Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 95

Chapter 95

The dilemma was not easily resolved. In the end, even while Garam diligently moved his hands throughout the lecture, thoughts of Sa Muheon never ceased in a corner of his mind. It was the same even during lunch with his close classmates after the morning lectures were over. So lost in thought was he that he didn’t even notice when a question was directed at him. It was only when a hand tapped his arm that he was startled and looked up.

“Why are you so out of it today?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry….”

“Ugh, forget it. Honestly, asking you for relationship advice was a mistake from the start.”

As his classmate sighed and spoke, Garam let out an awkward laugh. The others at the table joined in, each adding their own remarks with a chuckle.

“Yeah, seriously. Who doesn’t know that Kang Garam has zero interest in romance?”

“You should’ve picked someone else to ask. Of all people, why would you go to him for relationship advice?”

“Fine, fine, it’s all my fault. So, what do you guys think?”

As the conversation continued without him, Garam simply smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with their words. Soon enough, his classmates seemed to have decided that his opinion wasn’t all that important and carried on exchanging their thoughts among themselves.

To be fair, they weren’t wrong. Up until now, Garam had never once felt the desire to date or the emotions that came with liking someone. His close friends all knew this well, so they had never bothered him about it.

But now that he truly had someone he liked, things were a little different. Deep down, he wanted nothing more than to grab someone and talk about his feelings. However, he wasn’t sure how the conversation might leak out, so he couldn’t just confide in anyone.

The only person Garam considered suitable to discuss this with was Minjae, but the moment his name came to mind, Garam immediately crossed him off the list. Minjae already knew exactly who Garam liked, so there was nothing to gain from telling him about the kiss.

Nor did he feel like disguising it as someone else’s story to gauge reactions. That kind of approach felt suspicious from the get-go. It would be painfully obvious that he was just pretending to talk about a “friend’s” situation, and he wasn’t desperate enough to go to such lengths for advice.

In truth, he didn’t even need other people’s opinions. The most important thing here was the thoughts and feelings of the two people involved—him and Sa Muheon.

If he truly wanted answers, the best way was to ask Sa Muheon directly and have an honest conversation with him. And from what Garam knew, Sa Muheon wasn’t the type to evade questions—he would likely give him a proper answer.

With that conclusion in mind, Garam set down his spoon. At the same time, the classmates who had been chatting without him turned their attention toward him. He grabbed his bag and got up from his seat.

“I’m heading out first.”

“Already? You haven’t even finished eating. There’s still plenty of time before the next lecture.”

“I have something to do. See you later.”

One of them checked the time and asked in confusion, but Garam simply responded with a calm smile before walking out of the cafeteria.

As he stepped outside, his eyes met those of Jang Seokgyu, who had been watching from a distance. Seeing Garam finish his meal earlier than expected, he looked surprised and approached him.

“Why so early…?”

“Oh, I just have someone to call.”

With that, Garam started walking toward the science building. He wasn’t normally a slow walker, but today, he was in such a hurry that his steps felt especially fast. Nearly running, he soon arrived and made his way to a resting area behind the building. Spotting an empty bench, he sat down, pulled out his phone, and took a deep breath.

“Whew….”

As he unlocked his phone and looked at the familiar name in his call history, his heart began to race for no reason. But he couldn’t keep hesitating forever. Taking one last deep breath, he pressed the name without hesitation.

After a few short rings, the call was answered.

— “Yes, baby.” (ahahhahahash how cutely he calls him baby – aegiya)

The overly affectionate nickname immediately sent a small shiver down Garam’s spine, but oddly enough, it didn’t feel unpleasant. After clearing his throat slightly, he finally spoke.

“Uh, are you busy right now?”

— “No, I’m free. Even if I were busy, I’d always have time to answer your call.”

Sa Muheon had always spoken to Garam in a kind voice, but today, his tone felt even sweeter than usual, almost dripping with honey. Garam bit his lip, feeling his neck grow warm for no reason.

“…Are you coming home early today?”

Lately, Sa Muheon had always arrived home before Garam, but he asked just in case. After much deliberation, Garam had made up his mind—he was going to talk to him directly.

— “Ah, that’s a problem….”

But the response wasn’t what he had hoped for. Sa Muheon’s voice trailed off as if troubled, and Garam’s expression quickly turned crestfallen.

“You’ll be late?”

— “Yeah. Something urgent came up, so I’ll be home a little late tonight. I was just about to call you and tell you to have dinner with Seokgyu.”

“Oh….”

Garam couldn’t hide his dejected expression at all and simply nodded quietly. Although Sa Muheon couldn’t see his reaction, he spoke again with a laugh as if he had been watching Garam the entire time.

— “How could I possibly make it up to my baby when he even took the trouble to call me?”

Though there was a slight hint of amusement in his voice, he genuinely sounded apologetic. At that, the disappointment that had settled in Garam’s heart seemed to melt away.

— “I wouldn’t call it a substitute, but….”

“Huh?”

— “Tomorrow is your day off, right?”

“Yes.”

Just as he said, tomorrow was a lecture-free day. After hearing Garam’s answer, Sa Muheon made an unexpected suggestion.

— “And you don’t have any plans?”

“No.”

— “Then how about coming somewhere with me tomorrow?”

Completely caught off guard by the suggestion, Garam couldn’t hide his confusion.

“Where?”

— “That’s a secret.”

“…Alright.”

His curiosity only grew at those words, but it didn’t seem like Sa Muheon would reveal the answer so easily. Garam quickly gave up and simply agreed. Upon hearing his response, Sa Muheon chuckled, sounding satisfied. Just listening to his laughter made Garam’s heart tingle. He clenched his fists tightly to keep himself from getting carried away, but it was no use—he felt like he could float away at any moment.

— “Actually, there was something I wanted to tell you today.”

“……”

Holding his breath, Garam waited for him to continue. Even without asking, he had a feeling he already knew what Sa Muheon wanted to say. Though Garam remained silent, Sa Muheon let out a soft laugh as if he understood everything before speaking again.

— “But there’s something I need to take care of first. Everything has to be done in the right order, you know.”

“Something you need to take care of…?”

— “Yeah. I feel like I need to settle this first before I can say it with confidence.”

“Oh….”

Only then did Garam start to get an idea of what he meant. He nodded quietly.

— “Don’t skip dinner just because you don’t have an appetite. Make sure you eat well. I’ll check with Seokgyu.”

“…Okay.”

Sa Muheon had always been attentive to Garam’s meals. It was a conversation they had often had, yet today, his words felt unusually endearing. When Garam obediently agreed, Sa Muheon ended the call with a final, “See you later.”

“…Ah.”

Garam stared blankly at his phone’s dark screen. The call hadn’t been particularly short, but he already missed hearing Sa Muheon’s voice. He sat there for a while, gazing at his phone, only snapping out of it when Jang Seokgyu called his name.

“It’s almost time for class.”

“Oh!”

Scrambling to his feet, Garam was quickly reassured by Seokgyu that they weren’t running that late.

“Sorry. I’ve been really out of it today.”

“It’s fine. It happens.”

Seokgyu chuckled before adding, “You’re in a good place right now.”

Garam couldn’t find a response to that. Face turning red, he hurriedly quickened his pace. How had Seokgyu figured it out when he hadn’t even said anything? Feeling embarrassed, Garam gave a quick nod before stepping inside the building. Behind him, Seokgyu’s laughter trailed after him.

Before making the call—no, even when he first heard that Sa Muheon would be late—Garam had briefly doubted his feelings. He had worried that, unlike him, Sa Muheon was treating their relationship lightly. But after hearing his voice, sweeter than usual, all those doubts had long since faded away.

Besides, Sa Muheon had said he had something to tell him. Garam hadn’t asked what it was, but he could easily guess. It was still just a hunch, but he was certain his guess wouldn’t be wrong.

Thump.

His heart began to race. Just as Sa Muheon had something he wanted to say to Garam, Garam also had something he wanted to tell him. He wondered what kind of expression Sa Muheon would make when he heard it.

With excitement bubbling inside him, Garam’s footsteps felt light as he climbed the stairs.