WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS
Translator/Editor: Ryuu
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◈ My Platinum-Blonde Childhood Friend is Too Pretty
Chapter 4: Becoming Best Friends with the Aloof Princess of Platinum Blonde (4)
As the children became friends, it naturally led to their mothers interacting more, extending our meetings beyond the daycare to outside encounters.
The ever-active Elli, having grown close to me, always found it regrettable to head straight home after daycare, leading to the mothers arranging to spend time together until the evening.
"Lee Do-yoon! Hurry!"
"Elli, what do you want to ride?"
"All… I want ride everything!"
Elli, like a fish in water, took my hand and ran around the playground near the daycare.
Held by Elli's tiny hand, I followed her, her platinum hair fluttering ahead.
Under the sunlight, her beautiful hair sparkled, and her pale skin always dazzled my eyes.
Even as the gaze of other parents and children focused on us, we paid them no mind.
Elli's interest was solely in me, and likewise, no other child caught my eye.
It was as if we were in our own world, regardless of the surrounding noise.
"Me first!"
"Got it. I'm next!"
For a moment, even Elli's usual love for drawing was forgotten, her face bright with a wide smile, lifting my spirits even higher.
We played together, day after day, after daycare ended.
And it wasn't just that.
Even after playing all five days.
We never tired or grew bored. When Friday evening came, and it was time to part.
"......"
"Elli, you're going to turn into a duck at this rate, look at your pouting lips~ Hehe."
Ye-rin laughed, teasing her daughter, who pouted her lips like a duck.
Then, holding my hand tightly, she blocked my way.
"Elli. Are you hiding our son behind you? You think we can't see him?"
"...Do-yoon isn't here."
"Do-yoon is right here, see? Right here, our cute little guy is peeking out."
"He's not here..."
"I'm here..."
"He's not! Don't hit me!"
"Pfft, haha… Can't I take Do-yoon? Then should we take him to Elli's house?"
"We have snacks at home. Want to come over and eat?"
Shielding me with her body and blocking the way as if to prevent me from being taken, Elli's actions made our mothers laugh while she earnestly tried to hide me.
Could any mother resist this level of cuteness and charm?
"Ah, she's so adorable I can't handle it!"
Ji-eun, watching her son hidden behind the platinum doll, saw me peeking out from behind Elli with wide, innocent eyes.
Unable to contain her affection, she burst into laughter.
From the first day we met, the tiny child who had allowed me to call her by a nickname knew that to play with her son longer, she needed to win her over, this cunning child.
She felt a softness in her heart for Elli, just as she did when dealing with her own son.
Turning to Ye-rin, who was also smiling softly, she asked.
"Do you have time tomorrow? Want to take the kids to Nanji Park? We can drive there."
"That sounds great~ Should I pack a lunch?"
"Hmm? Feeling confident, are you? I can make a pretty serious character lunch! I practiced a lot for Do-yoon!"
"Oh, I was just going to make sandwiches… I thought I'd make extra for my husband's lunch too."
"The husband will manage. It's fine. If anything, just make a few rice balls for him."
"Okay… Yeah, that sounds good."
The mothers, fast friends due to their children and also being the same age, quickly became close.
While the kids played at the playground they visited every day, the mothers found they got along well in personality and heart, quickly becoming close friends.
During their planning,
Elli...
-Slyly
"Where are you going?"
"Be quiet."
"Okay."
Elli took my hand and quietly slipped into the circular tunnel beneath the slide, where we could crawl through.
I followed Elli without much thought, and we sat crouched inside the tunnel, holding hands.
Then, she said,
"Lee Do-yoon."
"What?"
"Let's draw at my house. We'll draw."
"Really? I'd love to! I want to go to Elli's house and draw with you!"
"Yes. You must… Must? You must come with me."
"I'd love to!"
Elli, with her jewel-like blue eyes, looked at me, trying to persuade me with a serious expression despite being just a 5-year-old.
Even then, Elli, who disliked books and preferred playing outside, was surprisingly smart.
Though Elli probably would have played something other than drawing even if I had gone to her house, I naively believed her words.
So, I was excited, thinking about drawing princesses with Elli, while she looked at me, pleased that I listened and believed her so easily.
Outside the circular tunnel,
"Your daughter is quite something, isn't she? She has a way of persuading our little guy."
"Oh my… Really? Hehe."
"Do-yoon takes after his dad, a bit too naive... I worry."
The mothers, who had been talking, never took their eyes off us, and when we entered the tunnel, they were already close by, listening to our conversation.
Thanks to that, Elli's attempt to "kidnap" me was quickly stopped, and we eventually said our goodbyes.
-Squish
We shared a hug, now a bit more familiar with the gesture, sharing our warmth as we parted.
"Elli, bye-bye… I wish we could go together..."
"...Not this time."
"Even if you call me cutely, it won't work! Really, if we let Do-yoon stay over, he might never want to leave."
"Hehe, we could have him stay over for just one night."
"No way! I can't sleep without my son!"
We promised to meet again the next day.
And the next day,
Leaving the fathers at home, the four of us set out in the car for a day out.
I sat in the backseat with Elli, munching on the snacks she fed me.
"Eat this."
"Mmm… munch munch…"
Between us in the seat, our small hands were intertwined.
Elli, treating me like a younger brother, her only friend, and to me, she felt even more like a princess in her pink dress today.
"Both of you, look this way~ Cheese!"
"Cheese."
"Munch… Cheeze."
-Click!
Our moment was captured in a single photograph.
Arriving at the park, I enjoyed walking the wooded paths with Elli, who was happy just being outside.
Then, in a grassy area, we were caught
-Click!
holding hands, and even hugging each other for the mothers' photos.
Enjoying the spring breeze on our walk, we then sat on a bench, savoring character lunchboxes and sandwiches.
"Ah~"
"Ah."
"Your turn. Here."
"Okay… Elli, ah."
-Click!
Feeding each other was also captured as a cherished memory.
Later, at the somewhat sparse playground sandbox,
"Let's play together!"
"I want to play too!"
Children a year or two younger approached us, inviting us to play without much thought, simply wanting to join in the fun, unbothered by Elli's distinctive appearance.
"Okay. Let's play together."
I welcomed the children as I would during class at daycare, but
"…Hmph."
Elli was not pleased with their approach.
Even later, she believed that she didn't need many friends, just a few who were important to her and who valued her in return.
Perhaps the two weeks of isolation at daycare, though brief, had left a traumatic imprint on Elli.
After a while, Elli grabbed my arm and moved us away from the group.
"Uh…"
"Lee Do-yoon! Come here!"
As if she didn't want to share me, Elli naturally sought to keep me all to herself.
I didn't mind, enjoying Elli's company, and so we ended up playing apart from the others as usual.
"…Sorry. Because of Elli, Do-yoon isn't able to play well with the other kids."
Ye-rin couldn't bring herself to scold her stubborn daughter and apologized to Ji-eun, now a fellow parent and friend.
But for Song Ji-eun,
"A girl should have that kind of spirit. She needs to look after her own man…"
"……"
She didn't really mind.
To her, neither Elli nor Do-yoon seemed problematic enough to worry about seriously. She believed that friends would naturally come, especially once they started elementary school.
In fact, she thought they would be swarmed with friends soon enough. Do-yoon, taking after his parents, was handsome, and Elli was breathtakingly beautiful.
So, Elli's actions seemed merely adorable to her.
Initially thinking of her as a "thief cat," she now found Elli's antics endearingly cute, even considering her a potential daughter-in-law.
Ye-rin, smiling at Ji-eun's half-joking, yet sincere words, watched the children play happily.
"Tonkatsu."
"You mean, 'Want some Tonkatsu?' This is Tonkatsu, right?"
"Yeah. You make some too."
"Like this… and fries!"
"Let's make Tonkatsu castles!"
Though it was just a childhood friendship, they hoped it would last for a long time.
Both the children and their mothers wished for this.
My five-year-old memories are filled with such days.
Meeting Elli, falling for her, and playing together every day.
Looking at the photos in the album, I could always see our shared memories, always together.
Nothing extraordinary happened.
When I was alone at home, I would draw, and with Elli, I would follow her around, always playing together.
Eventually, we started visiting each other's homes.
What started as a simple friendship at daycare evolved into exchanges involving our mothers and then our fathers, becoming close family friends.
And a few years later,
We became neighbors in the truest sense.
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