The Grand Temptation - Chapter 39

“Yu-yuri, …… Wh-what are you saying?”

Minwoo asked with a trembling voice.

“I’m really sorry. I think I took it too lightly. I thoughtlessly accepted the important matter of marriage at the mention of being roommates. It’s my fault.”

“So, what the hell are you talking about?”

Minwoo’s bulging eyes were bloodshot.

“Yuri, are you angry because I haven’t been in touch? I should have comforted you, that crazy bitch who sent that photo…… Ah, I mean, I should have found the ex-girlfriend and scolded her, are you disappointed that I didn’t?”

Minwoo was desperate. He abruptly stood up from his seat, knelt in front of Yuri, and spoke as if pleading.

“I’m sorry, I’ve been so busy working overtime these days. There was so much to handle before the wedding. It’s not that I wasn’t thinking of you.”

“No, it’s not like that. Get up, Minwoo.”

Yuri grabbed Minwoo’s arms, trying to make him stand up. But he didn’t budge. Before long, tears began to well up in Minwoo’s reddened eyes.

“Yuri, I swear. After deciding to marry you, I really haven’t slept with anyone. If it’s because of that photo, I’m so unfairly treated.”

To be more precise, he hadn’t slept with anyone since the day Yuri showed him the photo. The main reason was that he was getting sick of Assistant Shin, but he also wanted to keep his body clean before the wedding. He planned to make Yuri his woman right on the day of the ceremony.

“I know, Minwoo. I believe you. It’s just that I can’t do this anymore. This political marriage……”

“Everyone else gets married like this too. Many people decide after seeing each other’s face only once or twice. I understand how you feel, but our marriage can no longer be undone.”

“I know.”

Damn it! Minwoo painfully swallowed back the curse that was about to escape and racked his brain. If it wasn’t because of the photo, he couldn’t understand at all why she had changed her mind. Why on earth?

Suddenly, an unpleasant face came to his mind. It couldn’t be, but Minwoo carefully threw out some bait.

“…… Is it because of Jeho hyung?”

Oh no! For a split second, Yuri’s eyes wavered slightly.

“Damn, I knew it.”

In an instant, the heat of anger engulfed Minwoo. Cursing, Minwoo abruptly stood up and tightly grabbed Yuri’s arms with both hands. It was so hard that Yuri frowned, but he didn’t care.

“Damn it, I’m going to kill that bastard!”

Curses poured out of Minwoo’s mouth, which was engulfed in madness. Until now, he had hidden his rough way of speaking in front of Yuri, but he couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Don’t trust that bastard. He’s just a bean sprout-picking bastard trying to get in. I’m the heir to the KG Group, the one who can help the assemblyman. Not that bastard.”

“…… It’s not like that, Minwoo.”

Yuri’s face contorted in pain because Minwoo was gripping her too tightly with force. It hurt so much that she couldn’t speak properly. But Yuri silently accepted the pain. Minwoo must be going through extreme mental anguish right now. Sometimes mental pain can be greater than physical pain.

“Whether Mr. Jeho stays in Korea or returns to the U.S. has nothing to do with me.”

Jeho had only made her realize how much of a hell a loveless marriage could be. In her heart that had dried up and cracked, feelings of liking someone began to sprout. It wasn’t right to become someone’s wife with such feelings.

She herself didn’t know how far her relationship with Jeho would develop. Even if it went deep, she didn’t expect him to stay by her side in Korea. Rather……

“Minwoo, I want to love. I want to be loved too. But if we get married like this, I won’t be able to do that anymore.”

“Why not? I’ll love you. No. I already love you. I’ve loved you from the moment I first saw you. Really, Yuri.”

Yuri looked at Minwoo, who was crying out and pleading, with a bitter face. She already knew his heart too. But she pretended not to know and brushed it off.

If only she could love Minwoo, everything would have been easy……

But now another man had entered her heart. Yuri slowly shook her head.

“I’m sorry, Minwoo.”

Damn it!

Minwoo felt like he was going to go crazy with his stomach boiling. What made him even crazier was that even in this situation, Yuri looked so pretty. She was so maddeningly pretty that his mouth went dry. The urge arose to forcibly take her away and make her his own.

A week would be enough. After that, she would never be able to escape from him. Minwoo was confident in his bedroom skills. But…….

Minwoo forcibly pushed away the messy plans tangled in his head.

“Okay. I think I can understand your feelings.”

Yuri was the daughter of Assemblyman Chae Hyungsik, who was strongly emerging as the next presidential candidate. Chae Yuri, who received the love of voters as much as her father. He couldn’t have such a woman in a vulgar way.

“Yes, let’s cancel the wedding before it’s too late.”

Minwoo said, releasing Yuri’s arms that he had been gripping tightly.

“Minwoo.”

Yuri’s eyes widened in disbelief. Minwoo forcibly lifted the corners of his mouth. He wanted to grab her hair and forcibly kiss her right here and now, but he couldn’t.

Chae Yuri had to be obtained in a refined way befitting her level. That way, there would be no repercussions.

“Since it’s my fault, I’ll tell the chairman.”

“No, Yuri. Don’t do that. I’ll do it. Instead, keep our wedding cancellation a secret until I tell grandfather. He should be the first to know about this.”

“Okay, got it.”

The innocent Yuri nodded her head, knowing nothing.

Damn! So fucking pretty.

Minwoo cursed inwardly again at her irresistible allure.

“Why are you sending this to me only now! Huh?”

Minwoo threw the tablet PC at the secretary with a red and blue face. It was exactly one hour after breaking up with Yuri that the Geoje resort photos fell into his hands.

Although only the back of the man was shown in the photo, it was undoubtedly Jeho. How could he not know! The moment he saw the photo, his eyes turned bloodshot.

What the hell have they been doing behind my back?

He wanted to rush to Jeho right away and beat his handsome face to a pulp. If he was the first to lay hands on Yuri’s body, he would cruelly trample him until he begged to be killed. But that was for later, there was something else to deal with first.

“Father-in-law, where are you now?”

“Excuse me? Father-in-law?”

“Who else, Assemblyman Chae Hyungsik! Where are you now, huh?”

Upon receiving information that he was at the central party office for the by-election, he went straight there. Meeting Assemblyman Chae, Minwoo immediately got to the point. He held out the Geoje resort photos he had just obtained to Assemblyman Chae.

“I met Yuri today. She said something interesting. She wants to break off the marriage. Is it because of this?”

“First, have a seat.”

Assemblyman Chae calmly greeted Minwoo, who had abruptly come to see him.

“Where did you get those photos?”

“Someone among the assemblyman’s close aides gave them to me, seeing that I was in trouble.”

“I see.”

Even after hearing that it had leaked from his side, Assemblyman Chae, a veteran of the political world, showed no significant change in expression.

“I’ll post online that she broke off the marriage because she was having an affair with my cousin. You know better than me how much impact Yuri’s image has on voters. If such a scandalous scandal breaks out…… It will have a great impact on the next election.”

“Don’t beat around the bush. What do you want?”

Assemblyman Chae asked point-blank.

“Please let this marriage proceed as planned.”

“I can’t forcibly drag a child who doesn’t want to get married to the wedding hall, can I?”

As expected of a seasoned politician, Assemblyman Chae maintained a relaxed attitude as if talking about a third party. But he couldn’t hold out for long. Minwoo took out another card he was holding.

“Why can’t you? You’re someone who uses force to stop an adult child who says they want to be independent.”

One end of Assemblyman Chae’s eyebrow was raised. A fine crack appeared in his firm expression.

“As far as I know, you hit her hard enough to require more than three weeks of treatment. The hospital’s medical certificate? Of course, I have it. I’ll release that together as well. I’ll say that you gave some loving beatings to your eldest daughter who left home after having an affair with a man. Yuri’s history with men goes back a long way.”

Although most of them were baseless rumors, it was true that Assemblyman Chae had used violence against Yuri. Seeming troubled by that point, Assemblyman Chae remained silent for a moment. Eventually, he slowly opened his mouth.

“Yuri won’t even flinch at such baseless rumors. You know her personality well, don’t you?”

“That’s why I didn’t threaten Yuri and came to you instead, Assemblyman. Because it will have a big impact on you.”

When Assemblyman Chae just listened silently, even though he thought he would surrender right away, Minwoo changed his attitude.

“So, Assemblyman, no, Father-in-law. Please come up with a clever plan. You know better than me how to handle Yuri, don’t you? Please help me, Father-in-law.”

Breaking away from his high-handed attitude so far, Minwoo knelt in front of Assemblyman Chae and bowed his head. Minwoo had never knelt even before Chairman Kwon. That’s how desperate he was.

“If you just let me marry Yuri, I will do anything for you, Father-in-law. I am the next chairman of the KG Group. I will help you in your election campaign in every way at the group level. You have to run in the next presidential election, don’t you?”

A very long silence followed. When the feeling in his feet became numb from the lack of blood circulation, Assemblyman Chae, who had stood up from his seat, put his arm around Minwoo’s shoulder.

“Alright, you can go now.”

“Father-in-law.”

“The wedding will proceed as planned, so don’t worry.”

Minwoo’s face brightened as he raised his bowed head. Assemblyman Chae tapped Minwoo’s shoulder with his hand, his face devoid of emotion.

“What brings you here suddenly without any contact?”

Jeho looked down at Yuri standing in front of the gate with a surprised face.

The doorbell rang even though no one was supposed to come, and when he checked the intercom screen, he saw Yuri’s face. He ran out like that and opened the gate. Yuri, who was leaning against the wall, turned her back and smiled at him.

“I was passing by in the neighborhood and thought I’d come by chance. To thank you for yesterday as well.”

“You should have called first. What if I hadn’t been here?”

“If you weren’t here…… well, I would have just left.”

She thought he would invite her inside right away, but Jeho stood still in front of the gate without moving.

Why isn’t he letting me in? Is someone here? Maybe the landlord?

Yuri glanced over Jeho’s shoulder. But all she could see was an endlessly wide garden.

“Wait here for a moment. I’ll bring the car out.”

A puzzled look appeared on Yuri’s face. Now that she found the necklace, is he not letting her in anymore? Perhaps the construction that had been delayed so far is resuming. Still, she felt a little sad as if she had been turned away at the door.

After agreeing not to marry Minwoo, she came straight here……

She thought she hadn’t shown her disappointment, but it seemed to be clearly visible to Jeho’s eyes. He bent his waist to match her eye level and asked.

“What? Do you want to go inside instead of leaving?”

“…… No, that’s not it.”

Jeho smiled softly and brought his lips close to her ear.

“If I let you in now, how far do you think we’ll go?”

She was utterly taken aback by the unexpected question. Yuri blinked her wide-open eyes without saying a word. Jeho, holding the back of Yuri’s head with his hand, lightly bit her earlobe as if teasing her.

“This time, I’ll go all the way.”

He whispered softly as if blowing his breath into her ear.