The Grand Temptation (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16

This scent…?

The exact same fragrance she’d just caught from Min Woo.

It was unmistakably lemon.

But she wasn’t entirely sure. Maybe she’d imagined it—perhaps mistaken the lemon scent emanating from Min Woo. Though it oddly grated on her nerves, Yuli said nothing and followed Min Woo into the office.

“Was it something really important that you just had to say today?”

Min Woo asked as he sat down on the sofa.

“It’s not that urgent, but I didn’t want to put it off until tomorrow.”

Sitting across from him, Yuli continued speaking.

“I only realized after we hung up—the fact that Jae Ho agreed to design our new home.”

“…Ah, that.”

Min Woo’s face twisted into a grimace, as if merely recalling it was unpleasant.

“If I’d known earlier, I would’ve opposed it. It makes me uncomfortable too. So, if you really don’t want it, just tell the Chairman yourself and turn it down.”

“Huh?”

Min Woo was momentarily flustered by Yuli’s suggestion that she didn’t mind refusing. He’d assumed she either wouldn’t care whose house it was—or might even be pleased. Yet now she admitted feeling uneasy too, and his thoughts suddenly grew muddled.

He didn’t want to begin married life in a house designed by Jae Ho, but directly approaching Chairman Kwon to decline was an entirely different matter. Just imagining standing before the Chairman deflated his spirit completely.

“Hey, Yuli.”

Leaning slightly toward her, Min Woo spoke cautiously.

“Jae Ho Hyung is such a famous architect, after all.”

Now that Yuli also said she didn’t want it, he felt oddly reassured. He’d been anxious—wondering if perhaps she still harbored feelings for Jae Ho—but hearing her express discomfort made him think his worries had been unfounded.

“Grandfather specifically requested this as a special favor for us. If we refuse just because we don’t like it, he’ll be hurt.”

“What?”

Yuli was briefly taken aback by Min Woo’s sudden 180-degree shift in attitude. Just during their earlier phone call, he’d sighed as if the world had ended.

“Let’s just leave it to Hyung. He’ll design an absolutely stunning home for us.”

Faced with Min Woo’s bright, cheerful smile, Yuli had nothing more to say. He’d always been this fickle. Apparently, he’d changed his mind for some reason yet again. At this point, prolonging the conversation with him would only be a waste of time.

“I understand your position.”

Yuli said dryly and stood up from her seat.

What should I do?

As the elevator descended from the office, Yuli fell deep into thought.

Refusing outright, as Assemblyman Chae suggested, would look bad in front of Chairman Kwon. But living in a house designed by Jae Ho was absolutely out of the question.

If she was already feeling this unsettled now… living in that house might trap her in the same dream over and over. Merely imagining it sent a wave of dread through her.

Just then, the elevator heading toward the lobby stopped at an intermediate floor. The doors slid open, revealing Assistant Shin—the same woman Yuli had passed in the hallway earlier. She likely was on her way home from work.

They didn’t exchange greetings, but when their eyes met, Assistant Shin gave a gentle, knowing smile. Yuli mirrored it faintly.

The moment Assistant Shin stepped inside, a familiar fragrance filled the confined space, and Yuli quietly inhaled.

She hadn’t imagined it after all. Assistant Shin beside her emitted the exact same lemon scent as Min Woo. A quick sideways glance confirmed her hair ends were slightly damp too—just like Min Woo’s. Yuli hadn’t noticed earlier because their encounter in the hallway had been so brief.

Moments later, the elevator reached the lobby and its doors opened. Assistant Shin gave Yuli a slight nod before quickly stepping out.

Yuli watched her retreating back in silence.

Now she understood why Min Woo hadn’t answered any of her calls earlier—and why he’d seemed so startled to see her at the office. If he’s going to hide it, she wished he’d hide it perfectly, so she wouldn’t have to notice or care at all.

“Hmph.”

Yuli let out a quiet scoff and firmly pressed the door-close button.

At that moment, the sweet, cool fragrance from last night’s dream resurfaced in her memory—the unique blend of musk and citrus that belonged only to that man… Yet the elevator was filled only with lemon scent. Why was she suddenly thinking of his?

Was it because she was in an elevator? Because of the dream? As the image of their lips naturally meeting surfaced in her mind, Yuli softly bit her lower lip. It was just a dream—but her heartbeat accelerated all the same.

[This is the timeline separator]

Driving home, Yuli called Hyun Kyung. Despite the late hour, Hyun Kyung answered on the first ring.

“Hyun Kyung-ah, it’s me.”

[Yuli!]

Hyun Kyung’s voice was noticeably excited—as if she’d been waiting for Yuli’s call. The two hadn’t had a chance to talk in days, as Hyun Kyung had been visiting Singapore.

[Why does your voice sound like that? Are you worried about something?]

Hyun Kyung could always tell Yuli’s state just from her tone. She had always been like this—freely offering Yuli the comfort she never received from her own family.

“It’s not exactly worry, just… a bit of an awkward situation.”

Yuli gave a brief explanation. At first, Hyun Kyung’s reaction mirrored Assemblyman Chae’s.

[What’s the big deal? A world-famous architect is designing your house—you’re not losing anything!]

“But Jae Ho and I almost got married before.”

[True… He was your first love too.]

If only he’d stayed just a first love.

He kept intruding on her thoughts unexpectedly. But despite how close they were, Yuli couldn’t bring herself to confess the dream she’d had that night. Others might casually share private matters as light topics, but Yuli simply couldn’t.

“In any case, it makes me uncomfortable. Even if everyone says it’s fine, I don’t want it.”

[Hmm.]

Instead of arguing, Hyun Kyung let out a long sigh. That was one of her best qualities—if Yuli said no, she usually accepted it without question, always respecting her friend and working from her side to find a solution.

[Even so, it’d be awkward for you to go directly to Chairman Kwon to refuse. So… here’s what I’m thinking…]

Yuli held her breath, waiting for Hyun Kyung’s next words.

[How about this? I mean…] [This is the timeline separator]

The next morning, Yuli headed firmly to the office. Following Hyun Kyung’s advice, she decided it’d be better to persuade Jae Ho himself rather than ask Chairman Kwon to cancel.

At first, she’d been skeptical—did it really require that much effort? But after having a similar dream again the previous night, she’d changed her mind.

Because the second dream had progressed even further, her heart kept racing long after she woke up that morning. The faint echoes of moans still seemed to linger in her mind.

It baffled her how, in a dream, she could perform an act she’d never experienced in real life with such practiced ease—she was almost shocked by her own boldness.

Only after a long, cold shower did her mind finally clear a little.

If she was already like this now, what would happen if she actually had to live in a house he designed…?

Yuli’s expression darkened rapidly.

Dreams might lie beyond the control of reason, but she felt ashamed of how easily she surrendered to her desires.

Today, no matter what, she had to settle this with Jae Ho. She resolved to remain calm no matter what jokes he threw her way, respond firmly, and if necessary, speak bluntly—even if he thought her rude or unpleasant.

Steeling herself with this fighting spirit, Yuli entered the office.

But of all days, he didn’t show up even after lunchtime.

“Honestly, you’re trying so hard. You really didn’t need to go this far, right?”

After lunch, Sun Young handed Yuli a takeaway coffee cup and chattered cheerfully.

“Who are you talking about?”

“Who else? Kwon Je Ho. He left for Changwon with the Manager right after arriving this morning.”

“Changwon?”

“Yes. It’s for a village hall reconstruction project—purely volunteer work, actually…”

If he went to Changwon, would he be back before quitting time?

“Probably, they’ll both head home directly from the site,” Sun Young said, as if reading Yuli’s thoughts.

True to her words, Jae Ho never appeared in the office even well past quitting time. Yuli tried hard to soothe her disappointment as she headed home—disappointed not because of anything else, but because she’d hoped to resolve this as soon as possible, and now it was pushed to tomorrow.

That night, Yuli was tormented by another nightmare.

Unfortunately, the third dream was even more intense than the second. If these dreams kept escalating, they’d inevitably reach the very end…

No!

Shaking her head vigorously, Yuli pushed away the memory of that intensely passionate hand sliding into her shirt. But she couldn’t stay awake all night either. This was surely just a side effect of anxiety from not resolving things promptly.

She wanted to believe that once she spoke to Jae Ho, these dreams would naturally vanish. While settling things with him, she’d also politely ask him to stop making those strange jokes.

Yet, disappointingly, Jae Ho still hadn’t come to the office the next day either. Sun Young whispered that the project ran late, so he’d spent the night in Changwon and would likely return to Seoul only in the late afternoon.

Did that mean she wouldn’t see him today either? Frustrated, Yuli almost wanted to cry.

Was she this unsettled because her plans kept getting delayed? Or because she couldn’t see him?

Pressing her scalding-hot eyes with the back of her hand, Yuli cast a sideways glance at the empty space beside her.

[This is the timeline separator]

As she tidied her desk to leave for the day, a call came from Manager Kim. Yuli barely suppressed the urge to ask if he was still in Changwon.

[Yuli, sorry to call at quitting time, but could you please print out that blueprint I mentioned and leave it on my desk? It’s urgent…]

“Yes, of course.”

Yuli jotted down the blueprint number Manager Kim dictated. Since he was asking her to wait as she was leaving, it meant he’d return to the office late that night—and if so, Jae Ho would likely come back to Seoul with him too.

Hopeful she’d finally see him tomorrow at the latest, Yuli happily fulfilled Manager Kim’s request. But because the blueprint was complex, adjusting the print settings took considerable time. By the time she finished, she was alone in the office.

After double-checking the blueprint carefully, Yuli placed it on Manager Kim’s desk. Just as she stepped out of his office, the door opened and Jae Ho walked in.

It had been only a day since she last saw him, yet her heart plummeted the instant she laid eyes on him—as if she hadn’t seen him in years, tears pricking at her eyes. Startled by her own reaction, Yuli quickly averted her gaze.

Jae Ho gave a polite nod by way of greeting and headed straight to his desk, picking up the blueprint Yuli had just left there.

“That call from the Manager earlier—it was actually my request. Sorry, because of me, you had to stay so late.”

“…Ah, no. It’s fine.”

Yuli answered curtly, still avoiding eye contact. Though she’d resolved to settle things with him as soon as possible, the words wouldn’t come out easily.

Was it because of the strange dreams she’d had two nights in a row? Every time she looked at him, his image merged with those from her dreams, and her face grew hot.

He must be exhausted from just arriving—she couldn’t possibly keep him for a talk now.

Convincing herself with this plausible excuse, Yuli decided to wait for another chance.

“I’ll be heading out now.”

She greeted Jae Ho, who was skimming through the blueprint, and moved toward the door. But instead of returning her farewell, he asked a question.

“So, you still haven’t mentioned it to the Chairman yet?”

Turning around, Yuli saw Jae Ho place the blueprint back on the desk and walk toward her.

“About the honeymoon home design.”

“The Chairman’s been busy, so I couldn’t talk to him right away.”

“…Is that so?”

His lips twisted slightly, as if disappointed.

“I kinda hoped you’d changed your mind—I was secretly excited…”

This was it. This was her chance to convince him.

Yuli took a slow breath, then suddenly blurted out,

“Do you have some time today?”

“Time?”

“Yes. There’s something I need to tell you.”

Locking eyes with Jae Ho’s curious gaze, Yuli spoke firmly.

“Just the two of us.”