My Platinum-Blond Childhood Friend Is So Pretty

63 – 22. My Birthday Party. And Zhou Huiying -3

As the day went by, the mid-term exams finally ended, and the math scores I saw last time were good.

My grades have been rising steadily, and even I was surprised.

I’ve been studying consistently since middle school, and I’ve been attending private academies frequently, but I didn’t expect my grades to improve this much.

Did I have a hidden talent for studying?

It’s not like anyone wouldn’t work hard, but when you do, you get results that match your effort.

Moreover, the practice questions Min-jae brought and So-yeon’s lectures were a huge help.

Unfortunately, Eli’s scores dropped compared to before. Despite studying consistently with me.

Excluding English, which she always excelled in, her overall grades dropped.

But Eli didn’t seem to mind her poor test scores.

She just looked at my steadily improving test scores and said…

“It went up again. Good job.”

While praising me, she smiled brightly as if it were her own achievement.

“I’ll give you a present when your parents aren’t around, so wait.”

“Can I look forward to it?”

“Heh, look forward to it.”

She was extremely happy, not knowing how much her smile could light up the room, and told me to wait for the present. I was happier than getting good grades.

I knew it wasn’t a bikini this time, but a bunny girl costume, and I had been waiting for it.

Moreover, seeing Eli being even happier than me made me feel loved and expected by my childhood friend and girlfriend.

My heart was beating fast.

***

It was the weekend after the exam.

Luckily, Jinwoo had reserved a party room for us the day before, and today was the day.

All my friends who said they would come had arrived, and the room was spacious enough for everyone. There were also plenty of entertainment facilities like dart games, pool tables, and karaoke machines.

We rented the party room for 5 hours at 25,000 won.

To be honest, it was a big expense for high school students like us, but since I had a part-time job, I could afford it.

Plus, since many friends were coming to celebrate, my parents sent me a large allowance with a big smile.

“Our Do-yun is so popular, it’s a big deal! Buy lots of delicious food with your friends, and if you’re short on money, call Mom.”

“This is enough. Thanks, Mom.”

“Have fun and come back. Dad can drive you there.”

“No, I’ll meet up with friends on the way and take my time.”

In the morning, I got up early, washed up, and chatted with my parents before Eli arrived at my house, all dressed up.

“Are you ready?”

“Yeah, I wore everything you picked out. My hair is also…”

“It doesn’t look good. Sit down. I’ll fix it for you.”

My girlfriend, who had perfectly dressed herself from head to toe.

Her beautiful, shining platinum blonde hair, along with her light makeup, created a lovely face that made me smile.

Especially her lips were no joke. I always thought they looked like cherries, but today they looked exactly like cherries.

I wanted to kiss her like crazy the moment I saw her.

Eli fixed my hair again, and I also made an effort to dress up.

We wore a completely matching couple’s outfit, including shirts, knit jackets, and pants, and left the house.

“I’ll be back!”

“Have fun!”

As soon as we stepped out of the apartment hallway and the door closed, I immediately hugged Eli and kissed her.

I gently kissed her, careful not to smudge her makeup. It was a bit unsatisfying, so we slightly touched tongues.

It was one of the shortest and most refreshing kisses we’d had recently, but Eli and I were both satisfied.

“Doesn’t it feel like before?”

“So, are you disappointed?”

“No, I like it. We’ll do it again tonight anyway.”

“You know me well. Let’s go.”

We departed, arm in arm, in a loving manner.

We didn’t head straight to the birthday party location, but instead met up with a few friends along the way.

“Doyoon, happy birthday! I’ll give you a gift later with the other kids!”

“Thanks.”

First, there was Soyeon, who had already arrived near my house.

She, who was just as pretty as I was, was radiating her usual bright smile and cuteness.

“…Should I go back too?”

“If you’re uncomfortable, you can leave halfway through, but come and have some cake first.”

“Okay, then… Happy birthday anyway.”

Next was Minjae, who didn’t look too pleased.

Although Minjae had many friends, he wasn’t the type to have fun in a big group, so he might have felt uncomfortable.

Still, it was nice of him to come and celebrate my birthday.

After that, I met up with a few more friends, including Jinwoo and Chaehyun. We had already gathered around ten people before arriving, and we bought a lot of food at a mart near the party room.

When we arrived at the reserved party room…

“Wow, this place is really nice! It must have cost a lot.”

“Well, it’s going to take some time for everyone to arrive, so let’s play some darts first?”

Everyone was amazed by the spacious room with many attractions, just like the pictures they had seen online.

There was a large table in the center, and smaller tables scattered around, so it seemed like we could all eat and have fun without any discomfort.

As we were about to set up the food and cakes that our friends had brought, Jinwoo stopped me.

“Stop. You just rest over there. You reserved the party room, so we’ll take care of the setup.”

I teased my friends, saying, “Hey, can’t you guys move faster?”

To which they all nodded in agreement, including Soyeon.

“Ah, okay. I’ll just rest then. Look, hurry up and get moving!”

With that consideration, I sat back down in my seat, and Eli naturally sat down beside me.

But at that moment…

“Hey, Jinwoo.”

“What’s up, man?”

“Isn’t it weird that Ali, who’s not even celebrating her birthday, is just sitting there doing nothing?…”

“That’s ridiculous… Don’t be like that.”

Chaehyun teased, and Jinwoo nodded in agreement.

Most guys found it difficult to talk to Eli, even now that we were in the second semester, but these two, who had been friends since middle school, didn’t think twice about joking around like this.

-Swoosh

“Hmm.”

Eli smiled, raising the corner of his mouth.

“No way.”

And he didn’t even pretend to get up, saying it was impossible.

“That’s really bold of you. Why can’t you do it?”

Chaehyun asked, looking puzzled. In reality, there were so many people that Eli didn’t need to move anyway. On the contrary, a few people were standing around, looking awkward.

But Eli’s response was too bold, too shameless, and all the friends scattered around were watching the situation with great interest.

Eli replied…

“I’m Lee Do-yoon, so if Lee Do-yoon doesn’t move, I won’t move either.”

“…….”

“…….”

“Are you dissatisfied?”

“It’s ridiculous, but I can’t refute it…”

“This damn life…”

“Wow, Eli is so cool!”

Except for Lee So-yeon, who was cheering, everyone’s faces turned sour with her silly answer.

***

By around two o’clock in the afternoon, most of the people who said they would come had arrived.

“Happy birthday!”

“Happy birthday. Can I leave my gift here?”

“Yeah, that’s fine. Thanks.”

In reality, the party was just an excuse to say happy birthday and give gifts, and then everyone went off to have fun on their own. But the lively atmosphere was really great.

I welcomed the people who came with Eli and played darts and pool with them, and even listened to my friends singing happy birthday to me.

Just then.

A little late, another person arrived at the party room.

“Happy birthday. Here, my gift.”

“Thanks for coming.”

“I should be the one thanking you.”

Like Eli, who had been working hard since morning to set up the party, her black hair flowed beautifully down to her shirt and skirt, making her look extremely innocent and pretty.

Without paying attention to her surroundings, she walked straight up to me with a smile.

Joo Hye-ryung handed me a gift with a smile.

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

The noisy party room suddenly froze for a moment.

With Joo Hye-ryung’s gentle smile and words, and Eli’s gaze fixed on her from beside me, a sense of tension filled the air.

“Wow, she really came.”

“She’s crazy, really.”

It wasn’t that anyone particularly disliked her; she just wasn’t the type to get along with everyone.

She was Joo Hye-ryung, who was often considered the most devoted fan of mine after Eli, so everyone was whispering in surprise.

And Joo Hye-ryung just handed me a gift and congratulated me, as if she was putting a stamp on it.

“The cake looks delicious. Can I have some too?”

“There’s a lot, so help yourself. Just relax and have fun.”

“Okay, I will.”

She sat down in an empty seat nearby.

It seemed like she noticed that there were no close friends among the people gathered here, and that the atmosphere had become slightly stiff.

Instead of forcing herself to fit in, she quietly sipped a drink and started checking her phone.

She didn’t try to do anything around me, and just showed off her calm demeanor.

Thanks to Eli, who was gazing at her with an unusual gaze.

“Haah…”

Isoryeon, sitting next to Eli, let out a small sigh. Then, she got up from her seat and approached Juhwalyeong.

And sitting down beside her, she started chatting with her.

“Are we not taking a TikTok video today?”

“……No, we’re not taking one. We cleared our schedule for today.”

“Hmm, does it take long to film? The video itself doesn’t take more than a few seconds, right?”

Isoryeon casually, just like treating a regular friend, started chatting with Juhwalyeong.

Juhwalyeong also looked surprised that Isoryeon was talking to her, and her emotions were written all over her face.

Although they didn’t have much interaction before, Isoryeon didn’t seem to have a good impression of Juhwalyeong, who was supporting me and Eli.

But I couldn’t help but think it was fortunate that Isoryeon was talking to her like this.

It was a relief that someone was talking to her, even if it was Isoryeon, since things were getting awkward.

As the two girls focused on their conversation, the others gradually turned their attention to them and started playing among themselves again.

I, too, felt more at ease, and picked up a fork to take a bite of the beautifully decorated cake in front of me.

“Eli, want some cake…?”

I was about to offer Eli some cake, but I realized her gaze was fixed on Juhwalyeong and Isoryeon.

“……Hmph.”

And from her displeased tone, I understood that she was feeling jealous.

It wasn’t like Isoryeon was being overly friendly with Juhwalyeong, but still, it was a conversation.

I couldn’t help but understand her feelings, but I thought the current situation and atmosphere were good.

-Suddenly!

“Ugh… what’s going on.”

“Your face is too pretty. Ah, let me. I’ll feed you cake.”

“…Ah.”

I made a pecking sound on Eli’s cheek, and as she opened her mouth like a baby bird, I fed her cake, making her focus on me.

Luckily, Eli’s face turned red, and she looked at me. After receiving my peck, she seemed to want a kiss, and her gaze turned burning hot.

But.

“……Ha.”

“Don’t look over there. You know we always do that, so why do you act like that?”

“I’m annoyed…”

“Are you giving up?”

“…I don’t like it.”

“You’re also being really stubborn…”

This time, I heard a faint, struggling voice from Juhwalyeong and Isoryeon’s direction.

Well, there were some minor incidents like that.

It was a joyful birthday party.

I was truly happy that so many friends had come to celebrate my birthday.

***

After the party ended, I went around to thank each of my friends who had stayed until the end, saying my gratitude once more.

After that, Eli and I went to take birthday commemoration photos, just the two of us.

We updated a sweet and deep kiss photo on SNS, just the two of us, looking affectionate and lovely.

We got back home around 7 pm.

We were going to have more dates outside, but after chatting and playing with friends for 4-5 hours, both Eli and I were tired, so we just went back.

–

“I’ll go take a shower.”

“I’ll wait.”

When Eli and I returned home, lightly touching lips, with heavy bodies, the house was dark and very quiet.

I wondered if my parents had gone out to see a show… No, actually, I had a faint expectation, so I called my mom.

—Son, are you back already? I thought you’d be late, so I went out to drink with Eli’s mom. Should I come back quickly? Should we have a nice dinner with just the three of us?

“No, Mom. I’ll rest at home, so take your time.”

—Okay! I’ll buy something delicious on my way back! Happy birthday, son!

“I’ve already said it ten times today. Thanks, Mom.”

I could sense that my parents had left the house, and it hadn’t been long since they left, so it would take a while for them to come back.

At the same time, my heart started pounding rapidly, and my heavy body felt like it was flying away.

I was about to call Eli.

– Jjjing!

The phone rang first.

– Ting!

“Hello? Eli? Are your parents…”

—Come to our house an hour after you shower.

“Got it!”

The moment I had been waiting for had finally arrived.