WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS
Translator/Editor: Ryuu
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◈ My Platinum-Blonde Childhood Friend is Too Pretty
Chapter 14: The Last of the Prologue. The Seventeen Before the Story Begins. (1)
During the summer, we went to the beach.
As always, Elli's family and mine went together.
Most of us preferred to enjoy the breeze and dip our feet rather than actively play in the water, so we had a relaxed time.
At the beach, Elli, like before, wore a rash guard again this year.
I couldn't fathom why someone would invent such swimwear, but I kept my opinions to myself.
I did wonder, though, why fashion-conscious Elli insisted on wearing a rash guard.
Later, Mrs. Blomvall let slip that Elli wasn't satisfied with her chest size yet and didn't like how bikinis fit because of it.
She hinted that Elli might start wearing bikinis from next year, something I looked forward to but also worried about.
I didn't want other guys seeing her, so maybe a rash guard wasn't so bad after all.
In the fall, we went to an amusement park.
The plan was to go right after the midterms in the first semester, but it got postponed because Elli fell "under a spell" on the day we planned to go.
We didn't ride many rides since Elli was concerned about messing up her neatly done hair.
Instead, we mostly skipped the rides and visited the safari within the park to see the white tiger again this year.
Elli stared intently at it and pinched my arm, asking how she resembled it.
I apologized but inwardly, I thought they really did resemble each other.
The white tiger, majestic and sometimes playfully rolling around, was just like Elli.
After wandering around the park until dusk like a half stroll, we watched a parade and left the amusement park.
On the way home, Elli said,
"Let's go somewhere with a ferris wheel next year."
"Next year? We can go somewhere else with one this year."
"I want to ride the ferris wheel next year."
I just nodded at her firm statement.
What was the difference between this year and next year in Elli's mind?
It seemed like I almost understood.
In the winter, we went to a ski resort.
My dad, as if it were the most natural thing, booked for Elli's family too, and they gladly joined us for the trip.
And as always, I realized Elli was an excellent skier.
I was decent since we came every year, but Elli was on another level.
Her platinum blonde hair fluttering under her hat as she skied down the advanced slopes was truly a sight to behold.
Then came Christmas.
On Christmas Eve, I hung out with friends at karaoke and other places, and on Christmas Day, I spent time with family.
Elli seemed to want to spend it just the two of us, but since Marcus... Mr. Mark seemed a bit down, we had no choice.
Late that night, escaping from the living room where the adults were loudly enjoying their drinks, I was pulled into Elli's room where she declared,
"From next year, we're definitely going out."
"How about we go out early in the morning? Watch a movie, have lunch, go shopping together?"
"Absolutely. What's this about spending Christmas with family as if we're still kids?"
Her eyes blazed with determination. Of course, I agreed.
Maybe from next year, as we might be referred to in a different relationship, Elli and I wanted to spend Christmas alone, just the two of us.
And a few days after that spring day when Elli said we were still sixteen,
suddenly, we were 17.
Despite Elli's hints making me anticipate something from being 17, nothing drastically changed when January 1st rolled around.
Translator note: Under the “Korean age” system, babies are considered to be one year old on the day they are born, and every January 1, a year is added to people's ages – regardless of their actual birthdate. For example, a baby born on New Year's Eve becomes two years old the next day.
It wasn't a dramatic change, but things felt slightly different.
The way Elli looked at me, the bisous we shared morning and night, seemed to... carry a hint of sensuality?
Facing such changes, I naturally found myself looking forward to February 14th, vividly remembering Valentine's Day when we were 14.
That day, Elli taught me a new Swedish greeting with a bisou.
The happiness of holding Elli's slender body in a kram and the luxury of kissing her soft cheeks became a part of our daily greeting.
And now I knew.
In Sweden, they don't actually do bisous.
Elli had started this just because she wanted to exchange cheek kisses with me every day.
So, three years later, was it time for the next step?
As a 17-year-old in the throes of puberty, even holding hands with the girl I liked caused a reaction.
Despite the compliments about my looks, I was just a boy in the peak of his youth, filled with thoughts of taking the next step with Elli.
And so, eagerly awaiting February 14th,
after a restless night, I got up early, feeling tired but alert, and walked out of my room to find,
"Why are you just getting up now? Hurry and get ready."
"...It's only 7 o'clock?"
"So what? You wanna die? Go shower now."
"Sorry, I'll shower right away."
Elli, seemingly more excited about today than I was, was already fully dressed and waiting on our living room sofa.
I knew we were going out early, but I never imagined she'd be ready this soon.
Shocked, I hurried into the bathroom, quickly washed up, and came back out to find,
"Today, wear these."
"Thanks. I'll put them on right..."
"And what's with your hair? Come here after you dress. I'll fix it for you."
"Got it."
While I was showering, Elli had rummaged through my wardrobe to pick out an outfit that matched hers.
Then, she took a hairdryer and styled my hair.
This wasn't unusual. I rarely had a say in what I wore. Even my everyday clothes and pajamas were chosen by Elli.
So, within less than an hour, I was ready for our date, and,
"Let's go."
"Yeah."
Elli and I left the house together.
And just as we stepped out,
"Kram."
Elli, unusually wearing a skirt, opened her arms for a hug, our usual greeting.
I naturally embraced her and kissed her cheek, expecting Elli to do the same as always.
Until that moment, other than her being dressed up, Elli seemed no different from any other day.
But as her lips touched my cheek,
"......!"
Suddenly, a chilly sensation ran down my spine as something moist briefly brushed my cheek.
Frozen in shock by this unfamiliar bisou, I stared wide-eyed at Elli, who stepped back slightly and nonchalantly offered her hand as if nothing had happened.
Her pale cheeks were flushed.
"What are you waiting for? Hold my hand."
"Did you just lick my cheek?"
"Lick what?"
"...Never mind. Are we going to hold hands while walking?"
"We are. And just so you know, if you let go of my hand today, I'll kill you."
"Ah, okay. Got it."
Still bewildered, I took Elli's hand.
Interlocked fingers, Elli moving closer, intertwining our arms.
It felt like we were a couple.
My head was already spinning before we even started, and I had planned to take the lead today if Elli showed any signs, to be more manly.
But everything was different today.
Elli was more... how should I put it?
Fierce.
Her platinum blonde hair, her direct blue gaze.
She resembled a white tiger at the safari, eyeing its prey.
Our planned itinerary for the day wasn't much different from usual.
Having spent so much time together, there wasn't much we hadn't done, so it was a repeat of past activities.
But that didn't mean I disliked it. Time with Elli, even just sitting and talking, was satisfying for me.
Still unable to shake off the morning's unusual bisou, I tried to maintain normalcy and enjoy the date with Elli.
But Elli wasn't her usual self here either.
Firstly, walking with our arms entwined and holding hands was something she usually didn't do in public.
And when we stopped to look at clothes during our shopping,
"Elli, isn't this too close..."
"What's too close? You do bisous with me every day, don't you?"
"Well, when you put it that way, I have nothing to say."
Standing so close our bodies overlapped to show me clothes, our distance nearly vanished.
Elli had eagerly awaited the romance movie we pre-booked for today.
As we exited the cinema,
"......"
-Squeeze
Silently, she gripped my hand throughout the movie, not ordering popcorn or cola, probably for this reason.
After the movie, at a nearby pasta place,
"Ah."
"Ah?"
"Open up."
"Ah─"
For the first time since we were little, she fed me pasta twirled on her fork, without any hesitation.
We had done many things together, but surprisingly, we had never done this.
My heart raced so much that by the end of the meal, I was suffering from indigestion.
Then, at the rented room café,
"...Aren't you uncomfortable?"
"Not at all. Aren't you holding my arm too tightly? Don't break my fingers, hold them properly."
"Is this okay?"
"Perfect."
I sat with my back against the wall, legs apart, and Elli nestled between my legs, leaning back against me.
In that position, I wrapped my arms around her waist, and she placed her hands over mine on her lap.
Elli's platinum hair tickled my face, and her sweet scent made me dizzy.
Because,
"......"
Right below, where my arms encircled her waist, her curvaceous chest was not visible due to my arms.
Further down, her skirt had ridden up slightly due to her bent knees, revealing her pale thighs.
And I couldn't focus on the drama on screen; as a man, I couldn't be indifferent to such a situation.
Meanwhile,
"...Hmm, hmm..."
Elli seemed very pleased. As if she really enjoyed our current position, she hummed and playfully tapped my hands.
While I was happy that Elli liked being this close,
'...Should I touch her?'
The thought tempted me, given our intimate position.
I was torn.
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