Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 90

Chapter 90

Seeing the concern so clearly written on Sa Muheon’s face, Garam’s heart began to pound violently. He felt like his face had become even redder than before, but right now, he had no room to worry about something so trivial.

Neither of them spoke a word. In the silence, Garam took in every detail of Sa Muheon’s expression, as if engraving it into his memory.

In truth, even without trying, he knew that the face he saw now would remain in his memory for a very long time. Sa Muheon’s concern was undeniably rooted in affection. Though he hadn’t said it aloud, Garam could tell without a doubt. Could a person, completely unrelated by blood, show such deep affection for someone else? At least for Garam, it was the first time he had ever received such warmth.

The moment they locked eyes felt both fleeting and endlessly long. Even the brief act of blinking felt like too much time lost, so Garam kept his gaze firmly fixed on Sa Muheon, unwilling to miss a second.

Only after making sure that Garam wasn’t hurt did Sa Muheon slowly stand up. Then, he reached out and helped Garam to his feet. The entire time, Garam never once took his eyes off him. He wanted to capture this moment as perfectly as possible because he knew it would stay with him for a long time.

After helping Garam up and tidying the blanket that had fallen to the floor, Sa Muheon let out a small laugh as he met Garam’s unwavering gaze.

“What are you staring at so intently?”

“Ah…”

Caught off guard by the question, Garam could only blink in silence. He knew he had to say something—anything—but he had no idea what to say. If he opened his mouth now, he felt like he would end up confessing his feelings right then and there. Even if he didn’t directly voice his emotions, he feared his trembling voice would give him away.

So instead, he shut his mouth tightly and shook his head.

Sa Muheon chuckled softly and took a step closer. The sudden waft of his scent made Garam hold his breath. Standing right in front of him, Sa Muheon reached out and gently ruffled his hair.

“You fell off the bed. It happens. No big deal.”

He seemed to think that Garam’s silence was simply due to embarrassment. Though far from the truth, Garam forced himself to nod. His heart was still racing, but at least he no longer felt as if he were completely spellbound. As his emotions settled somewhat, curiosity took its place.

“By the way, why did you come here?”

“Oh, right.”

As if only now remembering his original reason for coming, Sa Muheon blinked and continued.

“I need to step out for a bit. I already contacted Manager Jang, so he should be here soon. I just wanted to check that he arrived before I left.”

“Oh…”

Hearing that Sa Muheon would be going out disappointed Garam, but he hid his feelings behind a forced smile. In the end, whether Sa Muheon was home or not, Garam couldn’t even hold a proper conversation with him without his heart pounding uncontrollably. Perhaps this was for the best. And besides, knowing that Sa Muheon would stay with him until Jang Seok-gyu arrived lifted his spirits slightly.

“Where are you going?”

“A friend asked to meet up.”

“A friend?”

Garam’s voice was laced with skepticism, making Sa Muheon raise an eyebrow.

“What’s with that tone?”

Despite the question, Sa Muheon was smiling. It was only then that Garam realized how his words might be misinterpreted and quickly waved his hands in denial.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that!”

“Do I seem like someone who wouldn’t have friends?”

“…No…”

Though he tried to deny it, he couldn’t come up with a convincing follow-up.

To be honest, Sa Muheon didn’t seem like the type to have many friends. He was kind to Garam, but he never appeared particularly fond of people in general. Even at work, aside from his two closest colleagues, he barely seemed to pay attention to anyone else. If he did have many friends, that would be more surprising than anything.

After a brief hesitation, Garam gave a small nod.

Fortunately, Sa Muheon didn’t seem offended. If anything, he simply accepted it with a lighthearted attitude.

“Well, you’re not wrong.”

“…Then, how many friends do you have?”

When Sa Muheon had asked this question earlier, Garam had thought it was strange. But now that the opportunity presented itself, he found himself curious as well.

He had wanted to ask before, so the question came out naturally. What surprised him, however, was Sa Muheon’s reaction.

“Are you curious?”

Garam had expected him to either brush it off with a laugh or dismiss it with an indifferent expression. But instead, Sa Muheon smiled, as if he was pleased by the question.

Garam couldn’t quite grasp his intentions, but he nodded hesitantly. He really did want to know.

“One.”

Sa Muheon answered without a moment’s hesitation.

While he seemed completely unfazed, Garam was so shocked that his mouth fell open.

“One?”

“Yeah.”

Thinking that he might be joking, Garam asked again, but Sa Muheon only nodded with an unchanged expression. Instead, it was Garam who felt unsure of how to react. As he hesitated, Sa Muheon smiled playfully and spoke.

“Why are you so surprised? Did I seem like someone who would have a lot of close friends?”

That question was even harder to answer. Nodding in agreement pricked his conscience. To be honest, Sa Muheon didn’t seem like the type to have many friends. But just one? That was completely unexpected, leaving Garam at a loss for words as he simply stared at Sa Muheon.

Noticing Garam’s discomfort, Sa Muheon finally stepped back. He gently patted Garam’s head and smiled.

“Don’t worry about it. Having a lot of people around you isn’t always a good thing. I’m happy with how things are now.”

“…Okay.”

Even after hearing his words, Garam still felt like a heavy stone was pressing down on his chest. He worried that he might have upset him. In a situation where he should be earning points with the person he liked, he felt like he had instead stirred up unnecessary trouble.

“I told you, it’s really fine.”

“……”

Seeing Garam still looking downcast, Sa Muheon let out a soft chuckle and rested his arm on Garam’s shoulder. Garam flinched, but Sa Muheon didn’t seem to mind and simply led him out of the room. Garam obediently followed his lead.

Sa Muheon guided Garam to the living room and had him sit on the sofa before heading to the kitchen. Garam’s gaze naturally followed his busy movements. Before long, Sa Muheon returned with a plate of Garam’s favorite nuts and cranberries. The sight of it made Garam burst into laughter without realizing it.

Seeing him smile, Sa Muheon looked even more pleased as he handed Garam the small plate. Garam accepted it quietly and looked up at Sa Muheon, who stood in front of him.

“Don’t just stay in your room all the time. Don’t you feel cooped up?”

“…Okay.”

Garam nodded. It seemed that Sa Muheon had noticed how he had been subtly avoiding him lately. The thought that this might be Sa Muheon’s way of being considerate warmed Garam’s heart.

“If you want to eat anything else, just tell Manager Jang.”

“I’m already full.”

When Garam replied with a chuckle, Sa Muheon, still smiling, reached out to ruffle his hair.

“Yeah. Earlier, your stomach looked stuffed.”

“No, it didn’t!”

“You were even walking slower than usual.”

Garam shot him a glare, but instead of being intimidated, Sa Muheon only tousled his hair even more, as if he found him cute. A ticklish warmth spread through Garam’s chest. Feeling like his face must have turned red, he quickly lowered his head. At that moment, Sa Muheon suddenly stopped.

Garam hadn’t disliked his touch, so he hesitantly raised his head to look at him.

Sa Muheon was gazing at him with a slightly troubled expression. At first, Garam didn’t understand why. But then, after a brief moment, he felt his ears perked up on top of his head.

Startled, Garam quickly raised his hands to cover them, and Sa Muheon also took a step back, pulling his hand away.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

Seeing his conflicted expression, Garam felt like crying.

He knew better than anyone that Sa Muheon hadn’t touched his ears on purpose. He had only been patting Garam’s head, and it was Garam who, feeling so happy from his touch, had unconsciously let his ears show.

If there was any fault to be assigned, it was entirely Garam’s own.

The fact that he was a grown adult and still couldn’t control something as simple as this—how pathetic must he seem to Sa Muheon?

His face crumpled as he fought back the urge to cry.