The three-story building had been thoroughly searched, but there was no trace of Da Haram.
“Director, according to the villa’s blueprint, there’s an annex located not too far from here,” Yoon Min-ho said.
Before his words even finished, Tae-yi rushed outside. A flustered Yoon Min-ho hurriedly followed him, while Yoon Ji-seok, who had been shining his flashlight on the first floor, stared at them blankly.
The distance shown on the blueprint seemed considerable. It was far enough that Tae-yi didn’t seem eager to chase after it. After a moment of hesitation, Yoon Ji-seok hummed a little tune and began climbing the stairs to the second floor.
***
“…Chiik.”
Where on earth am I?
Haram was trying to retrace the mountain path he had fled on earlier, but his steps lacked certainty. As he clung to a tree, pondering his direction, he sighed. It was impossible to remember the path he had fled in such a panic in the dead of night.
But there was no time to wander in the woods. He had already fallen asleep for a while, and much time had passed, so he had to hurry. With a jump into the air, Haram spread his patagium wide and glided through the cool morning air.
“Chik, click?”
In the midst of flying non-stop, he saw a three-story building and a beautifully landscaped garden far in the distance. It looked like something out of a fairy tale. The vine-covered exterior of the building wasn’t messy but had an old, charming feel to it. Since it was a building he had never seen before, he didn’t feel like approaching it easily. Clutching onto a tree branch, Haram froze when he saw a black sedan parked in a corner of the garden.
Could it be Tae-yi? He wrinkled his small nose and tried to catch a scent, but all he could smell was fresh grass and saltwater. It seemed like there was a sea view from behind the building through the trees. Judging by the view, it appeared to be a residence. If so, he realized that it was far from the warehouse where he had been trapped. He needed to visit that warehouse, but the black sedan was bothering him.
“…Chik.”
After some hesitation, Haram decided to head toward the building, clinging to the vines growing on the exterior. He carefully descended along the wall and jumped onto a window frame, cautiously scanning the inside of the building. With his large eyes blinking, he watched the dark interior closely, but when he sensed no movement, he searched for a way in.
Luckily, he found a slightly open window. Holding his breath, the Sky Squirrel raised his arms and spread his patagium, crawling through the narrow gap. As he squeezed through the window and made his way into the hallway, he let out a sigh of relief, but just as he was about to descend to the hallway, a bright light suddenly blinded him.
“Ah! A rat!”
Yoon Ji-seok’s sharp scream echoed through the empty hallway.
“Chik, screech!”
The light was so blinding that Haram quickly turned his head, his feet frozen in place. He couldn’t run, only swinging his front paws frantically in the air.
“This rat…!”
Yoon Ji-seok, who had adjusted his grip on the flashlight, raised it high, ready to strike the gray fur ball in front of him, but his eyes grew wide with shock.
“Chik!”
When the blinding light finally dimmed, it looked like Haram was about to get hit. Seeing the flashlight being swung toward him, Haram instinctively shielded his head with his hands, gritting his teeth. But instead of the pain of being struck, only the sound of someone stumbling over their words followed.
“Da… Da Haram! It’s Da Haram!”
Yoon Ji-seok, stammering while shouting as loud as he could, pointed at the tiny Sky Squirrel and gasped.
“Chik, chirp…”
I hate cages…!
Haram’s feet, frozen like stone, refused to move. It seemed that the people who came to catch him were indeed the ones who knew his name. He had stupidly walked right into the tiger’s den. All that awaited him now was the hellish prospect of being trapped in a cage again. At this point, he was just hoping he wouldn’t be beaten to death. Imagining the cruel future, Haram trembled, huddling his body.
“Da Haram, wow! It really is Da Haram!”
Yoon Ji-seok, oblivious to Haram’s thoughts, was overly excited and even kicked his feet in joy. Although it wasn’t yet certain that this furball was truly Da Haram, the situation strongly suggested it was him. He shone his flashlight on the crouching Haram while rummaging through his pockets.
“You’re Da Haram, right?”
“Chik!”
No!
Haram shook his head vigorously, glancing up at Yoon Ji-seok, who seemed a bit off. He was tall like Tae-yi and looked strong, yet he neither grabbed him nor hit him. Instead, he left him standing alone by the window frame.
“Hey! I found him! Come quickly!”
As the man spoke excitedly into his phone, Haram, observing cautiously, took a quiet step backward.
“Wait, hold on! Wait a minute! I’m Tae-yi’s friend!”
As the Sky Squirrel jumped down from the window frame and began rolling down the hallway, Yoon Ji-seok, who was startled, yelled at him.
“Chirp!”
Liar!
Now even Tae-yi’s name was being used to trick him. These people were utterly worthless. Haram ran down the hallway in an instant, but he heard multiple footsteps approaching from far away. He quickly turned and bolted into the room at the end of the hallway.
“Chiik!”
With no choice, Haram dashed into the room at the end of the hallway, immediately humanized, and locked the door behind him.
“Haah, haah…”
Breathing heavily, Haram curled up in a corner. Every time the man pounded on the door, it felt like his head was being struck. Covering his ears with both hands, Haram squeezed his eyes shut and held back his tears. He was sick of running away.
How much time passed? He could hear footsteps coming up the stairs. At the same time, the man’s voice swearing outside stopped. Haram, who had been sobbing, pulled his flat tail closer and held his breath.
Knock, knock—
“Da Haram.”
Haram, who had been huddling, snapped his head up and stared at the luxurious door adorned with intricate patterns. His breath became shallow. He slowly stood up, swallowing dryly, and walked slowly toward the door.
Knock, knock—
With another careful knock, the voice he had longed to hear followed.
“Open the door. It’s me.”
“Tae-yi, Tae-yi!”
Haram, in a panic, unlocked the door and swung it open. In an instant, he was swept into a tight embrace. He too wrapped his arms around Tae-yi’s back with all his strength. Tae-yi’s breath was ragged from running.
“Huu…”
Faint sobs filled the large room as they hugged each other tightly, as if they would crush each other. After a moment, they looked at each other’s faces.
“Are you okay?”
Normally, Haram would nod at the question of whether he was okay, but not now. At the sound of the concerned voice, tears flowed uncontrollably. Shaking his head, Haram showed his hands, which were red and scraped, and thick tears dropped down. Seeing Tae-yi’s large hand wrap around his, Haram burst into a sob.
“Sniff, earlier… huh… I was trying to chase after… hwaah!”
Amidst his chaotic thoughts, there were so many things Haram wanted to say. Despite crying uncontrollably, he forced out words, but his sobs came first. Eventually, he gave up and wrapped his arms around Tae-yi’s neck. Tae-yi, sighing in relief, gently stroked Haram’s smooth skin while reaching out to Yoon Min-ho behind him.
Yoon Min-ho, understanding the situation, took off his jacket and handed it to him. Immediately, Tae-yi wrapped it around Haram’s back and lifted him, supporting his bottom. After confirming that Da Haram’s silver-gray tail was covering his own rear, Tae-yi turned around.
“We’re going to the hospital.”
“No, no. Let’s go home. Home.”
Haram, burying his face in Tae-yi’s shoulder and sobbing, shook his head furiously at the mention of the hospital. He didn’t want to go to the hospital. The place where he had been kidnapped was the hospital, and now, he didn’t want to go anywhere but Tae-yi’s safe and cozy home. Just being there, holding each other tightly, would surely make all the stress melt away.
“…Let’s go home.”
Tae-yi, swallowing a sigh, glanced at Yoon Min-ho, who was observing the situation, and replied. Haram’s voice, pleading like a child, revealed the anxiety he was feeling.
He couldn’t bring himself to hold Haram tightly, fearing that his fragile back might snap. Even though Haram was in his arms, Tae-yi felt an anxious worry that he might suddenly disappear. Just hearing Haram’s sobs drove him nearly mad. He had no idea how to resolve this complex emotion, and he wondered if he could ever understand it.
Tae-yi, holding onto Da Haram, clenched his fist. His hand trembled as he squeezed it.
“We’re… going home, right?”
Tae-yi, who had been leading the way down the stairs, paused when he heard the faint voice.
“Yeah, if you’re tired, sleep. I’ll keep holding you.”
“Keep holding…”
It was what he had longed for. Rather than wandering through the forest all night or standing on the rough asphalt, he was now safely in his arms. The arms wrapped tightly around his back erased his anxiety, and the warmth spread as he nestled closer.
Haram’s sobs gradually stopped, and his breathing became steady. Slowly, Tae-yi continued walking, gently wiping the redness around Haram’s eyes.
Yoon Ji-seok, silently watching Tae-yi holding Haram and Yoon Min-ho following, couldn’t help but burst into a smile. Despite witnessing their emotional reunion only moments ago, he still couldn’t believe it. It had been so boring since he returned to the country, but it seemed things were finally about to get interesting.
