The Grand Temptation (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 11
“How did you get here?”
As Jae Ho entered the wedding dress shop, the employee at the front desk stood up from her seat.
“I was told KG Group made a reservation.”
Captivated momentarily by his voice—just as impressive as his looks—the employee stared at Jae Ho before quickly snapping out of it and guiding him inside.
“Just follow me.”
Hearing “KG Group,” the employee immediately assumed, without even verifying, that Jae Ho was the groom-to-be, Kwon Min Woo. As Jae Ho followed the employee, Nancy Song, clutching her phone, passed by his side. She gestured to the employee that she had an important call and headed toward the office.
“Please wait a moment. I’ll go get the formal attire ready.”
After opening the fitting room door, the employee hurried off.
Jae Ho stepped inside, looking puzzled. Wedding dresses were scattered all around—as if another customer had used the room and left everything behind.
“What’s this?”
Glancing around, Jae Ho spotted a worn-out dress placed in the center. Nestled among lavish wedding gowns, it looked almost like ragged scrap.
“Why is something like this even here…?”
Just as he reached out to touch it, the sound of a dressing room door unlocking broke the silence, followed by a familiar voice.
“Could you help me zip this up?”
Turning around, he found Yuli standing before him. He was surprised to see her here—but even more stunned by the sight of her in a wedding dress.
She was breathtakingly beautiful. Her wide, startled eyes were lovely; her slightly parted, glistening lips looked so sweet he wanted to bite them. Every inch of her, from head to toe, radiated charm.
The deep neckline of the wedding dress accentuated Yuli’s slender neck and porcelain-white skin. His gaze, lingering on her full bust, slowly trailed downward past her narrow waist along a gentle, graceful curve.
The thought that Min Woo would soon be standing next to Yuli in this dress made his fists clench involuntarily. But Jae Ho quickly regained his composure and asked in a detached tone,
“Are you asking me to help? To zip it up for you?”
“Yes, please help me a bit.”
When Yuli turned her back to him, her delicate spine came into full view. She seemed utterly unaware of how tempting she looked. For a fleeting instant, he wanted to touch her. What would it feel like to stroke her skin with his palm? Would it be smooth like melting silk? If he pressed his lips against her tender skin, would it taste unbearably sweet?
If he had his way, he wouldn’t zip the dress—he’d pull it right off. But that was nothing more than a dangerous impulse.
“If you’d like…”
Jae Ho took a short breath and slowly stepped closer.
“But what are you doing here?”
“I came to get fitted for formal wear, per the Chairman’s orders.”
Before zipping, he gently swept her long hair to the side, revealing her pale nape that filled his vision. Her skin brushed lightly against his fingertips—so soft it felt like it might melt away. Again, a strange, inexplicable ache pierced his chest.
In the mirror, he caught Yuli’s reflection as he pulled up the zipper. She wore a tense expression, clearly self-conscious about his touch.
On a sudden hunch, he let his fingertips graze her skin—barely touching. Her cheeks instantly flushed red. Realizing she was nervous too, he couldn’t help but smile faintly—though it soon vanished.
On one of Yuli’s arms was a blue bruise. Clearly, Min Woo had grabbed her roughly in his excitement the night before. The moment he saw it, his hand moved without thinking.
“Does it hurt?”
As he gently stroked it with his thumb, her body trembled faintly.
“…Ah, no. It just looks bad.”
At her words, a dark shadow fell across Jae Ho’s face. He couldn’t understand why Yuli was protecting Min Woo—or, frankly, why she’d accepted this political marriage at all.
Why?
Why specifically Kwon Min Woo?
“I’ll ask you once more.”
This time, he truly wanted an honest answer from her. Lowering his head close to hers, he whispered,
“Do you really have to go through with this marriage?”
Their eyes met hotly in the mirror.
Do I really have to go through with this marriage?
Yuli hadn’t expected to be asked the same question again. Just like last time, she was flustered.
Of course she didn’t want to marry someone she didn’t love—but given her situation, she’d believed this was the best choice. Yet ever since meeting Jae Ho again, doubts about her decision had begun to surface.
Was there truly no other way? This unanswerable question kept tormenting her—and now Jae Ho’s question shook her once more.
An awkward silence stretched between them…
Then Yuli slowly spoke.
“Before I answer, let me ask you just one thing.”
Her gaze toward him glinted coldly.
“Do you have a reason why I shouldn’t marry Min Woo?”
“Of course.”
“What is it?”
Yuli raised an eyebrow challengingly.
“Because you don’t love Min Woo. Because right now, your heart belongs to someone else.”
My heart belongs to someone else?
Did he somehow notice feelings I myself wasn’t aware of?
Under Jae Ho’s probing, relentless gaze, Yuli struggled to suppress her racing heart—until she suddenly remembered he’d overheard her call with Hyun Kyung.
—Well, whether or not she has a lover and still plans to marry another man isn’t really my concern anymore. After all, she’s no longer my fiancée.
Clearly, he still believed she was hiding a secret lover. But again, Yuli offered no explanation—only stared back at him with icy eyes.
“And what else?”
Jae Ho leaned forward slightly, bringing his eyes level with hers.
“Well… what else could there be?”
He fell momentarily into thought.
Yuli might not know about Min Woo’s volatile personality—or perhaps she was deluding herself into thinking she could manage him.
Right now, Min Woo was utterly infatuated with her—willing to fetch her the stars if she asked.
But how long would that last?
Back in elementary school, after Min Woo lost interest in his beloved puppy, he began cruelly abusing it. The abuse continued until Jae Ho, unable to bear it any longer, practically snatched the dog and took it home. Min Woo had always been like that—once his interest faded, whether in living beings or inanimate objects, he derived pleasure from tormenting and destroying them.
Though Chairman Kwon had arranged counseling with a child psychologist, the sessions were apparently abandoned due to his parents’ negligent attitude.
Seeing his silence, Yuli swallowed hard and quickly spoke.
“If not loving him is the reason, then I’ve already explained it. We’re marrying because our conditions match. I trust conditions more than love.”
Though she answered earnestly, Jae Ho twisted his lips as if holding back a scoff.
“We’ll see if that’s really true.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Hmph.”
Just as Jae Ho began to speak again after letting out a short laugh…
“I’m so sorry to have kept you waiting.”
The door opened, and Nancy Song—having finished her call—entered alongside the employee holding a man’s formal suit.
“Everything’s ready.”
Nancy Song, beaming as she approached, froze in surprise upon spotting Jae Ho standing beside Yuli.
“Excuse me, who are you…?”
“I’m Kwon Jae Ho. I have a reservation for seven tonight.”
“Oh, yes.”
Seeing Nancy Song’s flustered reaction, Yuli realized the employee must have mistakenly let Jae Ho in.
Nancy Song apologized politely, explaining the mix-up that led the staff to confuse Jae Ho with Min Woo, and guided him to another fitting room. But even after Jae Ho disappeared from sight, Yuli couldn’t focus at all—so she had no choice but to reschedule her fitting for another day.
As she stepped into the hallway, her eyes were involuntarily drawn to the fitting room across from where Jae Ho had gone. For some reason, the door was left open.
Through the gap, she saw Jae Ho standing before the mirror, dressed in formal wedding attire.
“…Ah.”
She couldn’t help but let out an awed sigh at how incredibly handsome he looked—so much so that she suddenly felt hollow, painfully aware that it was Min Woo, not Jae Ho, who would stand beside her at the altar.
Wait—what am I even thinking?
The moment she realized how absurd her thoughts were, Yuli clapped a hand over her mouth.
I’ve lost my mind. I must be insane.
She quickly fled the shop and hurried toward the parking lot as if running away.
Once in the car, Yuli buried her face in the steering wheel, cradling her cheeks with both hands.
She’d thought that staying away from him would calm her emotions…
But the harder she tried to push him out of her mind, the more vivid his image became.
Why—why did her heart race like this?
Even if he’d once been her first love, that was all in the past…
Yuli couldn’t understand why she was so shaken. It should’ve been enough to treat those memories as fleeting as a midsummer night’s dream.
Just then, someone tapped firmly on her car window. She looked up to find Jae Ho peering down at her from outside. She hadn’t realized how much time had passed since leaving the shop.
“Are you okay?”
He asked with a worried expression.
Of course she wasn’t okay—and the reason was him. But Yuli cleared her throat and answered curtly,
“It’s nothing. I was just waiting to make a call before leaving.”
Jae Ho opened his mouth as if to say something, but Yuli quickly started the engine.
“I should get going now.”
After this brief farewell, she immediately drove off. She could’ve glanced at him through the rearview mirror—but deliberately didn’t. Staring straight ahead as if her neck were in a brace, she silently hoped she wouldn’t see him again anytime soon.
Her mouth tasted bitter, and a dull ache throbbed in her chest—but Yuli ignored it and pressed hard on the accelerator.
Just a few more months until the wedding…
She had no time to dwell on the past.
[This is the timeline separator]After a sleepless night, Yuli woke earlier than usual and headed straight to the office. In her state, she had no appetite for breakfast.
As she entered her office, she found Sun Young already seated, her eyes sunken from exhaustion.
“You’re in early today?”
“Yeah. There’s a lot to prepare…”
Sun Young’s reason for arriving early soon became clear: Manager Kim, having finalized all procedures, announced in the morning meeting that Kwon Jae Ho had become their new partner.
“You mean ‘Jay K’—Kwon Jae Ho?”
Excitement rippled through the office.
“Why’d he pick our firm of all places?”
“I heard he and the manager have known each other for a while.”
“Still… there’s gotta be more to it, right?”
Instead of joining the conversation, Yuli pretended not to hear and focused intently on her work. She had no idea why he’d chosen ‘Bauhaus,’ nor did she know how close Jae Ho and Manager Kim really were.
“Yuli, do you know anything about this?”
Jin Man, the architect seated beside her, asked—but Yuli simply shook her head.
“He’ll probably just lend his name, right? He won’t actually come to the office.”
“Obviously.”
“Still… maybe he’ll drop by occasionally?”
The definitive answer came only at the end of the workday.
“Who’s up for dinner tonight?”
Manager Kim asked with a wide grin, prompting Yuli to raise her hand without looking away from her monitor. Though exhausted from sleeplessness, drinking with coworkers sounded easier than going home.
“Great! Everyone’s in, then?”
At Manager Kim’s booming voice, a chorus of cheers erupted. “Whoa! Amazing!” someone exclaimed. Surprised by the sudden commotion, Yuli lifted her head from her screen.
“…!”
The reason soon became clear.
The man standing behind Manager Kim.
It was Kwon Jae Ho.
Male lead first thought she played hard to get, only to realize she
really disliked him
Short intro:
What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.
Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.
Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!
She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.
*
At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.
This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!
***
Synopsis:
Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…
A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead
vs.
An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead
_____
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