Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 83

Chapter 83

“…Hyung!”

“Huh?”

Surprised by Minjae suddenly sticking his head in front of him, Garam flinched and leaned back. Minjae looked at Garam with a sullen expression and spoke.

“What are you thinking about so hard? I’ve called you several times.”

“Oh, really? Sorry.”

When Garam apologized without hesitation, Minjae’s expression finally softened.

“So, are you going today?”

“Huh?”

“Oh, come on! I told you, it’s Hansoo hyung’s birthday today, and I asked if you could make it to dinner. Don’t tell me you forgot about that too?”

Minjae’s suspicious gaze made Garam quickly shake his head. Truthfully, until Minjae mentioned it just now, he had completely forgotten. But admitting it would only lead to an interrogation about what was weighing on his mind so much.

“No, of course I remembered.”

Fortunately, Garam’s voice sounded normal, and Minjae seemed to drop his suspicions entirely.

“So, are you coming?”

“Hmm…”

To be honest, he didn’t really want to go. More accurately, he had a lot on his mind lately, and he doubted he could enjoy himself. In his current state, he wouldn’t be able to properly celebrate Hansoo’s birthday or even focus on conversations, likely causing unnecessary concern among the others.

After a brief hesitation, he was about to decline when Minjae, noticing his reluctance, spoke first.

“Ah, hyung… Everyone’s been worried about you lately. You were sick recently, and then you didn’t come to school for a whole week this time. Do you know how worried everyone was? Even though I got a heads-up, I was still so concerned.”

“Hmm…”

Garam gave an awkward smile at Minjae’s whining.

He was aware of it, too. Minjae and the classmates he was close to had been looking at him with particularly worried expressions these days. Being sensitive to others’ emotions, Garam couldn’t help but notice.

But even knowing their concerns, there was nothing he could say to reassure them. Or rather, there was nothing he could say at all. The fact that a large loan had been taken out in his name without his knowledge, or that the person responsible had come to school to threaten him—these weren’t things he could casually share.

The same went for the newfound emotions that had recently upended his heart.

“Hyung… I even got permission from the person in charge of protecting you. As long as you’re okay with it, there’s no problem!”

“What? When?”

Startled by the revelation that even Jang Seokgyu had been consulted, Garam looked around, trying to see if he was nearby. As he searched frantically, he spotted Jang Seokgyu in the distance, standing and looking their way.

When their eyes met, Jang Seokgyu smiled and gave a small nod. Only then did Garam realize that Minjae’s words weren’t just to reassure him—they were true. Garam couldn’t hide his astonishment.

“When did you even get his permission? You didn’t say anything to me.”

“I’ve been asking if you were coming for two weeks now, and you never gave me a clear answer. I figured it might be because you can’t go anywhere alone these days, so I took care of one of your worries for you.”

Hearing Minjae speak so confidently, as if he’d done nothing wrong, Garam finally burst into laughter. Minjae had always been shy around strangers, something Garam had known for a long time. Yet, for his sake, Minjae had approached someone unfamiliar to make such a difficult request. The thought made Garam laugh.

It was only then that Garam realized just how much worry he’d caused those around him. And how hard they were trying to make things easier for him. Knowing that, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse their kindness anymore.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Since you even got permission for me, it should be fine.”

When Garam nodded, Minjae’s face lit up instantly. He quickly turned his attention to his phone, typing excitedly. It seemed he was informing their friends of Garam’s attendance.

Before long, Garam’s phone also started buzzing with notifications. The friends, who had added him to the group chat in no time, enthusiastically welcomed his attendance—perhaps a little too much. Seeing their reactions made Garam smile.

“Hyung, what time did your class end today?”

“Four. What about you?”

“Same! Then let’s meet up afterward and go together.”

“Okay, sounds good.”

Hearing Garam’s response, Minjae nodded and stood up.

“Heading out?”

“Yeah, I’ve got class soon. You still have some time, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I’ll go ahead. See you later!”

With that, Minjae crushed the can he had been holding and tossed it into the trash bin. Garam waved back with a smile as Minjae walked off, waving his hand enthusiastically.

Left alone, Garam glanced down at his phone. Notifications from the group chat were still pouring in, but instead of checking them, he moved to the pinned chat at the top of his list.

[Sa Muheon]

His fingers hesitated over the screen before stopping entirely. Even though Minjae had gotten Jang Seokgyu’s approval, Garam doubted the news had already reached Sa Muheon. Should he contact him separately to get permission? The question lingered in his mind.

Sa Muheon’s name on the screen felt both incredibly close and impossibly far. Ever since becoming aware of his feelings, Garam had found it difficult to navigate his emotions.

The fact that he had come to like Sa Muheon didn’t surprise him much. It felt more like something inevitable had finally happened. But not knowing how Sa Muheon felt about him was the problem. Because of that, thinking about him made Garam’s mood soar one moment and plummet the next.

Even now, just seeing his name made Garam feel as though he were floating, only to sink just as quickly. His fingers, which had been brushing lightly over Sa Muheon’s name, finally covered it entirely, hiding it from view.

In the end, he decided not to contact him. After all, Jang Seokgyu had already gotten permission, so there was no need for Garam to inform Sa Muheon separately. Lately, Sa Muheon had been unusually busy, and Garam didn’t want to bother him with something so trivial.

—

So, where had he left off?

Garam felt his vision spinning as he struggled to straighten his body. However, perhaps because he had drunk more than usual, he couldn’t control his body as he wanted.

“Ugh…”

When he forced himself to sit upright, his stomach churned unpleasantly. Garam flailed one hand in the air. He needed to grab onto something—anything—or else he felt like he’d collapse at any moment.

Thud.

Fortunately, his flailing hand found something solid. At least now, he wouldn’t fall.

“Phew.”

Garam let out a sigh of relief. The exhalation carried a strong scent of alcohol, which struck him as funny. He chuckled to himself.

“Heh heh…”

How had he gotten this drunk? Garam tried to recall his memories through his muddled thoughts, and amid the jumbled mess, something began to come into focus.

Ah, that’s right. As the memory came back to him, Garam’s head moved sluggishly.

He had gone to celebrate his close friend Hansoo’s birthday. Entering a pub near the back gate, he saw the people who had already arrived. Among them were some he had seen just that morning and others he hadn’t seen in ages. Garam greeted them all warmly as he made his way inside.

Hansoo, the guest of honor, arrived a little later. The gathered group greeted him with playful jeers and congratulatory remarks, and from that point on, the drinking began in earnest.

Normally, Garam wasn’t much of a drinker and had intended to have a few drinks and leave early. But during the conversations, the focus of the group somehow shifted to him.

“Is something going on with you lately?”

The question came from Hansoo. As the birthday boy spoke, all eyes naturally turned to Garam. Though he forced a smile and said nothing was wrong, the others at the table didn’t seem convinced. In the end, Garam felt compelled to feign cheerfulness and drink along to dispel their suspicions.

Not being much of a drinker to begin with, the sudden intake of alcohol overwhelmed his body.

His eyelids felt unbearably heavy, but Garam strained to keep his eyes open and take in his surroundings. Though his vision was still blurry, he recognized the familiar interior of Sa Muheon’s house.

He couldn’t remember how he had made it back. It was probably Jang Seokgyu who had brought his drunk self here. I’ll have to apologize tomorrow, Garam thought as he lowered his head. But strangely, the ground seemed to rise closer to him.

“Whoa…”

Startled, Garam made a sound. Fortunately, before his head could completely hit the floor, someone’s hand reached out to catch him.