Male Lead, Please Dump Me Three Times - Chapter 5

“I’m the one you’re meeting.”

“……”

“……”

Ray was looking up at me, sitting still.

It was quite disconcerting to see him tilt his head and look up at me with such a handsome face.

Pretending to be ignorant with such an attractive face?

This sly person.

‘But he really is very handsome… and exactly to my taste…’

“What are you thinking about?”

I snapped back to reality by his clear voice. I regained my composure.

“D-did you, perhaps, get lost on your way here?!”

“That’s unlikely. I’m not a child.”

Ray responded to my question with a languid smile.

Why does my heart feel so tight all of a sudden?

Is it because of that face…

“……”

“It’s been a long time.”

Ray spoke again, parting his lips that held a hint of red.

Suddenly, Delian’s words came to mind.

⟨”I’m about to be married off to a 50-year-old mining tycoon.”⟩

⟨”He even has 25 mistresses.”⟩

⟨”And he’s bald and has been divorced three times.”⟩

Where is the bald 50-year-old man…?

All I see before me is a celestial beauty who seems to be around 190 cm tall?

‘What’s going on, what happened?’

I bit my lip.

Ray was looking up at me with a blank expression that didn’t match his fierce eyes.

“Do you… have about 25 mistresses?”

“What kind of disrespectful question is that?”

“No… I just thought I heard a rumor that you had about 25 mistresses…”

Ray looked visibly uncomfortable at my words.

“…You’re here to meet Lady Ruina, right? The mining tycoon old man…”

“I’m not an old man, but yes.”

“……”

Yes?

Oh… So now I just run away?

While he was momentarily distracted, I thought about kicking the door open and fleeing.

As I ran simulations of escape in my head, Ray kept his gaze fixed on me.

“Please sit down. Your legs must be uncomfortable because of the heels.”

Ray gestured to the empty chair in front of him.

He seemed to have an uncanny insight into my inner thoughts.

It appeared there would be no chance for him to let his guard down.

He was a difficult opponent.

I decided to sit down for now.

‘Right. Let’s have a calm conversation first…’

“It seems you’ve become Lady Ruina without my knowing.”

“That’s… due to unavoidable circumstances.”

“What kind of circumstances?”

“I can’t give you the details.”

“I’m curious though.”

Ray lifted one corner of his mouth and picked up his teacup.

Even that simple gesture overflowed with elegance.

As I watched his graceful and beautiful body, uncomfortable scenes from the past also came to mind.

It’s unlikely but… what if he brings up the story from 3 years ago?

“It would be very troubling…”

“What would?”

Yes. Let’s change the subject instead.

I’ll take the initiative.

“Um, I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“I’m certain… I was told that you’re a 50-year-old mining tycoon…”

“……”

“With about 25 mistresses…”

“……”

“And even bald. But someone completely different has come…, I’m a little embarrassed right now?”

“So, you came out knowing that’s who I was supposed to be?”

Ray asked a very sharp question.

“Yes. If we’re just talking about the facts, that’s correct… I’m not very good at lying.”

I said, scratching my innocent cheek.

Ray let out a faint sigh at my words.

“I bought that mine.”

“Why?”

“Well, I had too much money to spend unnecessarily.”

“……?”

That’s some rich person’s spending pattern…

For a change of pace, he bought mine…….

“No wait. So you bought it with the intention of making an appointment with Lady Ruina?”

“If we’re talking about the facts, that would be correct. I’m not particularly good at lying either.”

“That means… you were expecting Delian to show up here…?!”

I swallowed hard internally.

Did I inadvertently interfere with them again…!

“That’s not it.”

“No? Then what?”

“I can’t tell you the details.”

“Why do you keep repeating what I said?”

“I’m not repeating; I’m telling the truth.”

At that moment, Ray’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“What does that mean…”

“I don’t want to lie to you. So I’d rather choose not to speak at all.”

“Should I call Delian now…? It seems like that might be better…”

As soon as I mentioned Delian’s name, Ray’s expression and voice noticeably dried up.

“No. I came to meet you. I don’t need anyone else.”

“You came to see me? But why…”

“You should know why.”

“What, what do you mean I should know…”

“I’m curious about something.”

“So what are you curious about exactly… Ha ha…”

“3 years ago, on graduation day. Why you turned me down.”

Ray’s lips curled up in a mocking smile as he spoke.

Suddenly, the scene flashed before my eyes as vividly as if it were yesterday.

⟨””I’m graduating now! This might be my last confession. Would you like to go out with me? Of course, if you say no, I won’t bother you anymore!”⟩

⟨”Okay.”⟩

⟨”Congratulations on your graduation.”⟩

That time, when I couldn’t get dumped for the third time.

The image of Ray’s lips drawing a thin arc.

My face heated up with the sudden memory of that day.

“I… don’t remember.”

“You don’t remember?”

“I have a hard time remembering old things.”

“For someone who can’t remember, you seem quite uncomfortable around me.”

“I’m just very shy…”

“I see.”

Ray seemed to fall into thought, resting his chin on his hand. His hand was clad in black gloves, the same color as my hair.

“How can I make you remember…”

I pretended not to hear his whisper-like murmur.

And with a capitalist smile, I said,

“Alright! Now that we seem to have cleared our positions, shall I go?”

“That’s a pity. I haven’t finished clarifying my position yet.”

Ray lightly flicked away at my joke.

“I, uh, have a favor to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Could you please not ask anything? I would really appreciate it if you just thought there was some unavoidable circumstance.”

“That’s difficult for me.”

“You don’t seem so firm, but you’re really such a determined person, aren’t you? You seem like you would be endlessly warm and considerate.”

I’m just saying that, but in truth, I saw it.

The cold impression on his sharp eyes.

A nose sharp as a blade and eyes reddened as if stained with blood.

The man who coldly and decisively rejected my confession twice.

He was the epitome of a cold and handsome man.

“Endlessly warm and considerate…”

“……”

“That’s the first time I’ve ever heard such a thing in my life.”

As expected…

Ray must know very well that I’m lying.

“But didn’t you say you liked cold and handsome men?”

“Wait, just a moment! Don’t say anything more!”

A wave of embarrassment suddenly hit me.

I felt like rushing over to shut him up right then and there.

Ray naturally caught my wrist as I moved towards him.

At the same time, his eyes narrowed slightly.

“I—wait! I just thought of another question! It’s urgent!”

Ray spoke while gently turning my wrist, which he had reached for.

“What is it?”

Unlike me, who was startled by the sudden skinship, he still held my wrist gently.

“Oh, first, let go of this…”

I said, trying to pull my hand away from Ray’s grasp.

“Having this meeting means that the two of you are bound by a promise, right? You and Delian, I mean.”

“That?”

“Yes.”

“There’s no problem. We agreed to call it off by mutual consent.”

“What did you say?”

“We aren’t each other’s type. We decided to maintain only the business deal we had planned to proceed with.”

……!

Delian and Ray… aren’t each other’s type?

Of course.

Delian might be lost in a failed love.

But wasn’t Ray supposed to like Delian?

I felt an odd sense of betrayal.

‘Why are you like this? Where did the devoted male protagonist, who couldn’t live without Delian, go?’

As a reader of the original novel, I thought Ray, who poured his blind love on Delian, was really cool.

Even me, a staunch advocate of singlehood,

⟨I want to experience a love like this just once!⟩

That’s what I said.

Right.

You really were a wonderful person…

A wonderful husband…

But this situation wasn’t really anyone’s fault.

Wait.

Then why am I here…?

“Um. I’ll just come clean. It seems okay to do so now.”

What’s the point of hiding something from someone who already knows everything?

“Yes.”

“I actually came here on Delian’s request, pretending to be Lady Ruina.”

“Yes. I already knew that.”

“No. Then why did you ask me, pretending that you didn’t know?”

“Just because.”

This man is sly as a fox!

“…If it’s already been called off, then why do I need to be here?”

“That was also part of the condition. It was agreed upon with Lady Ruina.”

“……”

“So if you leave now, I have no intention of proceeding with the business with the Count of Ruina.”

I see.

Delian colluded with Ray to sell me out.

“…So now that I’ve kept the promise, I can go, right?”

“No. You have to stay for the allotted time.”

“……”

“You should properly adhere to the conditions.”

Ray spoke while tilting his teacup.

I clenched my teeth tightly, and a voice full of dissatisfaction slipped through them.

“The conditions are quite demanding.”

He adjusted his wristwatch with practiced movements and said,

“There are two more hours left.”

“T–two hours?”

“Yes. What should we do? Together.”