“Yes? Y-yes, sir…”
Startled by Tae-yi’s sharp tone, Chief Yoon quickly scurried out of the room.
“Let’s have a little chat, Dr. Da In-ho.”
“…Squeak, squeak?”
…I’m not Da In-ho, though…
Shaking his tiny head from side to side with exaggerated stiffness, In-ho made it very clear that he was rejecting the name. But Tae-yi, seeing that he had no intention of de-transforming, sighed in growing irritation. He couldn’t exactly punch the guy like this.
“How did you get in? No—where did Da Haram go?”
The moment he’d heard Haram hadn’t shown up for counseling, he’d sent someone straight to the house, so it wasn’t like Haram had used the front door. Judging by the scene, he must’ve flown in. And unfortunately, it didn’t seem like he’d walked out the front door, either. He prayed his gut feeling was wrong.
Just as Tae-yi was waiting for In-ho to answer, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway. He turned toward the noise.
“We checked the external CCTV—around 11 a.m., an unidentified flying object was caught on footage exiting through the study window and heading toward the pine garden.”
Chief Yoon appeared, drenched in cold sweat, tablet in hand.
“Chief Yoon. Why the hell are you making it sound so complicated?”
“Ah… well…”
“So you’re saying my Sky Squirrel flew off… and ran away.”
Dragging a hand down his face like he was washing it, Tae-yi stared up at the cloudless blue sky.
“…Yes. It wasn’t captured clearly since it happened so fast, but judging by the gray blur, it’s likely Da Haram.”
Gulping under the heavy atmosphere, Chief Yoon replied in a voice barely above a whisper.
Tae-yi sighed heavily and left the room.
That unpleasant feeling of déjà vu he’d had earlier was finally explained. He went straight to the study and spotted the window cracked open by about a hand’s width—another sigh escaped his lips.
“Why would he run away?”
“He must’ve found something out.”
Noticing the desk chair pushed back, Tae-yi approached the computer and powered on the monitor. In the search bar were his name and the company—Changi Construction.
Grinding his teeth, Tae-yi clenched his jaw.
Haram knew.
He’d found out everything. And in the worst possible way. A wave of unease and discomfort coiled around his chest like a vice. He didn’t even need to see it with his own eyes to know exactly who had told Haram the truth. And he didn’t need to guess where Haram had fled to, either.
“Get the car.”
“…Yes, sir.”
They’d just gotten back from the countryside less than an hour ago, and now they were heading back already. It would be a lie to say he didn’t have complaints, but the situation was so dire that Chief Yoon went without a word to the garage.
“Squeak, squeak…”
Why am I even here…
Sitting in the passenger seat next to Tae-yi, Da In-ho threw him a glance, grumbling under his breath. But the cold air inside the car stifled any further protest, and he shut his mouth.
This was way beyond the petty love spat he’d imagined.
“Call that damn debt collector. Tell him to check if Haram’s at the house.”
“Yes, sir… but we haven’t even planted half the peanuts yet. What if Da Haram sees it?”
Worry laced Chief Yoon’s voice as he asked. Tae-yi let out a long breath through his nose.
He could already picture Haram crying his heart out at the ruined peanut field.
Did he want to run away that badly just because he felt deceived? What exactly had he heard? How much did he know?
Lost in thought, Tae-yi looked over at the gaze he felt beside him. The moment their eyes met, In-ho flinched so hard he nearly jumped out of his seat—it reminded Tae-yi of the very first time he’d seen Haram.
“Humanize. Now. Or I’m tossing you out the window.”
“Squeak!”
There was no mistaking the steel in his voice. In-ho could feel it too.
Shooting upright, he immediately transformed back into his human form.
“Here.”
Watching from the rearview mirror, Chief Yoon handed him a blanket. In-ho quickly wrapped it around himself, then turned to meet the intense gaze boring into him from the seat beside him.
“Ha… haha… Hello.”
That fierce glint in Tae-yi’s eyes said everything. In-ho gave a sheepish smile and bowed his head slightly. Of course, Tae-yi wasn’t in the mood to be greeted.
“Whose brilliant idea was this?”
It was too reckless to have been Haram’s. Flinging himself out the study window and climbing over the wall? The whole thing made Tae-yi’s blood run cold just thinking about it. Haram was no daredevil squirrel. He was a scaredy-cat. This couldn’t have been his idea.
No—this was all Da In-ho.
Convinced of that, Tae-yi glared at him like he could kill him on the spot.
“I swear it wasn’t me! I was just as shocked when I saw him waving at me from the top of the wall!”
Clearly flustered, In-ho waved both hands in denial. But Tae-yi’s suspicion didn’t waver one bit.
“You met him at the hospital?”
“Yes… right in front of the elevator. He was crying.”
He added quietly, “I just… wanted to help. I know it wasn’t my place…I get that I was meddling. But he looked so hurt. I couldn’t just walk away.”
In-ho’s voice softened as he explained, and Tae-yi pressed his fingers against his furrowed brow, sighing.
The image of Haram’s tearful face wouldn’t leave his mind.
“If you just talk it out, I’m sure it’ll—well, not everything, but most of it will work out. Don’t worry too much.”
Trying his best to lift the mood, Chief Yoon smiled encouragingly. He could tell In-ho meant no harm, but relaying that kind of detail now would only pour salt in the wound. The fact that Haram had run away after finding out everything was bad enough. Mentioning that he’d been crying? That would only push Tae-yi over the edge.
God, please—if that Sky Squirrel could just learn to shut up.
“Oh, and I did tell him everything was a lie. Besides the Alpha thing, were there other lies, too?”
“Ahem! Ahem!”
Chief Yoon let out a loud, hacking cough, as if trying to cough up blood to interrupt. He hadn’t seen Sky Squirrel Beastfolk as frightening before—but they were terrifying. One of them had literally flown away and escaped, while the other, with the most innocent expression, was now poking directly at his boss’s sorest spots. They were nothing but cute little demons covered in fur.
Chief Yoon fanned out his sweat-drenched shirt with one hand and coughed again.
“Driver, that cough’s not sounding too good. You really should see a doctor.”
“…Yes, sir.”
How very doctorly of him. And still as oblivious as ever. The clueless Da In-ho started worrying about the coughing fit, while Chief Yoon, on the brink of losing it, shook his head and tried to focus on driving.
***
“Director. The debt collector just called. There’s no one at the house. Looks like he hasn’t arrived yet.”
“Shouldn’t he be there by now?”
“Right? I made sure he got on the bus and everything…”
In-ho, suddenly cutting into the conversation, turned to Tae-yi with a serious look.
“You got him on the bus too?”
He had a whole accomplice. This was never supposed to happen. He shouldn’t have even met Da In-ho.
The moment the air shifted again, Da In-ho clutched the blanket tightly, bracing himself to de-transform at any moment.
He didn’t understand all the details, but he’d caught on to at least one thing:
Kang Tae-yi had a weakness for Sky Squirrel form.
He could see it—every time Tae-yi looked at him, he was seeing Haram.
As long as he stayed like this, he probably wouldn’t get punched. If Tae-yi even looked like he might raise a hand, he’d shapeshift in a flash.
***
The familiar scenery and smells had Haram buzzing with excitement. Judging by the area, this had to be the mountain behind his house. No—it definitely was.
He was home.
Even though the reason for his return was painful, he couldn’t help feeling giddy. Scampering down from a tree, Haram darted across the earthy ground, the smell of dirt rich in his nose. With his tail held high, he bounded in the direction of his house—then came to a sudden stop.
There were trees he knew here. He was close. If he followed this path, he’d come out right behind the house.
Climbing up the tallest tree, Haram stretched his neck and looked toward home.
The tiled roof of the hanok came into view in the distance.
His face lit up with a wide smile as he bounced on the branch, tail flicking. He couldn’t wait to get home. First thing—he’d swing open the gate, grab a cold barley tea from the fridge, wash his feet in cold water, then dive under the covers and pass out.
The thought alone had him grinning.
“Squeak…?”
Haram, who had been staring longingly at his house, suddenly tilted his head.
There was a familiar figure lingering around the property.
A bulky man with broad shoulders.
It was the debt collector ajusshi.
Always decked out in a suit that never really fit—today, he was dressed casually for once. A weird change of pace.
Haram had practically forgotten about him, but now he remembered—he was on the same side as Kang Tae-yi. He’d been the first to bring up the resort, the one who first asked to buy the land.
“Squeak…!”
He didn’t know how those two had ended up working together, but one thing was clear—going home was out of the question.
The fact that the debt collector was skulking around the house meant Tae-yi had already made his move.
Haram had thought they’d built a strange sort of love-hate bond over time, but the betrayal hit hard.
How could everyone deceive him so thoroughly? This was too much.
Anxiously pacing in place, Haram eventually plopped down on the ground.
He’d keep watch. If Tae-yi showed up, he’d just live in the mountains for a while. If it was only the debt collector hanging around, then he’d go for a direct confrontation.
