WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ My Platinum-Blonde Childhood Friend Is Too Pretty ◈

Chapter 119: 45. Autumn, University Festival -2

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That was what one of the seniors said to me with a serious face when I went to help with festival preparations after class the next day.

The other seniors around him were nodding along, so it was clear they'd all just assumed I'd go along with it. But.

"What? I'd rather not."

"Come on, why not!"

They looked startled when I refused on the spot.

The reason was simple enough. Elli would hate it.

I understood the need for customer outreach, sure. I just didn't want to specifically target women for it.

"My girlfriend would get upset..."

"What, it's not like we're asking you to flirt with anyone. Can't you just invite women who happen to be walking by?"

"Hmm."

"And besides, if women come in and fill the seats first, guys will follow on their own. That's the whole point. Ultimately all we need is a crowd, it doesn't matter who! If there are guys around, invite them too! Just drag in whoever you see!"

"If that's all it is, let me ask her first."

"You seriously have to ask? How whipped are you, exactly?"

That part was hard to argue with.

Still, I didn't agree on the spot. I told them I'd check with my girlfriend first and left it there. The seniors looked a little exasperated, but they eventually came around with a "fine... fine, go ahead."

And that night.

I came home and told Elli straight.

"So for that reason, a senior wants to put me on half serving, half customer outreach duty. Is that okay with you?"

"Tell him I'll kill him."

As expected, the moment she heard that, Elli's eyes lit up like fire.

This wasn't just about whether it was women specifically or not.

"I thought you said you'd just be serving. What's this about customer outreach all of a sudden. You want to die? Didn't I tell you to watch yourself?"

"The seniors kept asking, so..."

"Stay inside the pojangmacha tent bar. Don't go wandering around showing your face everywhere. Serving only."

"It's an open-air parasol booth, so people can see inside from outside anyway..."

"So what, you're going to lure women into the tent bar? I swear I'll actually kill you..."

"That's not happening. I'll tell the senior no on the outreach part. So relax. Your angry face is pretty too, but your smile is so much prettier."

"......"

"There it is. Beautiful. Should I brush your hair before bed?"

"...Do it. And tomorrow, tell that senior straight. If he even thinks about putting you on outreach duty, I'm keeping you locked up at home for the entire festival."

"I'll pass it on for sure."

After receiving Elli's very firm instructions, the next day came.

With the festival right around the corner, everyone was scrambling through the final preparations, and I relayed her words to the senior.

"My girlfriend said no. I'm sorry. I'll work hard on serving."

"......Defying your almighty senior..."

"Complain about that kind of thing these days and you'll get roasted on the school forum."

"Seriously can't do it?"

"Nope."

"Hey, just let Do-yoon stick to serving. Word of mouth will bring people in on its own, what do we need outreach for."

"Still feels like a waste... who knows how long word of mouth takes... ah, fine. Just go serve."

My firm answer meant they didn't push any further.

I did want to help, but Elli's feelings came first, above everything else.

I could understand where she was coming from. Serving was bad enough, but outreach was worse. If I put myself in her shoes, I knew I'd hate it too if Elli was out pulling unknown guys into a tent bar.

Just as things were settling into a "well, nothing we can do about it" kind of conclusion, Seong-jun offered up a new idea.

"Seniors. Why not just hang a placard on him and have him walk around?"

"A placard?"

"Yeah. Do-yoon's girlfriend is coming to the festival, right? You were going to give him a break around then anyway?"

"We would. Can't work him the whole time."

"So during that break, hang a sandwich board on him front and back, like a walking advertisement. It's obvious Do-yoon will be the busiest, so give him a longer break, and he can double as a promotion while he's at it."

"Oh?"

"And since his girlfriend is with him, she won't have anything to worry about either."

"Holy crap, are you a genius?"

The senior's eyes went wide at the suggestion. I liked it quite a bit myself.

That kind of outreach definitely wouldn't bother Elli.

It was more indirect than me personally approaching anyone, and with her right there by my side, other women wouldn't exactly feel like walking up to us.

"But won't having the girlfriend there kill the promotional effect...?"

"People are coming to stare at him anyway, how much could it really drop. And honestly, it probably doesn't even matter if outside customers don't come. There's already a truckload of classmates who said they'd definitely stop by the moment they heard Do-yoon was serving in a waiter uniform."

"Fair enough. Smart. Very Business School of you!"

"In that case, if you could just shave a little off my kitchen shift..."

"No. Do-yoon, you're good with this?"

"That should be fine, probably."

"Good. Then that's the plan. Yuna! Who's making the signs right now?"

"I think Se-jin-unni is in the departmental lounge working on them with a few people?"

"Yeah? I'll have to ask her to make one for Do-yoon too. Oh, and first-years, once the interior setup is done you can head out! Don't be late tomorrow!"

"Yes, sir."

And just like that, Seong-jun's adopted idea also passed Elli's inspection.

"So I only put the placard on when I come by?"

"Right. Just the two of us walking around sightseeing while I wear the ad. What do you think?"

"If that's all it is, then..."

"It was Seong-jun's idea. Okay?"

"Hm. Same as before, that guy actually has good instincts."

Late that night I came home from campus, showered, and lay side by side with Elli in bed.

I told her about my day first, then she told me about hers.

"Your mom stopped by today."

"Mom?"

"To drop off some side dishes and chat."

"She came to chat without your mom? That's unusual."

"Mom had plans... hey. What did you just say?"

"I was asking whether your mom came along..."

"Your mom? Why are you calling my mother 'your mom'? Are you joking?"

"Hm? I've always called her that. I haven't proposed to you yet, so calling her mother-in-law seems a bit premature..."

"Fix it."

"...Did mother-in-law not come?"

"Better. Mom had plans, so she didn't come."

Elli suddenly latched onto a form of address I'd never given much thought to. The moment I switched to the new one, though, it felt oddly embarrassing to say out loud.

I'd called her that as a joke a few times before, but judging by Elli's reaction just now, it seemed like I'd have to use it exclusively from here on out.

Not that I could complain. Elli herself had been mixing between calling my mom "auntie" and "mother," and lately had switched almost entirely to "mother." I should keep up.

The brief moment of prickliness passed, and Elli, who'd been sharp like a cat for just a second, pressed her body close to mine, wearing only a thin slip with nothing underneath.

The very direct sensation of it pressed against my chest, so I shifted onto my side a little and pulled her in, kissing her on the forehead.

-peck

"Should we sleep soon?"

"......"

"I was going to kiss you on the lips too. So stop glaring at me."

-peck!

"Good night, Elli."

When I kissed her forehead as a goodnight, she immediately narrowed her eyes. So I followed it up with a kiss on the lips, and only then did the tension drain out of her expression.

At that, she turned soft like a cat whose mood had lifted, rubbing her platinum-blonde hair against my cheek and saying,

"Good night to you too."

The warmth of her body felt good, and my cat-like girlfriend was unbearably cute.

I'd have to ask her to do a proper cat cosplay for me sometime.

* * *

The Seoyeon University festival.

Under bright autumn sunlight, the lawn was dotted with booths of every kind.

Corporate booths, event booths, a handful of small food stalls, various little group activities and games.

Nothing especially spectacular, but the whole atmosphere was buzzing with festival energy.

In weather that was neither too hot nor too cold, the kind of perfect autumn afternoon you don't get to keep.

As the busy daytime hours passed and evening started to creep in.

"One more takoyaki and one pajeon for this table!"

"Hey, can I get a new pair of chopsticks! I dropped mine!"

"How long until a seat opens up?"

"Just a moment, please!"

I was running back and forth at the Business School's pojangmacha tent bar booth. All that talk about whether I'd be doing outreach or not, and as it turned out, there wasn't even a spare moment to step outside. Customers kept pouring in.

It wasn't even dark yet and there was already a line that never seemed to end. The second-year class president nearly cried with emotion.

"This is what a festival's supposed to feel like... sniff. Thank you, Do-yoon..."

"I haven't really done anything."

I said it modestly, but I knew it was at least partly because of me. Not that I'd planned it that way.

Shortly after the tent bar opened, female classmates and senior students from other departments who I'd exchanged greetings with here and there had started trickling in, one by one.

Plenty of classmates had said they'd stop by to check things out, but I hadn't expected them to show up this quickly.

"Do-yoon, hey~"

"I made it... what, the waiter uniform seriously suits you!"

"Oh my god... can I take a photo?"

"Go ahead. But can you spread the word to your friends while you're at it?"

"Sure! Um, could we take one together too?"

"Sorry. I can't do that. My girlfriend wouldn't like it."

"Oh, right... yeah, okay. Then just a regular photo... hey, should I send this to Yun-hee? She'd probably cry and sprint over here."

"Send it, send it!"

We weren't exactly close, but we'd said hello enough times that it counted for something.

Honestly, I knew that in some way or another they were coming because they were interested in me. But there was no real basis to turn them away.

So.

The thought did cross my mind for a second that this was barely any different from going out and doing customer outreach on women directly.

But they'd come all the way to the tent bar, I was just being a good host, and asking them to spread the word to friends while they were at it.

Either way, just as Seong-jun had predicted, female classmates and senior students kept arriving in a steady stream, all of them dressed just a little more carefully than usual.

The waiter uniform the senior had bought for me suited me well enough that photos of it spread around on their own, bringing in a constant flow.

Women started filling the tent bar seats first, and then a group of guys spotted that and quietly filtered in to grab spots, and the growing crowd drew in more people still.

The tent bar filled up in no time.

"Clear that table!! Numbers 3 and 5! Ji-min!"

"Oh, I'll get it..."

"Do-yoon, you just keep serving!"

"Yes, sir."

It was exhausting, but honestly kind of fun.

"Lee Do-yoon! Je-yuk to table 8!"

"On it!"

Aside from modeling, I'd never really worked a part-time job before, so there was something genuinely enjoyable about this, the chaos of running a real tent bar shift.

Having professors drop by for a drink every now and then, or close classmates stopping in for a quick chat, made it even better.

Running around like that without a break, I barely noticed the sky going dark.

Whether people had been drinking here all along or came in already a little gone from somewhere else, the atmosphere inside the tent bar was heating up more and more.

"Excuse me..."

"Yes, yes. Do you need something?"

"Could I get your number? I think you're really cute."

"Oh my god, she actually did it!"

At a table of four women, one with a bob cut gave me a smile full of warmth and asked for my number.

Hard to tell if she was serious or just playing around with her friends over drinks.

Either way, it didn't matter. She was a customer, so I answered with a smile.

"I'm sorry. I have a girlfriend."

"Oh... I see... right..."

"Wow, I've never seen In-yeong get turned down before. He didn't even hesitate."

"Oppa! Then can we at least just take a photo together? That's fine, right?"

"I'm sorry."

"Aw, come on~ Just a photo~ One shot~ Please?"

They all seemed older than me, so calling me oppa was a bit of a stretch, but sure, whatever.

Getting asked for my number had happened a few times already just today. The difference was that until now, a simple refusal had been enough. This group had clearly been drinking, though, and things were starting to get a little clingy.

Not that I had any intention of playing along. Especially not with this kind of thing.

"I'm sorry. My girlfriend doesn't like that kind of thing. Enjoy the takoyaki."

I kept my smile in place, said it firmly one more time, and turned away.

But right at that moment.

The noise of the tent bar, which had been so loud up until then, seemed to dip just slightly.

A few people had gone still, eyes fixed on one spot, mouths hanging open.

Wondering what was going on, I turned my head in the same direction.

And there she was.

Platinum-blonde hair shifting in the breeze.

A thin knit top, pale blue jeans, and a long coat draped over her shoulders.

The same beautiful face and slender frame she'd had this morning, unchanged even now as evening settled in.

And on top of all that.

"......"

Blue eyes glinting with a very sharp, very dangerous light.

My childhood friend and girlfriend.

Elli was there.

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