My Platinum-Blond Childhood Friend Is So Pretty

16 – 05. The End of the Prologue. Seventeen Before the Story Begins -3

Platinum hair that makes you feel beauty every time you see it, through the wavy bangs in front of the forehead, thanks to the floral perfume.

Blue eyes pierced through the darkness, staring at me.

A never-before-seen, intense anger.

-Gulp

I swallowed dry saliva. I didn’t exactly know what displeased her, so it was difficult to apologize hastily.

Perhaps applying lipstick on the lips itself wasn’t the problem, but I couldn’t figure out anything else.

-Swipe

During the momentary standoff, Elly’s hand, not holding mine, moved towards her own lips.

And, without holding onto me, her other hand reached towards the area around the corner of her lips, where I had kissed.

“……”

Her eyes slowly rolled a full circle.

I realized that it wasn’t because I suddenly became curious about the structure of the room we were in.

As if contemplating something, as if quelling anger.

“…….”

Then, as if about to shoot a word, her mouth opened briefly, held a deep breath, and closed again.

Watching Elly, who was quietly engaging in such behavior without expressing dissatisfaction through the strength in the hand she held, right in front of me.

It was truly terrifying.

My heart pounded in a different sense than a moment ago.

Expressed quietly, I could imagine the size of the overflowing anger in reverse.

In a situation where a childhood friend or a girl you like gathers courage to be angry with you.

-Gulp

As for me, I swallowed dry saliva continuously, waiting for her judgment. There was nothing else I could do.

Apologizing would be appropriate after finding out what Elly was angry about.

About five minutes passed like that.

Finally, Elly’s mouth opened.

“…Hey.”

A voice full of chill, where you could distinctly feel her suppressing anger.

“……Yes.”

I answered in polite language without realizing it. Immediately changing my posture, kneeling down to my knees.

Elly spoke without caring about what I did.

“Why.”

“……?”

“Why did you do it here, explain.”

Did the anger rise to the top and then become calm instead?

Unlike the usual Elly when angry, she asked about the reason.

Quickly, I defended myself against her giving me a chance.

“Listen. The reason I chose that place is… First of all, I had no intention of slapping you. It’s the same as before. Don’t you understand?”

“…Continue.”

She blinked her eyes once, staring at me without blinking.

Fortunately, there wasn’t much reaction to the first reason that could be understood.

“So, I thought about where to do it… I didn’t want to do it on the lips. But there wasn’t a better place than the cheek, so… what should I say. Compromised between the cheek and the lips…”

“Why not on the lips.”

“Huh?”

“Why, were my lips not to your liking?”

“…Ah.”

With each word spoken, infused with simmering anger, I finally realized.

Why Ellie was upset.

What I considered thoughtful consideration was unnecessary concern for her.

Now that I knew, my heart calmed.

It was just a slight misunderstanding of each other’s thoughts.

So, instead of hastily making excuses, I spoke to her with a calm voice.

My sincerity.

“It was our first kiss.”

“…”

“It’s not an excuse about the lip balm; I just wanted to make it more romantic later.”

“…”

“I was thinking that, I’m sorry if I didn’t consider your feelings.”

While the posture of being on my knees might seem a bit funny, I held not only the hand I was gripping but also her other hand.

With a small smile, the kind I always showed Ellie.

Facing each other, time passed for a moment.

“Hmph.”

A chuckle escaped Ellie, and hearing it brought relief. Her anger seemed to have subsided to some extent.

Then, Ellie’s eyes, which had been fixed on my face, slightly lowered.

After a while.

As she closed her eyes briefly, then lifted her head again.

Ellie looked at me as usual.

Slightly furrowed eyebrows, as if with a hint of dissatisfaction, yet mingled with flushed cheeks and a somewhat pouting mouth.

The face of a princess who does as she pleases.

“Yido Yun.”

“Yeah.”

She called my name in her usual sweet voice.

“Are you a fool?”

She continues to belittle me. However, in the words that have softened considerably, I respond with a smile.

“Sorry. Guess I am a fool.”

“Hmph.”

Once again, Eli scoffs and pulls her arm away, shaking off my hand.

But the hand she had first held, still wearing the ring, slowly pulls me in with her liberated hand.

– Gulp…

She grabs my collar. No, it wasn’t that intense; she gently grabs my lapel.

While doing so, she slowly brings her face closer. At the same time, she pulls me towards her.

With our faces gradually nearing each other, I quietly let myself be led by Eli, and she, in turn, gazes at me with her blue eyes.

“Bijou…”

She opens her small lips and, as if casting a spell, whispers softly.

“Bijou is a greeting.”

“Yeah.”

“Not a kiss, a greeting.”

“….”

She reproaches me with a voice filled with the sense of not knowing that.

“So, this is not our first kiss.”

Denying my protest, she utters a tempting whisper.

Eli’s lips.

– Smack…

They gently press against mine.

My heart stops right after.

Her cheek was unbelievably soft, but her lips couldn’t be compared to anything.

A smooth sensation that makes your whole body shudder, a strange pleasure.

In the slightly detectable taste of melting chocolate.

In her intoxicating scent that feels like you’re about to get drunk.

In the sensation of our noses touching.

In the small and warm breaths.

‘…Beautiful.’

On the face of Eli, who looked like a sleeping princess in a forest, her eyelashes gracefully resting as she closed her eyes.

-Thump! Thump!

Her once-stopped heart beat fiercely as if it would explode.

Although I wished it would last forever, Eli’s lips quickly separated.

That brief kiss felt like the entire world had stopped… No, the end of a bouche.

This time, Eli pressed her forehead against mine, maintaining the same distance as when we kissed.

With flushed cheeks, she spoke to me.

“You worry about the kiss. If you can’t do it romantically later, I’ll kill you.”

“…I will.”

“And from today, this is our bouche. We will do it every day. If you forget, I’ll kill you.”

“I will definitely do it. Never forget.”

“And…”

Briefly licking her lips, she hesitated before continuing.

“Oh, you know? Bouche is originally… something we do for each other…”

“Eli.”

Before Eli could finish her sentence, I called her. I might have made her angry with my foolish behavior today, but I wasn’t completely clueless.

At the same time, Eli’s mouth closed and this time, I pressed my lips against hers.

-Smack…

With the hand she had released, I gently held the back of her head.

To her closed eyes once again, to her sweet lips like marshmallows.

We kissed.

***

Not the unforgettable first kiss in the playground… But instead,

After the time of our first lip bouche ended, we immediately returned home.

On the way back, we didn’t say a word to each other.

But the hands that held each other were warmer than usual, and even though we walked a little further apart than usual, it felt closer than ever.

And when we arrived in front of my house.

“Here.”

“Thank you. Did you make this yourself again this year?”

“Hmph. Of course.”

I received chocolates from Ellie. It was a pretty box, similar to last year’s, probably filled with various shapes of chocolate.

I carefully accepted it and looked at Ellie, waiting to hear what she wanted.

I thought about how we would wash up and gather together like every year, and eat chocolate while sharing stories.

“I’m going to wash up and rest.”

“Oh, okay.”

I nodded in agreement with her statement. Honestly, even for me, I was feeling a bit mentally exhausted.

Because of the overwhelming happiness I experienced today.

I stood there for a moment, waiting for her to go in. After seeing Ellie go in, I was about to go in as well.

But then, Ellie gave me a dissatisfied expression again.

I stared at her, wondering why she was acting like that.

“…kram!”

“Ah.”

As soon as I heard those words, I reflexively pulled Ellie into an embrace.

And as soon as I held her in my arms.

-page break-

Ellie tilted her head up slightly and kissed me.

And I did too.

-page break-

Like returning a gesture, I pressed my lips against Ellie’s.

It was too tender to call it a kiss, just a brief brush.

“…See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah. Tomorrow…”

After that, Ellie ran home, her platinum hair fluttering with a short farewell.

Even I, who was staring blankly at that sight, returned home with a drained body.

I changed into my pajamas in a daze and washed myself.

-thud-

I sat on my bed in my room.

I murmured suddenly.

“She’s still…17 years old.”

Filled with regret.

Unknowingly, I had been estimating how much longer remained until I became an adult.

But no matter how many times I counted, that distant future was still too far away.

We were just about to enter high school.

***

“So? What happened?”

“It was strange. I was about to hit it, but suddenly found it cute… so I just upgraded Bejoo properly.”

“Oh my… then, perhaps…”

“It’s not a kiss. It’s a greeting, Bejoo.”

“hehehe, I see~ Bejoo is a greeting. Seriously, why is Do-yoon so cute, even though he’s solid and good-looking?”

“That’s what I’m saying!”

As soon as Ellie returned home, she quickly washed up and sat on the couch, sharing with her mom, Jung Ye-rin, about what happened today.

Later, she planned to call Yoo So-yeon and tell her the whole story, but Ye-rin was the one she had to talk to first, without a doubt.

They were like best friends, mother and daughter.

Ellie talked in detail from beginning to end about today, when their lips finally touched, and Ye-rin happily listened, playing along with her daughter’s excitement.

In the midst of their conversation, Ye-rin spoke to her daughter in a subtly serious tone.

“Ellie.”

“What?”

“Do you need condoms? Should mom get you good ones?”

“….”

It was a rather direct statement for a daughter who had just entered high school, but Ellie blushed slightly and took it seriously.

If someone else had said it, she might have reacted with a fit, but since Ye-rin was her mother, they had already discussed all sorts of explicit topics.

And for Ellie, condoms were truly a problem worth considering. She didn’t know how many times she had wanted to pounce on Do-yoon today.

But she shook her head.

“I don’t need them. There’s still an ahjumma.”

“Ji-eun? I don’t think Ji-eun would say anything.”

“But she’ll probably feel really lonely. Once Do-yoon becomes completely mine.”

“hehehe, so you’re enduring it?”

“Yeah. I like ahjummas too.”

Jeong Ye-rin appeared modest yet surprisingly open-minded, while Song Ji-eun seemed lively and open-minded as well, but unexpectedly conservative.

Of course, it’s not like they would fight or anything for spending the night together, but Ellie could clearly see that it made her somewhat uncomfortable and lonely.

Back in middle school, Ellie had thought that time went by too fast, so when she turned 17, she had planned to not hold back on anything.

But as her body and mind grew together, she couldn’t help but feel a slight hesitation as she observed her surroundings.

To Ellie, Song Ji-eun was no different from another mother to her, just like Lee Do-yoon’s mom. Sometimes, Song Ji-eun would nag about Lee Do-yoon’s work, but even that was because they were very close and intimate with each other.

That’s why Ellie didn’t want to ignore Song Ji-eun and start trouble. And Song Ji-eun found such a daughter figure very admirable.

“Ellie, you’re all grown up now, right? Taking care of me like this, thinking of me as your mother.”

“I’m 17 years old, you know?”

“Yes… already 17, our daughter.”

“Heh.” Ellie thought to herself that she was behaving as an adult, and she was very pleased that Jeong Ye-rin praised her mindset. But still… Even so…

“Mom.”

“What is it?”

“Um, that… still, please place an order just in case. Lee Do-yoon might not be able to hold back and might do something…”

“hahahaha, I understand. Mom will buy something nice for you.”

“Okay…”

And so, as I sat alone in my room lost in thought, the mother and daughter next door were having a strange yet mischievous conversation.

As someone who had lost half of their mind with just a kiss disguised as a bijou, it was a conversation that I couldn’t even imagine. And we… Even though we hadn’t explicitly said that we’re dating, we were definitely more than just childhood friends.

In that kind of relationship, I spent my days as a high school student.