The Grand Temptation (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 15

“Are you really going to pretend you don’t know, all the way to the end?”

Jae Ho’s eyes, fixed on Yuli, were veiled in deep shadow.

He seemed upset about something, and somehow, strangely sad. Yuli flinched and took a step back—but immediately felt the cold wall behind her. Trapped with nowhere else to retreat, she swallowed hard as he drew closer.

Just then, with a soft chime, the elevator doors slid shut.

Inside the cramped elevator, barely a few pyeong in size, only the two of them remained. A strange flutter mingled with heavy tension, slowly rising from below. The citrus scent laced with musk drifting from Jae Ho enveloped her.

“Are you really going to keep ignoring me like this until the very end?”

Ignoring him? Was he referring to what happened yesterday?

She’d thought he’d acted completely unaffected all day—she’d even convinced herself it was just a momentary misunderstanding.

But had their lips really touched?

Yuli’s mind was in utter chaos.

“Do you really not know what I want?”

A sigh-like whisper escaped his lips. Yuli turned her head aside, avoiding his intense, piercing gaze.

Honestly, she thought she knew what he wanted—and that frightened her. It didn’t seem like a joke; it felt utterly sincere…

Like her heartbeat, the slowly flickering light above began blinking rapidly. He raised his hand and gently cupped her cheek.

Ah—her chest fluttered at the warmth of his palm, and her breath caught in her throat.

Trying to breathe a little easier, her lips parted slightly. In response, he gently brushed his thumb across them. The subtle pressure pinned her tongue, leaving her utterly speechless.

Soon, the flickering light finally went out, plunging them into darkness. Yet his gaze—deepened by desire—remained unwavering, fixed entirely on her.

“Yuli.”

He’d only spoken her name, yet for some reason, her chest tightened and tears welled in her eyes. Without realizing it, Yuli slowly closed her eyes.

She should push him away and leave—but she couldn’t. She didn’t want to. Clearly, she wasn’t in her right mind; otherwise, his quiet breathing wouldn’t be sending shivers down her spine.

“Have you already forgotten? I distinctly told you not to close your eyes like that…”

She hadn’t forgotten. She remembered it vividly. But Yuli couldn’t open her eyes.

“I told you—if you keep your eyes closed like that… I’ll misunderstand.”

His low voice cracked hoarsely at the end. Even with her eyes shut, she could clearly picture him staring intently at her, and the pounding of her heart—louder and louder—filled her ears until they felt muffled.

After a long silence, he slowly lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers.

“Ah…”

A sigh slipped out, breaking past her lips at the soft touch. Unconsciously, Yuli clutched at his collar.

The sweetness that filled her mouth lasted only a moment before being overtaken by an intense, burning heat.

His hand gripped her waist, pressing her firmly against the wall as if to crush her into it. A sharp thrill ran through her at the unfamiliar, forceful sensation. It felt as if her entire body—not just her lips—was burning up, and without thinking, Yuli rose onto her toes, clinging to him.

His hand, which had rested on her waist, traced a smooth curve upward, while his lips, which had been fiercely claiming hers, slowly drifted downward. Yuli had to suppress a moan that threatened to escape.

By now, the buttons of her shirt had come undone, and his hot lips descended onto the pale skin exposed to the cool air.

The heat spreading through her body made it feel as if she couldn’t breathe.

In the pitch-black darkness, raw instinct relentlessly consumed them both.

Whiiir—

Suddenly, a loud ringing filled her ears, as if her head were vibrating. Slowly, the ringing morphed into a faint, murmuring voice.

“Unnie… Unnie?”

The moment the voice became clear, a cold hand pressed down on her shoulder. In an instant, the heat vanished, replaced by a chilling stillness.

“…Hmm.”

Yuli struggled to open her eyes. Through blurry vision, she saw Yoo Ri’s face.

“Unnie, what’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?”

Yuli blinked blankly, confused.

What just happened?

She slowly sat up and looked around—only to find herself not in the elevator, but in her bedroom.

“…Ah.”

With a hollow expression, Yuli covered her face with both hands. She must’ve dozed off shortly after lying down upon returning home.

“Ugh, Unnie, look at this cold sweat.”

Yoo Ri pushed back Yuli’s tousled hair with a worried look. Sure enough, beads of sweat dotted her forehead.

So… it had all been a dream?

Yet the sensation on her lips still felt so vivid—it was hard to believe it was just a dream. Even if it was, the intensity had escalated to a dangerously explicit level. Remembering the scorching scene made her cheeks burn, and Yuli frowned.

Why on earth had she dreamed something like that? It wasn’t as if she were sexually frustrated—it was utterly mortifying.

“Dad’s home.”

At Yoo Ri’s words, Yuli silently checked the wall clock. She’d been asleep for less than thirty minutes. For such a short nap, the dream had been remarkably dramatic.

Yesterday’s unintentional physical contact, combined with several sleepless nights in a row, must’ve left her physically drained—probably why she’d had such a strange dream.

Right, it’s nothing.

Though her heart still pounded wildly, she calmed herself with a deep breath. After a moment, Yuli slowly rose from the bed.

“Where is Father now?”

“He’s in his study.”

Last night, Assemblyman Chae hadn’t come home due to National Assembly duties and had stayed overnight at the legislative building. Because of that, she hadn’t gotten a chance to ask him her question.

Leaving her room, Yuli headed straight to the study. After knocking and entering, she saw Assemblyman Chae on the phone with his aide. She waited quietly until the call ended, then immediately asked,

“Why didn’t you tell me who’s designing the newlyweds’ house?”

“Didn’t I tell you?”

Assemblyman Chae looked puzzled.

“But why? Does it really matter?”

“He’s Jae Ho Kwon—my former fiancé. How can you act like it’s nothing?”

“What’s the big deal? Back then or now, it’s not like either of you is marrying out of love…”

Assemblyman Chae turned his attention back to the documents he’d been reviewing, as if it were no concern at all.

Maybe he was right. It was only a formal, emotionless marriage. Circumstances and conditions had simply shifted, naturally leading to a change in marriage partner. Perhaps Yuli herself might have accepted it calmly, without objection—if not for the fact that it was Jae Ho. He’d just appeared in her dream out of nowhere, leaving her flustered.

“I don’t want it.”

Yuli clenched her fist, her voice firm.

“It’s the house I’ll be living in. It’s obvious I’d be uncomfortable living in a house he designed. If you’ll allow me, I’d like to visit Chairman Kwon myself and decline politely.”

“Fine, if you really dislike it, there’s nothing to be done.”

Assemblyman Chae replied curtly, not even looking up from his papers. He seemed entirely indifferent toward this marriage. When Min Woo had proposed the political alliance and said he wanted to go through with it, Assemblyman Chae had only asked, “Why him, of all people?”—and nothing more.

“…But wait.”

As Yuli turned to leave the study, Assemblyman Chae looked up from his documents and called her back.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t irritate Chairman Kwon over something unnecessary.”

Yuli stopped and turned around.

“Think carefully about who in your in-laws’ household might genuinely be on your side.”

Truly the words of an experienced politician. Instead of replying, Yuli simply listened quietly to his advice.

“Don’t make trouble for no reason. If you truly don’t like it, have Min Woo decline on your behalf. It wouldn’t look good for you to intervene directly.”

After a brief silence, Yuli slowly nodded.

“I’ll do that.”

Since Assemblyman Chae was right, there was no point in arguing. Stepping out of the study, she stood still and stared at her phone.

After hesitating for a moment, Yuli decided to call Min Woo. It would probably feel easier to just refuse outright without overthinking it. But no matter how many times she called, Min Woo didn’t pick up—something must have come up.

It was already approaching nine, but she didn’t want to postpone the conversation until tomorrow. Perhaps this strange dream had been caused by the stress of having to live in a house designed by Jae Ho.

Since he definitely wouldn’t leave the office before ten, she hoped to meet him at the company. Borrowing her younger sister Yoo Ri’s car, Yuli drove straight to KG Group’s headquarters. As she entered the building, a security guard who recognized her greeted her warmly.

“You’ve come to see Director Kwon. Please wait a moment.”

The guard placed an internal call to announce her arrival, then kindly opened the gate for her.

“Director Kwon seems to have stepped out momentarily. Please go ahead upstairs. I’ll contact him again.”

True to the guard’s words, the office door was locked. Just as she was about to sit down on the sofa to wait, her phone rang from inside her bag.

[Yuli? Where are you now? Are you in the lobby?]

She pressed the call button, and Min Woo’s voice came through. He’d probably just been contacted by the guard.

“No, I’ve already come upstairs. I’m right outside your office.”

[What? Outside my office?]

Why?

Min Woo’s voice jumped an octave, sounding extremely flustered—an unusual reaction. Every time she’d visited the office before, he’d always been overjoyed, as if he owned the whole world.

But that wasn’t all.

Although Min Woo’s voice clearly came from the phone, she almost felt she could hear it from beyond the office door as well. Still holding the phone, Yuli turned to look at the firmly closed office door.

“Yes, I’m outside your office. Are you inside right now?”

[Uh? No, no… I’m in the meeting room downstairs.]

At her mention of being outside his office, Min Woo’s voice dropped to a near whisper.

[Just wait a moment. I’ll wrap things up here and come right up.]

The call abruptly cut off. Yuli put her phone back in her bag and stepped into the hallway to greet him. Though he’d said he’d come right away, Min Woo didn’t appear until twenty minutes later, out of breath and panting.

“Huh—huh—what’s the sudden emergency? You didn’t even call ahead!”

He stood before her, gasping for air, clearly having run up in a hurry.

“There was something I really needed to say… But I kept calling and you wouldn’t answer.”

“Oh, really? I turned my phone off during the meeting.”

“I see. I thought I’d be able to see you if I came to the office.”

“Ah, right. Good thing you came. Let’s go in.”

Now that his breathing had settled, Min Woo finally smiled brightly and wrapped an arm around Yuli’s shoulders.

Instantly, a fresh lemon scent brushed past her nose—not the heavy kind from perfume, but the light, clean scent one gets right after a shower.

Yuli’s gaze naturally drifted to Min Woo’s hair. He must’ve hurried to dry it, because the ends were still slightly damp.

He claimed he’d just come from a meeting downstairs—yet he’d taken a shower?

As Yuli’s brow furrowed slightly, the sharp click-clack of high heels echoed from down the hallway. Turning toward the sound, she saw a long-haired woman approaching.

Though dressed in an ordinary office suit, the woman’s striking beauty was obvious at a glance. Her plump lips, painted a vivid red, especially caught the eye.

Spotting Min Woo, the woman smiled warmly.

“Director, the meeting’s over—aren’t you heading home yet?”

“Oh, Assistant Shin. I should probably head out soon too.”

“Yes, please don’t overwork yourself. Go home now.”

After speaking, Assistant Shin glanced briefly at Yuli. Was it just her imagination, or did Assistant Shin’s gaze carry some hidden meaning?

“I’ll head in first, then.”

Assistant Shin bowed deeply, then passed by Yuli with a polite nod. For a fleeting moment, a familiar scent drifted past Yuli’s nose, and she frowned slightly.

This scent…

It was the exact same lemon fragrance she’d just smelled on Min Woo.