My Platinum-Blond Childhood Friend Is So Pretty

126 – 46. Petty Jealousy, Envy, Happiness

Eli’s blue eyes shone brightly.

As she stood tall, the surrounding chatter gradually died down.

Like a demon, Eli slowly walked over to our table, her eyes fixed on me.

With an expression that looked like she was furious, anyone could tell.

Of course, I knew that Eli’s eyes had simply flashed with a momentary spark of jealousy, and she wasn’t really that angry.

How did I know? Well…

It just showed.

With 15 years of connection and sleeping together every night, I could sense her emotional state.

-Thud, thud-

So…

Eli pushed her way through the crowded tables, her platinum-blonde hair fluttering, and approached me.

“Wow…”

The moment I saw her, my eyes widened in amazement at her beauty, and everyone’s admiration burst forth.

But neither Eli nor I paid any attention to that.

We only looked at each other, gradually getting closer.

When Eli finally reached me…

I welcomed my girlfriend, who had rushed over as soon as she was done, with open arms.

“You’re here? I didn’t expect you to come, so I wasn’t looking forward to it. You must have had a hard time getting here…”

“I do-yun.”

“Yes?”

“Are you going to die? You’re chatting with girls as you please. I told you to behave.”

Oh, really.

***

Eli knew it.

That her boyfriend was extremely popular.

It would have been great if he only looked cool to her, but unfortunately, Idoyun was a man who could captivate any woman.

It wasn’t just a matter of physical appearance.

As an idol fan and a model for a shopping mall, she had seen many good-looking men, but she had never had the impression that they were handsome.

From the start, she didn’t even have any interest.

There was always someone by her side.

“Because Idoyun was there.”

Five years old. During kindergarten.

It might seem insignificant, but for the young Eli, it was a difficult time. Perhaps it was a turning point in her life, where she developed a dislike for Korea, a country that didn’t care about her.

Despite her annoying personality at the time, Idoyun stayed by her side, always praising her like a princess, always following her, and eventually became her one and only boyfriend.

That’s why she thought he was cute, handsome, and lovable.

His kindness, consideration, and subtle confidence were charming elements that made people more and more attracted to him the more they got to know him.

Adding to that was his unwavering heart, which had been watching over her since they were young, making him a perfect man.

“I don’t even know…”

But other women didn’t know anything about Idoyun and only showed affection based on his looks.

It wasn’t bad. Eli knew people could be like that.

But it didn’t sit well with her.

“What’s going on with my guy?”

He’s my childhood friend.

He’s my boyfriend.

He’s even wearing a couple’s ring on his hand.

The scene she saw when she rushed back to the table, where women were gathered, was her boyfriend receiving excessive attention and flirting.

The moment she arrived, late from a shoot, she saw that scene.

With a face full of affection, smiling at her boyfriend.

It really didn’t sit well with her.

“Idoyun, you’re going to die today. I told you to behave…!”

In fact, Eli knew her boyfriend hadn’t done anything wrong, but Idoyun’s firm rejection was clear even from a distance.

But a woman’s heart isn’t always logical.

Soon.

As people under the parasol stopped drinking and turned their attention to her, one by one.

As the other college students serving stopped moving and stared at her.

Idoyun also noticed her presence.

When her boyfriend, sitting at the women’s table, turned his head, feeling the changed atmosphere.

“What?”

He had discovered her.

With a face mixed with surprise and welcome, he immediately broke into a bright smile.

‘…So cute.’

The jealousy that had been simmering in her chest suddenly subsided at that smile. No matter how many times she saw it, her boyfriend’s laughing face was always adorable.

And what he was wearing now was something else.

The combination of a white shirt, black waiter’s vest, and jeans was simple yet stylish.

She had heard he would wear something like this, but seeing it in person was even more impressive than she had imagined.

-Gulp-

At that moment, Eli unknowingly swallowed her saliva.

The thought of him hugging her in that outfit filled her mind, and she even considered buying the same set for him to wear at home.

But then…

The women who had been staring at him caught her attention, and the jealousy that had momentarily subsided began to rise again.

With that feeling on her face, she glared at her boyfriend and took a step forward.

-Thud, thud-

Without hesitation, she walked confidently.

“What’s going on, who is that?”

“He’s so handsome… his face is a work of art…”

“Isn’t that Ido-yun’s girlfriend? It looks like her, there’s a photo of her on his Instagram.”

“Wow, seriously… isn’t he half-Korean? He looks completely foreign.”

“He’s not half-Korean, he just speaks Korean really well.”

“I heard he’s half-Korean too.”

“Does that hair color come from being half-Korean?”

“Don’t you know about genetics? Get a grip.”

She ignored the whispers and chatter around her, not even knowing what she had done wrong… In fact, she couldn’t say what he had done wrong either.

Anyway, she approached Ido-yun, who was smiling brightly as usual, and stood in front of him.

“You’re here? I wasn’t expecting you to come, so I wasn’t looking forward to it. You must have had a hard time getting here…”

“Ido-yun.”

“Yes?”

“Vill du dö? ── (Do you want to die? You’re chatting with those girls as if it’s no big deal. I told you to behave yourself.)”

And she scolded her boyfriend, speaking loudly in Swedish so that everyone could hear.

“What’s going on? What are you saying?”

“What are you talking about?”

Of course, no one understood what she was saying.

Ido-yun, who had heard her, began speaking in Swedish, trying to smooth things over.

“I was asked for my number, and I told them I had a girlfriend, so it was over. Nothing happened…”

“Why did you create a situation where they asked for your number?”

“I was serving and suddenly got called over…”

“Why were you talking to another girl?”

“She’s a customer?”

“Don’t you remember what I told you not to do? I said not to get involved with girls like that.”

“Um… did we agree to serve here?”

“I don’t know, something like that.”

“Ah… you don’t know, huh. Then there’s no choice.”

I knew this was forced, and I also knew that doing this for a long time would be a nuisance.

As for Elly, she had only thrown a few tantrums out of jealousy and intended to end it here.

Ido-yun, too, seemed to have noticed that she wasn’t being serious and didn’t show any signs of panic.

So Elly was about to wrap things up with a casual “Let’s talk later.”

But everyone in the pub, even those passing by outside or at the next table, was watching them with bated breath.

“We have to settle this before dawn, or we won’t be able to sleep.”

With that determination, she was about to open her mouth again.

“Sorry, Elly.”

Ido-yun apologized, his voice tinged with a hint of laughter, like he was speaking Swedish.

And before Elly could even react to the apology…

He continued with his next action.

-Bam!

“……!”

“I was wrong. So please forgive me?”

It was something she did at home all the time, but outside, it was a rare occurrence, unless they were in a very secluded place.

Their lips touched lightly, like a high school student’s first kiss.

Elly was left speechless, her eyes wide open.

“W-what…! You kissed me!”

“Wow, Ido-yun is crazy… wow, this is insane!”

“I thought he wasn’t the type to do that, but I guess it’s different with his girlfriend…”

“This is so cool… so awesome…!”

The surrounding area erupted into a mixture of screams and cheers.

In the midst of the chaos, Ido-yun grabbed her arm as if it was nothing.

“Elly, this way… um, let’s find a seat…”

And after glancing around for a moment…

“Hey, Han Seong-min, get out! Make way, make way for us!”

“Damn, you’re kicking out customers. Can’t you just make way for us inside? I don’t want to leave.”

“Sit down in the kitchen, then! You guys can come out soon… Hey, Do-yun! Put your girlfriend down! I’ll clear the table for you!”

“I’m sorry, but…”

“Don’t apologize, just hurry up! You must be tired from coming all the way here, so take a break!”

“Thank you.”

It seemed like he had realized that his seniors were making way for them, and in an instant, an empty table appeared. Ido-yun bowed his head in gratitude.

“…….”

Elly, still reeling from the kiss, meekly followed her boyfriend to the table. The snacks and drinks on the table were quickly cleared away.

“You’re not going to drink? I’ll bring some fried chicken and drinks. Eat those and wait a bit. We’re almost out of ingredients, so it’ll be over soon.”

“…….”

-Nod-

“Thanks for understanding. I love you.”

As he said that, I watched my boyfriend’s back as he headed towards the kitchen.

The moment he entered, he was bombarded with questions from his seniors, and I could hear the commotion around us.

Elly carefully wiped her lips with her finger.

Kissing was a normal part of their daily lives, but she didn’t particularly enjoy displaying affection in front of others.

It was also familiar yet unpleasant to have people staring at her, whispering to each other.

But still…

“…I’m really annoyed.”

She couldn’t help but admit it.

“He’s so annoyingly cute.”

It was all because of Do-yun’s actions that she felt this way, and she was just happy. Whether it was displaying affection in front of others or not, she was just happy.

Her boyfriend, who had casually pecked her on the cheek and acted like nothing had happened, was ridiculously cute.

Moreover…

The girls who had been interested in him were now staring at her with envy, which made her feel even better.

“Heh, what can you do? There are so many girls like that… I’ll just tolerate it once more.”

She had originally been jealous, but now she was forgiving her boyfriend as if she had never been angry in the first place.

Thanks to the kiss, Elly’s heart was filled with excitement, and she straightened her posture, as if to say, “Look at me, I’m Do-yun’s girlfriend.”

***

“Is that even real?”

“He’s not even looking at her, and yet…”

“I don’t know what’s going on, but he seems really angry, and yet one kiss and it’s all resolved… Ha, I guess that’s just Do-yun for you?”

The seniors and colleagues murmured with envy and admiration, their voices endless.

Even now… No, thanks to Elly, the cafe was more crowded than before, with people even spilling out onto the streets.

It was just that everyone was too busy staring at Elly, so orders weren’t coming in as quickly, which made things less hectic.

“Our junior isn’t messing around, is she? Doing a kiss scene like that… It’s like we’re filming a drama.”

“Wow… I’m jealous. Should I try online dating again?”

“Will you get a boyfriend who’ll kiss you in front of everyone like that at the festival?”

“What’s with that? If I do it, it’ll become a dark history, and I’ll have to take a leave of absence.”

“But it’s really cool. Is it because he’s tall? His body is amazing, and especially his hair color is so unique. Is that natural, or did he dye it?”

“No, it’s not dyed. Thank you for the compliment.”

As I listened to the seniors and colleagues chatting, I couldn’t help but sneak a glance at Elly.

Elly, who was jealous, was so cute that I had unknowingly kissed her, but she didn’t particularly enjoy displaying affection in front of others.

But fortunately…

“…….”

As I saw her sitting up straight, phone in hand, with a slight smile on her face, I could tell that she was in a good mood.

Her jealousy and annoyance had completely disappeared.

If it had been cute, it would have been cute, but since the mood had improved, it wasn’t bad either.

Originally, I had planned to take Eli out and enjoy the festival together, but the atmosphere wasn’t suitable for that now.

If I took Eli out, it would be like causing a riot. Moreover, the sales weren’t going well enough to warrant promotion.

I heard that the sales would be record-breaking, but…

Anyway, time was running out, and the performance was about to start soon. Since we were almost out of prepared ingredients, I decided to work hard until the end and then head back.

Just as I was about to take orders again, I received a text from Eli.

– Ji-ying…

[ Eli: Don’t think too much about it today ]

[ Eli: I won’t let you get bored ]

Hmm.

It seemed like I had to finish as quickly as possible and head back.

“It’s not just about being pretty… wow… like a real model…”

I could hear someone nearby exclaiming in admiration, telling Eli’s beautiful girlfriend not to think too much about it at night.

I had to hurry up.