WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS
Translator/Editor: Ryuu
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ My Platinum-Blonde Childhood Friend is Too Pretty
Chapter 6: With My Platinum-Haired Childhood Friend at Ten (2)
Before the morning alarm rang, I opened my eyes to the faint bright sunlight seeping through the curtains.
The first thing I saw upon waking was the pale blue ceiling adorned with constellation-shaped fluorescent stickers, Elli's favorite.
Though my room also has the same stickers, it's surrounded by light green wallpaper. Clearly, this place wasn't my room...
"Ugh... don't wanna..."
A small groan of annoyance at the intruding sunlight came from beside me, where I lay with a foggy mind. Simultaneously, I became aware of a slight pressure on my shoulder, the softness and warmth of skin and body heat confining my arm.
The presence of another person lying in the same bed became vividly clear. Gently, I turned my head to the side, and there...
-Swoosh...
With just a slight movement, platinum blonde hair cascaded down like a wave, filling my view with a pale, beautiful face, Elli, close enough to bump foreheads if I moved slightly, sharing the same pillow.
Even in her sleep-intoxicated state, her delicate features, long eyelashes, and pretty cherry-like lips... Elli's face was simply breathtaking.
I couldn't help but stare at her face, feeling the embrace of her arms around me, and without realizing, my hand reached out to caress her cheek.
-Swoosh...
Her cheek, soft as a marshmallow, yielded under my touch, and I gently stroked it as if handling a treasure.
Soon...
"......"
Elli's eyes fluttered open, still drowsy, not fully awake yet.
-Swoosh
She let go of my arm and sat up, and as I followed suit, we noticed each other's attire - matching pink and sky-blue couple pajamas.
In a daze, Elli glanced down at the blanket and muttered.
"...Vad är klockan nu? (What time is it now?)"
"Just a sec... It's 6."
"......"
Having spent every day together, I've naturally picked up a bit of Swedish from Elli.
I'm not conversational, but I understand a few phrases she uses casually.
Upon hearing the time, Elli, who had been nodding off, seemed to realize she could sleep a bit more. Half-closing her eyes, she looked at me and then...
-Wham! Flop...
She wrapped her arms around my neck and laid back down on the bed.
To her little whimper of "sleep more...," I too closed my eyes again, feeling Elli's hair and her soft breaths on my cheek.
Even though I was somewhat awake, I knew from experience that I couldn't resist the warmth of being embraced by Elli.
Yesterday, I didn't get to paint at all.
With the house to ourselves, Elli and I enjoyed eating sugar toast, but we were caught by the lady who came home late, resulting in Elli getting scolded.
I defended Elli, saying it was my idea, but somehow she knew I was lying. Perhaps it was because I had made similar excuses too often.
As a result, Elli's cheeks were puffy from scolding, and I stayed with her to cheer her up.
We watched NewTube, scrolled through Tac-Talk, played games... until it was late, time to go home, wash up, and sleep.
But Elli didn't give me a kram, a goodbye hug.
She turned her head away without saying a word, so nonchalantly, I told her parents.
"I'll call my mom and say I'm staying over here."
"Would you like that? I'll make you something delicious in the morning~"
"Do-yoon, do you want to shower with me? I'll scrub your back."
"Yes."
Not receiving a hug from Elli meant the day wasn't over for her; she didn't want it to end.
Having experienced this before, I quickly understood, grabbed my pajamas, and returned here.
After bathing with Mark, who always talked about things I didn't quite understand but always smiled kindly, and wearing pajamas similar to Elli's but in a different color, we played some more until...
"Do-yoon, kram."
"Yeah."
Just before falling asleep, I received Elli's hug and we covered ourselves with the blanket together.
And this morning, after sleeping in and waking up again...
"Did you sleep well? I've prepared lots of Do-yoon's favorite sausages and spam, so come out after you and Elli wash up~"
"Okay."
"Yawn... ah... Do-yoon..."
"Ah, yeah."
-Hug...
We held hands as we left the room, shared a hug before washing up and eating breakfast.
Thinking how cute Elli looked with her tousled hair, even in the morning.
Then we cleaned up at Elli's place, had breakfast, and only then did I return home.
"Our son! Always playing with Elli... Don't you want to play with your mom anymore?!"
"Mom. Clothes."
"How could you! Mom can draw with you anytime you like...!"
"And my bag... ah, here it is."
"Mom wanted to make you all the spam and sausages you like..."
"I'm going to play with Elli after school ends."
"Is that so? Be careful and don't get hurt~ Is school still fun these days?"
"Yeah. It's fun."
"...Strange. If you're like your dad and me, 'fun' wouldn't be in your vocabulary..."
"Ji-eun, I did well in my studies..."
"Are you saying I was dumb then? Huh?"
"......Do-yoon, want some pocket money?"
"Please. I want to buy dalgona* with Elli."
*Dalgona (달고나) is a Korean candy made with melted sugar and baking soda.
"Alright. Buy something nice for our future daughter-in-law."
Mom joked around while helping me with my clothes and bag, and I even got some pocket money from Dad.
Staying overnight at Elli's wasn't anything special for our family. It was just part of our routine.
"I'm off!"
Walking to school with our backpacks, Elli gave me a stern warning with narrowed eyes.
"Do-yoon. If they try to give you something, don't accept it."
"Them? Oh, the girls?"
"Doesn't matter who! If you want something, let's go to the back gate store together!"
Despite her warnings, I couldn't bring myself to harshly refuse the other kids when they approached me with smiles, so I often ended up accepting, and hearing such remarks from Elli wasn't rare.
"Got it. I won't accept."
I nodded obediently in front of Elli. If I couldn't refuse, I'd just have to secretly accept if someone offered again...
"Just try accepting. I'll make you eat clay during art class."
"......"
Her words, filled with about 60% seriousness, made me sweat.
I hoped that today, of all days, the kids wouldn't give me anything.
It wasn't a daily occurrence anyway, and there were far more days when I didn't receive anything.
"I absolutely won't. Oh, right! Dad gave me some pocket money, so let's go get some dalgona after playing."
"I want the lottery."
"I'll buy you whatever you want. Dad said to buy something for you."
"Tonight, I'm staying at your house. I need to thank your uncle..."
"Then let's draw together before bed!"
"Drawing... Hmph. Well, alright."
Perhaps my promise not to accept snacks improved Elli's mood. Surprisingly, she agreed to draw together. Usually, we did whatever Elli wanted, so drawing together was rare, maybe once a week if that.
Excited about this rare opportunity, I eagerly awaited the evening.
With a spring in my step, we arrived at our classroom.
And the moment we set our bags down at our adjacent desks in the front row...
"Hey! Did you guys see this? It's freaking hilarious!"
"Let's play dodgeball after class!"
The kids who arrived earlier naturally gathered around our desks, chatting about playing in the playground after school or showing funny Tac-Talk videos on their phones.
Amidst the noisy and bustling crowd...
-Tap, tap
I felt a stealthy touch, urging me to open my palm. Reflexively, I did, and something soft and undoubtedly junk food landed in my hand, with the giver even folding my fingers over it for me.
Glancing around, I saw So-yeon, who had given me something to eat yesterday, smiling mischievously.
'Here, eat this.'
Gratitude was overshadowed by cold sweat as I remembered how she had secretly given it to other boys yesterday, claiming it was a secret. Though it was somewhat discreet, many knew or guessed, making the 'secret' somewhat meaningless.
Both Elli and I frequently received such treats, so it wasn't a big deal to most kids, and I was grateful for the kind gestures from my friends...
I just wished they wouldn't do it in front of Elli, at least for today.
-Glance
If only Elli hadn't seen, it would've been fine, so I quickly checked.
But, as expected...
"......"
Elli's blue eyes were fixed squarely on me, on my hand, ignoring the surrounding chatter as if determined to see whether I'd eat what I'd just received.
Her gaze was intense, either blazing with anger or cold with indifference.
'I'm scared...'
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
