The Grand Temptation (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 14

“It’s because the Chairman specifically asked me to.”

When Jae Ho’s eyes, fixed steadily on her, curved like a bow, Yuli suddenly felt a pang in her chest and quickly drew in a breath.

What was there to make a fuss over such a mere smile?… Yuli was more irritated at herself for failing to properly guard against him than at his sudden advance. Seeing her remain silent with a cold, stiff expression, Jae Ho continued speaking.

“If it’s because you feel pressured, don’t worry. I’m doing this because I want to.”

“Why?”

Not immediately understanding his meaning, Yuli frowned.

“…Hmm.”

Instead of answering right away, Jae Ho gently lifted the corners of his mouth. Then he leaned forward slightly, bringing his eyes level with hers.

“Are you really asking because you don’t know?”

“Yes, I really don’t know.”

“Oh, that’s disappointing. I mustered up the courage to say it, and you’ve already forgotten?”

“What do you mean…?”

Yuli shot him a bewildered glare. She disliked how he’d just tossed out that cryptic remark and was now watching her reaction. But then, suddenly, she recalled something Jae Ho had said before.

—I can’t possibly let a woman who keeps catching my eye and weighing on my mind walk home alone at night.

Surely, that couldn’t be his reason?

That was just a teasing joke he’d made under the influence of alcohol.

As if reading her thoughts, Jae Ho’s lips slowly curled upward as he looked straight at her.

“Yes. Exactly what you’re thinking right now—that’s it.”

“…What do you mean, ‘that’?”

“Because you keep catching my eye and weighing on my mind.”

Speaking slowly, as if savoring each word, Jae Ho stepped closer. Yuli instinctively took a step back.

“So naturally…”

He paused briefly, let out a short breath, then looked straight into Yuli’s eyes and added calmly,

“I end up wanting you.”

Somehow, the meaning of the question had subtly shifted. It was clear now that when he said “want,” he didn’t merely mean wanting to design her house. His intense gaze fixed on Yuli shimmered with sharp, ambiguous emotion.

“Haven’t you ever desperately wanted something so badly you couldn’t sleep?”

What if someone overheard him?!

Flustered, Yuli quickly glanced around. Fortunately, it seemed everyone had already gone home; only she and Jae Ho remained in the office.

Since no one else was around—was he deliberately teasing her?

Yuli took a deep breath and tightly gripped the strap of her shoulder bag.

“In any case, let’s just forget about designing the newlyweds’ house. I’ll explain it separately to the Chairman myself.”

Having spoken quickly, she immediately turned and bolted out of the office. It might have been rude, but she didn’t care. If she stayed even a moment longer, she’d surely get swept up in him.

Though they’d have to face each other again tomorrow, right now, she just wanted to get as far away from him as possible. Yuli ran toward the elevator as if fleeing. Fortunately, the doors opened the moment she reached them.

Only once the elevator started descending did Yuli lean against the wall and let out a sigh of relief. Her pale face stared back at her from the mirror on the opposite wall.

She looked as frightened as someone being chased. Honestly, she really was scared—but not of Jae Ho. She was scared of her own flustered, uncertain self. She didn’t even know how she’d react next.

Without even fully understanding what he meant by “wanting,” her mind had gone completely blank, her heartbeat racing uncontrollably, and to make matters worse, her face was starting to flush.

“You really disappoint me.”

Yuli bit her lower lip, scolding her foolish self. She was angry at how easily she wavered in front of Jae Ho.

Why couldn’t she stand her ground confidently? Was it because he was her first love?

Yuli let out a bitter smile and shook her head. Then she looked again at her reflection in the mirror. The woman staring back seemed terribly anxious—afraid her hidden truth might be exposed at any moment.

Whether ten years ago or now…

The deeply uncomfortable truth remained: she was still drawn to the man Kwon Jae Ho.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Sigh…”

Yuli let out a long sigh and slumped weakly against the driver’s seat. She’d tried starting the car several times, but it wouldn’t turn over. Nothing seemed to go right today. She couldn’t understand why her car, perfectly fine this morning on her way to work, had suddenly decided to act up.

After one final attempt—again to no avail—Yuli had no choice but to open the door and step out of the car. She’d hoped to leave before Jae Ho came down, but unfortunately, she was a step too late. The elevator doors opened, and Jae Ho stepped into the underground parking lot.

“What’s wrong?”

He approached quickly. She could have brushed it off as nothing, but perhaps because she was utterly drained from a whole day of tension, she simply explained the situation.

“The car won’t start.”

“May I take a quick look?”

Instead of replying, Yuli stepped back to let him into the car. After sitting in the driver’s seat and briefly checking the dashboard, Jae Ho pressed the service button installed in the vehicle. A soft beep connected them to the service center, and a gentle voice came through the speaker.

[This is the 24-hour Emergency Dispatch Service. How may I assist you?]

“It suddenly won’t start. Can you run a diagnostic on the car’s current condition?”

[Yes, please hold for a moment.]

After speaking briefly with the service representative about the car’s status, Jae Ho rolled down the window and asked Yuli,

“They say we’ll need to have the car towed to the service center, but the tow truck won’t arrive for another hour. Should we wait, or ask them to come tomorrow morning instead?”

“Let’s skip it for today—please ask them to come tomorrow morning.”

Jae Ho nodded, finished his conversation with the service center, and got out of the car.

“They’ll send a tow truck at 8:30 tomorrow morning.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Yuli gave an awkward smile and locked the car with her smart key.

Idiot—why didn’t you think to press the service button?

She felt ridiculous for having panicked and wasted time instead of handling things calmly. Normally, she would have dealt with it composedly, but in her rush today, she’d only made things worse.

She’d been about to slip quietly out of the parking lot before he could offer her a ride, but before she’d taken even a few steps, he caught her by the arm.

“That way’s wrong—it’s this way.”

Jae Ho gestured with his chin toward where his own car was parked.

“It’s fine—I’ll just take a taxi.”

“Is that really necessary? We’re going the same way anyway.”

Unable to refuse further, Yuli nodded and followed him to his car. As she got in, a subtle, calm scent of masculine cologne filled the air. Moments later, he opened the door and slid into the driver’s seat.

Strangely enough, the atmosphere felt different now—different from when he’d driven her car and when she’d ridden in his.

Almost like the difference between a home game and an away game.

But really, why was her heart fluttering just because she was getting a ride?

Yuli quietly held her breath so it wouldn’t show. Yet, though she waited for the car to start moving, nothing happened.

Puzzled, she turned her head toward him. At that exact moment, he leaned toward her.

“…!”

In an instant, she felt the warmth of his breath against her lips. Startled, she instinctively squeezed her eyes shut.

“Huh…”

A soft, sigh-like chuckle brushed her ear, followed by the quiet click of the seatbelt buckle locking into place. Cautiously opening her eyes, she saw he’d already returned to his seat.

“I waited, but you weren’t buckling your seatbelt…”

So he’d only been politely fastening her seatbelt for her. But because she’d turned her head just then…

Yuli stole a quick, confused glance at Jae Ho’s profile. She’d thought their lips had touched—but it had been so brief, she wasn’t sure.

Yet, judging by his completely unaffected expression, maybe it hadn’t happened after all…

“Next time,”

His low voice drifted into Yuli’s ears, still tangled in confusion.

“Don’t close your eyes like that. It makes me misunderstand.”

“What?”

Yuli gaped at him, utterly baffled. Jae Ho paused in the act of starting the engine and turned his head toward her.

“Oh—sorry. Was I mistaken? Did you actually want it too? Oh dear, I must be terribly unperceptive.”

Starting the car, he teased her lightly.

Instead of snapping back, “Want what?!” Yuli pressed her lips tightly together and turned her face toward the window. If she said anything now, she’d surely get tangled up with him again.

They didn’t exchange a single word for the rest of the ride home. Jae Ho drove silently, while Yuli, gripping her bag strap tightly, stared fixedly out the window.

As soon as the car stopped, Yuli quickly unbuckled her seatbelt—worried he might try to unfasten it for her again.

“Thank you for today. Please drive safely.”

She hurriedly said her goodbyes, stepped out of the car, and slammed the door shut without even waiting for his reply.

Watching Yuli practically run toward her house, Jae Ho’s lips twitched into a dry, faint smile.

Once she’d completely disappeared from view, he slowly dragged his thumb across his lips. They still tingled as if burned by fire.

Though the contact had been incredibly brief, the sensation had been intensely vivid.

Her lips had tasted unbelievably sweet.

“Huh…”

A bitter smile escaped Jae Ho as he stared fixedly at her tightly closed front gate. Shaking his head with a somber expression, he slowly drove away.

[This is the timeline separator]

That night, Yuli couldn’t fall asleep easily—the pounding of her heart was simply too strong. She must have finally drifted off just before dawn.

Skipping breakfast, she arrived early at the office, handed her car over to the service center staff for towing, and went up to her workplace. Thanks to everything proceeding smoothly, she hadn’t been late, but even before starting work, she already felt completely drained.

Still, the one stroke of luck in this misfortune was that Jae Ho had left her alone today without provoking her.

She’d worried all night—had their lips accidentally brushed against each other? But judging from Jae Ho’s calm demeanor, it must have only been a slight graze against her cheek. If their lips truly had touched, he wouldn’t have stayed so quiet—he surely would have teased her about it with some mischievous comment.

“Did they tow your car without trouble this morning?”

Only at quitting time did Jae Ho finally speak to her. Afraid he might offer to drive her home again, Yuli quickly began tidying her desk.

“Yes, thanks to you, everything went smoothly. I just spoke with the service center—they said there’s an engine issue and it’ll take about a week to repair. See you tomorrow, then.”

Before he could respond, Yuli rattled off her words in one breath, grabbed her bag, dashed out of the office, and ran straight for the elevator. Thankfully, as soon as she reached it today, the doors opened immediately. Casting an anxious glance behind her, she hurried inside and rapidly pressed the door-close button as the doors began to shut slowly.

She knew it might look cowardly, but she couldn’t help it. Her condition was at rock bottom right now. Once she’d gotten enough rest and regained her composure, starting tomorrow, she wouldn’t need to keep running away.

“Yes—running away ends today.”

Yuli murmured softly to herself, trying to calm her nerves.

[This is the timeline separator]

“…Huh?”

Suddenly, the elevator lights, which had been brightly lit, began flickering. Yuli looked up at the ceiling lamp with a puzzled expression. Something felt ominous—surely it wouldn’t stop halfway, would it?

Just then, the elevator reached the underground parking lot and the doors slid open smoothly. Yuli let out a sigh of relief and hurried toward the exit. But…

“…!”

She stopped dead in her tracks upon seeing Jae Ho standing right in front of the door.

She’d clearly left the office first—yet somehow, Jae Ho was already waiting for her in the underground parking lot.

Before she could even step out, he strode purposefully into the elevator.

“Are you really going to pretend not to know—right to the very end?”

Dark intensity clouded Jae Ho’s gaze as he looked at Yuli.