My Platinum-Blond Childhood Friend Is So Pretty

13 – 04. Now, not a young child, but also not an adult yet -3

Knowing in advance from Idoo Yoon, Elli was aware that he would play basketball with his friends during lunchtime.

The reason she intervened even to the extent of entering the classroom is because of the break time after the third class.

“Sigh… I don’t want to go home…”

“Why?”

“Yesterday, my mom caught my brother watching porn. It’s disgusting.”

“Crazy, were you also watching?”

“No, but… Ugh, I don’t even want to think about it. It’s so annoying. He was watching that stuff and then told me not to tell dad.”

“You should definitely tell.”

This conversation stemmed from the stories of friends gathering around Ellie, exhaling irritated sighs.

As Ellie listened and looked up from searching for summer clothes on her phone, she couldn’t help but be interested in the topic.

“Porn?”

“Huh?”

They were surprised that Ellie would intervene in such a conversation.

Feeling burdened by the blue eyes staring at her through the platinum hair, the girl hesitantly replied.

“Um, yeah… Don’t guys all watch it? But my older brother doesn’t know that I know… I just saw it for the first time.”

“Do all guys watch it?”

“Um… Aren’t they? The internet says so at least.”

“…Ido Yun hasn’t seen that kind of thing.”

“Oh.”

At that statement, the girl who first brought up the topic pressed her chin and made a serious expression.

Even in her thoughts, she didn’t think that Ido Yun would be one to watch it like other messy guys.

Because, unlike other dirty guys, Ido Yun was always neat, had a refreshing laugh, and was handsome enough to become eye candy every time they saw him.

There was no reason why he wouldn’t watch porn, but she simply believed that he wouldn’t because of Ido Yun’s good-looking face.

“Maybe Ido Yun… hasn’t seen it? It’s not the image of someone who would watch that stuff.”

As she spoke with that belief, a friend who was part of the conversation intervened as if surprised.

“Could Ido Yun also not watch it? He’s still a guy.”

“No, but still, Ido Yun…”

“That crazy face. Whether Ido Yun is good-looking or whatever, he’s still a guy…”

– Ppuk

“……”

“……”

The abrupt harsh sound silenced both of them.

Eli, who was listening to the girls’ stories while half asleep, saw her banging the table with a sharp object in her hand.

She shattered the sharp object she was holding.

With the power to break down the object, the two who were whispering about Yodong stories were instantly silenced.

“…Doyoon probably didn’t see it~”

“Yeah, right. Oh, class is starting soon? I need to take out my textbook…”

They scattered to their seats as if running away.

Looking down at the remains of the broken sharp object on the desk that the two had left, Eli wondered if Doyoon had done such a thing while watching other girls’ naked bodies.

With eyes that sank infinitely cold, she waited for the end of the 4th period, which was about to begin.

And as soon as the class ended, she suddenly rose and the girls who had overheard the conversation earlier followed her out of curiosity.

After that incident, now.

“Do you watch Yodong too?”

Eli’s public execution had begun.

***

“No? You don’t watch it?”

In response to Eli’s words, I answered with a voice devoid of any confusion, with a steady voice.

Have I really never watched Yodong before?

No.

It was impossible for a man.

How could a man be born and not watch Yodong at least once? That’s nonsense. If there’s someone who claims they haven’t watched it, they’re a really dangerous person.

That’s right.

“Hey, hey, everyone! This crazy person here! Did you know that Idoyoon has never watched Yodong before?”

“Wow, I understand Doyoon, but how can you answer as if you’ve never really seen it? It gives me goosebumps.”

“You damn bastard! Honestly admit that you watch it every day!! Are you still a man even after doing that?!”

My friends’ words, shouting behind me like monkeys, were true, although they didn’t defend me and instead betrayed me with curses.

But I must never yield.

The fact that I had a truly surprising answer, that I have never actually seen it, emerged boldly.

“……”

-Sniff…

It was a survival instinct to survive from Eli, who seemed like she would kill me if I said I had seen it, just by looking at her.

The reason I’ve been truthful and haven’t lied until now is that I might not have known for this moment.

I’ll add honesty to my words.

In truth, I haven’t lied or been dishonest because there was no reason to, and I didn’t have a belief like, “You must never lie!”

“Really, you haven’t seen it?”

“When would I have time for that? Except when hanging out with friends, I’m almost always with you.”

“But…”

Perhaps swayed by plausible words, much of the tension that emanated from Ellie disappeared.

But men understand. The time to watch adult content is something they can conjure up at any moment.

“Nonsense! Even if I have just 15 minutes before sleep, I can find the time to watch. Damn, it’s not that I don’t have time!”

“Be confident, Ido Yun! Stop managing your image!”

It hurt my chest.

I had planned to go straight home yesterday, but he had played games with me at the PC room, and now he was belittling me like this.

I wished he would stop the playful teasing that seemed to say, “I want to see you get beaten up by Ellie.”

Ellie’s eyes weren’t joking.

Fortunately, in such a situation, I had someone on my side.

“Hey, shut up, you dirty guys! Some people may not watch, you know? Not everyone is like you bastards!”

“Right! Anyway, if we watch, we watch everything!”

The girls began to defend me, attacking the boys.

I was grateful for their kindness, but also sorry.

“Sorry, guys. Actually, I saw it yesterday.”

Not just watching, I had even drawn it as a picture. Like commissioning a drawing, I had created explicit images expressing my desires. It wasn’t easy to get excited about the drawings I made, though.

Of course, I had never drawn anything like that with Ellie as the model.

I had drawn ordinary swimsuits or slightly s*xy princess dresses, but I had never drawn anything more explicit.

I was looking forward to the day when I could do it directly with Ellie.

Anyway, thanks to the girls’ intervention, our class, divided between boys and girls, engaged in a fierce argument during the peaceful lunchtime.

In the midst of it all, Ellie, seeming like nothing was wrong with me, and Ellie, who seemed to trust me but felt suspicious, looked at each other.

Then.

“You know.”

Isoyeon barged in.

She had somehow come to my right side and had been quietly watching us while pretending to sleep.

With a smile blooming like a flower and a face that seemed to find this situation immensely amusing, she spoke.

“Don’t you remember what we learned in s*x education? It’s natural for guys to feel that way and for it to accumulate.”

“Yeah, right.”

“…”

Please, please stop…!

I screamed inwardly, but it was of no use.

“So, how does Doyoon handle it? Without even watching adult videos.”

As if savoring a delicious spoonful from a well-prepared table, Lee Soyeon’s blunt remarks dominated the scene.

“Um…”

Elly’s eyes narrowed again, freezing cold as she glared at me.

“Wow, damn it… Lee Soyeon’s really the queen of logic. Doyoon, seriously, be honest now.”

“Doyoon wouldn’t do that…”

“As if. That kid might have a hidden penchant for it. Those who claim they don’t watch are often the riskiest.”

Other kids stopped fighting and looked at me, waiting for my response.

With dozens of pairs of eyes fixed solely on me.

At this moment when my favorite, the princess of the platinum, regarded me with suspicious eyes.

I…

-Creak-

Stood up from my seat.

“Surely not going to explode, right?”

From behind, I heard phrases like “What’s happening? Is he running away?” but I didn’t entertain such foolish thoughts. What’s the point of standing out here? I wasn’t going to drop out of school, and they’re the kids I see every day anyway.

Moreover, since the only person I needed to clarify things with was Ellie, I didn’t need to care about the others.

Standing up from the chair, I slowly leaned towards her.

There were gasps around me, and Ellie, looking surprised, widened her eyes.

Continuing without pause, as if illustrating, I brought my lips close to Ellie’s ear.

In a very, very low voice, I whispered to her.

“Why watch something like that when you have me in mind?”

“……!!”

-Bam!-

In that moment, Ellie’s face turned red. Heat began to radiate from her face like an explosion had just occurred that was visible even from the side.

“It was honestly very embarrassing for me to speak, and it felt awkward to say something like this directly to someone I liked, but it was the best way I could think of. And fortunately, when I saw her face turning red, it seemed like it got through to her. So, I straightened my posture again, smiled as usual, and looked at Eli, whose ears were also turning red. ‘What? What did you say?’ ‘Yay! Yoon Do-yoon, you’re really crazy…! Was that a kiss? Was it not? Crazy, crazy!’ ‘What did that bastard do? How did he escape from here?’ In the surrounding where no one seemed to know what I said, there was astonishment from men and delight from girls. ‘Then, I’ll go play basketball with the kids. Have a good meal.’ ‘…Come with me today.’ ‘Alright. Our class will finish first, so I’ll be waiting from the front.’ With those words, I gestured to my friends who had agreed to play basketball together and stepped outside. Hurriedly, before something else could happen. ‘Hey, what did you say?’ ‘Shh.’ ‘He’s a f*cking legend. How the hell did he make fun of Hyotbak?’ ‘Don’t ask, you traitors.’ I casually chatted with my friends as we left, but my shirt, hidden under my school uniform vest, must have been completely soaked. Since the beginning of this year… No. The incident with Eli in the past 11 years had been the biggest crisis.*** On the way home after school. I walked slowly, matching my footsteps with Eli, shoulder to shoulder. “…”

“…” Perhaps because of what happened during lunchtime, she still had a blush on her cheeks and didn’t meet my gaze. Feeling relieved that my desperate lie hadn’t been discovered, I spoke softly. “After the exams, where should we go?”

“…Or something like that.”

“Where do you want to go this time? Latteworld? Or Neverland Safari?”

“Neverland.”

“Okay, Neverland. It’s been a while. They have a white tiger in the safari, which resembles you.”

“What are you saying? Do you want to die?”

“It’s because it’s cool…”

“Hmph.”

In the gradually warming weather,

Now that the summer of sixteen is approaching, we talked about our future plans.

Whether the beach or the swimming pool is better in the summer, where to go in the autumn, since we didn’t like the ski resort we went to last year, let’s go to a different ski resort this winter, and so on.

Just by discussing these plans, it was enjoyable, something we have always done every year and will surely do together this year as well.

-Firmly

Without needing to say who goes first, we held hands and walked. Our thin fingers wearing matching rings.

While enjoying Eli’s soft hands, as we approached home, something suddenly came to mind.

“By the way, do you remember what you said before?”

“What?”

“That you wished to be seventeen.”

“….”

“How about it? We’ll be seventeen next year.”

“That’s true.”

It was still clear to me. The words Eli said before starting middle school, that they wished to be seventeen soon.

Back then, I didn’t know the meaning behind those words, but now I knew.

Our cute greetings mixed with lies, and our daily rituals of exchanging jewelry were undoubtedly connected.

As if Eli had also recalled that day, they walked silently, gazing absentmindedly at the setting sun.

Suddenly, they spoke up.

“We’re still sixteen.”

“Yeah, you’re right. It feels like it was a long time ago when we said that…”

“I’m already seventeen.”

“…?”

At Eli’s words that didn’t quite match up, I looked at them with a confused expression.

“….”

Eli drew a beautiful curve with their eyes and lips, and gently smiled.

After a moment, their blue irises turned towards me.

“Yun Do-yoon.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m going to take some pictures. Follow me.”

“Oh, a four-shot?”

“We couldn’t take them back then. I’ll take them now instead.”

“We do it almost every two weeks… No, let’s go.”

Holding my hand, Ellie briskly walked ahead.

And so, once again today, we captured memories in photographs.

***

That night.

Ellie sent a photo with a text.

“……”

Below, wearing shorts to reveal beautiful thighs, and above, in a long-sleeved pajama top with a couple of buttons undone to show a hint of the collarbone.

Such a photo.

I didn’t ask why she suddenly sent such a thing like a fool.

I simply saved it gratefully.