The Grand Temptation - Chapter 64

“Can I come in?”

An unwelcome voice flowed from the speaker.

The visitor standing in front of the door was Minwoo. How did Minwoo know about this place? Though puzzled, Yuri silently opened the door. As soon as the door opened, Minwoo hurriedly entered.

“Sorry. I’ll wash my hands first.”

He headed straight for the bathroom in the bedroom. Washing his hands seemed like an excuse, and it looked like he was searching for any traces of Jeho that might be there. Minwoo went to the sink, turned on the water, and thoroughly searched the bathroom. Fortunately, there was only one toothbrush, and no male products like razors were visible.

Only then did Minwoo breathe a sigh of relief and come out to the living room. Yuri glared at Minwoo, who was moving around as if it were his own home.

“There’s a bathroom here too, you know?”

Yuri nodded towards the bathroom next to the entrance. But Minwoo just shrugged without apologizing. Instead, he frowned and looked around.

“You call this a home? It’s too narrow. It’s not like it’s a prison cell.”

“Did you come all the way here to say that? What’s your business?”

She didn’t bother asking how he found out the address. He wouldn’t tell her anyway. But information slipped smoothly from Minwoo’s mouth.

“What else? I came to see you. Do you know how surprised I was when I heard from Yuri a week ago that you had moved out on your own? I finally got the address today after talking to Assemblyman Chae.”

So her father had told him about this place. She wondered why he had given Minwoo the address when he had said she could cancel the marriage if she wanted to.

“We’re not officially over yet. We should at least be seen having meals together. Otherwise, strange rumors might spread.”

“Did Father say that when he gave you this address?”

“Yeah.”

Assemblyman Chae wasn’t wrong. He had said they should cancel the marriage as quietly as possible without causing a stir. So it was right that they should still show a friendly appearance for now.

“Let’s go out and talk over dinner.”

Thinking it wouldn’t be a big deal to have a meal together, Yuri obediently followed Minwoo out. But she thought they would go somewhere nearby, and he put her in his car.

“Let’s just eat lightly somewhere close.”

“I’ve already made a reservation.”

The place Minwoo took her was a high-end French restaurant with a great view. He had even reserved a special room often used by couples for proposals.

Although dining in such a place itself was burdensome, it felt awkward to refuse, so she silently followed the guiding manager. On the way to the room, she spotted a familiar back sitting by the window. Yuri unconsciously stopped in her tracks.

Although it was from behind, she could recognize him at once. It was Jeho. Why was he here when he said he could only come up from Changwon tomorrow afternoon? Sitting across from Jeho was the woman named Claire she had seen in photos.

When Yuri didn’t follow, Minwoo turned around. He seemed to already know that Jeho was here. Had he deliberately brought her here to show her this scene?

“Should we go say hello?”

“No, don’t disturb them.”

Yuri turned her back on them, maintaining as expressionless a face as possible.

Meeting an old lover was Jeho’s freedom. They had agreed not to restrict each other, so although she didn’t like it, she could understand. But secretly meeting while lying made her feel upset, as if he was looking down on her.

Yuri tried her best not to show any sign of being shaken, but she unconsciously gripped her bag tightly.

“Is Woo Gyeol oppa going to be very late?”

“Yeah. Seems like the condition of the last patient is quite serious.”

Thanks to things going more smoothly than expected, Jeho was able to return to Seoul a day early. Thinking of surprising her, he didn’t tell Yuri. Just as he got into his car that he had parked after arriving at Seoul Station, he received an urgent call from Woo Gyeol.

―Jeho, please save me.

He said Claire had returned to Korea the day before yesterday. They had agreed to have dinner tonight, but a problem arose with a patient, and he asked if Jeho could have dinner with Claire instead.

He said he would come running as soon as work was finished. Claire and Woo Gyeol had dated while Woo Gyeol was studying in the US, introduced by Jeho, and even after breaking up, they maintained contact and friendship.

“But oppa, aren’t you tired? You just came up from Changwon, right?”

“It’s okay. Things were resolved well. I was planning to have a drink with Woo Gyeol to celebrate anyway.”

10 years ago, Director Yoon, who had been in charge of managing overseas construction projects, finally opened his mouth. It seemed his heart was shaken after hearing Jeho say that Vice Chairman Kwon Jewoong had recently nearly died from a heart attack.

As expected, the incident 10 years ago that brought down Vice Chairman Kwon from his position was indeed Managing Director Kwon’s scheme.

At the time, the overseas construction division had completed a large shopping mall construction in Colombia, but a big problem arose afterward. There was nothing wrong with the building structure, but the air conditioning kept stopping, causing disruptions in the mall’s operation.

It was because they had replaced products like air conditioners with cheap ones and embezzled construction costs, since tampering with construction materials would be dangerous. Managing Director Kwon was behind it all.

The small business owners who had moved into the mall sued the mall, and the mall held KG Group’s overseas construction division responsible. Thanks to a poison clause cleverly hidden in the contract, KG Group was able to escape the obligation to compensate.

However, Vice Chairman Kwon expressed the opinion that they should compensate at least partially, if not fully, and Chairman Kwon became furious. He showed the greatest hostility towards his daughter-in-law, who had persuaded his eldest son to make such a decision behind the scenes. Because of this, Chairman Kwon still did not look favorably upon his daughter-in-law.

―That’s right. Your mother is someone who could survive alone even if left in the African savanna. Her luck is also good.

A few days ago, Chairman Kwon mentioned the word “luck” while describing his eldest daughter-in-law. Why? Jeho felt uneasy, thinking that what he suspected might turn out to be true after all.

Just then, Claire’s gaze went over Jeho’s shoulder.

“Oh? Isn’t that Minwoo? I guess that’s his girlfriend next to him?”

At Claire’s words, Jeho immediately turned his head back. His gaze went to the woman standing next to Minwoo rather than Minwoo himself. Even though it was from behind, he could recognize her at once.

Yuri?

Jeho’s eyes narrowed as he looked at her.

No sooner had they sat down than Minwoo brought up Jeho and Claire.

“Looks like those two are getting back together. Seeing as she came all the way to Korea to meet him.”

“I guess so.”

Yuri maintained an expressionless face and reached for her water glass, but put it back down when she felt her hand might be shaking. She couldn’t show signs of being shaken in front of Minwoo. Yuri took a slow breath to calm herself. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t bear it.

They had agreed not to mind who the other met overseas. But he was supposed to focus on her while in Korea. How could he do this?

Minwoo’s voice flowed into her confused mind.

“Want to order some wine?”

“Huh? Oh, sure.”

Without noticing the smile that appeared on Minwoo’s lips, Yuri lightly agreed.

Finding out Yuri’s officetel address and receiving a report that Jeho was meeting Claire at the same time was perhaps a golden opportunity to approach Yuri. He intended to fan the flames of distrust towards Jeho and naturally get closer to Yuri with the help of alcohol.

After smoothly emptying the first glass of wine with the appetizer, Minwoo casually brought it up.

“Yuri, if you’re okay with it, we don’t have to cancel the wedding.”

“What are you talking about? I heard the Chairman is against it this time.”

“That’s not exactly true. If you’re okay with it, Grandfather won’t oppose it to the end. So…”

“Minwoo.”

Yuri coldly cut off Minwoo’s words.

“I went to the wedding venue that day and you didn’t show up.”

“You said you understood. What did you say when we talked on the phone?”

“What should I say to someone who says they’re handling an accident in the Philippines? I was being considerate in my own way.”

“Yuri, if you know how much I love you…”

“Minwoo.”

Yuri cut off his words again.

“I came here as a friend, not as your fiancée. If you keep this up, it’ll be too burdensome for me to meet you anymore. Not for meals, drinks, or coffee. Not even if we meet with Hyunkyung. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Minwoo stared at Yuri with a dazed look. She was so beautiful glaring at him coldly that he felt like cursing. In fact, this ruthless rejection was part of Yuri’s charm.

“Chae Yuri, you’re really cold.”

“Let’s just enjoy our wine, have a nice meal, and part ways. Okay?”

“Alright.”

Minwoo nodded towards Yuri like a gentle golden retriever. Finally relieved, Yuri filled her already empty glass with wine.

She was bothered by Jeho and Claire sitting in the hall, but since they had come much earlier, they must have finished their meal and left by now. Would the two spend the night together? Jeho wouldn’t know that Yuri had seen him, so he might still lie that he was in Changwon…

“Ha, totally trashy.”

The muttered words escaped without her realizing, but she didn’t want to care. Yuri picked up her wine glass and gulped it down. As she filled the glass again, Minwoo looked at her with worried eyes.

“Yuri, drink slowly.”

“My throat’s a bit dry.”

She had emptied a bottle and a half of wine by herself, but wasn’t drunk at all and remained clear-headed. On the contrary, Minwoo was so drunk he could barely hold himself up after just half a bottle of wine. He said he hadn’t slept at all for days, but it was still a bit unexpected.

When Yuri called Minwoo’s personal assistant, he appeared within 30 minutes. She left Minwoo with the assistant and got up from her seat. The assistant offered to see her off, but she politely declined.

“I’ll take a taxi. That’s more comfortable for me.”

When she went out alone, Jeho and Claire were nowhere to be seen. Muttering “Of course they’ve left,” she went outside. She could have called a taxi to the front of the building using an app, but decided to walk a bit to sober up.

As she was going down the stairs to reach the restaurant’s main entrance, she heard a familiar voice from somewhere.

“I’ll check that the two of them leave before I go. You go ahead with Claire.”

“Jeho, don’t do this and come with us now. They said to refrain until the background is revealed. If it’s discovered that you approached intentionally, your relationship…”

“I’ll wait for Claire. Go on ahead.”

By the time Yuri reached the bottom of the stairs, the conversation had ended. Just as she stepped outside, she ran into Jeho who was trying to go back inside.

For a moment, Jeho’s face turned pale. He couldn’t tell how much of his conversation with Woo Gyeol Yuri had heard. Although she and Assemblyman Chae weren’t specifically mentioned, what if she had noticed something?

“What brings you here, Jeho? Weren’t you supposed to be in Changwon?”

“I just got back to Seoul.”

“Ah, I see. And you immediately met your ex-girlfriend?”

Normally she would have let it go, but the wine was starting to take effect. Yuri gestured behind her with a cold expression.

“You should go. Your ex-girlfriend… No, your girlfriend who might still be current is waiting.”

Yuri straightened her back and walked past Jeho. But she couldn’t take more than a few steps before Jeho grabbed her arm.

“Let’s be precise with terms. Are you talking about a ‘girlfriend’ now? Or a friend who happens to be female?”

“You know very well, so why ask? Of course it’s ‘girlfriend’. Not just a friend who’s female.”

Angered by Jeho’s bold response, Yuri glared at him fiercely and added:

“I said let’s not restrict each other and live comfortably, not date multiple people at the same time.”

“That doesn’t sound right coming from someone who had dinner in a private room with another man.”

“I came with Minwoo because we had business to discuss.”

“I came here for business too.”

“Yes, I see. Then go ahead and take care of your business passionately with your girlfriend all night long.”

Yuri shook off Jeho’s arm and walked past him. But Jeho quickly caught up and grabbed her again.

“Are you jealous right now?”

Jeho smiled and pushed Yuri against the building wall. When Yuri tried to break free, he placed his hands on the wall, trapping her in his arms.

“Be jealous.”

Meeting her gaze, he whispered softly:

“You look irresistibly beautiful when you’re jealous. So be jealous. As much as you want.”