grip on Garam’s hair. Garam ended up collapsing disgracefully onto the floor. More than the fact that he appeared to be begging while sprawled before Ryu Beomju, what humiliated him the most was that, for even a fleeting moment, his faith in Sa Muheon had wavered because of the man’s words.

 

Gritting his teeth, Garam pushed himself up. Though still sitting on the floor, at least he was no longer sprawled out so pitifully.

 

“I don’t know what that snake bastard said to sweet-talk you, but…”

 

Ryu Beomju rose from his spot, leaving Garam still sitting on the ground. Perching himself back on the desk like a king, he looked down at Garam.

 

“If you think you can ever mean anything to that bastard, give up on that idea now. Don’t go crying and wailing later.”

 

“Ha…”

 

Though Ryu Beomju was using “snake bastard” as a derogatory term for Sa Muheon, it was Ryu Beomju himself who was wagging his forked tongue like a truly vile snake.

 

“Of course, I know you won’t take my words kindly.”

 

“……”

 

“Still, my mother took you in and raised you. You could say we’re something like brothers, couldn’t you?”

 

Seeing Ryu Beomju snicker as he spoke, Garam felt a red haze of fury cloud his vision. How dare he. How dare that man even mention Grandmother.

 

“Who do you think you are?”

 

Garam spat out the words through gritted teeth. Ryu Beomju’s laughter abruptly disappeared.

 

“What?”

 

“Who do you think you are to talk about Grandmother?”

 

“Ha.”

 

Ryu Beomju smirked mockingly and tilted his head, as if to invite Garam to keep talking. Grinding his teeth, Garam continued.

 

“Do you have any idea how much she suffered because of you…?”

 

“Oh, really?”

 

“Because of you, Grandmother’s house—!”

 

Even as his throat burned with pain, Garam forced his voice out with all his might. Only after speaking did it dawn on him that this man before him was the root of all his troubles.

 

“That debt… That was your doing too, wasn’t it?”

 

“Debt? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

Ryu Beomju answered nonchalantly, but Garam was certain from his response that he had been involved. Garam’s clenched fists began to tremble.

 

“Liar! It was you, wasn’t it? It was you!”

 

“Maybe you’re talking nonsense because you almost died earlier.”

 

Ryu Beomju chuckled and leisurely got up. Watching him as he seemed ready to leave, Garam struggled to his feet.

 

“You’re the one who made me sign over Grandmother’s house to you.”

 

“Oh, that. I did say I’d hand over that house to a beggar like you as charity, didn’t I?”

 

“That debt, the 1 billion won in my name—that was your doing too…!”

 

At some point, tears began streaming down Garam’s face. He didn’t even know why he was crying. He wasn’t sad. He was just so furious. Today, Garam realized for the first time that even extreme anger could bring tears.

 

“You said you didn’t even need that kind of money! So why are you…?”

 

Even as tears fell, Garam blocked Ryu Beomju’s path, demanding an explanation. Ryu Beomju, who had been looking at him with annoyance, raised a hand and ruffled his own hair irritably.

 

“Why, you ask?”

 

The man who had earlier insisted he knew nothing finally dropped his pretense and revealed his true colors.

 

“Ha, why not? Because you’re the easiest target.”

 

“……”

 

Garam clenched his teeth. If he didn’t, he felt like he’d scream right then and there.

 

He had no idea how to express the whirlwind of rage, injustice, and sorrow surging within him. He wanted nothing more than for Ryu Beomju to disappear from this world, so he could finally find peace. But contrary to his wishes, Ryu Beomju remained standing before him, and Sa Muheon, who claimed to be his protector, was nowhere to be found.

 

It was only then that Garam realized he was completely alone at this moment. Fear crept in belatedly. The man before him terrified him, and he felt ashamed of himself for being scared.

 

“Hic…”

 

Ryu Beomju smirked and extended his hand when Garam kept his lips tightly shut without offering any response.

 

Even as he saw Ryu Beomju’s hand reaching toward him, Garam couldn’t do anything. He couldn’t even think about avoiding the slowly approaching hand, only watching helplessly as it drew closer. It was then that Garam realized he was completely paralyzed with fear.

 

In that moment, the only thing Garam could do was tightly shut his eyes to avoid seeing the hand coming toward him.

 

“Now you finally look like a squirrel.”

 

But the violence Garam was bracing himself for did not come. Ryu Beomju easily shoved him aside. His voice carried clear mockery. Realizing this, Garam slowly opened his tightly closed eyes. But even so, he couldn’t bring himself to take any other action. All he could do was watch Ryu Beomju as he unlocked the locked door.

 

“You were so arrogant before that I doubted whether you were even a squirrel.”

 

“Hic, huff…”

 

“I came here today as a warning. That snake bastard’s silence makes me think he’s plotting something. I need to figure out what that is. And to uncover it, even a little squirrel like you might come in handy.”

 

The breath Garam had been holding burst out in ragged gasps. He looked at Ryu Beomju, panting for air. Ryu Beomju smiled viciously and continued speaking.

 

“I’ll contact you from time to time, so make sure to answer right away. Don’t ignore me.”

 

Ryu Beomju waved his hand mockingly as he said his final words. He left the lecture hall, and Garam stood frozen in place until the sound of Ryu Beomju’s footsteps disappeared completely.

 

Before long, his face was covered in tears. From the moment Ryu Beomju had begun mocking him, tears had unknowingly started to fall. But what made Garam feel even more miserable was the fact that his body had been so paralyzed with fear that he couldn’t do anything but cry.

 

Grandmother had taught him that what one was born with didn’t determine everything, but in the end, he was nothing more than a pathetic little squirrel. The proof was how he had been completely powerless against Ryu Beomju. Tears streamed continuously down Garam’s face.

 

His legs gave out, and it became difficult to remain standing. Garam collapsed to the floor and silently shed tears. At that moment, the phone in the pocket of his coat began to vibrate. Though tears were still streaming down his face, Garam fumbled in his pocket and pulled out his phone.

 

The name on the screen belonged to the last person he wanted to see at this moment.

 

[Sa Muheon]

 

Though his vision was blurry, those three characters stood out vividly, piercing through his eyes. Garam let out a bitter laugh. The tears showed no signs of stopping. Despite the humiliation he had suffered at the hands of Ryu Beomju just moments ago, the fact that seeing Sa Muheon’s name brought him a fleeting sense of relief struck him as absurd. Yet that feeling aside, he truly didn’t want to see him now.

 

Garam stared blankly at the persistently ringing phone. It was as if Sa Muheon, determined not to hang up first, was resolved to keep calling until Garam answered.

 

But in the end, Garam didn’t take the call. Instead, he put the phone back into his pocket, then, with a body devoid of strength, he managed to move and lean against the wall. Resting his face on his knees, he finally felt a sense of relief wash over him. Even though his tears kept flowing, soaking into his knees, he couldn’t stop crying.

 

Garam stayed like that for a long time.

 

It was only much later that Jang Seokgyu, having received a call from Sa Muheon, rushed into the building, searching every classroom until he found Garam.

 

When Jang Seokgyu saw the state Garam was in, he went pale. He had only stepped away for a short while, and now Garam was a mess. Garam wanted to tell him that he was fine, but no sound came out of his mouth. He opened his lips slightly, but all he could think was how heavy his eyelids felt.

 

The last thing Garam saw before he lost consciousness was Jang Seokgyu frantically reaching out to him.

 

And then, darkness enveloped him once more.