My Platinum-Blond Childhood Friend Is So Pretty - My Platinum-Blond Childhood Friend Is So Pretty chapter 135

135 – 52. Trainee Idoyun, Bear-like Eli

Getting married at the age of 21 is not unheard of, but it’s not common either.

And the reason for getting married at such a young age usually boils down to one thing.

“Did you get into an accident?”

“You got someone pregnant… damn it, did you get married because of a child?”

“Did you get married because of a child and came here for training?”

“You’re not getting training. You’re just commuting from home after getting trained.”

“That’s crazy.”

They thought I got married because I had a child.

Whether I was dating or married to Eli, everyone quickly accepted the fact that Eli was mine.

Even just looking at the photo of Eli and me, it was obvious that we had deep affection for each other.

Anyway.

“I don’t have a child. I just registered our marriage.”

“You don’t have a child? I don’t know how life will go… Never mind. I’ll get the stamp first. She’s really beautiful.”

“How did you meet? Did you live abroad?”

“Eli… Alisa lived in Korea since she was young. She can speak Korean better than most kids, right?”

“What’s her name, Alisa? Where is she from?”

“Sweden.”

“But if you’re already married, wouldn’t it be better to just have a kid and go into active duty? Active duty is a piece of cake, isn’t it?”

“What’s the big deal about being a KATUSA?”

“Ah, you’re a KATUSA? Then I acknowledge it.”

“And what’s with having a kid just to go into active duty?”

“It’s not bad to increase the birth rate, is it? Honestly, our country should exempt people from having two or three kids.”

“That’s… plausible.”

“Anyway, my girlfriend is really beautiful.”

The people around me started gossiping. My colleagues were envious of me and admired Eli’s beauty.

“Wow… he’s got everything, including a girlfriend. Can’t you just give me 3cm…”

“Can’t you just give me 1cm…”

“1cm is a bit too much.”

“Give up, man. Idoyun’s is huge, you know.”

“Did you see it?”

“I saw it yesterday while showering, and it was anaconda-like…”

“Why are you so eager to see someone else’s thing while showering? Ah, it’s really uncomfortable to share a bed with someone. Don’t even think about coming down from the second floor.”

“No, it’s not that I wanted to see it, it’s just that it caught my eye…”

“Yeah, next gay guy.”

Of course, that gossiping didn’t last long, and my colleagues went back to their own beds after teasing me about my personal life.

It seemed like they weren’t interested in other people’s girlfriends, but at the same time, they were a bit envious and thought it was strange that I got married early. It was just a feeling of “oh, that’s just how it is.”

Even after that, my colleagues who slept on the top or bottom bunks would occasionally ask me things, but that was it.

There were many colleagues who had girlfriends besides me.

Of course, having a beautiful girlfriend with platinum blonde hair was a condition that could spark all sorts of imagination, but…

We hadn’t built up enough of a relationship to ask deep questions yet.

This was the extent of the envy that my colleagues could tolerate.

***

A few more days passed.

Some people who received a disqualified judgment in various tests returned home from other places, but not from our dorm.

Starting from Monday, our intense training began.

We received military uniforms and supplies, and packed up our personal belongings to send back.

And while I was writing a letter to put in the package, my colleague stopped me.

“Don’t write such a cheesy letter.”

“Why?”

“It’s better to wait for our first phone call, which will come sooner than the package. Our senior did that.”

“What’s the big deal? It’ll all be memories later on.”

“What’s there to remember about this crappy training…? Ah, I guess I should just write it anyway.”

“By the way, when are we going to make our first phone call?”

“The trashy generation will come this weekend.”

“Eli will be waiting…”

“…I’m envious.”

The day when we could make our first phone call at the training camp varied by battalion. I had confirmed this with Eli at home.

Unfortunately, my battalion could only make calls on the second weekend. Even at home, I knew which battalion I was in, so I was aware that I wouldn’t receive any calls yesterday or the day before.

I must have waited anxiously for it anyway.

As I was lost in thoughts about Eli, training began, and my body became exhausted, making it impossible to think.

Before coming here, I had worked out and built up my physical strength for a few months, but due to the unfamiliar activities, I couldn’t help but feel tired.

Under the pretext of physical strength measurement, we rolled around on the floor like crazy, and then…

When it was time to eat…

“…Mmm, mmm.”

“Ido-yoon has a stupid expression on his face. Ah, this is ridiculous.”

“Everything’s fine, but when it’s time to eat, I really want to go home…”

“I miss the food my mom made.”

“I had a girlfriend who made it for me…”

“You’re making me lose my appetite. Shut up.”

I realized once again how precious and delicious Eli’s cooking was.

I had always been grateful for Eli’s hard work, but after eating porridge and kimchi in the army, I became even more grateful.

Another day went by.

For me, the rifle training was unexpectedly enjoyable, and the hand-to-hand combat training, which was extremely boring and painful, made my legs ache.

Before I knew it, it was Wednesday.

After the day’s training was over…

“72nd trainee.”

“72nd trainee, Ji! Seung! Min!”

“Take these three letters.”

“Thank you!”

I received my first internet letter. Since it was the first week, even the instructors had a bunch of letters in their arms, despite there being 16 people in our living quarters.

I saw my colleagues rejoicing after receiving letters from their families, close friends, and lovers.

Watching them, I felt a surge of excitement and anticipation.

Eli and my parents would have written to me for sure, and my mother-in-law might have added a few words to my parents’ letter? Or maybe she wrote a separate one?

I wondered if others had written to me. I hoped so.

The training camp was a place with no entertainment. We had cheered over a single box of chocolates at the Buddhist event last weekend, so you could say we were desperate.

In that sense, receiving letters from acquaintances was something to look forward to and enjoy.

However, since I hadn’t specifically asked anyone to write to me before coming here, I couldn’t know for sure if they would write or not.

“77th trainee.”

“77th trainee! I! Do! Yoon!”

Finally, it was my turn.

I jumped up and ran to the instructor to receive my letter.

“Here, here… here. These too…”

One by one, the letters piled up in my hands, filling me with joy and emotion.

A total of nine letters.

It was more than I had expected.

Who could have written to me? The guys wouldn’t have bothered to write unless they had to.

As I was receiving it, I wondered who could have written it, and I was wrapped in happy curiosity.

“…77th trainee.”

“77th trainee, it’s! Do! Yoon!”

I belatedly caught the cold gaze of the instructor, who was staring at me.

With a very faint hint of playfulness, he asked me in a frozen tone.

“Do you have a sister?”

“No!”

“Do you have many female relatives?”

“Almost none!”

“…Later.”

It didn’t seem like he had any ill intentions, like trying to get something out of me if I had a sister.

The instructor let out a sigh at my response and continued speaking.

“Do you only have female friends?”

Uh?

“…Yes?”

“Yes? 77th trainee, how did I tell you to answer?”

“Oh, no!”

“Do you like receiving many letters?”

“No!”

“Do you dislike it, then?”

“…No, I like it!”

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

“Yes!”

“Is it okay to receive letters from your girlfriend’s friends?”

“……”

“Won’t you answer? Do you want to receive the letters before reading them?”

“…Yes…it’s okay!”

“Is it okay to receive letters from your girlfriend’s friends when you have a girlfriend?”

“……Yes, it’s okay!”

“I understand well.”

“……”

“Read all the letters before sleeping, organize them, and then sleep. Got it?”

“Got it!”

“Rest.”

The instructor, who had been grinning at my responses, left the room with those final words.

I was drenched in cold sweat, thinking about the oppressive questions I had just faced. No matter how I answered, I couldn’t win.

Was this the instructor’s way of teasing?

But since it didn’t seem like he was being 100% serious, I let out a sigh of relief and hugged the letters I had received tightly, turning my body around.

And behind me…

“Someone only received one letter from their parents, but…”

“Did you receive 8 or 9 letters? Except for my parents and girlfriend, everyone else is a girl, right?”

“My conscience is screaming, don’t you think I should share them with you?”

Compared to when we first talked about Eli, the eyes of my colleagues, burning with strong jealousy and hostility, were fixed on me.

It seemed that receiving a bunch of letters from female friends was an unbearable envy for them.

Hmm.

It’s just that we’re friends, but that wouldn’t fly, would it?

***

I read the internet letters I received until I fell asleep.

One was from my parents.

Including my grandparents, four people sent me one letter. About 3/4 of the content was filled with my mom and grandma’s worries and greetings.

And one was, of course, from Eli… but I’ll read that last.

The others who sent me letters were as follows:

Lee So-yeon, Joo Hye-ryeong, Unni Vini, Unni Mina, Yang Ji-yoon from middle school, and two female university friends I often worked with on group projects.

From noble mtl dot net

A total of 7 people.

I wondered why Lee So-yeon and Joo Hye-ryeong wrote separately, but it turned out they wrote that receiving many letters would make me happy in the training camp.

Unni Vini wrote with Jung Woo-hyung, but instead of signing as Seonwoo-bin, she wrote “From. Vini♡”, which could be misunderstood by others.

Unni Mina had told me she would send one letter, but I didn’t know she would send it as soon as the letter arrived. She asked me to show her a photo of myself in uniform when I’m on leave.

Yang Ji-yoon and my university friends seemed to have sent their letters just for fun. Since Eli changed my chat status message to my military address, they must have seen it and sent their letters.

The content wasn’t much, but the fact that they took the time to write letters made me incredibly happy and grateful.

Thanks to that, I smiled brightly as I read each letter.

Finally.

I held Eli’s letter in my hand.

Unexpectedly, the content wasn’t too long.

But the love and heart that Eli poured into it was more than enough to be felt.

[ I added more modeling schedules. We need to save money to get married and buy a house, so we’ll be frugal after you’re discharged. ]

[ On the weekend, I spent the whole day chatting with Mom and Grandma, leaving our phones in the middle. Maybe you’ll call. ]

[ But you didn’t. It’s frustrating. Can’t you call me every day? ]

[ I’m so bored at home alone. Everything is no fun without you. ]

[ So come back quickly. Hold my hand, hug me, and kiss me. ]

[ But don’t overdo it. The most important thing is not to get hurt. If you get hurt, you’ll die, and I’ll nag you for the rest of my life. ]

[ I have a lot to say, but since I’ll be writing letters every day, I’ll keep it short today. Writing this makes me want to see you so badly. ]

[ I love you. ]

[ My husband. ]

[ My Lee Do-yoon. ]

[ I love you. ]

I read Eli’s beautiful, round writing without blinking, my eyes filling with tears. Until I fell asleep, I just read and reread.

One word, one word at a time.

As if savoring it.

I felt like crying. My parents’ letters were the same, but Eli’s letter was no exception. There were no touching phrases, but the letter itself was touching.

The past ten days had been tedious, difficult, and longing, but finally, my heart was somewhat fulfilled. My mental state had recovered.

As I imagined Eli writing this letter in front of her notebook, I felt an overwhelming sense of affection.

I thought I could endure any training. If there was such a reward.

I thought that if we could exchange letters and make phone calls soon, and if we could see each other’s faces in just three weeks, I could endure any training.

But.

From the next day on.

“77th trainee, fall back!”

“…Fall back!”

“Bend your arms and count to ten. We’ll do it ten times. Execute!”

“Execute! …One!”

“Keep your arms straight!”

Suddenly, the instructors’ shouts seemed to intensify, but… anyway.

***

Weekend of Eli’s second week in the army.

“There’s someone in the same unit as Do-yun who got a call from him. It’s on the cafe page.”

“Really? We’ll get one soon too?”

“I’m so nervous… I keep hearing Do-yun’s voice in my head lately, like a hallucination.”

Eli gazed at the smartphone placed between her and her mother, Jeong Ye-rin, and her mother-in-law, Song Ji-eun.

She sneaked a peek at the cafe page on her phone, her face filled with tension and anticipation.