My Platinum-Blonde Childhood Friend is Too Pretty - Chapter 92

WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ My Platinum-Blonde Childhood Friend Is Too Pretty ◈

Chapter 92: 35. Our Plan for a Car to Drive Around In with Elli

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"So what did you guys even do for fun?"

"Nothing that wild. Just what I told you on the app, really. Hung out, played some games, watched a performance... honestly everything else just blurs into drinking."

"Did you get close with anyone? The older students?"

"Yeah, made some friends."

"Girls?"

"Hm?"

"Were there a lot?"

"......"

"Answer me."

"...You know half the world is female, right?"

"Answer me."

"I exchanged numbers with everyone, but that's it, nothing more than that. Word got around that I have you, so everyone already knows. They've all probably seen our profile picture too."

"So then."

"What?"

-Squeeze!

"Ugh...! Not that hard, that's, Elli... calm down..."

"Why were you drinking with Lee So-yeon and Joo Hye-ryeong."

"At a drinking session... ugh... if you're asking why I drank at a drinking session, I'm not sure what answer you're looking for..."

"The three of you all pressed together like that, hm? And then you go and take a photo of it and send it to me? You want to die?"

"......"

"Not answering? Do you want to die, I asked."

"...Elli."

"What."

"If you put your hand inside my underwear and hold on like that... I'm not going to be able to hold back."

"Hmph."

-Stroke... rub...

"Wait... doing it like this, stroking me, makes it even harder to..."

"Why is it like this."

"What do you mean why. Obviously because you're touching me..."

"Are you turned on?"

"I'm turned on."

"Because I'm touching you?"

"That too, but, the see-through lingerie you have on right now is seriously too sexy."

"Because you can see everything?"

"Because you can kind of see everything."

"Hmm."

-Press...

"Ah..."

"Am I heavy?"

"...Not at all. Like I always say, you're incredibly light. Worryingly light."

"I'm going on top."

"Fine by me... Elli."

"Mmm... what..."

"The condom?"

"......"

"You haven't put one on yet..."

"Tch."

"...Tch?"

"I forgot. Give me a second to get one."

"Oh, okay... but did you actually forget, or were you trying to..."

"Mmph...!"

* * *

The moment she got back from orientation, Elli threw herself at me with full intensity, and we spent two days barely leaving the apartment.

Even after all of that, she still wanted to stay tangled up with me. I felt the same way.

But we had the road driving lessons and test already booked, and Elli's fitting model schedule was starting to creep up on us.

Now a full-fledged adult, Elli had signed an exclusive contract with the shopping mall as a model, and her pay had gone up considerably from before.

With that came less flexibility, of course.

Back in high school she could contact them whenever she had free time and fit in shoots at her own pace. Now, she had to work around the mall's schedule.

She'd be shooting more often as a result, but earning more in proportion, so there was nothing to complain about.

And above all, Elli was fired up about it.

"I'm going to save every single paycheck from here on out."

"What are you saving up for?"

"I'm buying a car."

"A car? You want to buy a car? That's going to take forever to save up for. Wouldn't it be easier to just borrow our parents' cars whenever we go somewhere, or rent one?"

"Both our dads drive to work every day. Renting is a hassle too. People say they nitpick all kinds of things."

"That's true. We can't make their commutes inconvenient just for us."

"And when we want to go somewhere right away, whenever we feel like it, it's better to have our own."

"That makes sense too, but... would we need to save for like a year? How much does a car even cost?"

"We won't need to save that long. We're buying used."

"Used? Oh, smart. Good for a first car."

"A decent used compact car goes for somewhere between five hundred and a million. Our insurance will be pretty steep since we're young, but still."

"Wow, you really know your stuff. Did you look this up while I was away?"

"I asked your dad."

"Ah."

That explained where the neat little breakdown came from, and I felt instantly reassured.

My dad looks easygoing on the surface, but he's actually incredibly meticulous about everything. Especially with this kind of thing, he's sharp and decisive in a way you can really count on.

Same as when we were signing the lease for this place.

As for the one person outside the family my dad doesn't apply that same strict standard to, that would probably be Elli, and Elli alone.

His future daughter-in-law, whom he adores completely.

"He keeps offering to just buy it for us and I've turned him down like a hundred times already. He texted again today."

"That sounds like him."

"You turn him down too. Got it?"

"Obviously. It'd feel wrong to ask that much of him. Still, must be nice being this beloved by your future father-in-law, Elli."

"Hmph. Whatever."

"He wants to buy you things because you're around. I get where he's coming from. You're just too pretty, Elli."

"......"

"Why are you looking at me like that? Want to kiss?"

"......"

-Peck!

"One's not enough for me..."

"Hmph."

-Peck!

"A bird kiss isn't enough..."

"You going to keep begging? Want me to do it like when you left kiss marks on my chest?"

"I like that idea. Then you do it like when you left marks on my neck."

"......"

"Will you?"

"...Take off your pants."

"Huh? Not on top, so on the bott-"

"Shut up."

-Slide!

Nothing surprising about it anymore, just a normal cohabiting couple, the mood suddenly running hot, and we fell into each other right then and there.

An hour or so later, aftercare included, we settled back onto the sofa. I pulled Elli into my arms and started searching used cars on the tablet.

We didn't have the money yet to buy anything soon, so it was more of a browsing session, just seeing what was out there.

The main focus, as Elli had said, was compact cars.

"Aren't compact cars a bit small though?"

"Small for what. There's only two of us."

"True, but... you know what Bini-noona was talking about. Wouldn't we need a bit more space for that?"

"...Do you actually want to try it?"

"I mean... if the opportunity came up...?"

Bringing up what might happen in a car earned me a suggestive look from Elli.

I was the one working the tablet while Elli was settled entirely in my arms, so with one hand she idly traced her fingers across my chest.

-skim

At the same time she draped one leg over mine, and in a low, sultry voice she said,

"...Apparently you can do it in a Morning too."

"What?"

"Even in a tiny car, if you want to do it, you can."

"...Is that right?"

"Yeah."

"Bini-noona told you?"

"Mm."

She really was a noona worth being grateful for, in her own way. I held Elli close as she breathed warmly against me and kept scrolling through the search results.

"Honestly, price-wise, compact is probably the right call. Looks like there are a lot of perks and benefits too."

"Look at that one."

"Which?"

"The Ray."

"The Ray? This one? Oh... it's cute, actually. I like it."

There weren't that many compact car models to begin with, so browsing didn't take long.

And among them, the boxy little Ray that Elli had spotted was one that caught my eye too.

Something about the squared-off shape was charming, and the rear cargo space was surprisingly generous for a compact car.

"The newer models are pretty pricey even used though. Makes sense, they haven't been out that long."

"......"

"Still, this is the one you like best, right?"

"Yeah."

"Me too... it'd be nice when we have to fit other people in, and there's plenty of room for luggage when we go on trips later..."

"And it's good for that too."

"Right."

"Pervert."

"Yes. Guilty as charged."

"Keep it as a candidate for now. It's not like we're buying anything right now anyway, we have to save first."

"Okay."

We looked at a few more compact cars after that, but nothing grabbed us the same way after we'd already fallen for the Ray.

So we settled on a tentative pick. We figured we'd confirm it after checking with our parents to see if it was a good choice.

The price ran a little high, but that was only for the newest models. A few years older and the price was in line with other used compact cars, well within reach.

Elli was going to be making more from her modeling work going forward, and once I started taking on illustration commissions too, the savings would build steadily.

On top of that, our parents were covering the monthly rent and living expenses, so putting money aside wasn't going to be hard.

And Elli still had a fair amount left over from what she'd saved the previous year.

She'd spent some of it on the bed and a few things when we moved in, but roughly half of it was still sitting there.

"Let's get cleaned up and head out. Road driving starts at four, so we should get ready soon."

"Are you going to shower?"

"Yeah. Come wash me."

"Just wash?"

"Do you want to say something stupid right now?"

"Sorry. Let me run to the bedroom and grab a condom."

"There are some in the bathroom."

"We used those up yesterday. Have to bring out a new box."

"......Tch."

"...Yeah?"

* * *

Two days of road driving lessons wrapped up, and then came the test.

Getting the license wasn't all that hard. The exam was easier than it used to be, and we were both decent drivers to begin with.

Honestly I was just a notch above average, but Elli impressed the road driving instructor enough that they remarked on it.

Said her form felt like someone who'd been driving for years.

Anyway, we both passed without trouble and had our driver's licenses issued the same day, then stopped by the family home for a quick visit.

Our parents happened to all be there that evening, which was the perfect time to bring up the used car plan.

"The Ray? Cute car. I think it's a solid choice. Compact cars have so many perks these days, right?"

"Oh, I'd love to go on drives together, all four of us! Eat something good nearby. Don't you think?"

"There was a great eel place on the way to Ilsan..."

Both moms responded with immediate enthusiasm. Hearing that we planned to earn the money ourselves without overextending, they seemed genuinely happy for us and ready to cheer us on.

They also let slip a little personal wish, that they'd love to take drives just the four of them, leaving the dads behind.

As for Dad and Mark ajeossi.

"Nice. That'll be perfect for the two of you."

"Suits Elli well. So, shall we go, Do-hyeon?"

"Let's, Mark."

"Go where?"

"To buy your car. Your dad and Mark ajeossi will get you a new one fully loaded, so drive it w-"

"Honey, sit down."

"Hehe, Mark, why don't you pipe down for a moment too?"

"......Okay."

"......Sure."

They hadn't just approved. They were ready to go buy a brand new fully-furnished car on the spot. Naturally, the moms shut that down immediately.

My mom usually wants to give me everything and anything, arguably more than my dad does, but in this case she wanted us to put in the effort ourselves.

"We'll keep covering your rent and living expenses, so if you want a car, save up for it together on your own."

"Right, you'll appreciate it so much more when you've worked hard for it."

"Your mind might change along the way, or you might end up not really needing one once you're actually living your lives. So keep saving and keep thinking it over."

"We will."

"Got it."

We both nodded at Mom's very sensible take.

She smiled at us, then pushed herself up from her seat.

"Alright, let's head out then."

"Huh? Where are you going, Mom?"

"Where do you think! Your son is going to drive us around!"

"Yes, yes, we absolutely have to do that!"

"Let's just do a few laps around the neighborhood, stop somewhere for coffee, and come back. Good practice for you two as well."

"...Honey, what about us?"

"Ye-rin..."

"You stay here and watch the house. We'll pick up groceries on the way back."

"Mark, can I leave the bathroom to you?"

"......"

And so we loaded our moms into the car and did a little neighborhood drive slash driving practice.

Both of them drove fairly often around the area themselves, so they had plenty of useful tips for navigating the neighborhood.

Late that evening we came back to our own place and started a savings meeting.

The basic plan: anything earned from modeling or illustration commissions goes straight into savings, one hundred percent. And on top of that, try to cut back as much as possible on the monthly living allowance too.

"For dates, keep doing what we're doing and stay home as much as possible. Only go out when there's something specific we want to do."

"What about seeing friends?"

"Spending money when you make plans to hang out is fine. Don't try to cut that out. It's not like we see people that often these days anyway."

"So just cut back on everyday waste... but we don't really waste much as it is, do we?"

"Not really."

"You take such good care of things around the house. No unnecessary spending anywhere because of it."

"Hmph. Obviously."

"Always grateful. I love you."

Elli lifted the corner of her mouth at the compliment and the affection, looked away, and continued.

"...There is one thing we spend on a lot that we could cut back."

"Oh? What?"

"Condoms."