My Platinum-Blond Childhood Friend Is So Pretty - Chapter 93



93 – 34. The Boyfriend Who Went Out to Play, the Girlfriend Who Stayed Behind

The traces of my presence lingered on the inside of the long padding, and my platinum girlfriend waved her hand slightly.

Even from a distance, her face still looked adorable, and her body language seemed pitiful, like a puppy being left behind.

Seeing her like that made me want to go back home immediately, but I knew that would make Eli angry.

So, I slowly walked backward, waving goodbye until Eli was out of sight, and then turned around.

It was frustrating and sad, but my heart felt fluttery.

Whether I went to school or did something else, from now on, I knew that Eli would always be waiting for me at home, and that thought made me happy.

-Ding, ding, ding…

[Eli: You don’t need to send messages so frequently, don’t worry about it.]

[Eli: Just send one every hour when you’re drinking.]

[Eli: And when you arrive and finish.]

[Eli: And when you sleep and wake up.]

[Eli: That’s enough.]

[Eli: If you’re free, you can send more.]

As soon as I couldn’t see her anymore, a storm of messages arrived, and I couldn’t help but smile.

I didn’t respond with a message and instead called her directly.

-Ring, ring, ring…

-Why? What did you forget?

“It’s not that, I wanted to hear your voice one more time before I got on the train.”

-How long have you been gone… huh.

“I’ll send you messages whenever I have time. I’ll send pictures too.”

-Do as you please.

“Yes, I’ll do as I please. I love you. I’ll be back soon.”

-…I love you. Have fun and come back.

-Click.

I hung up the phone and stared blankly at my smartphone for a moment.

My heart felt lighter, and I felt energized.

After hearing Eli’s sweet voice say “I love you,” my body, which had been slightly tired for three days, regained its energy.

Thanks to that, I took a step forward with an excited heart, looking forward to my new university life.

Now, as a grown adult and university student, I had some anxiety about the new things I would face, but…

-Ding, ding, ding…

“Is it Soyeon?”

-Ring!

“Hello?”

-Doyun! Where are you now? If you haven’t left yet, want to go together?

“Ah, I just left. Then I’ll head towards you.”

-Really? Alright! We’ll leave right away! ……Yeah. Doyun is coming this way. You’re all set, right?… Hey! What are you doing, messing with your hair again?!

-Click.

“It’s nice that we’re in the same university. I was worried about going alone.”

Thanks to having friends in the same university, I felt quite relieved.

But, as expected…

“…I want to see Eli.”

No matter what, I just wanted to stay at home with Eli, but that’s the truth.

***

I, Lee So-yeon, arrived at university with Joo Hye-ryeong. I had come to the orientation once before, but it was still an unfamiliar place.

As soon as we arrived, we received guidance from our seniors and gathered in the auditorium, where we listened to explanations about the freshman learning center. Then, we boarded a bus with our fellow classmates.

Although we were a bit awkward and unfamiliar with each other, everyone was chatting excitedly with their friends nearby.

Since the freshman learning center was over 95% focused on bonding and having fun, it was hard not to look forward to it.

“Hello! I’m Jin-hwa High School graduate…”

On the bus, which was already on its way, our seniors took the lead, and each of us introduced ourselves briefly, taking turns holding the microphone.

It was amusing to see people awkwardly greeting each other.

Since it was still a while before my turn, I chatted with my classmate Kim Seong-joon, who was sitting next to me.

“Seong-joon, you said you’re from Hanju? Which high school did you attend?”

“Gangneung.”

“Gangneung…? Ah, Gangwon-do?”

“That’s right. Wow, the rent in Seoul is crazy. If I didn’t get a dorm, I would’ve gone crazy. Where do you live?”

“My house is really close. Including walking time, it takes about 30 minutes by bus or subway.”

“Your hometown? That’s amazing.”

“My hometown is like that too, and now I’m living alone, so it’s similar.”

“What? Your house is that close, and your parents let you live alone? You should be really grateful to them. Ah, aren’t you in our group chat? I can invite you.”

“That would be great, thanks. But was there a group chat?”

“Of course, there is. We need to verify our identities to get in… Never mind. I’ll invite you later, and you can join then. Anyway, everyone’s awkward, so it doesn’t matter.”

“Yeah, it’s still a bit like that.”

Seong-joon was a friend with a neat, dandy haircut and glasses perched on the end of his nose. His bright and cheerful tone made it easy to get along with him.

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The two of us chatted enthusiastically about our hometowns, high schools, and the games we played in our free time.

Then, Seong-joon brought up the topic of my living situation again.

“Your place is close, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So, can I come over to your place to drink later? It’s a bit awkward at the dorm.”

“Drinking? Um… it’s okay to come over and drink, but you can’t stay overnight.”

“Why not?”

“Because my girlfriend wouldn’t allow it.”

“………You’re living with your girlfriend? Cohabiting?”

“Yeah.”

“What… um… you have the face to do that, but… wow… cohabiting with your girlfriend… crazy… and you’re even wearing a couple’s ring…”

Seong-joon’s face was filled with surprise and envy as he stuttered.

It wasn’t surprising that I had a girlfriend, but the fact that I was cohabiting with her was definitely something worth noting.

Even among my high school friends, it was rare for someone to be cohabiting with their partner.

“Did your parents give you permission? Or did you do it secretly?”

“I got their permission. They even helped me find a place.”

“That’s crazy. How long have you been dating?”

(Note: I preserved the line breaks as per your request.)

“Has it been three years since we became friends? But we’ve known each other since kindergarten.”

“Wow… Can I see a picture?”

“What’s with the picture? Don’t you have my number registered? If we’re friends on Tok, there are tons of pictures of us on the story. I only posted the well-taken ones, so you can look at those.”

“Really? Then take a quick look…”

As soon as I said that, Seong-jun pulled out his phone and brought up my profile picture.

“……”

“What’s wrong?”

“Is your girlfriend… a foreigner?”

He looked at me with wide, rounded eyes, his face a mix of shock and amazement.

There’s no way to doubt the authenticity of our relationship, given the numerous pictures of us together.

Perhaps he was stunned by Eli’s blue eyes and platinum hair, and then stunned again by her beauty.

“She’s a mixed-race kid who’s been living in Korea since she was young. 100% Korean.”

“So she’s Korean. But is this real… are you really living with her?”

“The picture you’re looking at was taken on the couch in my dorm room.”

“Yeah, can we grab drinks later and introduce ourselves?”

“Sure, but I need to get Eli’s permission first, so don’t suddenly show up.”

“That’s only natural… haha… I’m going crazy looking at this. Your girlfriend is really, really pretty.”

“Thanks.”

I laughed at Seong-jun’s compliment. Anytime, praising Eli was way more enjoyable than praising me.

As Seong-jun was mesmerized by Eli’s pictures on my profile and Tok story, I couldn’t help but smile.

“What’s going on, is Do-yoon’s girlfriend? Show me too.”

“It’s on my profile. Instead of showing you, how about we exchange numbers, senior?”

“Okay. Take a picture here.”

We exchanged numbers with the senior who was sitting behind us, who had been chatting with us earlier.

And just like Seong-jun, the senior checked my profile as soon as we exchanged numbers.

“…Is this real? Is this really not AI?”

“Yes, it is.”

“……”

“Why? Do-yoon’s girlfriend is so pretty?”

“…Just look.”

“How pretty is she… crazy?”

The other senior sitting next to us gasped and exclaimed in surprise.

And then, one after another.

“What are you guys looking at? Whose picture is this?”

“The freshman girlfriend you said was a goddess earlier.”

“Oh, her? Does she have a girlfriend? Show me too!”

“Here.”

“Where… what?”

“Is this crazy?”

“……Wow.”

The senior showed Eli’s photo to another senior sitting one seat behind her on the bus, who was also a woman.

As expected, a surprised voice was heard, and another senior sitting next to her asked to see the photo too.

To be honest, I didn’t want to become a spectacle like this.

But Eli had ordered me to make it clear that I had a girlfriend, so I had to do it.

And there was the advice from Soyeon and Juhwalyeong that if I made it clear, there would be fewer victims(?) and fewer problems.

So, I prepared for this by selecting new photos from my phone a few days ago.

Originally, Eli and I had filled our profiles with photos that we didn’t usually show to others, showcasing our affection with our arms around each other.

“What’s this? Whose photo is this?”

“That kid sitting over there. It’s a photo of him and his girlfriend.”

My profile photo with Eli had already been seen by the female colleagues sitting on the opposite side of the bus, just as I had intended.

“Hey, isn’t your girlfriend attending the same university as us? Is she an upperclassman?”

“She’s the same age. She didn’t attend college.”

“What does she do then?”

“She occasionally models for shopping malls… and does household chores? We usually just hang out at home.”

“…at home? Just the two of you?”

“Yes.”

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

“Why?”

Even Seongjun, who was talking to me, and the seniors who were eavesdropping from behind, fell silent.

I looked around, wondering why it was so quiet.

“Next! That tall and handsome new junior over there!”

“Ah, yes!”

“He must think he’s the center of attention, haha…”

As I was called out by the senior, I slowly got up and walked to the front of the bus.

The eyes of my colleagues and seniors on the bus focused on me.

I looked back at them with a curious gaze, watching the seniors and female colleagues in the back seats murmuring strangely.

“Hello, I’m Lee Do-yun.”

I greeted them with a bright smile.

***

– Yeah, do as you please. I love you. I’ll be back soon.

“…I love you too. Have fun and come back.”

– Thud

When the call ended, and I was left alone in the warm house, Eli thought to herself.

“…What should I do.”

It’s not fun.