Even a Lonely Squirrel Has Its Burrow - Chapter 99

Chapter 99

***

Knock, knock—

Garam, who had been in a deep sleep, jolted awake at the sound of someone knocking on the door. He had been sleeping so deeply that he couldn’t quite grasp when he had fallen asleep or even where he was. As he lightly shook his head, trying to clear his muddled thoughts, the knocking sound came again.

Now fully awake, Garam hurriedly lifted his head and raised his voice to answer.

“Yes, yes!”

Though flustered, this time he was careful not to trip over the blanket as he climbed out of bed. He didn’t want to make another clattering noise and have Sa Muheon burst in. Once was enough when it came to looking like a child in front of the person he liked.

When he opened the door, he found Sa Muheon standing there, his hand hovering mid-air as if he had been about to knock again. Their eyes met, and Sa Muheon lowered his hand with a smile.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Ah, yes.”

“I came back last night, but you were already asleep. You must have been tired.”

“Oh…”

It was only after hearing those words that Garam realized he had fallen asleep while waiting for Sa Muheon. He vaguely remembered waiting for him, but he had no recollection of when he had dozed off. He must have been quite exhausted from not only staying up all night thinking about their kiss the night before but also from the constant thoughts and worries that had occupied his mind.

However, he couldn’t exactly explain all of that to Sa Muheon, so he just gave a vague smile and nodded.

“Yes. I guess I was a little tired.”

“How about today? Are you feeling okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Though he nodded obediently, Sa Muheon still seemed unconvinced. Garam had a feeling that if he showed even the slightest sign of fatigue, Sa Muheon would tell him to go back inside and rest. In an attempt to divert his attention, Garam quickly changed the subject.

“Ah, have you eaten breakfast yet?”

“Not yet. Are you hungry?”

“Uh… a little?”

Garam hesitated slightly before answering. In truth, he hadn’t felt hungry at all just moments ago, but now that he had brought it up, he suddenly realized he was. Noticing this, Sa Muheon turned around and headed straight for the kitchen.

“Then let’s eat first.”

Eat first? Garam tilted his head in confusion, but Sa Muheon, as if he had expected that reaction, turned back to him with an amused smile.

“We were supposed to go out together today. You didn’t forget, did you?”

“Oh…!”

Garam hurriedly shook his head.

“N-No, I didn’t forget…”

“Really? You seemed like you had no memory of it just now.”

“No! I just woke up, so I was a little out of it.”

His rushed excuse was so clumsy that even he found it unconvincing. But instead of scolding him, Sa Muheon simply reached out and lightly tousled his hair. Feeling the gentle touch, Garam absentmindedly looked up at Sa Muheon’s face. The way he smiled softly, as if finding Garam adorable, made him seem as though he was glowing.

Feeling as if his neck was heating up, Garam quickly lowered his head and hurried past Sa Muheon toward the kitchen.

“L-Let’s hurry up and eat breakfast so we can go out.”

Anyone could tell he was trying to flee out of embarrassment. Realizing how obvious he was being, Garam’s face quickly twisted into a look of despair. But when he heard Sa Muheon’s light chuckle from behind, his heart began to race uncontrollably. Clutching at his chest, he quickened his pace.

“You should wear something neat today. Do you have a suit?”

“Uh… I don’t have a suit.”

“Really? Not even a dress shirt?”

“Oh, I do have one of those.”

For some reason, Sa Muheon had decided to personally pick out Garam’s clothes today, and so the two of them were standing together in Garam’s room in front of his wardrobe. Standing so close to him, Garam couldn’t hide his nervousness, but he still answered Sa Muheon’s questions properly.

When he pulled out a white dress shirt hanging in the wardrobe, Sa Muheon nodded before rummaging through the clothes inside. Picking out the neatest-looking black pants, he handed them to Garam.

“Change into these and come out.”

With that, he left the room. Left alone, Garam tilted his head in confusion.

“Is today some special occasion…?”

But he had no way of figuring it out on his own.

After changing into the clothes Sa Muheon had picked out, Garam stepped outside to find that Sa Muheon had also changed and was waiting for him.

“Uh… Where are we going today?”

Sa Muheon was wearing a suit, but it was completely different from his usual style. His usual outfits had a somewhat light and flashy feel, but today, he was dressed in a very subdued and formal suit. Normally, he left a button or two undone, but today, his shirt was buttoned up to the collar, complete with a neatly tied tie. The stark contrast in his appearance made Garam all the more curious about where they were headed.

“You’ll find out when we get there.”

But instead of answering, Sa Muheon just gave a smirk and avoided the question.

Though he was curious, Garam knew that once Sa Muheon said something like that, no matter how much he asked, he wouldn’t get an answer. So he quietly followed behind him.

Today, Jang Seokgyu wasn’t around either.

Sa Muheon personally opened the passenger door for him, and when Garam stood there blankly staring at him, he urged him on.

“What are you doing? Get in.”

“…You’re not taking me somewhere weird, are you?”

“Do I really seem that untrustworthy?”

Despite Garam’s suspicious gaze, Sa Muheon burst into laughter without showing any sign of discomfort. When Garam hesitantly got into the car, Sa Muheon personally fastened the seatbelt for him before heading to the driver’s seat. Garam stared intently at Sa Muheon as he walked around to the front of the car. However, even as Sa Muheon got into the driver’s seat and started the engine, Garam couldn’t figure out what he was thinking, no matter how hard he looked at his face.

“Is there something on my face?”

“What? Huh?”

Realizing too late that he had been staring at Sa Muheon for too long without noticing, Garam stammered in embarrassment. But Sa Muheon simply looked back at him with an easy smile, unfazed.

“You kept staring, so I thought something might be on my face.”

“No, nothing…”

“Really?”

Instead of answering, Garam just nodded. Thankfully, Sa Muheon didn’t tease him any further and simply started driving. Garam had assumed they were only going somewhere nearby, but when the car merged onto the highway, he finally realized their destination was much farther away than he had thought.

“…Are you really not going to tell me where we’re going?”

“Nope.”

Just what kind of place was it that he had to keep it such a secret? Garam pouted in dissatisfaction. Catching sight of this, Sa Muheon glanced at him and spoke in a voice tinged with amusement.

“It’ll take a little while to get there, so if you’re tired, you can sleep a bit more.”

“I’m not really… that sleepy.”

“Alright.”

But despite his claim, Garam soon dozed off. In fact, he was sleeping so soundly that when Sa Muheon reached out to wake him by placing a hand on his shoulder, he jolted awake, almost leaping out of his seat.

“You said you weren’t that tired?”

“…Ahem.”

Hearing Sa Muheon’s amused remark, Garam felt as if his ears were heating up. It was embarrassing to realize that, despite his confident words, he had been completely knocked out until Sa Muheon had to wake him.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah. But…”

As he answered, Garam’s gaze shifted to the window. They had traveled quite far while he was asleep—outside, he could see a dense forest. He wasn’t used to seeing so many trees at once, so the surrounding scenery felt unfamiliar. And yet, despite its strangeness, the place also gave him a vague sense of déjà vu.

Just then, as the car rounded a corner, a building came into Garam’s view.

“Ah…”

At that moment, Garam realized where they were. He understood where Sa Muheon had brought him.

“This place…”

“Yeah.”

Dazed, Garam turned his eyes to Sa Muheon, but he kept his gaze fixed forward, focused on driving. The building gradually came into full view, and it didn’t take long for them to reach it. As the car came to a stop in the parking lot, a white building stood right in front of them.

Just looking at that white building made Garam’s eyes sting with emotion. He lowered his head, gripping his seatbelt tightly, making no move to get out of the car. Sa Muheon, who had been waiting for him, got out first. Even though Garam heard the sound of the door closing, he still didn’t lift his head or move.

A moment later, the passenger-side door opened. Only then did Garam slowly raise his head. Standing there, Sa Muheon extended a hand toward him.

“Come on.”

“…Why.”

His voice trembled against his will. If he let his guard down even a little, he felt like tears would spill over. Why was this man being so kind to him?

“I thought you might have forgotten.”

Instead of taking his hand, Garam recalled today’s date. Now that he thought about it, autumn was nearing its end. The dry, chilly air of the season brushed against his nose.

It was the cold and lonely season that had once brought him another farewell.