The Grand Temptation (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1

“What on earth is going on?”

Hyun Kyung burst into the bridal waiting room, her face pale as a sheet. Amid the chaos, the bride Yuli sat quietly, clutching her bouquet.

Wrapped in a pristine white wedding dress, the bride was more beautiful than anyone in the world—but her tightly pressed lips trembled faintly, barely visible.

“The groom isn’t coming!”

Hyun Kyung cried out in a hoarse voice. Yuli grasped the hem of her wedding dress and rose to her feet. Standing up, she silently stared down at the bouquet in her hand, her expression unchanged.

After a brief silence, Yuli suddenly raised her hand and hurled the bouquet with all her strength toward the trash can. It arced high through the air, scattering white petals everywhere.

“Hyun Kyung, could you clean this up for me?”

Yuli stripped off even her silver tiara and veil, tossing them aside, and walked straight out of the bridal waiting room.

“Hey! Where are you going?”

Hyun Kyung called desperately from behind, but Yuli paid no attention. All she could think was that she had to get away from this place as fast as possible—otherwise, she felt like she’d burst from the inside. The faster she walked, the harder her fingers clenched the hem of her wedding dress.

Even after stepping out of the venue, Yuli didn’t stop walking. She needed the cold wind to cool her overloaded mind. Some passersby glanced curiously at her in her wedding gown, but most simply ignored her and continued on their way.

How long had she walked? When she finally stopped and looked up at the sky, her vision filled with an achingly blue expanse.

Yuli’s eyes, cold and indifferent, flickered with icy resolve.

[This is the timeline separator]

Several months earlier.

[What did you say? You’re meeting the wedding planner alone?]

Hyun Kyung’s loud voice rang through the Bluetooth earpiece. Yuli stepped into the elevator that had just arrived, delaying her reply.

[What about Min Woo?]

Hyun Kyung seemed even more worked up than Yuli herself. That day, Yuli was supposed to meet the wedding planner together with her fiancé, Kwon Min Woo. But early that morning, Min Woo had called.

—“I’m really sorry… I just got an urgent business trip to Jeju.”

She couldn’t possibly scold Min Woo, who sounded genuinely remorseful. After all, it was work-related.

“He’s busy.”

[No matter how busy he is, this is your wedding!]

“It’s fine. It’s not like a wedding is anything special.”

Yuli murmured indifferently, turning her gaze toward the panoramic glass wall of the elevator.

Bright sunlight poured over Yuli’s smooth skin, casting deep shadows along her sharp features. Her elegant jawline, harmonizing with her moist, expressive eyes, naturally drew sighs of admiration from onlookers.

Her unique aura was too distinctive to be described merely as “beautiful,” instantly capturing others’ attention. Yet, there was no trace of the happiness or excitement expected of a bride-to-be.

It couldn’t be helped—her upcoming wedding felt distant and foreign, as if it belonged to someone else.

With a low hum, the elevator began to ascend, revealing the bustling interior of the shopping mall below. Arcadia Mall, the nation’s largest complex, combined a shopping center, department store, hotel, and theater—all meticulously developed by Min Woo.

From site selection to completion, there wasn’t a single detail untouched by his hand. Since its opening, it had drawn crowds instantly and within a year was ranked among the top three integrated shopping complexes in the metropolitan area.

Thanks to this success, rumors spread that Chairman Kwon Gun Cheol of KG Group would pass control not to his second son, Kwon Woo Sik, but to his grandson, Kwon Min Woo. Thus, Min Woo had thrown himself into work with manic intensity, leaving Yuli to handle most of the wedding preparations.

[Aren’t you even mad?]

Hyun Kyung simply couldn’t understand Yuli’s constant calmness. True to form, Yuli replied flatly.

“No, I’m not.”

It wasn’t a lie. Yuli truly wasn’t angry. What was there to be angry about? It wasn’t as if they were getting married for love… If this political marriage meant escaping her suffocating family, she’d do it a hundred times over.

She’d wanted independence for a long time, but her father had stubbornly refused. Assemblyman Chae Hyeong Sik, elected to the National Assembly four times, adored his eldest daughter Yuli so much that he’d declared she’d stay by his side until she married and started her own family.

Of course, it was a blatant lie. The real reason he kept Yuli close was to hide his own scandals and maintain the image of a harmonious family—anything to gain just one more vote.

Once, she’d impulsively run away from home. But she hadn’t lasted even a week before being dragged back to her parents’ house. A few more attempts ended similarly in failure, and eventually she realized that marriage was her only escape.

That’s why she’d accepted the arranged marriage to Kwon Min Woo, director of KG Group. She’d first met Min Woo at a charity event accompanied by her close friend Hyun Kyung during college. Being the same age and having similar majors, they naturally started keeping in touch.

Their relationship changed last Christmas at a party, when Min Woo had unexpectedly proposed a political marriage. He explained that his family was pressuring him into an arranged marriage, and if he absolutely had to go through with it, he’d prefer someone he felt comfortable with—a friend.

—“Nothing between us will change. Let’s just think of ourselves as roommates.”

Yuli accepted his proposal based on the idea of a purely formal marriage. Since they were already familiar with each other, marriage wouldn’t be too uncomfortable. But her best friend Hyun Kyung had exploded in protest.

—“Don’t you know Min Woo is obsessed with you beyond friendship? He’s got ulterior motives!”

Of course, Yuli knew Min Woo’s true feelings toward her. But there was no need to worry—those feelings were just temporary.

She didn’t believe in love anyway. Even passion that burned fiercely would eventually turn to ash. Look at her parents’ love—once thought eternal—how utterly it had shattered!

Yuli bit her lips hard, swallowing a bitter smile.

After ending the call and stepping off the elevator, she spotted a familiar face among a group of men in suits on the opposite balcony.

“…Min Woo?”

He should have been in Jeju, yet there he stood, having a serious conversation with someone.

Was the business trip just an excuse?

Frowning, Yuli shifted her gaze to the man standing beside Min Woo. She couldn’t see his face clearly since he stood with his back half-turned, but his physique was model-perfect. Min Woo had mentioned they were scouting promotional models—maybe this man really was one.

But something felt off. Unlike a typical model, this man’s demeanor was far too rough. While Min Woo looked intensely focused, the man appeared completely disinterested in the conversation.

His hand stuffed in his trouser pocket, his head tilted slightly to the side…

Just who was this guy, acting so brazenly?

Few in Korea dared treat Director Kwon Min Woo with such disrespect. Predictably, Min Woo’s brow furrowed in displeasure, and his entourage behind him looked increasingly uneasy. The atmosphere grew tense.

Should she greet them or not? Yuli hesitated briefly.

At that moment, the man suddenly turned his head toward Yuli, and their eyes locked before she could look away.

Though too far to make out his features clearly, she could tell he was dangerously beautiful—porcelain-pale skin, a sharply defined nose visible even from a distance, and full lips. “Beautiful” might seem an odd word for a man, yet no other description came to mind.

Noticing Yuli staring at him, the man gave a faint, wry twist of his lips and nodded toward her.

For some reason, the gesture felt oddly familiar, as if mocking her. A certain person immediately came to mind, but Yuli quickly dismissed the thought—it couldn’t possibly be him.

When the man kept looking elsewhere, Min Woo followed his gaze and turned toward Yuli across the mall.

His face twisted in clear panic—even from afar, Yuli could see his distress. Knowing she could no longer pretend not to see him, Yuli took a step forward.

But then—

Wheeeeeeeeee!

A piercing fire alarm blared through the air. Simultaneously, ceiling sprinklers burst open, drenching everything in a hazy deluge.

“Aaaah!”

In an instant, the shopping mall turned into pandemonium. Terrified shoppers scrambled blindly for exits. Soaked through, Yuli wiped water from her eyes and searched for Min Woo—but he’d already vanished.

“…Oh.”

An exasperated sigh escaped her.

He’d really just left his fiancée behind in this chaos?

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on such trivialities. If there was a fire, she needed to get out immediately. Yuli rushed toward the emergency stairs.

The wet marble floor was treacherously slippery. As people fled toward the stairs, one after another lost their footing and fell.

One person tumbled into an event display structure, which wobbled precariously with a heavy thud. Right beneath it stood a child, sobbing after losing hold of their guardian’s hand.

Danger!

Just as Yuli lunged to grab the child, a powerful force yanked both of them aside. Moments later, the structure crashed to the floor with a deafening bang. Instinctively, Yuli curled around the child, shielding them as tightly as she could.

What just happened?

She should have been crushed—but felt no pain at all.

“Are you all right?”

A low, whisper-like voice brushed against her ear. Yuli slowly opened her eyes.

…You?

It was the same man she’d made eye contact with earlier, now looking down at her.

“You seem unharmed.”

Having confirmed Yuli was safe, the man turned his attention to the child. Fortunately, aside from being startled, the child appeared fine. The guardian soon arrived, thanked them profusely, and took the child away.

“Can you stand?”

Only then did Yuli realize she was still sitting on the floor. Flustered, she tried to rise—but collapsed again, her legs weak from shock.

“That won’t do.”

Muttering to himself, the man wrapped an arm around Yuli’s shoulders and lifted her effortlessly to her feet. Wobbling as she tried to regain her balance, Yuli stumbled directly into his chest.

“…!”

Though the situation left her no choice, she couldn’t help feeling embarrassed. His warmth against her body made her mind go blank—strange, contradictory emotions washed over her: unfamiliar yet familiar, uncomfortable yet comforting.

That fleeting moment in his arms felt like an eternity.

Shhh—shhhhh…

The sprinklers, which had been gushing water nonstop, gradually slowed to a quiet trickle before stopping altogether.

Yuli pulled away from him and swept her wet hair back with one hand. The man simply gazed at her without speaking. Unlike Yuli, whose cheeks were slightly flushed, his expression betrayed no emotion—so utterly calm it almost made her forget the chaos around them.

“The fire alarm was probably a false trigger caused by a design flaw.”

Finally, the man broke the silence.

“Still, for safety’s sake, let’s leave the building.”

Guided by his large hand, they headed toward the emergency stairs. Most shoppers had already evacuated, leaving the stairwell eerily empty. From the fifth floor all the way down to the first, the man kept one arm firmly around Yuli’s shoulders.

Outside the mall, chaos reigned just as fiercely—multiple fire trucks, ambulances, police cars, and crowds of evacuees filled the streets.

“You should be fine on your own from here.”

Before Yuli could even thank him, the man turned to leave. But after only a few steps, he turned back, took off his jacket, and draped it over her.

“Put it on.”

Only then did Yuli realize her soaked clothes clung transparently to her skin, revealing her undergarments. But her momentary embarrassment quickly gave way to shock as her eyes landed on the man’s shoulder, now exposed after removing his jacket.

…Blood?

“Are you hurt?”

Yuli cried out in alarm. The man glanced briefly at his own shoulder.

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

Without giving her a chance to respond, he turned away again. She hurried after him, but his stride was too quick—the distance between them grew steadily.

“Wait! Just a moment!”

Yuli reached out toward him, but his figure soon vanished into the crowd. She stood rooted to the spot, bewildered.

—It’s nothing, really. Don’t worry about it.

The whisper from the past echoed in her ears.

“Kwon… Je Ho.”

The three-syllable name slipped slowly from Yuli’s lips.

Kwon Je Ho—the son of former KG Group Vice Chairman Kwon Je Woong, and the man who had almost become Yuli’s first fiancé.

He was back.