“Is it a good fit?”
“Yeah.”
Because Da Haram could never fully hide his tail, he always wore oversized clothes to cover it as much as possible. His tops were so loose they looked almost sloppy, and his pants were always stretchy.
That went for both his school uniform and his everyday clothes. Fortunately, that meant there were some clothes that happened to fit Kang Tae-yi. The gray sweatpants were a bit short and showed his ankles, and the black T-shirt had a tiny teddy bear printed on the chest—but still, it worked.
Tae-yi glanced down at his outfit, ran a hand through his hair, and let out a small sigh. Then he looked over at Haram standing beside him and asked,
“Hey, Squirrel. Are you sure you didn’t find anything in my clothes?”
“It’s Da Haram.”
“Right. Da Haram-squirrel.”
Haram’s tail twitched. How the hell did he even know that old school nickname? Calling him Da Haram-squirrel like that… Kang Tae-yi really was sharp.
“There was nothing in the clothes. Maybe whatever you’re missing fell in the mountains. Should we go check?”
Tae-yi burst out laughing at the sight of Haram’s eyes lighting up like he was ready to scale the mountains right this second. Squirrels were naturally curious and surprisingly eager. Even when there was nothing in it for him, he jumped right in. Not that Tae-yi was complaining.
“Will you come with me?”
Haram nodded without hesitation and led the way.
They began climbing the mountain behind the old hanok. As they walked, Haram kept sneaking glances at Tae-yi. When their eyes met for the third time, Tae-yi finally asked,
“What?”
“Should I go look by myself? I mean… you’re still recovering.”
The image of Tae-yi lying unconscious kept flashing through Haram’s mind. Seeing the worry on Haram’s face, Tae-yi smiled and said he was fine, then passed him and began walking the path he had stumbled down the night before.
With no other choice, Haram trailed behind. Then, as if gathering courage, he carefully called out,
“Um… Kang Tae-yi… nim?”
It was the first time he’d actually said his name out loud since learning it. It felt awkward as hell. He kind of regretted not asking his age back when he asked his name. At the awkward honorific, Tae-yi glanced back with a grin and said,
“Just call me Kang Tae-yi.”
Haram blinked in surprise, his big round eyes widening. This guy had been speaking informally from the start—even after learning his age. That meant…
“We’re the same age?”
Watching the confusion cloud Haram’s face, Tae-yi walked up to him and said,
“Yeah. We’re the same age.”
Haram’s eyes flicked from Tae-yi’s hair to his shoulders, then clouded over again in doubt. When he didn’t respond, Tae-yi leaned down, peering into his face.
“You don’t believe me?”
The sharp, cat-like eyes that once looked intimidating now somehow looked soft and innocent—like a house cat blinking up at you. There was no real reason to doubt him. Even if it was a bit suspicious, refusing to believe him when he said it himself felt rude.
“I believe you. I mean, yeah—I believe you.”
Looking up at Tae-yi, Haram nodded with conviction. Tae-yi smiled back, and that was that.
Come to think of it, when Tae-yi smiled, he did look his age.
Yeah… they probably were the same age.
***
They spent half the day searching, but Tae-yi’s phone and wallet were nowhere to be found. In the end, the only thing they recovered was the backpack he’d left near where he’d slept the night before. As they made their way back down the mountain, they noticed a small group of villagers gathered around the pavilion—something you rarely saw.
The village elders usually hung out at the community center, so seeing them out there felt… off.
Something must’ve happened.
Curious, Haram looked up at Tae-yi and said,
“You should head back. I’ll go check it out.”
“Okay.”
Who knew why Tae-yi was fine leaving the house in his hands, but watching Haram dash downhill, tail flattened and flapping behind him, made a smile tug at his lips.
Tae-yi stood there, watching Da Haram run all the way to the pavilion, then turned and stepped through the gate of the old hanok.
“Grandma, what’s going on?”
Meanwhile, Haram approached the elders at the pavilion with a polite voice. He wasn’t addressing anyone in particular, but the moment they heard “grandma,” all of them turned toward him and waved.
“Oh dear, Haram. There’s been an incident. Someone was found dead at the Unseung Reservoir.”
“A person?”
Unseung Reservoir was pretty far from the village—closer to the neighboring town, maybe a 20-minute bus ride away. Haram’s expression grew tense as he echoed the words.
“Was it a fishing accident?”
“Aigoo, no! They said the whole body was stabbed to pieces—like a rag doll! Even the car was completely submerged!”
As the elderly woman from the house with the blue gate gestured dramatically, pointing to different parts of her body, her words painted a vivid picture. Haram’s face grew more serious with every word.
“…You mean, they were hacked to death?”
Accidents at the reservoir weren’t common, but they did happen now and then. Still, the thought of someone being butchered—that made Haram’s tail stand straight on end. Then a few grandmothers leaned in, whispering among themselves, and his brow tightened further.
“And no one even knows who did it.”
“Didn’t even make it onto the news.”
“Then how did you find out?”
These were elders who could barely move around, much less leave the village. Haram couldn’t help but wonder how they’d heard about something that happened all the way in the next town over.
“My husband overheard it on the bus after coming back from the market.”
The wealthy grandmother sitting squarely in the middle of the pavilion answered, adding that the whole neighboring town was buzzing about the murder.
As the conversation drifted toward the evening soap opera airing at eight, Haram quietly stood up, sensing it was time.
“I should get back for dinner.”
“Want me to pack you some seasoned greens, dear?”
“No, it’s alright.”
Forcing a smile, Haram bowed politely, then turned and ran home—to the house where Tae-yi was waiting.
***
While Haram was out, Tae-yi slowly wandered around the empty house. Eventually, he picked up a picture frame tucked into a corner of the living room. Inside was a photo of a young Da Haram, all dressed up with a butterfly bowtie, beaming for the camera. Next to him was an elderly man with a kind, grandfatherly smile.
No parents?
Tae-yi gently set the frame back in place. Then, hearing footsteps racing in from the yard, he stepped out onto the wooden porch. Haram came charging across the yard, silver hair streaming behind him. When he saw Tae-yi, he shouted,
“Tae-yi!”
That was… one hell of a friendly nature. Or maybe he was just unbearably lonely.
Tae-yi held back a laugh and looked down at Haram, who had already rushed up the steps, barely pausing to kick off his sneakers.
“Don’t go outside.”
Haram’s voice was firm. He stood there waiting, clearly expecting a serious answer.
“Why not?”
It wasn’t like he wanted to go anywhere—but the squirrel’s sudden urgency was a bit suspicious.
“There’s a rumor going around. Someone was found dead in the next village’s reservoir. Stabbed all over. The car was flooded too…”
That lined up a little too well.
“That’s how they died?”
“Huh? Uh… yeah.”
Caught off guard by Tae-yi’s calm tone, Haram nodded. When Tae-yi reached out to smooth down his messy bangs, Haram nervously clutched the hem of his T-shirt.
“Creepy village.”
“T-The next village! Stuff like that never happens here. It’s totally safe.”
“Then why are you telling me not to go out?”
“It’s not connected to you… right? I mean, you got stabbed too. What if it’s, like… loan sharks or something…”
So the squirrel wasn’t as clueless as he looked. He had a gut instinct, at least. The question was—how should he answer?
What even counted as hacked to death?
Based on the time and place, the dead man was probably Manager Kim. If the body had just a single stab wound in the abdomen, then sure—it was likely Tae-yi’s doing. But if it was found shredded and floating in the reservoir…
That had Kang Tae-jin written all over it.
Manager Kim must’ve been dealt with for failing to finish the job. It didn’t come as a surprise. Whether he’d fallen into Tae-yi’s hands or Tae-jin’s, death was always the outcome. Half-assed betrayal always led to the same end.
“It’s got nothing to do with me.”
Sure, he’d tried to kill him—but he wasn’t the one who landed the final blow.
“Oh… okay. That’s a relief…”
Haram visibly relaxed, nodding with a small smile. Watching his whole demeanor change in an instant made Tae-yi want to laugh again. To suspect he might be involved in a murder… then drop the idea just because he said, “No”—and still only imagine him as a victim?
Da Haram was ridiculously entertaining.
***
“Let’s eat.”
At Haram’s cue, Tae-yi nodded and followed him into the living room. Without hesitation, Haram headed straight for the kitchen. He washed his hands with practiced care, then opened the fridge and began pulling out ingredients. Soon, the kitchen filled with the steady rhythm of knife against cutting board.
Tae-yi leaned back on the living room sofa, watching silently as Haram’s tail swayed with each movement.
“Need a hand?”
He was no stranger to knives. Walking up to Haram, who was chopping carrots, Tae-yi offered to help. But Haram immediately shook his head and firmly pushed him back toward the sofa.
“You’re a patient. And a guest. Just sit down and relax.”
Tae-yi didn’t think of himself as either, but being treated that way wasn’t half bad. So, like Haram said, he returned to the sofa and settled in—his gaze following every move the squirrel made.
