My Platinum-Blond Childhood Friend Is So Pretty

123 – 44. Working out with my girlfriend before enlistment -3

Taking a shower with Eli had become almost routine, but it never got old or boring.

Every time felt new, every time felt enjoyable.

Her soft, baby-like skin, which she entrusted to me 100% to wash and caress, was a delight.

Similarly, Eli’s hands, which touched every inch of my body as if it were her own, made me feel great.

I always felt good.

“Tie up my hair.”

“Okay.”

After simply showering, I tied up Eli’s hair before we got into the bathtub. It only took 10 seconds to style her hair like this.

And we got into the bathtub together.

-Splash…

“It’s really narrow.”

“It’s narrow.”

The bathtub was narrow.

I had to spread my legs and bend my knees to make space for Eli to sit, and Eli had to do the same to fit into the narrow space.

Compared to the hotel where we had stretched out our legs and enjoyed ourselves, this bathtub was really uncomfortable and cramped.

-Cozy

I thought this wasn’t so bad.

As narrow as it was, we had no choice but to stick together, and I even enjoyed resting my head on her shoulder, embracing her waist.

“Can I take a bath and then a nap?”

“Are you tired?”

“A bit. Maybe my muscles are a bit stiff.”

“Sleep for 15 minutes.”

“15 minutes is…”

“I’ll give you a knee pillow.”

“I’ll sleep for 15 minutes.”

In the small bathtub, surrounded by warm water.

We leaned against each other, skin to skin, and chatted softly, feeling happy in this moment.

—

Then, Eli stroked my thigh. Even though she wasn’t applying much pressure, I felt a tingling sensation due to my stiff muscles.

“Don’t press too hard. It hurts.”

“Is this stroking okay?”

“It feels good.”

At my words, Eli’s touch became slightly strange. She only touched me with her fingertips, and I felt a slight thrill.

Was I more sensitive due to muscle pain?

Before taking a shower, my body had already reacted when I saw Eli’s back, and now it was responding even more.

“It’s hard.”

“Of course, it’s hard when you touch me like that.”

“I was talking about my thigh.”

“Oh.”

“You beast.”

Eli scolded me in a playful tone, tilting her head back and gazing at me with a sly smile.

Thanks to that, I caught a glimpse of her upper chest peeking out from the side of the bathtub. It was enticing.

Yes.

This wasn’t the time for a nap.

—

I raised one hand and gently grasped Eli’s chin.

And then, I pulled her slightly towards me.

—

Our lips met. At the same time, Eli’s tongue instinctively protruded, like a conditioned reflex.

I matched my tongue to hers, and we naturally deepened the kiss, our tongues entwining like a thread. Meanwhile, I used my remaining hand to caress Eli’s breast.

Eli’s gaze and lips grew increasingly hotter.

And even more so, my excitement, which could make me forget my muscle pain, burned my body.

“Ah…”

“Eli, go out and grab a towel for me.”

“What’s wrong? You said you’d take a bath and then a nap.”

“I’ll take a bath again and then take a nap.”

“Hmm.”

“Hurry up and get up, show me your butt.”

“…Hmm.”

As I spoke in a commanding tone, a sly smile spread across Eli’s face.

After that, Eli’s sighs filled the air…but only once.

It was too hard due to muscle pain.

***

We consistently went to the gym after that.

With only a month left until the semester started, I was busy studying for certifications and English, while Eli continued to attend modeling shoots three times a week.

We made it a point to meet up whenever we had time, roughly every two days, and our schedules aligned perfectly.

As we entered our fourth week, we became somewhat close to Hyunho, the personal trainer who had been guiding us.

Since he was always at the gym, our schedules matched, and we would meet him every time we went.

“But when do you take a break, hyung? You’re always here.”

“Tuesday. But I still come here on my days off.”

“What do you do here?”

“Just exercise.”

“Ah.”

He would say something like that.

Anyway, despite having a rugged physique and intimidating face, Hyunho was always kind to us after our PT sessions.

Whenever we had questions about exercise, he would explain them in detail, and whenever my posture was off, he would correct me.

It was unusual for someone to show such excessive kindness to me, and it often happened when Eli was around. But Hyunho didn’t seem to have any ulterior motives.

It wasn’t that he didn’t have any, but it was a natural liking he had towards Eli, who was extremely pretty. We were sensitive to others’ gazes, so we could understand.

As we got to know him better, we discovered something.

“…Chew.”

It was as if he was more interested in me than Eli.

That’s why Eli would evaluate Hyunho as a “kind person” while being slightly wary.

I couldn’t understand why he would behave like that towards me, but I didn’t press the issue.

It wasn’t like he was interested in me romantically, but if I heard him say something like that, I wouldn’t know how to react… It was scary.

Aside from that, he was a great hyung who would always greet us with a smile, help us with our exercises, and even share tips about Cartusa through his connections.

So, we were grateful for his heart, and when only a week was left until the registration deadline.

After finishing our workout one day, we made a promise to treat Hyunho to a meal.

“I’ll buy it. You kids don’t have to pay.”

“It’s not like we’re making you buy something expensive or anything.”

“We’re just grateful in many ways.”

“I would do that much even if you weren’t my PT clients… Thanks. I’ll enjoy my meal.”

It wasn’t too expensive, and Hyunho, who had a strict diet to follow, simply had a simple meal at a nearby family restaurant.

“So, are you not going to come to the gym anymore after this?”

“I think I’ve learned enough from you, hyung, so it’s okay. And I’ll be busy once the semester starts.”

“Come on, you’re a college student… You should do squats and planks regularly at home. If you don’t, your body will stiffen up and it’ll feel like you’re starting from scratch later on.”

“Yes.”

“Alyssa’s already doing Pilates at home, so there’s nothing to say. But it’s still good to do aerobic exercises like running regularly. Even just running around the neighborhood a bit.”

“Got it.”

The meal and conversation were leisurely.

Hyunho hyung seemed like a passionate character from a comic book, but as we talked, I found that he had a lot of delicate sides to him.

Just as we were about to finish the meal with a good feeling…

“Um… you know, Doyun?”

Hyunho hyung, who seemed to be pondering something, spoke up hesitantly.

“I didn’t want to say it, but… I really feel sorry, so I’m saying it.”

“Please go ahead.”

“It’s not like I’m forcing you or anything, it’s just my honest opinion.”

“Okay.”

“…can you just exercise a little more?”

“Working out?”

“Yes.”

Hyunho hyung’s hesitant words caught our attention, and both Eli and I looked at him with interest.

It didn’t feel bad. It was clear from Hyunho hyung’s attitude that he wasn’t saying it just to boast about his own accomplishments.

So we listened quietly as Hyunho hyung enthusiastically explained his reasons.

“It’s not like I’m saying you should dedicate your life to this, but… you’re really blessed with a great body shape. Your proportions are good, and your skeleton is too.”

“That’s… well, thanks to my parents…”

“That’s right. You can’t deny it. If you just pay a little more attention to your diet and exercise regularly, even just 2-3 times a week, you’ll be amazing. When you go to the beach or the pool and take off your clothes, the girls will…”

“Stop right there, hyung. Don’t go too far.”

“…Alyssa will love it too.”

Hyunho hyung immediately retreated at Eli’s cold tone, but it was clear what he wanted to say.

As a man, I naturally had the desire to have a nice, toned body. It was just that investing time in exercise wasn’t as important to me as spending time with Eli.

Plus, neither Eli nor I had ever thought about going to the gym before. We were worried about what others might think.

But that prejudice had mostly disappeared since we started coming to this gym.

Even Hyunho hyung, who we met as a trainer, was a good person, and the other members who came at the same time as us didn’t bother us either.

And…

“I also find exercising enjoyable…”

Surprisingly, going to the gym was enjoyable.

At first, it was really tough, but as I got used to it, I started to enjoy the feeling of sweating and pushing myself. Plus, after getting sick once, I felt good about taking care of my health.

“……”

Eli was also deep in thought.

In fact, Eli would probably feel more comfortable running on the treadmill at the gym than running around the neighborhood.

I thought there would be more people bothering us at the gym, but it turned out that wasn’t the case. The curious stares from others were only at the beginning, and after a week, everyone was too busy with their own routines to care.

As we showed a relatively positive response, Hyunho hyung’s face lit up and he started talking excitedly.

“Yeah, you don’t need to do PT. I’ll show you my routine and teach you how to do it, so just try it once. Exercise is only fun when you’re consistent, and now is the perfect time.”

“Hmm… Eli, what do you think?”

“Still thinking about it.”

“Alyssa, you should think about it too. It’s not bad for you to see your boyfriend getting in shape. Girls are already interested in guys’ bodies, and those who are interested will be interested anyway.”

“……”

“Either way, I’m going to show you, so it’s a win-win, right?”

Eli’s gaze turned to me at those words.

From bottom to top.

He blatantly scanned my body.

With a seductive and sly gaze.

In fact, Eli had been frequently touching my body lately. Especially on days when I worked out, he would shower with me and touch me here and there.

And after touching my toned muscles, he would smile mysteriously.

So, even now, he was showing a positive attitude.

“Idoyun, are you okay?”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s already time for school to start. Can you exercise regularly?”

Balancing university studies and working out.

“It’s not like you do it every day, so if you want to do it, you can. If you don’t want to, you can’t.”

“That’s true.”

“Wow, Doyun. That’s a great saying. That’s right. If you want to do it, you can do it. I don’t want to force you to do it. But it seems like you’re enjoying exercise, so I said something. Want to try it once?”

“Hmm.”

There was no reason not to do it.

It’s not like I exercise for several hours a day, and I’m not busy enough to not have time for it.

Even if our alone time together decreases by an hour, I’ll still go to the gym with Eli.

And as a reward, my improving body is good for Eli too.

As I thought that, my head naturally nodded.

“Okay, I’ll try.”

***

When we returned home, Hyunho, who had heard our conversation at the family restaurant, went back with a happy face.

He said he would make a routine that wouldn’t put too much strain on my body when we go to the gym next time.

And he would teach me what to eat and what not to eat, saying that eating too much is bad and eating well is good.

We thanked Hyunho, who was full of enthusiasm, and went straight back home.

And while sitting on the sofa, resting my body for a bit, I asked Eli, who was in my arms.

“Eli, do you like people with good bodies?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I thought you liked it when I exercised. Mark ajusshi has a great body too.”

“What does my dad have to do with it? I’m not interested in other people’s bodies.”

“Really?”

“Of course. You’re stupid?”

Eli got out of my arms, turned around, and faced me.

In that state, I stroked my chest with my hand, and with my tongue, I licked my own lips, continuing to speak.

“It’s good that your body is getting better.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. And with that toned body, you’ll… know what to do, right?”

“Should I pounce on you like a beast?”

“That’s right. Do that. So, work hard. Got it?”

“Yes.”

“You’re answering well. I’ll give you a reward, so open your mouth.”

“Thank you… uh…”

-Aside