WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS
Translator/Editor: Ryuu
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ My Platinum-Blonde Childhood Friend is Too Pretty
Chapter 25: After Just a Few Hours Apart (1)
About an hour after Elli had left, I grabbed my tablet and headed straight to Min-jae's house.
Min-jae's place was quite a distance from ours, being on the opposite side from the school, and it took about 40 minutes to get there, changing buses along the way.
When I arrived and rang the doorbell, Min-jae came out immediately, as if he had been waiting near the entrance.
-Click!
"Hey Min-jae."
"You're here? Come in, make yourself at home. Only my sister is in her room."
"Is that so? I thought I might say hello. Too bad."
"Why bother with greetings... You really find that sort of thing fascinating."
"What's fascinating?"
"People usually like it when the parents aren't around."
"Hey, it's polite to greet the parents of a close friend."
"......"
"Why?"
"No... never mind."
I followed Min-jae, who seemed a bit embarrassed, inside. His home was a typical apartment, not much different from ours, exuding the warmth of a family.
-Knock, knock
"Noona! The friend I told you about is here!"
"Come in!"
-Click
As I entered the room, trying not to look around too much since it was my friend's sister's room and a girl's room at that, I found myself inadvertently scanning the surroundings. It was impossible not to notice.
The room was filled with character bromides on the walls and figures here and there, alongside familiar comic books.
It felt oddly familiar, almost like it could have been Min-jae's room, a perfect otaku's haven.
Although I don't collect such merchandise myself, I couldn't help but take an interest when I saw them.
In one corner of the room, a girl with short bob hair, presumably Min-jae's sister, was fervently typing away on her computer.
"Noona, Do-yoon is here."
"Sorry, sorry! Just a moment! I just need to finish this part!"
"Ah, why did you even call me here then! Just turn it off!"
"Shut up! You have to write down ideas as soon as they come to you!"
Watching him talk back to his family with such intensity was amusing, revealing a side of Min-jae I hadn't seen before. Even though he's quite open with me, there's something about the way one interacts with family that shows their true self.
About 5 minutes later, Min-jae's sister stood up from her seat, smiling apologetically.
"Sorry~ I suddenly got a great idea…"
As she turned to face us, her words trailed off. I had been sitting, waiting, but stood up to finally face her properly.
Min-jae's sister was a tiny, bespectacled woman in her twenties, which might sound rude, but she had a face that resembled Min-jae's and was quite cute.
I greeted my friend's sister with my usual bright smile and a bow.
"Hello, Noona. I'm Lee Do-yoon, Min-jae's friend."
However, she didn't immediately respond to my greeting. In fact, she couldn't.
"Uh… Um… Th-that… Uh…"
"Noona, what's wrong with you? Did you freeze?"
Like Min-jae joked, she stuttered as if buffering or malfunctioning before finally managing to speak with a flushed face.
"Um…"
"Yes?"
"…Can, can I have your number…?"
"Ah, Noona!!!"
"Later, I'll need to pay you, and there might be more commissions in the future… So it's just about getting your number, what's the big deal…"
"It looks like nothing but personal interest and ulterior motives to me."
Noona grumbled, and Min-jae scolded his sister for her behavior. To cut a long story short, I gave her my number. As she said, we might need to discuss commissions further, and exchanging numbers with a friend's sister isn't really that odd. Plus, it didn't seem like she was seriously interested in pursuing anything with me.
"I'm Min-ah. Call me Min-ah Noona. But you're really handsome~ I've heard a lot about you from him, but seeing you in person, you're even more so."
"Thank you for the compliment."
"You speak so nicely too! Are you really my brother's friend?"
"Could you not talk nonsense?"
Min-ah Noona, despite being Min-jae's sister and having an otaku vibe, was surprisingly outgoing. She might have been a bit flustered at first, stammering in her speech, but soon there was no hint of it, making the conversation quite comfortable. From complimenting me to discussing Elli.
"Can I see a picture of your girlfriend? I'm super curious about the one you took together."
Well, my girlfriend isn't… well, it will be official soon enough.
"That's fine, but hasn't Min-jae shown you any?"
"No, he hasn't. Oh, I saw the graduation photo once, but the photographer was terrible."
"Other than that…"
"Do-yoon… You know I wouldn't have a picture of Alicia other than that..."
"Ah, right."
It made sense upon reflection. Elli wouldn't allow her photos to be shared casually. She might be on Starstagram, but besides her family and me, no one could see her private account.
Anyway, I showed her a photo of Elli and me together. Elli was standing beside me, smiling softly, a picture so beautiful it was hard to look away.
As expected, Min-ah Noona couldn't take her eyes off my phone, continuously expressing her amazement.
"What the heck, this is insane! How can she be this pretty? Is she even human?"
"Of course."
"Crazy… Wow… Birds of a feather flock together…"
After showing off Elli's photo and hearing about her modeling gig today, Min-ah Noona's astonishment only made me prouder. It wasn't the first time Elli had been praised for her looks, but it always felt good to hear.
Following the small talk, we grabbed a drink each and were about to discuss work...
But ended up talking about our shared otaku interests first.
"Lately, I've been into 'Kriren', recommended by Min-jae. It's really fun. Beautiful backgrounds and a healing atmosphere too."
"That's a good one! My favorite is 'The Dead Hero'. He's handsome but slightly unhinged, which is cute~"
"Isn't the whole point of watching 'Kriren'?"
"Shut up, you lolicon otaku."
"What did you just call me, squirt?"
"You fu— I'm letting it slide because Do-yoon is here."
I heard she writes romance fantasy novels aimed at women, but when it comes to otaku interests, she prefers shounen manga. Then she subtly suggested something.
"But do you have any interest in doing cosplay? There's something that would really suit you… I can cover all the costs!"
"Cosplay... I'm not entirely uninterested."
"Really?! If you want to try, just let me know! I'll cover everything! Just let me take some photos!"
"I'd like to try it with Elli sometime..."
"Your girlfriend too?! Hey, I'll send a taxi to your place! Just come over, I'll handle everything! I'll just take the photos!"
"Please, calm down, it's embarrassing..."
"Is this a time to calm down?!"
I wasn't just making conversation; I was genuinely interested in trying it out.
Of course, I was more interested in dressing Elli up than myself.
Elli was pretty even when she wore a makeshift princess dress when she was younger, but I wanted to see her in a proper, beautiful dress.
I wasn't sure if she'd agree, but I thought she might if I asked while kissing her, even if she grumbled about it.
After chatting for a while, we finally started discussing work with Min-ah Noona.
"No need to get into details, just capture the key points and draw it roughly like the memes that circulate on communities. But make sure it doesn't look too messy."
"Since Noona has laid out the composition and setting well, it shouldn't be difficult. But are you sure you want to entrust this to me?"
I asked, looking over the detailed character settings and the desired composition that Min-ah Noona had prepared.
Min-ah Noona started writing web novels as a hobby in her first year of high school, and a romance fantasy she dedicated herself to in her third year became a hit, and she's been continuously publishing ever since.
She's earned quite a bit, so she could easily hire a skilled illustrator, but she chose me, which puzzled me a bit.
To my question, Min-ah Noona gave a wry smile.
"There are many more skilled people than you... But they're often too busy, and I feel a bit bad asking them to take on multiple pieces like this. It's also tricky to set a price. It's easier to ask you."
"Ah~"
"Besides! I really liked your drawings. They're just my type."
"Thank you. Then, I'll do my best."
"Right! Noona will make sure you're well compensated, so give it your best!"
And from then on, I started working, connecting my tablet to the laptop Min-ah Noona lent me.
Even though the illustrations were meant to be simple and humorous, I put my best effort into them since they were going into a web novel people paid to read.
As I focused on drawing, Min-ah Noona resumed her writing, and Min-jae amused himself with comics nearby.
"Noona, should I draw it like this?"
"Hmm~ Can you make it more exaggerated? It's okay if the expressions get really distorted."
"Okay. I'll give it a try."
"Thanks~"
After a couple of hours of drawing, confirming details with Min-ah Noona before finalizing each piece, a thought filled my mind.
'I wish it would be evening soon.'
I thought about it while texting Elli now and then.
[Elli: Lee Do-yoon]
[Elli: You're just drawing, right?]
[Me: (Photo)]
[Me: Working hard on it lol]
[Me: How's the part-time job?]
[Elli: It's nothing]
[Elli: Not a big deal]
[Elli: You?]
[Me: Me too]
[Me: Min-jae's sister is nice, so it's comfortable here]
[Me: She said you're very pretty after seeing your photo and wants to meet you]
[Elli: Maybe when I have time]
Even though it was a typical conversation, I felt like Elli wanted to see me.
So I hoped the evening would come soon so I could meet Elli, yet...
'I miss Elli.'
In reality, I just missed Elli too much.
I felt empty.
Just a few hours apart. Just a brief moment without seeing Elli. Just not hearing Elli's voice.
As I drew lines on the tablet, Elli kept coming to my mind. Elli's slightly furrowed brow as she left in the car that morning was vivid in my eyes.
But I didn't want to bother Elli, even in jest.
Elli surely...
'Likes the modeling job.'
Though Elli was worried about today's part-time job until yesterday, I was convinced she would enjoy it.
There was no reason for Elli to dislike it. She would get to dress up, look pretty, take photos, and even get paid for it.
That led me to wonder.
What if Elli wanted to seriously study modeling?
Of course, I would support her.
But modeling, as far as I know, could involve going abroad, not just in our country.
Especially Elli.
With her beauty, figure, and confidence, she would undoubtedly become famous.
It might seem premature to worry about such things, but with Elli, it seemed plausible she could end up traveling overseas as a successful model in the future.
'So what should I do?'
It wasn't really something to worry about.
If the bold princess carved her own path, I wanted to follow her.
Always supporting and helping the princess, following her lead like a laid-back wizard.
Of course, all this was just my speculation, and I would have to ask Elli directly to know her thoughts.
Still, I had another concern.
'There must be guys hitting on Elli.'
It was inevitable. Despite her somewhat sharp demeanor and occasionally prickly interactions, she was still young.
But anyone who saw Elli would be interested in her.
Even now...
[Ye-rin: (Photo)]
[Ye-rin: Isn't Elli just beautiful? I was so surprised~]
[Ye-rin: Do-yoon, you should have seen this in person~]
[Me: Indeed lol]
Seeing the photo Ye-rin secretly took, of Elli dressed from head to toe by professionals, made it impossible not to stare at the beautiful platinum princess.
It was natural to feel that way.
Of course, I didn't think Elli would fall for another guy's advances, but I couldn't help feeling upset.
Just as Elli often showed jealousy towards other girls around me, I was always on the lookout for any guys trying to get close to Elli, feeling jealous.
-Swish...
Even as I busily moved my hand, I kept picturing the beautiful Elli in my mind.
I made a decision.
'I'll spend all the money I earn this time on a couple ring.'
To buy a couple ring just for the two of us.
A bit pricey, as a surprise for Elli.
I would confess while giving it to her, officially starting our relationship that had been somewhat ambiguous.
Though I didn't show it outwardly due to my male pride, I was filled with a desire to possess and monopolize Elli, which I wanted to express through the couple ring.
Even if we were apart like today, I wanted to leave a mark indicating Elli was mine.
I belonged to Elli.
And Elli was mine.
But first...
"Noona, I finished another one. Could you take a look?"
"Already? Let's see... well done! This one's good!"
I guess it's time to wrap this up and start earning some money.
In the bustling photoshoot,
Elli thought.
'I miss you.'
It wasn't something extraordinary for her.
She just wanted to see Lee Do-yoon, her childhood friend and the boy she liked.
She thought about it before going to bed last night, when she left home this morning, and even now.
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
