Male Lead, Please Dump Me Three Times - Chapter 8

“……”

“If you keep pretending to sleep… I’ll want to wake you up.”

“…Umm…”

I pretended to toss and turn, rolling over to the other side.

I could feel the sheets against my back soaked with sweat.

‘XX, what should I do…’

“Are you planning to sleep here?”

“Ha, haah…”

I rubbed my eyes as if I had just woken up and sat up.

“Oh my, where is this place? Am I dreaming…?”

I acted naturally, as if I had just woken up from sleep.

“A dream…”

“……”

“…is not what it is. Should we check?”

“How…?”

“Hmm… Well.”

Ray moved closer to me.

Our breaths and gazes intertwined in the air as he came close enough to be right before my nose.

I jerked my body away, startled.

“Ah, it’s not a dream. Phew… That really woke me up. I think I’m fully awake now!”

Ray lifted the corner of his mouth, looking at me.

“I really didn’t want to believe it, but… it’s reality…. You don’t need to confirm it for me…”

“Is that so? That’s a shame.”

“Yes. But… where is this place? Why am I here…?”

“It’s my house. You lost consciousness all of a sudden.”

“Ah…!”

“Are you feeling a bit better?”

“I think… so.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Ray handed me some lukewarm water as he continued speaking.

“Do you often have severe headaches?”

“Yes. They say it’s chronic migraines.”

“You still have some medicine in your system, so stay a bit longer. I’ll take you home.”

“That’s okay.”

“I’m not okay with it.”

Ray approached me, sitting awkwardly, and propped a pillow against my back.

“You can lie down if it’s hard for you.”

“It’s not that bad… No, can I just lie down for a bit? The bed has a comfortable stillness that doesn’t shake… And the blanket is cozy too.”

Ray nodded at my words and then removed the pillow he had used to support my back and laid my head down.

“This is really… I hate causing trouble normally… but I seem to be unintentionally causing you trouble.”

“It’s okay. I’m sorry.”

“No… Why do you keep saying sorry…?”

“I didn’t think you’d be in poor condition.”

“Ah, that. You didn’t know, Ray. And I didn’t know my own condition. Anyway, I had to keep the promise.”

I gave him a slight smile.

Ray, who was sitting next to me lying down, silently looked down at me.

Soon he reached out lazily with a relaxed eye.

Just for a moment. Then his crimson eyes suddenly became clear and bright.

Ray hastily withdrew his hand from me.

“Ah… Sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

Ray’s hand settled next to the pillow I was resting on, in the empty space.

“Do you want to touch me?”

“What?”

“No… What did I just say…?”

Ray said, suppressing a chuckle.

“Figures. You still have the effects of the medicine.”

“Ah… So that’s why. Words keep slipping out without passing through my brain.”

“Don’t ever show weakness in front of others.”

“Why?”

“Because you might ask embarrassing questions like now.”

“Was it embarrassing?”

“Yes.”

“Actually… people seem to like touching me.”

“What did you say?”

“Maybe because I have nice skin…”

“Who touched you?”

What?

For some reason, Ray’s voice seemed a bit husky…

“Delian does… and so do Mom and Dad. They especially never leave my hands and cheeks alone.”

“I think I understand why.”

His stiff expression seemed to soften a bit at my words.

“Is that so?”

I suddenly burst into giggles.

“Ray. But what is this medicine? I should buy a bottle too. I feel nice and drowsy.”

“It’s a sedative. You can’t abuse it.”

Ray said in a very firm voice.

Just asking…

It felt strange somehow when he spoke in such a determined tone.

“Ray. Aren’t you uncomfortable?”

“With what?”

“You’ve been sitting awkwardly since earlier. I’m lying down comfortably… and you’re not even sitting on a chair.”

“……”

“Do you want to lie down next to me? It’s soft and nice.”

I patted the empty space next to me as I spoke.

“Daisy.”

“Yes?”

“Are you always this fearless?”

“Yes. I often hear that. I guess I’m not very fearful.”

“That’s troublesome. In many ways.”

Ray let out a light sigh.

He pulled the messy blanket up to my chest and lay down next to me, resting his arm under his head.

My eyes closed and opened slowly, succumbing to the lingering drowsiness.

“If I happen to fall asleep… you must wake me up. Staying out overnight is not allowed at my house.”

Ray nodded, meeting my gaze.

“Daisy.”

“Hmm?”

“Why don’t you ask?”

“About what…?”

“About that day.”

That day…

Is he talking about graduation?

“Just… It seems better not to ask each other.”

“Am I making you uncomfortable?”

“Yes… Honestly, it’s uncomfortable.”

“Because I look scary?”

“No. You do look scary but it’s a scary kind of handsome, so it doesn’t matter.”

Ray’s eyes widened in response.

“Really. You say such things so casually.”

“Well, handsome is handsome…”

“Have you ever said that to another man?”

“No… I haven’t met anyone as handsome as you. I’m the type who can’t make empty compliments… I can’t even bring myself to call an ugly person cute, out of politeness.”

There couldn’t possibly be anyone more handsome than you in this world.

“Ray. Can I ask you for one thing?”

“What is it?”

“Could you cover my face with your hand just once?”

“Your… face?”

“Yes. Your hand looks so big, I’m curious if it can cover my whole face.”

Ray seemed to hesitate for a moment.

He supported his head with one hand and cautiously stretched out the other towards me.

“…Like this?”

I nodded in response to Ray’s question.

“It really, completely covers it.”

My head was on the smaller side, but Ray’s hand seemed much larger than that of an average man.

Thick fingers and broad knuckles… and even the prominent veins……

Even the solid muscles revealed by his rolled-up sleeves were perfect.

I looked at his hand which filled my view.

‘I wonder how different it is from my hand…’

Suddenly curious, I stretched out my hand to compare it with his.

Ray’s hand flinched for a moment but soon overlapped with my palm.

“Wow… it’s twice as big, twice… Do you see this? My hand looks like a baby’s.”

I marveled at our overlapped hands and looked at Ray.

Ray wasn’t looking at our hands but at me.

“Your hands are small.”

His thick fingers wove through the spaces between my slender ones.

My pale, thin fingers were stretched tight by the encroaching thick fingers.

Ray clasped our hands together with interlocked fingers and then he closed his eyes.

His red irises were hidden behind his dense black eyelashes.

“Huh…”

Ray exhaled deeply. At the same time, a rich woody scent spread out and reached me.

Perhaps because of the lingering drowsy feeling, I couldn’t distinguish between dream and reality.

‘Is this a dream within a dream… Could it be truly a dream within a dream?’

Neither of us spoke, and a heavy silence fell.

We could even hear each other’s heartbeat and breathing.

Ray’s breathing was irregular and rough for some reason.

I turned over to face Ray again. He still had his eyes closed.

‘Has he fallen asleep like this?’

He was holding our interlocked hands tightly with firm strength.

‘Could it be… is he in pain somewhere?’

I tried to pull my hand away with some effort, but my body still wouldn’t cooperate fully.

“In that case…”

I reached out with our interlocked hands toward Ray.

Then I gently pressed the back of my hand against his forehead.

“Ah… what do we do! You’re burning up…!”

My haziness suddenly cleared, and my mind became alert.

“Ray, are you okay? You seem to have a fever…”

“No, I don’t.”

Ray raised his drooping eyelashes.

The sleepy red eyes that peeked out from between them were full of me.

“I’m not in pain.”

Then he pulled our intertwined hands to his lips.

His red and plump lips lingered on the back of my hand. It was on the scar that remained from when Ray scratched it.

Ray didn’t take his intense gaze off me.

“I’ll take you home now.”

Ray whispered, still with his lips on the back of my hand.

At that moment, I realized.

This is neither a dream nor a dream within a dream.

The moment Ray’s lips touched my tender skin, it felt like all my senses were awakened.

The tickling touch, my heightened hearing, his scent that kept brushing against the tip of my nose.

And above all…

The firm chest muscles revealed through his partly unbuttoned white shirt…

Suddenly, even my vision became crystal clear.

‘It’s dangerous… If it goes on like this, I might do something…’

And when I reluctantly tore my gaze away from his chest.

I locked eyes with Ray, who seemed serious.

A sudden uneasy premonition washed over me.

A sharp premonition, like I had been caught stealing a glance at him.

I jerked in surprise like a guilty thief caught in the act.

“What’s wrong? I didn’t see anything.”

But contrary to my words, Ray was approaching me with a serious look on his face.