WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ My Platinum-Blonde Childhood Friend Is Too Pretty ◈

Chapter 117: 44. Working Out with My Girlfriend Before Enlistment -3

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Washing up together with Elli had become almost a daily routine by now, but I never got used to it in the sense of it turning dull or tiresome.

Every time felt new. Every time felt good.

Running my hands over that soft, porcelain-pale skin of hers, half genuinely washing her and half just because I wanted to. And her hands doing the same to me, roaming wherever they pleased like my body was her own.

It always felt wonderful.

"Tie my hair up."

"Got it."

After a quick shower, before stepping into the tub, I gathered Elli's hair into a bun on top of her head. I could do it in ten seconds flat by now.

Then we climbed into the bath together.

-splash...

"It really is cramped."

"So cramped."

The tub was narrow.

I got in first and had to spread my legs and bend my knees to make room for Elli, and she had to tuck her legs in tight too just so both of us could fit inside.

Compared to that hotel tub we'd stretched out in so freely, this one was genuinely tight and stuffy. Still.

-squeeze

I didn't think it was so bad.

Cramped as it was, we were forced to press right up against each other, and I liked that. My arms wrapped around Elli's waist, her shoulder right there for me to rest my head on.

"Can I take a nap after the bath?"

"Tired?"

"A little drowsy. I think it's from the knots loosening up."

"Fifteen minutes."

"Fifteen minutes is..."

"I'll let you use my lap."

"Okay. Fifteen minutes it is."

Inside the small tub, in the warm water.

Skin pressed against skin, talking softly like this. It was a happy moment.

-splash

Then Elli started tracing her fingers along my thigh. She wasn't pressing hard, but my muscles were still sore enough that it sent a ticklish sting through me.

"Don't push too hard. That hurts."

"Just stroking it?"

"That feels good."

At my words, her touch shifted into something a little different. She moved just her fingertips through the water, barely grazing my skin, and a light shiver ran through me.

Maybe my sore muscles were making everything more sensitive.

My body had already been worked up since before the shower, from the view of Elli's back, and it responded exactly as you'd expect.

"It's gotten hard."

"Of course it did, with you touching me like that."

"I was talking about your thigh."

"Oh."

"Animal."

She said it in a teasing tone, throwing a sideways glance at me over her shoulder, eyes curved into a smile.

At that angle, I caught sight of the top of her chest hovering just above the waterline. It was indecent. It was great.

Right.

Guess a nap can wait.

-splash

I brought one hand up and caught Elli by the chin.

Pulled her gently toward me.

-smooch...

Our lips met. At the same instant, Elli's tongue came out on instinct, almost like a reflex.

I met it with mine, and we twisted together like two threads braiding, the kiss deepening on its own, and while that was happening my other hand found its way to her chest.

The look in Elli's eyes grew hotter. So did her breath.

And beyond that, a heat swept through me intense enough to make me forget my sore muscles entirely.

"Haa..."

"Elli. Come out for a second and grab the sink."

"What. You said we were bathing and then napping."

"We do it, wash up again, then nap."

"Mmm."

"Come on. Stand up and bend over."

"...Fine."

I said it like an order, and a mischievous little smile spread across Elli's face.

After that, well, naturally, the bathroom filled with her voice... but we only went once.

My muscles hurt too much to manage anything more.

* * *

After that, we kept going to the gym steadily.

I spent the time outside my workout sessions studying for certifications and working on my English, since the semester was starting in less than a month. Elli still went out for modelling shoots about three days a week. Whenever both of us had time free, we always went together, no exceptions.

We never fixed a specific day of the week. We went roughly every two days, at almost the same time each visit, and checked in at the gym like clockwork.

By the time the fourth week rolled around, we'd gotten a little close with Hyun-ho, the trainer who'd run our PT sessions.

He worked there, and our schedules happened to line up, so we ran into him every time we came.

"Do you ever get a day off, hyung? You're always here."

"Tuesdays. But I come in on my days off too."

"And do what?"

"What do you think. Work out."

"Ah."

Right, of course.

Anyway. He had a hulking build and a sharp, intimidating face, but he was always friendly to us even after our PT sessions ended. When we had questions about anything workout-related, he'd explain in detail, and whenever my form started slipping he'd come over and correct it.

When someone goes this out of their way to be friendly to me, it's usually because they have their eye on Elli. But Hyun-ho hyung never gave off that impression.

It wasn't completely absent, but the interest he had in her was the ordinary kind anyone would have, because Elli was just that pretty. We'd gotten good enough at reading people to tell the difference. That was part of why we'd gotten comfortable with him.

And the more time we spent there, something else became clear.

"...gulp..."

He swallowed whenever he looked at me rather than at Elli.

It was enough that Elli, who otherwise described him as "a nice person," kept a slight guard up around him.

I had no idea what his reason was for reacting to me like that, and I didn't ask. There was a small chance it was because he liked men, and if I ever actually heard that out loud, even I wouldn't know how to react. Honestly, it scared me a little.

Outside of that, though, he was a good hyung. He greeted us with a smile every visit, helped us with our workouts, and had even passed along some KATUSA tips through a friend.

So, grateful for everything, around a week before our gym membership was set to expire, we wrapped up a session and took him out for a meal.

"I shouldn't be letting twenty-year-olds treat me. I'll pay."

"It's not like we're taking you somewhere expensive."

"We really do appreciate everything, though."

"I do that kind of thing for non-PT members too, but... thanks. I'll eat well, then."

Nothing too fancy, and since Hyun-ho had a strict diet he stuck to every day, we just went to a nearby family restaurant and kept it simple.

"So when your membership's up, you're not planning to come back?"

"You've taught me proper form pretty thoroughly, so I figured we'd be okay. And once the semester starts things will get busier."

"Fair enough, you're college students... Just keep up with squats and planks at home consistently. If you stop completely, your body seizes up and starting again feels like going back to square one."

"Yes, understood."

"Alisha's already been doing Pilates at home, so there's not much I need to tell her. That said, keep up the cardio and running. Even a short jog around the neighborhood does the trick."

"Will do."

The meal was calm. So was the conversation.

Hyun-ho hyung looked like the passionate, hot-blooded type straight out of a manga, but once you actually talked to him he had a surprisingly thoughtful side.

The meal was winding down nicely, when.

"Hmm... hey, Do-yoon."

He'd been mulling something over, and now he started carefully feeling out what he wanted to say.

"I was going to keep this to myself, but... I genuinely hate to see it go to waste."

"Go ahead and say it."

"I'm not trying to pressure you or anything. It's just my honest opinion."

"Yeah, yeah."

"...Have you considered sticking with the gym a little longer?"

"The gym?"

"Yeah."

At the words Hyun-ho hyung had worked up the nerve to say, both Elli and I turned to look at him with curious expressions.

It didn't feel bad. It was clear from the way he was acting right now that this wasn't about hitting some sales quota.

He saw us sitting quietly and listening, and launched into his reasoning with genuine enthusiasm.

"I'm not saying you should make it your whole life like I have. I'm saying that you specifically, with just a little more work, you'd fill out incredibly well."

"Really?"

"I mean it. Every time I see you I think what a waste. You've been blessed with a body, man. Your proportions, your bone structure, all of it."

"That's... well, I guess my parents made me well..."

"Exactly. You know it yourself. Just pay a little more attention to your diet and keep at it two or three days a week. Do that, and later when you go to the beach or a pool and take your shirt off, the girls will..."

"Stop there. Oppa. Don't cross the line."

"...Alisha would really love it too."

The sudden chill in Elli's voice made Hyun-ho hyung back off immediately, but his point still came through.

Being a guy, I naturally had some desire to have a decent set of abs or something to show for it. I just hadn't given it much thought because spending long hours at the gym felt less important than time with Elli.

On top of that, neither Elli nor I had ever really wanted to go to a gym before this, worried about people bothering us.

But that bias had faded pretty significantly from actually coming here.

Hyun-ho hyung himself turned out to be a good person, and while the other members at our usual time slot definitely snuck glances, none of them had been a nuisance about it.

And beyond that.

"I'm actually kind of enjoying working out..."

It had been surprisingly fun, going to the gym.

It was brutal at first, but I'd gotten used to it, and there was something satisfying about sweating through a session and feeling good about yourself after. Plus, after the rough time I'd had with the body aches before, it felt meaningful just to be taking care of my health.

"......"

Elli seemed to be thinking it over too.

Honestly, running on the treadmill at the gym was probably easier on her in a lot of ways compared to jogging through the neighborhood.

She'd expected more people to pester her at a gym, but it had turned out to be almost nothing. The curious stares were heavy in the first week or two, but after that everyone was too busy with their own routines.

Seeing our fairly positive reaction, Hyun-ho hyung lit up and rattled off at full speed.

"Hey, hey, you don't even need PT. I'll keep an eye on your form when I pass by, just like now, and help you work out your routine. Give it a shot. The only way you stick with working out is if you actually enjoy it, and right now you're exactly at that point."

"Hmm... Elli, what do you think?"

"...Still deciding."

"Alisha. Think it over carefully. Your boyfriend's body getting better isn't bad for you at all. As for women chasing him, the ones who'd come after him for his looks already come after him for his face, body or not."

"......"

"Everything he's working for is going to be for you anyway. Isn't that a win for both of you?"

At that, Elli's gaze drifted over to me.

Bottom to top.

A slow, deliberate look over my body.

Suggestive, and a little heated.

Come to think of it, Elli had been touching me a lot more often lately. Especially on days we came back from the gym, she'd press and prod at different spots while we were in the shower.

And after finding a spot that had firmed up, she'd always get this peculiar little smile.

That was probably why she was reacting so positively right now.

"Lee Do-yoon. You think you can manage it?"

"Manage what?"

"The semester's starting. Can you keep up with working out on top of that?"

Balancing university and the gym.

"It's not like I'd be going every single day. If I want to make it work, I can. If I don't put in the effort, I can't."

"That's true."

"Ha... Do-yoon. Words of wisdom. That's exactly right. You can make it work if you want to. I'm not trying to force you into anything. I just thought you'd started to genuinely enjoy it, so I brought it up. Want to give it a shot?"

"Hmm."

There was nothing stopping me.

It wasn't like I'd be working out for hours every day, and I didn't live a life too packed to carve out the time.

The cozy time with Elli might shrink by an hour, but we'd still be going together to work out. And the reward of my body improving felt like a good thing for Elli too.

Once my thoughts settled to that point, my head was already nodding on its own.

"I'll do it."

* * *

Hyun-ho hyung walked out of the family restaurant beaming, after hearing our answer.

He said he'd put together a routine that wouldn't be too hard on our bodies next time we came in. He said he'd also give us a simple rundown on what to cut back on and what to make sure to eat.

We thanked him and headed straight home.

Sitting on the sofa and resting for a bit, I pulled Elli into my arms and asked her something.

"Elli, do you like guys with good bodies?"

"What are you talking about."

"You seemed like you wanted me to work out. And Uncle Mark is built pretty well."

"What does my dad have to do with anything. I don't care about other people's bodies."

"Yeah?"

"Obviously. Are you an idiot?"

Elli pulled herself out of my arms, turned around, and looked me in the eye.

She ran her hand slowly down my chest and traced her tongue over her lips as she went on.

"What I like is your body getting better."

"Is that right?"

"Yes. And then, with that body of yours... you know what to do with it. Right?"

"Come at you like an animal?"

"Exactly. That's all. So work hard. Got it?"

"Yep."

"Good answer. I'll give you a reward, so come here."

"Thank you ver... mmph..."

-smooch

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