WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS
Translator/Editor: Ryuu
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◈ My Platinum-Blonde Childhood Friend is Too Pretty
Chapter 9: We, Who are Fourteen Years Old, Like Each Other but are Not Dating (2)
Even an oblivious passerby might have mistaken the scene for a high school delinquent boy coming to extort money. But in reality,
"Jeong-woo hyung!"
I greeted the seemingly intimidating but surprisingly kind older neighbor with enthusiasm.
My cheerful greeting made Jeong-woo hyung smile slightly as he replied,
"You're getting chocolates even before Valentine's Day. Elli's going to give you a hard time again."
"Elli will understand."
"Understand? Just the day before yesterday, I saw her glaring daggers at you for talking to that girl in 508."
We stood chatting for a moment, engaging in light banter.
Jeong-woo hyung, whose real name is Seo Jeong-woo, lived in 506, directly across our corridor in an apartment building where each floor housed thirteen units. My family resided in 501, Elli's in 502, and Jeong-woo hyung moved in the year before last.
He was four years our senior, making him a sophomore in high school this year.
How did I come to befriend Jeong-woo hyung? Well, it's not just him; I'm pretty friendly with all our neighbors on this floor.
For years, Elli and I roamed around, greeting everyone we encountered, which naturally led to friendly relations with everyone, including Jeong-woo hyung. After exchanging greetings a few times, he began to acknowledge me, occasionally buying me snacks.
We got to talking casually, and it just went from there.
"Saw that?"
"Ended up taking a detour; thought I'd get a punch if I tried sneaking by. Your girlfriend's still as fierce as ever."
"She's not my girlfriend. And Elli's nice."
"…Whatever."
With a slight grin at my response, Jeong-woo hyung ruffled my hair as he made to pass by, leaving a faint scent of cigarettes in his wake.
"Hyung, you smoked again?"
"Does it smell a lot?"
"Just a bit."
"Damn, need to air it out properly then."
"Do cigarettes taste good? You always get scolded by your mom but keep smoking."
"Not really. Don't even think about it."
"I won't. Elli would kill me."
"Good. Always listen to your girlfriend."
"She's not my girlfriend."
"Whatever, kid."
As we spoke, hyung called the elevator.
While waiting, he suddenly turned to me, as if remembering something, and continued,
"You're starting middle school this year, right?"
"Yeah, middle school from this year."
"Hmm… It might be a bit early, but if you're interested in joining a band, let me know. I can hook you up."
"Band? I don't know how to play anything."
"For vocals. I saw you and Elli singing at the karaoke last month. You were pretty good."
"How did you know?"
"Saw you guys going in; listened from the next room. Anyway, if you're interested, let me know. It's pretty fun. And starting to learn an instrument now isn't a bad idea either."
"But I'm just starting middle school. Is that okay?"
"What does that matter? I started with a cheap electric guitar in middle school. It's just for fun, really. Not many stick with it, so we're always short on numbers."
Seeing hyung gesture with the guitar case slung over his back made me consider the possibility. Jeong-woo hyung looked cool, and the idea of joining a band wasn't entirely unappealing.
Elli occasionally hung out with other girls, so maybe I could use that time to learn something new. Though, finding time between drawing was another matter...
Come to think of it, middle schools have clubs and stuff.
"Should I ask Elli? About the band with hyung..."
"Hey, no! Don't go telling her I said anything! Are you trying to get me assassinated…? Then again, who else but me would suggest such a thing to you?"
Hyung paused, seemingly pondering something, then shrugged in resignation.
"Ah, well. Do what you want. Maybe I'll try to get her to pick up the bass. Anyway, I'm off."
"See you later!"
"Yep."
I waved goodbye to Jeong-woo hyung as he boarded the elevator and turned to head back home when suddenly,
"Ah."
I remembered something I'd forgotten amidst the conversation with the girls and Jeong-woo hyung.
The stern warning from Elli that morning, already in a foul mood, echoed in my head.
'You wanna die?'
The image of Elli, expressionless yet uttering those words, flashed through my mind, prompting me to hurry home.
Elli had already been quite upset since the morning, and now that I was later than expected, I dreaded how much angrier she might be.
I rushed inside, tossed the chocolates to my mom without even taking off my shoes, and announced,
"Mom! This is for you!"
"My handsome son has already received chocolates? Let's see, which sly foxes tried to seduce our boy today? Tae-hee? Ji-eun? Or So-yeon?"
"All of them! I'm off to play with Elli!"
"…Perhaps it's a blessing in disguise that Elli's around… Or is it?"
Mom muttered something complex and distant, but I was too preoccupied to pay attention, darting out and straight to the next door.
Without needing to ring the bell, I entered the familiar code and stepped inside, where I saw Elli's mom smiling amusingly on the sofa, with Elli slowly approaching.
"Sorry I'm late!"
I immediately apologized to Elli. I had broken my promise to return quickly and had forgotten to send a message in my haste.
As soon as our eyes met, Elli responded, despite trying hard to smile amidst an awkward grin,
"……It's okay."
Something was off.
Elli, who had been grumpy since I received the girls' texts and left in the morning, was now surprisingly calm.
Her signature sassy expression remained, but something about her felt different from the morning. Even the sassiness seemed less sharp than usual.
I had expected her to bombard me with questions about who gave me chocolates and whether I planned to savor each one.
'Oh? You changed clothes too?'
Then I noticed Elli was wearing a different outfit than in the morning. She had been in a Naddidas tracksuit, but now she was in light jeans and a white knit, as if we were heading somewhere like Hongdae, not just the playground or the sports field. Ah!
"Are we going out? To play outside?"
Elli stopped me as I started to get up, thinking she wanted to go out to play and had changed for that reason.
But she firmly pulled me back down onto the bed.
"We’re not going out."
"Are we playing here? Then why did you change?"
"…Just because. Hey, Lee Do-yoon."
"Yeah?"
"……."
"What's up?"
"…Do you want to draw? Or we could watch some anime or a cartoon you like… The one we talked about watching together last time."
"……??"
Despite spending a long time together, Elli's unpredictable mood today was baffling.
Usually, it took a lot of coaxing from me or her stewing for a few hours before she'd calm down from being upset.
What could have happened in the short time I was away?
Though puzzled, my joy overshadowed any confusion. The prospect of Elli suggesting indoor activities, especially watching my favorite anime or drawing together, was unexpectedly delightful. It was rare for Elli to be this generous, maybe only a few times a year, leading me to momentarily wonder if it was my birthday in December. Of course, it wasn't.
"Really?"
"Really."
"For real?"
"If you ask again, I'm going out to play."
"No, no! Let's go! At your place, right?"
"Yeah."
Elli seemed to avoid meeting my gaze as she answered, her cheeks tinged with a hint of pink. Even this slight awkwardness made her look adorable.
Caught up in the surprise, I jumped up excitedly, ready to follow her lead. Just as I was about to step out first, Elli, still seated on the bed, silently extended her hand towards me.
"......"
It had been a while since we openly held hands or hugged, except when alone. I was fine with it, but Elli had started feeling embarrassed about showing such affection in front of others or our families.
So, at this moment, with family members likely to see us, Elli reaching out was quite unusual given our recent interactions.
But pondering over why Elli was doing this now was too complex for my young mind, and my fondness for her was too great.
So, without a word, I took Elli's hand, and she reciprocally tightened her grip. Hand in hand, we left the room together.
"Going out?"
"We'll play at my place."
"Oh, is that so? Have fun then. Oh, and could you tell your mom to come here?"
"Sure, I will."
Auntie's amused reaction to us holding hands contrasted with my mom's less enthusiastic response when we reached our place.
"Mom, Auntie asked you to come over."
"Hmph! Fine. I'll go over there and let you two be. Just snack on the chocolates you brought home!"
Mom's grumbling sounded somewhat like Elli's usual complaints, revealing a hint of jealousy towards other girls or Elli herself.
I didn't dwell on it much and was about to enter my room when,
-Suddenly...
"Ah...!"
"Hey."
"What? What's wrong?"
"How many did you get?"
"...Five."
Elli's grip on my hand tightened, her gaze turned icy, and her voice dropped to a chilling tone.
Facing Elli's wrath had become almost routine, and I half-expected her to start lecturing me.
But she didn't.
"……Fine. Let's go."
"…What's going on?"
"What do you mean?"
"Uh, nothing. Never mind."
"Don't you want to draw? You said we should."
"Yeah… Let's go."
Despite the confusion, Elli took a deep breath and then proceeded into my room with me. My room was cluttered with various drawing tools and comic books.
What was happening here?
As we entered, I couldn't help but wonder if this was truly Elli in front of me.
Elli rarely tried to hide her feelings from me, making today's calm demeanor particularly puzzling.
While my mind was filled with questions, I quickly forgot them as we enjoyed our time together, engaging in peaceful indoor activities like we used to.
And as the day neared its end, the unusually serene Elli, before leaving, said,
"Wait here at one in the afternoon tomorrow."
"1 PM? Not in the morning?"
"Don't go anywhere else. If you're not here, you're dead."
"Got it."
Elli made me promise to wait, and I would have obediently done so anyway.
Blushing slightly, she reiterated her instructions a few times.
The next day, Valentine's Day, I awaited Elli with a mixture of anticipation and excitement, expecting a normal but slightly special day due to the occasion.
As the clock struck one,
"Elli! You, you! Dressed up so prettily, what are you thinking! Look at your hair! You even went to the salon with Ye-rin! "
"I'm going to play with Do-yoon."
"I know everything! Heard it from your mom yesterday! I won't allow it! Only a bise, nothing more!"
"I don't want to!"
"Absolutely not! Try anything, and I'll ask Do-yoon later!"
With the sound of the door clicking, the noisy chatter between mom and Elli ceased, and the door opened.
Of course, it was Elli who entered.
"Wow…"
"…What."
"It's just…"
Elli was Elli, but something about her was different.
As mom mentioned earlier,
"That's… um…"
Elli seemed more refined, her hair styled more elegantly, her scent a bit sweeter, her outfit more carefully chosen than usual.
I had often thought of Elli as cute and pretty.
But today, the word 'cute' didn't quite fit.
She was simply beautiful.
Looking down at me with a shy expression, my platinum-haired childhood friend was stunningly beautiful.
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