Episode 1
1. Ex-boyfriend Parrot Needs to Be Dumped
The fancy salon Salon de Chatte had a high ceiling and a gorgeous chandelier sparkling above. Sunlight streamed diagonally through long curtains hanging by the windows.
Just like how department stores have pleasant scents, the air in Salon de Chatte was filled with a fresh fragrance.
“This place is really beautiful.”
It was a salon only accessible to duke families in Shairo. You could tell every part of the interior had been carefully designed.
As I looked around the salon, my gaze stopped on Leo sitting in front of me.
Shiny blond hair and deep blue eyes. Leo’s face was as bright and beautiful as the sunlight shining into Salon de Chatte.
“…”
I admired Leo’s face as I took a bite of my éclair. Somehow, the dessert tasted even better while looking at his handsome face.
Leo parted his pink lips and spoke in a dreamy, blissful tone.
“This is the place I used to come often with Charlier. Charlier loved the éclairs here. She could eat three or four in one go.”
“…”
At that moment, it felt like the classical music playing in the salon suddenly stopped.
“Wow. Way to ruin the mood.”
Just from that one sentence, the warm sunlight, the lovely scent, and the sweet and soft éclair—everything wonderful about this place—was shattered.
Clink.
I lowered my fork from my mouth. A bitter smile had already appeared on my lips.
“Ugh, he’s at it again. Talking about his ex.”
Leo is my boyfriend, and Charlier is his ex-girlfriend. So, basically, she’s my boyfriend’s ex.
To be more accurate, Leo is the boyfriend of the character Delphine, whom I’ve possessed. I, Seo Joo-hee, recently woke up inside the body of a side character in a web novel.
The novel was a typical regret story, where the male lead constantly mourns the loss of his first love, the ex-girlfriend.
He never went back to her but kept talking about her even while dating someone new. Some readers swooned over his pure-hearted love.
But I sympathized more with Delphine, the current girlfriend. I mean, it’s pathetic. Her boyfriend talks about his ex every single day.
Sure, the story ends with Leo getting dumped by both women and becoming a pitiful regretful man, which was satisfying. But during the whole series, he was just infuriating. People either loved or hated it.
“Yup. He lives up to his reputation.”
True to his nickname ‘Ex-Girlfriend Parrot’, Leo talked about his ex whenever he got the chance, even in just the few days I’ve been in this world.
If we went somewhere, he’d say dreamily…
“Oh, this is still here, Delphine. Charlier and I carved our initials here as a memory…”
If we ate something…
“This reminds me of how much Charlier loved this…”
The worst part? He says all of this with the happiest expression ever—and he’s really good-looking.
He’s so handsome you’d think he could survive on looks alone. And yet, this one major flaw ruins it all.
Yes, I admit it—I care about looks. But I hate when someone keeps talking about their ex.
“Seriously, just keep it to yourself. Why say it out loud and ruin someone else’s mood?”
In the novel, Delphine stuck around for way too long, being indecisive even though Leo never got over his ex.
“She had her reasons, though.”
I could understand Delphine’s situation.
She was from a noble family, a duke’s daughter, but her family was going broke. So they were pushing for her to marry Leo—who was not only from another duke family but also rich.
In other words, she had to endure all this to get married.
Plus, Leo was the only suitable bachelor from a duke family around her age. And, of course, she loved him deeply.
“I mean, with a face like Leo’s, who wouldn’t?”
Leo was still looking dreamily, lost in memories of Charlier.
“His face is totally my type… but his personality is really not.”
I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life listening to this guy talk about his ex.
So I made up my mind.
I took a deep breath and spoke up.
“Leo.”
“Delphine?”
“Let’s break up.”
Leo’s eyes widened, and he dropped the éclair that Charlier apparently loved so much.
“What are you talking about, Delphine? That’s a joke, right? You know I don’t like jokes like that.”
“It’s not a joke. I’m serious.”
There wasn’t the slightest tremble in my voice. I looked straight into his eyes.
“Delphine. Why are you suddenly saying this? We love each other. We’re happy.”
Leo’s big blue eyes got even wider. They looked like a clear blue sky on a sunny day.
“Yes, you’re handsome. But no. If I keep dating you just because of your face, I’ll lose my mind someday.”
I held firm despite his pretty face.
Leo looked like he truly didn’t understand. He blinked in confusion and asked,
“Why? Why am I being dumped? I’ve never been dumped before. Charlier and I didn’t break up because one of us wanted to—we had no choice.”
“Oh my god. Is he seriously bringing up Charlier right now?”
Leo always seemed a bit off. Like he was living in his own little prince world.
Sigh…
I let out a deep sigh.
“Do I tell him the truth? That I’m dumping him because I’m sick of hearing about his ex?”
If I told the truth, I’d probably be seen as a petty girlfriend. But shouldn’t I give him a chance to change?
I started thinking too deeply, like I was answering some philosophical question.
While I was lost in thought, I noticed tears starting to well up in Leo’s eyes.
“Fine. Let’s tell him. Maybe this will help him in the future.”
Leo kept shaking his head, asking question after question.
“Why… Why would you do this…? Delphine, I don’t understand. Why now? You love me. We were just happy. We’ve always loved each other. Why suddenly…?”
“…”
I swallowed hard. If this was really the end, I’d just be honest.
“You really want to know the reason?”
Leo nodded slowly. As he did, a tear rolled down his cheek.
“Ugh. He’s so ridiculously good-looking. How can someone this handsome exist? I’m really breaking up with this guy… who’s rich, kind, and perfect—except for the ex-girlfriend thing.”
My resolve wavered for a second. But I knew: ex-boyfriend parrots never change.
If telling him the truth helped him grow, then maybe it would be worth it.
I clenched my fists in my lap and said,
“You…”
Leo stared at me, his eyes full of tears.
“Delphine…”
He started to say something, but I raised a hand to stop him.
“You talk about your ex way too much. We’re dating now, but you keep bringing her up like it’s nothing. That’s not respectful. If you’re still hung up on her, maybe you should just be with her.”
“…!”
I let it all out, like bullets firing. Words I’d kept in for days.
Leo’s eyes widened in shock. A tear clung to his lower lashes before falling.
“What…?”
“That’s all. There’s no other reason.”
“That’s not even a real reason. It makes no sense.”
I didn’t say anything more. Adding anything else would just sound desperate.
Leo looked like he was in complete shock. Like it had never once occurred to him that talking about Charlier might be a problem.
And that reaction from him shocked me more.
“He seriously didn’t know? That talking about your ex constantly is a no-no?”
I sighed inside and leaned back in my chair. I didn’t want to say another word.
“The more we talk, the worse it’ll get. Let’s just break up cleanly, Leo.”
Leo was silent too. His face turned red—not sure if it was anger or embarrassment.
“I can’t tell what he’s thinking at all.”
His face got redder, his brow furrowed. He looked more angry than hurt now.
After a long silence, Leo finally spoke with a trembling voice.
“Delphine, you’re really cruel. Charlier didn’t do this. She was so kind when we broke up.”
“…Ah.”
“Seriously? You’re talking about Charlier again? Even while we’re breaking up?”
I almost laughed in disbelief. My patience had hit rock bottom.
Kind breakup? Please. Charlier must not have loved you that much if it was that easy. I held back from saying that.
Instead, I unfolded my arms and tapped the table with one finger.
“So. Go. Date. Char-lier.”
I put emphasis on each syllable like a machine gun.
“Seriously. Go ahead and date her. I’m not stopping you. So why are you making this a big deal?”
“…Huff… sniff…”
Leo sobbed quietly for a while. I could feel the stares around us.
They must’ve been enjoying this drama. These so-called nobles—so full of gossip and no dignity. The rumors would spread fast, and my family would surely hear about it.
I knew that was coming.
Leo bit his lip and said,
“I don’t want to break up with you, Delphine.”
His voice was thick with tears.
“But…”
“…?”
“But… I can’t ignore the memories I have with Charlier. We truly loved each other. We were together for a long time. I can’t just erase those memories. I thought you would understand that. I didn’t know you were this narrow-minded.”
