My Platinum-Blond Childhood Friend Is So Pretty

71 – 27. After the Winter of Seventeen, the Dream-like Night of Eighteen Passed By

After spending the night with Eli Santa.

We spent a pleasant time with our family and Sigutuna, gazing at the beautiful Swedish lake, where the snow started falling from morning.

The next day, we leisurely toured the nearby tourist attractions in Stockholm for two days.

“Get married and come back. It’s okay if it’s just the two of you.”

“Eli, Do-yun, I’ll pray for your blessings to be always full.”

“We’ll definitely come back. Thank you.”

“Marriage is… Heh, we’ll come and play then.”

With the warm send-off from William halabuji and Vera halmeoni, who were like kind grandparents, but not quite, we returned to Korea.

Our time in Sweden was like entering a fairy tale.

Moreover, the snowy landscape of Sigutuna, just as Mark ajusshi said, was so beautiful that our entire family couldn’t help but stare at it for over an hour.

I was grateful to have spent a happy Christmas with Eli, holding hands.

And while it took us about twenty hours to get there, it took nearly thirty hours to return on the plane.

I talked to Eli about what would happen someday.

“Next time, when our parents are busy, should we just come by ourselves?”

“It’s not bad. We’ll have to save up a lot, though.”

“That’s true… if we work hard… but William halabuji said to come after we get married.”

“…What’s that.”

“I think it’s too late. Even if I do it right after I come back from the army, it’ll be 5 or 6 years later.”

“…….”

“Ah, no.”

“What’s wrong?”

“When we turn 20 and start living together, it’s basically like we’re married, right? You said that before. So, let’s save up and go somewhere around that time…”

“Yeah.”

“Huh?”

“……Kiss.”

“Now? Huh…!”

“Tsk…”

On the plane ride back, since I was seated quite far from my parents, Eli’s skinship suddenly began.

I was extremely excited, and Eli wouldn’t let go of my lips, but the timing was a bit awkward since the stewardess was passing by.

Still, it felt great.

Anyway, after returning from the more enjoyable-than-expected Sweden trip, the new year had begun when I was 18.

And we welcomed the Lunar New Year.

“Our Eli is so pretty~ Jieun-ah, thank you~”

“I thought it would suit you, but it’s really strange… Eli’s platinum hair and hanbok are a great match, why is that?”

“Thank you, um…”

“If you call me ‘mom,’ I’ll get rid of you.”

“…Mom.”

“This fox… anyway, you look great. You’re pretty.”

Mom had given Eli a beautiful traditional hanbok as a Lunar New Year’s gift.

Eli, with their hair tied up and a binyeo (hairpin) inserted, wearing a hanbok with a combination of blue, red, and white, was…

There were no words needed.

It was incredibly beautiful.

Mom and Aunt Ye-rin were fussing over Eli’s outfit, saying how pretty they looked, to the point where they couldn’t stop.

“She’s pretty, our daughter-in-law. She could get married like this.”

“Who’s the daughter-in-law? What’s with the marriage talk? It’s absolutely not happening yet.”

“Thank you, Dad.”

“What?! Dad?! You…! Do you want to take off the hanbok?!”

“Heh, don’t say that, Mom.”

“This kid is really…!”

Dad was smiling so brightly, saying how great it was to have a daughter-in-law, that I was taken aback.

Mark ajussi was even…

-Zhuzhuk

“You’re beautiful, Eli. Our daughter…”

“Dad, don’t come over here. Don’t think about crying and getting all sentimental. I’ll get angry.”

“……Kkk… Jieun, thank you. This is the best gift.”

He was even tearing up.

Although Eli had rejected his approach and looked a bit sad, he was still taking smartphone photos of his beautiful daughter.

And I stood beside her.

Like Elly, I was wearing a traditional Korean hanbok, and I couldn’t take my eyes off my beautiful girlfriend.

‘…She’s so pretty.’

That was all I could think. Elly’s features were distinctly Western, just like my mom had said, but she looked absolutely stunning in our traditional hanbok.

What I liked even more was that the hanbok I was wearing was a perfect couple’s set with Elly’s.

Although my mom still didn’t fully acknowledge Elly as her daughter-in-law, she had still taken the trouble to get our hanbok tailored to match perfectly.

Thanks to that, Elly and I looked like a perfectly married couple, and she was even calling my parents “mom” and “dad”.

I loved how we already seemed like a family.

“Do-yun looks so cool too… How do you two match so well?”

“Our son is the best. He’s really handsome, just like his parents.”

“That’s true. I think I’ll cry when I see him in a tuxedo~”

“That’s right, that’s right. But I unnecessarily gave him a hanbok too. What’s with calling them ‘mom’ and ‘dad’…”

“Ji-eun, shall we get them to wear both a dress and a hanbok at their wedding?”

“What’s with the wedding talk already!”

“Oh, come on~ We have to plan ahead so they can look pretty~ Do-yun, look how cool he is!”

“That’s… I think it’s a shame to only dress our Do-yun in a tuxedo.”

“That’s why~”

I was certain that I looked great in my hanbok too.

As my parents continued to fuss over me, Elly sat down quietly in front of me.

The way she carefully adjusted her skirt and sat down, it was truly ‘lovely’ – there was no other word to describe it.

“…….”

“…….”

We stared at each other for a moment, taking in each other’s appearance.

I was once again amazed by Elly’s elegant beauty, and Elly’s face turned slightly red as she seemed to appreciate my hanbok.

“……Heh.”

“……Heh.”

We suddenly burst out laughing. I didn’t know what was so funny, but we just couldn’t help it.

My childhood friend, my girlfriend.

She had platinum blonde hair and blue eyes.

I had no idea how she managed to look so pretty even in a hanbok. The way the jeogori’s central knot accentuated her chest was especially captivating.

But as I looked at her, I started to feel curious.

How did Elly’s large bust manage to look so flat and smooth on the outside? I was dying to know the inner structure.

“It’s frustrating. Is it wrapped tightly with cloth on the inside?”

“……Ah.”

Elly seemed to have read my thoughts, and she casually dropped that comment. So I knew – it was just simple compression.

“But it looks really good when I wear it like this. Hanbok really suits me.”

“Yeah, it’s too pretty. Let’s definitely wear hanbok at our wedding too.”

“Hmm… At the wedding ceremony…?”

“Why?”

“Your jeogori…”

Eli, who was about to say something, glanced at the adults around us and took a step closer to me.

And then, she whispered into my ear.

“Do you want to take off my jacket…?”

“…….”

“No? Tell me the truth. If you lie, I won’t wear it again.”

To be honest, I didn’t have such detailed imaginations.

I just thought she was extremely pretty, and at most, I wondered how she hid her volume.

But when I heard Eli’s words, all sorts of imaginations ran wild in my head.

If I grabbed the strings of her jacket and pulled, it would naturally open to both sides.

What would I see?

I wanted to try.

“That’s right…”

“Heh.”

Eli chuckled and continued speaking, looking down at me, who had surrendered.

“The wedding will be in a dress. If we have time, we can add a hanbok…”

“…add?”

“…are you going to die?”

“Suddenly?”

“A proposal without a wedding? Do you want to risk your life?”

“A proposal isn’t necessary, but… no, I was wrong.”

“If you want to see me in a hanbok, behave yourself. Heh.”

As Eli turned her head, her peach-colored cheeks looked adorable, and her slender neck was revealed as she tossed her hair up, making it even more charming.

Anyway.

That day, we took hundreds of photos in hanbok, and after that, it was soon time for school to start.

We became second-year students.

“Doyoon! We’re in the same class!”

“Let’s do well this year.”

“Me too!”

Unfortunately, Eli and I were separated again this year, but I ended up in the same class as Lee So-yeon.

And.

“It’s been a long time since we’re in the same class, right?”

“Yeah. Let’s do well.”

“Hehe, it’ll be fun.”

Even Joo Hye-ryeong was there.

Thanks to Eli, who pouted, but surprisingly, Joo Hye-ryeong kept her cool, so it didn’t escalate into a big deal.

But.

“Joo Hye-ryeong doesn’t like it.”

“Oh, Lee So-yeon said she’s going to meet her briefly on the weekend? You can just go together… didn’t you have a shoot last week?”

“…Annoying.”

It seemed like Lee So-yeon was subtly getting closer to Joo Hye-ryeong, making me feel more jealous towards that side.

Anyway, my second year of high school was not much different from the first.

Every day, every week, and every month was fulfilling.

Eli being by my side was the default, and I spent a lot of time with friends, enjoyed drawing and playing the guitar, which were my hobbies, and studied even harder than the previous year.

Looking back, time had flown by in an instant.

In the spring, we went on dates, wandering around here and there, holding hands. In the summer, we went to the beach with Eli’s bikini. In the fall, we focused on exams…

And then, my birthday came around again.

“Meow.”

“…….”

“Meeoow~”

“…….”

“Why are you reacting like that? Do you want to hide?”

“You’re too… cute and pretty, it’s driving me crazy.”

“…Meow!”

I could see Eli’s cat cosplay, which was almost as s*xy as a bikini.

While doing a s*xy cosplay itself wasn’t a big deal, making cat sounds and crying out “Meow” was embarrassing.

Thanks to that, Eli’s expression was a mix of shyness and embarrassment, with a hint of mischief.

Eli was wearing a cat headband and tail, with a platinum and black color scheme, looking like a sassy cat.

– Thud

Eli jumped onto my lap.

“Coward. Can’t even touch my butt?”

“…I think that’s possible only after a year.”

“Heh. Nyam…!”

“Ow…”

Eli teased me, saying I couldn’t even touch her butt, and when she bit my face and neck, I really… really struggled to hold back.

I hoped that when we became adults, Eli would do the same cosplay again.

Then, I wouldn’t hold back and would touch her as much as I wanted.

Two months later, on Eli’s birthday, I played the guitar all day and sang beside her as she had requested.

My girlfriend, who was swaying her body and head to my music, was incredibly lovely.

Time flew by, and we became 19-year-old high school students.

Now, as third-year high school students with only a year left until the college entrance exam, I focused on studying, putting aside other hobbies except for spending time with Eli.

And when the first midterm exam ended…

Eli declared, “I’m not going to college.”