Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 81

Chapter 81

 

As his consciousness returned, the first thing Garam noticed was the surrounding sounds. Without opening his eyes to survey his surroundings, he could tell he was in the familiar setting of a hospital. He realized he had been coming here unusually often lately. Until now, his only visits to the emergency room had been during moments of death—when his parents and grandmother were in an accident. Back then, he had barely managed to force strength into his legs, feeling as though he might collapse at any moment, only to be greeted at the hospital by the cold, lifeless bodies of his loved ones.

 

Recalling those past events sharpened his once-drowsy mind. Even so, Garam remained lying still with his eyes closed, lost in thought.

 

It was only after meeting Sa Muheon that he began coming to the hospital like this. Twice, it had been Sa Muheon who had personally brought him here, and this time, it was likely Jang Seokgyu who had brought him in. The last image of Jang Seokgyu’s startled face surfaced in his memory.

 

What kind of feelings must Sa Muheon have had when he heard that Garam had collapsed and been taken to the hospital?

 

At that thought, Garam’s eyelids trembled. Slowly, he opened his eyes and blinked a couple of times until his blurry vision regained focus.

 

“……”

 

When he turned his head, he saw Sa Muheon sitting beside the bed. Sa Muheon sat in a chair with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. Garam gazed at his peacefully sleeping figure for a moment before looking around. Unlike the noisy emergency room he was accustomed to, this time he woke up in a quiet hospital room.

 

Garam slowly sat up and took in his surroundings. The room looked like an expensive private ward at a glance. He didn’t know how long he had been unconscious, but he didn’t think his condition warranted being admitted to such a luxurious room. As he looked around, his gaze froze when the door to the room silently began to open.

 

Rustle.

 

The sound of the sheets crumpling under his tense grip reached his ears, but he was far too focused to care about something so trivial at the moment.

 

Should he wake Sa Muheon? Swallowing nervously, Garam resolved to scream if it came down to it. Just as he was bracing himself, the door opened fully, and a familiar face appeared.

 

“Hah…”

 

Relief drained the tension from Garam’s body. The person who entered was Jang Seokgyu. Seeing Garam sitting up on the bed, Jang Seokgyu was visibly startled and quickly approached him.

 

“When did you wake up? Director Sa…”

 

Jang Seokgyu’s gaze shifted to Sa Muheon. Garam’s eyes followed, and soon, he met Sa Muheon’s sharp gaze.

 

“Ah…”

 

Sa Muheon seemed to have woken up at the sound of Jang Seokgyu entering. Despite having been asleep just moments ago, there was no trace of drowsiness in Sa Muheon’s piercing eyes.

 

A brief silence fell in the room. Jang Seokgyu looked between the two, who were staring at each other without saying a word, then coughed awkwardly and took a step back.

 

“Well, I’ll go inform them that you’ve woken up.”

 

Without waiting for a response, Jang Seokgyu quickly left the room. Garam watched his retreating figure before turning his gaze back to Sa Muheon.

 

Sa Muheon remained silent, staring at Garam with a burning intensity.

 

“…The phone.”

 

Still locked in what felt like a silent standoff, Sa Muheon finally opened his mouth. Garam tilted his head slightly, not understanding what Sa Muheon meant. Sa Muheon sighed softly and spoke again.

 

“The phone. Why didn’t you answer?”

 

The curt, clipped question seemed to reflect his frustration. But Garam, still not grasping the context, didn’t immediately understand what Sa Muheon was talking about.

 

“What phone?”

 

Sa Muheon let out a deep sigh in response. It was only then that Garam remembered he hadn’t answered Sa Muheon’s call before collapsing.

 

“Ah…”

 

Noticing that Garam had recalled the situation, Sa Muheon opened his mouth again.

 

“You know what could’ve happened. What if you had reverted back to your main body in that state? What if Seokgyu had been even a little later in finding you?”

 

His tone was calm and no louder than usual, but the emotions in his voice were unmistakable. It wasn’t difficult for Garam to discern that Sa Muheon was angry. Who exactly that anger was directed at, however, was unclear. Was it at Garam for not answering the call? At Jang Seokgyu for leaving him alone? At Ryu Beomju for creating the situation? Or perhaps at Sa Muheon himself?

 

Even after Sa Muheon finished speaking, Garam didn’t respond. Though Sa Muheon must have been frustrated by Garam’s silence, he didn’t press him for an answer. He simply crossed his arms and waited patiently.

 

After a while, Garam parted his lips as if to say something. But at that moment, the door to the room opened.

 

“You’re awake, I see. How are you feeling?”

 

A nurse entered and quickly began checking Garam’s condition. Following her, Jang Seokgyu stood near the door, hands clasped behind his back, pretending not to notice the awkward atmosphere in the room.

 

Garam glanced at Sa Muheon. He was worried that the interruption might have upset him, but Sa Muheon merely gave a small nod, as if urging him to answer the nurse’s question. Only then did Garam hesitantly speak.

 

“…I think I’m fine.”

 

“You were admitted yesterday and remained unconscious for a whole day. Your fever spiked a bit, but fortunately, you didn’t revert back to your main body, so your condition wasn’t overly critical.”

 

Garam’s eyes widened at the mention that he had been unconscious for a full day.

 

“You’re fine for now, but since there was a close call before when you did revert, it’s best to be cautious. The attending physician recommended staying hospitalized for observation for the time being.”

 

The nurse looked between Garam and Sa Muheon as if waiting for them to decide. Sa Muheon seemed ready to respond, but Garam spoke up first.

 

“Um…”

 

All eyes turned to Garam. He swallowed nervously and continued.

 

“Is it… possible for me to go home?”

 

Sa Muheon’s brows furrowed slightly, but Garam had no intention of taking back his words. He didn’t think his condition warranted a hospital stay. He also felt it would be more comfortable to recover at home.

 

“If that’s what the patient prefers, it should be fine. Just discuss it with your guardian and let us know.”

 

The nurse said she’d wait for their decision and left the room. Jang Seokgyu quickly followed her out.

 

Once they were alone, an awkward silence settled over the room again. Sa Muheon was the first to break it.

 

“It’d be better if you stayed hospitalized for now.”

 

“No. I want to go home.”

 

Garam shook his head and replied quietly but firmly. One of Sa Muheon’s eyebrows arched upward.

 

“Why?”

 

“Just… hospitals make me uncomfortable. I think I’d feel better at home.”

 

“……”

 

Sa Muheon frowned slightly. Garam, worried he might insist otherwise, nervously fidgeted with the blanket in his hands. Thankfully, Sa Muheon didn’t argue for long. He nodded after a moment.

 

“If that’s what will make you comfortable, then let’s do that.”

 

At those words, Garam’s face immediately lit up with a bright smile. Sa Muheon’s stiff expression seemed to soften slightly but quickly hardened again.

 

“Still, if your condition worsens, we’re coming back to the hospital immediately. Keep that in mind.”

 

“Yes…!”

 

Even though the words sounded like a warning, Garam nodded with a smile.

 

Only then did Sa Muheon chuckle softly and stand up. However, as he raised his hand to pat Garam’s head, Garam instinctively flinched.

 

“……”

 

“Ah…”

 

The brief laughter vanished, leaving behind a cold silence. Garam wanted to offer some kind of explanation, but there was no way to justify his earlier reaction. Sa Muheon’s expression, once merely stiff, turned frighteningly cold. His face clearly showed anger, and its target was unmistakable.

 

“…I’m sorry.”

 

The softly murmured apology only made Sa Muheon’s expression darken further.

 

“Why are you apologizing?”

 

“……”

 

“There’s someone else who should be apologizing. You know that.”

 

As Garam bit his lip and hung his head, a heavy sigh from Sa Muheon descended over him. Feeling as though tears might spill out if he raised his head, Garam lowered it even further. Sa Muheon, who had been standing in front of him, slowly bent down on one knee.

 

Startled, Garam half-lifted his head, and the sight of Sa Muheon kneeling before him filled his vision. Shocked, Garam instinctively reached out his hand, but Sa Muheon caught it gently before it could reach him.

 

“Listen carefully.”

 

“……”

 

With his hand caught, Garam widened his eyes and silently looked at Sa Muheon.

 

“You didn’t do anything wrong. Not a single thing.”

 

“Ah…”

 

“So, there’s no need for you to walk on eggshells around me, and there’s no need for you to apologize to me.”

 

As he spoke, he firmly gripped Garam’s hand. Garam, without realizing it, slowly nodded in response.

 

Only then did the stiffness in Sa Muheon’s expression begin to ease slightly. Standing up once more, he still held onto Garam’s hand.

 

“Let’s go home.”

 

“…Yes!”

 

The word “home” coming from Sa Muheon’s mouth felt special. A small smile naturally spread across Garam’s lips as he replied.