The Grand Temptation (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 13

“From now on, this is my seat.”

It was already hard to believe he’d actually come into the office, and now he was taking the seat right next to hers….

Yuli couldn’t accept what was unfolding right before her eyes as reality.

She had naturally assumed her partner, Jae Ho, would share an office with Manager Kim. The manager’s office was spacious enough for two people comfortably—even easily partitioned into two separate offices with a simple divider.

So why did he insist on working alongside regular employees?

But if that’s what he wanted, then so be it. She had no right to object. It also annoyed her that he’d taken Jin Man’s seat—right next to hers—but she couldn’t complain about that either.

Well, he’ll probably stop coming in after a few days.

She didn’t expect him to show up every day without fail.

It seemed only she was left feeling uncomfortable. Jae Ho, on the other hand, had adapted instantly—as though he’d been working at “Bauhaus” for ages.

All morning, he pored over printed blueprints, gathering staff feedback and meticulously marking by hand every spot needing revision.

His intense focus while working was simply extraordinary. Jae Ho completely tuned out his surroundings, staring fixedly only at his computer screen and the architectural plans. In stark contrast, Yuli couldn’t concentrate on her own work at all.

Her eyes kept drifting toward his firm forearms exposed beneath his rolled-up shirt sleeves and the subtle tendons visible on the back of his hands. He even wore glasses when reviewing fine details.

Come to think of it, this was the first time she’d ever seen him fully immersed in his work.

Someone once said a man looks most attractive when he’s deeply engaged in his job.

That was absolutely true. He’d looked handsome in formal attire, but nothing compared to how captivating he was while working.

How was it possible that the more she saw of him, the more impressive he became?

“Huh.”

Disappointed in herself for constantly stealing glances at him, Yuli let out a short sigh.

Maybe her behavior had prompted him to tease her with that playful remark.

—“I can’t possibly let a woman who keeps drawing my attention and weighing on my mind walk home alone at night.”

It must have been a joke. It had to be.

Yuli bit her lower lip and shook her head.

She ought to feel offended by such an over-familiar jest, yet her heart raced instead—probably because sleepless nights had left her mind hazy.

At times like this, she needed strong coffee—extra espresso shot, please. Yuli abruptly stood up to take her coffee break. Unaware that Jae Ho was watching her back intently, she hurried out of the office.

Jae Ho silently watched Yuli leave, his thoughts drifting back to last night.

After Assemblyman Chae suddenly appeared and interrupted their time together, Jae Ho had chosen to walk back to Woo Gyeol’s place instead of taking a taxi. Though it was only a ten-minute drive, the walk took considerably longer. Still, it gave him time to calmly sort through his thoughts.

A woman who constantly draws your eyes and occupies your mind.

At least that part wasn’t a lie.

Because it was true—he truly did find himself drawn to her, constantly thinking about her.

And now, he was starting to worry about her.

When Yuli ran into Assemblyman Chae, her face had instantly turned as pale as paper. No matter how suspicious their encounter might have looked, her reaction upon seeing her father was clearly abnormal.

It was utterly unlike the relationship he remembered between father and daughter ten years ago. What had happened between Yuli and Assemblyman Chae all this time? Was there something crucial he needed to know?

The moment she saw Assemblyman Chae, the lively woman who’d responded so vividly to his every word suddenly wilted like a dried flower. Her bright eyes clouded over in an instant, and without a word, she followed her father into the car. Jae Ho had to fight the urge to grab her arm and pull her back out.

Just as he neared Woo Gyeol’s house, his phone rang.

It was an unknown number, but he didn’t bother checking the caller ID—he already had a good idea who it was.

“This is Kwon Je Ho.”

[Long time no see.]

Assemblyman Chae’s voice came through the phone—deep and authoritative, distinct from Chairman Kwon’s tone.

[Earlier, I was too flustered to greet you properly. I’d already heard from Chairman Kang that you’d returned to Korea… But I must say, I found your request to Chairman Kwon rather amusing. To be honest, I couldn’t quite understand it.]

Jae Ho remained silent, simply listening to Assemblyman Chae.

[And just now, Yuli mentioned you’ve become a partner at “Bauhaus.”]

“Yes, that’s exactly right.”

[…Hmm.]

After a brief sigh, Assemblyman Chae continued.

[I’d like to meet with you privately sometime—would that be alright?]

Jae Ho didn’t know why Assemblyman Chae wanted to meet, but he saw no reason to refuse. After all, the man was one of the hurdles he needed to cross.

“Sure. Please let me know a time convenient for you, Assemblyman.”

After ending the call, Jae Ho stared at his phone for a moment. He wanted to ask, “Is Yuli alright?”—but couldn’t. He feared his question might put her in an awkward position.

That morning, seeing Yuli acting perfectly normal, Jae Ho had quietly sighed in relief.

“Why…”

Watching Yuli walk out of the office, Jae Ho muttered to himself.

“…was I worried about you?”

[This is the timeline separator]

“What on earth are you talking about? Old man, have you gone senile?”

“Keep your voice down. What if someone hears you?”

When Min Woo shouted loudly, Executive Director Kwon glanced nervously toward the door. Though the room was soundproofed—and even if their conversation did leak out, only his secretary would hear—it never hurt to be cautious.

“So what if they hear? Everyone would probably react just like I did.”

Min Woo had just heard something unbelievable from Executive Director Kwon: Chairman Kwon had assigned Je Ho to design the newlyweds’ home. The thought of living in a house designed by Je Ho sent chills down his spine. But his father clearly disagreed with him.

“It would be odd not to ask your cousin—the world-renowned architect—to handle it. Your grandfather must’ve thought the same.”

“But I don’t want it! I absolutely refuse!”

When Min Woo vehemently objected, Mrs. Na, who’d been quietly listening nearby, suddenly interjected.

“Stop complaining and just do as your grandfather says. When you broke off the engagement with Tae Min Group, what did you promise? That you’d do anything if they’d just let you marry Yuli! So why are you suddenly changing your mind now?”

“Mom, but this is different!”

“How is it different? Who cares who designs the house? Or maybe you’d rather call off the wedding altogether.”

Mrs. Na had never liked this marriage from the start. In her experience, businesses that got tangled up with politicians rarely ended well—pouring all their money into the relationship, only to go bankrupt the moment the administration changed!

Unlike Tae Min Group’s daughter, who always greeted her with playful winks and coquettish charm, Yuli’s distant and aloof attitude rubbed her the wrong way.

“Assemblyman Chae Hyeong Sik is up for re-election next year. If he loses, you’ll be clinging to a rotten lifeline. If you want to smoothly inherit your position as successor, you’d better start behaving yourself right now.”

Glaring resentfully at his parents, Min Woo abruptly stormed out of the room.

After leaving the executive office, Min Woo headed straight for the Planning Team to vent his frustration. The moment he entered, all employees nervously rose from their seats.

“Just freaking collapse right into your chairs!”

Though Director Kwon Min Woo’s public image was that of a kind and understanding boss, in reality, he was utterly unhinged—a complete lunatic. He screamed constantly, hurled office supplies, and spewed profanities. If anything, he was even worse than Executive Director Kwon, who was infamous for his intermittent explosive disorder.

“How the hell can you handle work like this? I told you to cut costs, not to half-ass everything like this!”

Min Woo scanned the room and flung a stack of documents, cursing loudly.

He’d been over the moon when rumors spread that he’d soon inherit control of the company, but now everything had flipped 180 degrees. They were reevaluating the Arcadia Integrated Shopping Mall project and wouldn’t make a final decision just yet.

It felt like a bolt from the blue. He’d already set aside secret funds, assuming his father would become chairman first—preparing for the future.

Throughout the mall’s construction, he’d paid bribes, taken kickbacks, diverted construction funds—you name it. While wedding preparations mattered, he first needed to clean up the mess he’d created.

And now, out of nowhere, his cousin Je Ho had shown up too. He had no idea what Chairman Kwon was really after by assigning Je Ho to design their honeymoon home.

What the hell was going on?

Frowning deeply, Min Woo roughly loosened his tie.

[This is the timeline separator]

Despite it being his first day, Jae Ho never looked up from his blueprints—not even as quitting time came and went. Though Manager Kim had urged him to take it easy, Jae Ho seemed the type who wouldn’t rest until he’d finished everything he’d set out to do.

Yuli ended up staying past quitting time as well. Just as she was tidying up to leave, Min Woo called.

[Yuli, have you heard about the honeymoon home?]

He skipped greetings and went straight to the point.

“Yeah, Father told me last night.”

[…Are you really okay with it? You didn’t object at all?]

Though not overt, Min Woo’s voice trembled slightly, as if he were barely holding back anger. Why was he upset? Chairman Kwon himself was personally arranging their home—was that really something to object to?

“If I weren’t okay with it… why? Is there a problem?”

[Huh…]

Instead of answering, Min Woo let out a long sigh.

“What’s wrong?”

[Never mind. Whoever designed the house… well, I guess it doesn’t matter to you, does it? Forget it. We’ll talk later.]

Yuli couldn’t understand Min Woo’s last remark.

Didn’t matter who designed the house?

All she’d heard from Assemblyman Chae was that Chairman Kwon would personally arrange their honeymoon home. Was there something else she’d missed? Frowning in confusion, she stood up—and her eyes met Jae Ho’s.

Ah, this was exactly why sitting next to him was so uncomfortable.

“Aren’t you going home yet? What are you still doing here?”

“I was just about to.”

Yuli forced a smile and slung her bag over her shoulder. Jae Ho, too, seemed ready to leave—he shut down his computer and stood up.

“Let’s have dinner and discuss the important matter slowly then.”

Important matter? Was he talking to someone else? Yuli quickly glanced around, but no one was nearby. He was definitely talking to her.

“What important matter? What are you talking about?”

“I thought you’d heard from Assemblyman Chae last night…”

Seeing Yuli’s completely baffled expression, Jae Ho gave a brief, quiet chuckle.

“Didn’t Assemblyman Chae mention that I’d be designing your honeymoon home?”

“What?”

Who was designing what?

Yuli froze in place for a moment. Only after a while did her thoughts start moving again.

Ah—that’s why Min Woo…

Now she understood his reaction during their call. She didn’t know why Assemblyman Chae had left out the detail about Jae Ho designing their home, but apparently, that was indeed part of Chairman Kwon’s arrangement.

To Chairman Kwon, assigning the project to Jae Ho must’ve seemed like the best possible choice.

After all, wasn’t it a dream come true? A world-famous architect personally designing your honeymoon nest—who in their right mind would refuse?

Well, she certainly would—if she could. After everything that had happened, she was already questioning the very idea of an arranged marriage. And now she was supposed to start her married life in a house designed by him…?

“You must be incredibly busy. There’s no need to make time just for us.”

Yuli forced another smile, trying to decline gently—but of course, she never expected him to accept her refusal so easily.

“It’s true I’m very busy.”

Just as she anticipated, he deflected her attempt.

“But Chairman Kwon personally requested it.”

When Jae Ho’s eyes crinkled slightly, curving like a drawn bow, Yuli suddenly felt a sharp pang in her chest and quickly drew in a breath.