The Grand Temptation (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 2
His other name was ‘Jay K.’
He was a world-renowned architect whose fame spanned the globe. Not long ago, Thomas Heide—a legendary figure in architecture who had just won the Pritzker Prize—even credited his protégé and partner Jay in his acceptance speech, praising Jay’s genius.
Yuli first met Jae Ho right after she’d just entered university. Back then, things were different. He had a gentle demeanor and smiled with eyes curving upward at the corners. But the man before her now was so sharp that even a mere glance felt like a blade—let alone smiling.
“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”
Ten years ago, Jae Ho had said those words with a bright smile. To claim you wouldn’t feel your heart flutter at the sight of those crescent-shaped eyes would be an outright lie. It might sound silly, but it was her first love—undeniably—and a beautiful memory.
Now, memories from ten years ago, grown faint with time, began slowly resurfacing in Yuli’s mind.
[This is the timeline separator]It was the era when Assemblyman Chae’s popularity soared sky-high. As his political influence grew, more and more corporations sought ties with him, and all eyes settled on his eldest daughter, Yuli.
Though she’d only just become a college freshman, proposals flooded in nonstop, and Assemblyman Chae ultimately chose KG Group—one of the nation’s top conglomerates.
At the time, KG Group’s heir apparent wasn’t the second son, Executive Director Kwon Woo Sik, but the eldest son, Vice Chairman Kwon Je Woong. Consequently, Yuli’s prospective partner for this arranged marriage wasn’t Kwon Min Woo, but Kwon Jae Ho.
Yuli was speechless when her father told her she’d marry a man whose face she’d never even seen.
She went straight to her best friend Hyun Kyung to pour out her frustration, and Hyun Kyung’s mouth fell open in astonishment.
“Kwon Jae Ho of KG Group? Wow, that’s huge! I’ve only ever heard rumors—I’ve never actually seen him.”
Yuli had assumed that Hyun Kyung, as the youngest daughter of the Cheong-a Group, might know something about Jae Ho—but she’d never even laid eyes on him. All she got was that he was an enigmatic figure shrouded in mystery.
In the end, Yuli decided to confront Jae Ho herself. Yet meeting him proved difficult.
Then one day, she received a message from Assemblyman Chae’s aide—an excellent source of information—saying he’d found out where Jae Ho was.
“He’ll be at the outdoor tennis court all afternoon.”
Though it was a members-only sports club, it was fortunate the court was outdoors. Thinking she could just peek over the fence, Yuli climbed up despite wearing a skirt, grunting with effort.
Carefully descending while gripping the dents in the wall, she suddenly heard a sharp “Peep!”—a whistle—and the guard’s voice from afar.
“What are you doing there?”
Oh no!
Startled, she missed her footing. Just as she braced for the fall, someone’s hand grabbed her waist and gently set her down on the ground.
Did the guard reach me already?
Yuli turned around, startled—but immediately realized she’d been mistaken. The person who’d helped her was a man in tennis attire, and behind him, the guard came running, panting heavily.
But… wow…!
Though the moment was tense, Yuli couldn’t help but lose herself completely.
Why were his eyes so dazzling?
He looked exactly like the ideal man she’d always dreamed of—if only the situation had been different, she’d have wanted his number. He was that perfect.
But right now, she had something far more important to do.
“Thank you for helping me.”
Yuli quickly offered her thanks and turned away. But before she could even take a step, the man caught her shoulder. Before she could resist, he half-pulled her into his arms, turning her body toward the oncoming guard.
“No need to run over. She’s with me.”
At the man’s words, the guard halted mid-stride, panting—but his suspicious gaze remained fixed on them. The man smiled brightly and pulled Yuli a little closer.
“She’s my fiancée. She thought going all the way around to the front gate was too much trouble, so she climbed over the fence. Sorry about that.”
When the man bowed his head in apology, the guard, flustered, awkwardly bowed back.
“No, no… Mr. Kwon Jae Ho.”
At the name spoken by the guard, Yuli’s eyes widened in shock.
Mr. Kwon Jae Ho?
She tried to turn her head to confirm his face, but he was so tall it wasn’t easy. Only after the guard had completely left did Jae Ho finally release his hand from her shoulder. Finally free, Yuli hastily stepped back and looked up.
He looked even more handsome upon second glance. She’d never seen such a beautiful human being up close in her entire life. Was this a sculpture or a real person?
“Your father’s aide asked about my schedule…”
That quiet voice snapped Yuli back to reality. Blinking out of her daze, she found a cold expression staring back at her.
“Is this why you came? To plead with me in person?”
The warm smile he’d shown the guard had vanished without a trace—only contempt remained in his eyes.
Though it was their first meeting today, he seemed to already know who Yuli was. Given how often she’d appeared at Assemblyman Chae’s campaign rallies, he’d likely found her photos online easily enough.
“I have no intention of marrying, so save your effort and just give up. Got it, kid?”
Jae Ho patted Yuli’s head exactly as if she were a child.
Confused at first, Yuli quickly understood. He disliked this marriage just as much as she did.
Frowning, she stepped in front of Jae Ho as he turned to leave and flung her arms wide.
“Plead? What are you talking about? I hate this arranged marriage just as much as you do!”
“Then we’re in luck. After today, we won’t need to see each other ever again.”
Having spoken, he pushed her outstretched arm aside with his fingers. The same man who’d grabbed her waist and pulled her close just moments ago now acted as if he couldn’t stand the slightest contact with her.
Ugh, so what if he’s handsome? He’s completely insufferable!
Forget everything she’d thought about him being her ideal guy! Though it had only lasted a moment, the fact that her heart had wavered annoyed her deeply.
Still, it was a relief that he opposed the marriage too. Yuli tried to soothe her irritation by telling herself they’d never meet again.
Yet her hopes vanished within a month. They ran into each other again—at a volunteer group repairing homes for the underprivileged, introduced through her major’s academic advisor.
Was this what they meant by meeting your sworn enemy in the middle of nowhere?
Forced to maintain politeness in front of their professor, they spent the rest of the time glaring fiercely at each other. Naturally, the volunteer work went nowhere. Having been outmaneuvered last time, Yuli resolved to act first this round.
Spotting her chance, she quickly followed Jae Ho as he stepped outside to take out the trash.
“Let’s not come to the next volunteer meeting, okay?”
Pretending not to understand, Jae Ho ignored her and walked down the steps in front of the house. With no choice, Yuli trailed after him, adding an explanation.
“We said we wouldn’t see each other again, remember? This is just making things awkward for both of us.”
“But if someone has to skip the meeting, why should it be me and not you?”
Only after tossing the trash into the bin at the bottom of the stairs did Jae Ho finally look at Yuli.
“So you’re saying I should be the one to drop out?”
At that, Jae Ho simply shrugged and started walking back up the stairs. Yuli followed again, elaborating further.
“I’d love to do exactly that, but unlike you, I can’t so easily pull out. Because…”
“Are you worried people might say, ‘Assemblyman Chae’s daughter quit volunteering after just one day’?”
Jae Ho’s words stopped Yuli in her tracks. He was right. Quitting the volunteer activity right after it started would surely invite nasty rumors. Seeing she wasn’t following, Jae Ho halted too and turned back.
“Judging by that scrunched-up face of yours, I’m right, aren’t I?”
“Yes, you are. That’s exactly it.”
She had no intention of lying. At this point, she expected him to back down and say he’d quit instead. But he gave no reaction at all—just turned around again and resumed climbing the stairs.
“Wait!”
As the distance between them widened, Yuli hurried after him up the stairs. But in her haste, she slipped. She caught the railing just in time, but in the frantic motion, her hand swung wildly and yanked at her necklace.
*Plink.* The clasp broke, and the necklace flew off toward the cliff beside the stairs. She reached out, but in that split-second delay, it dropped over the edge.
“No!”
Pale-faced, Yuli leaned over the railing to reach for it—but Jae Ho grabbed her arm.
“Are you crazy?”
“My necklace fell down there!”
She pointed to where the necklace lay halfway down the cliffside. Jae Ho frowned, bewildered.
“Do you think this is some kind of backyard wall? You’re willing to climb down there just for a stupid necklace?”
“It’s not just some stupid necklace—it’s my mother’s last keepsake!”
As she spoke, tears spilled from her eyes. Jae Ho was right—it would be reckless to climb down there. But she couldn’t just lose her mother’s only remaining memento.
If only she’d left it safely in her jewelry box instead of wearing it!
Blaming herself made the sadness worse, blurring her vision with tears. Still, she couldn’t just stand there crying. She needed to quickly dry her eyes and carefully climb down the cliffside to…
Just then—
“Dammit.”
Jae Ho, watching Yuli sob, muttered a short curse, then vaulted over the railing in one swift motion and began descending the cliff. Moments later, he returned, necklace in hand.
Yuli stared at him and the recovered necklace, stunned. Then her eyes fixed on the scratch bleeding on his arm—likely from climbing down.
Jae Ho glanced briefly at his injured arm, then turned to Yuli—still teary-eyed—and gave her a soft, reassuring smile, even letting his eyes crinkle at the corners as if to calm her guilt.
“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”
Though it sounded like a casual remark, to Yuli, it was deeply comforting. And perhaps because of that, fresh tears spilled freely down her cheeks.
“I told you not to worry about it.”
Instead of stopping, her tears only flowed harder. Frowning, Jae Ho muttered lowly under his breath and reached out to gently wipe away the tears streaming down her cheeks. In that seemingly indifferent gesture, Yuli felt her heart drop for the very first time in her life.
From that day on, Yuli was confused.
She was absolutely against arranged marriage—but whenever she thought of Jae Ho, her resolve kept wavering. She’d even lain awake some nights, tempted to just give in and marry him.
But was it fortune or misfortune?
Soon after, an unfortunate incident erupted. Trouble surfaced in an overseas construction project, and all blame pointed squarely at Vice Chairman Kwon Je Woong. In the end, he took full responsibility and stepped down from his position.
Vice Chairman Kwon left the country with his family, and the marriage talks between them fizzled out completely. What happened afterward, she didn’t know—but people around her claimed the whole family would never return to Korea.
Thus, her first love ended before it ever truly began. After that, Yuli’s life descended into chaotic turmoil, and love became a distant, foreign concept.
Her tender emotions dried up, and her once-beating heart fell still—as if dead.
.
.
.
And yet…
Snapped out of her reverie, Yuli furrowed her brow.
Why had he suddenly returned?
Judging by the detached, indifferent way he’d looked at her—as if she were a stranger—he didn’t seem to recognize her at all.
Truthfully, they’d known each other for such a brief time that even after ten years—enough time for mountains and rivers to change—it was understandable neither remembered the other clearly. Besides, their encounter had been chaotic, and both had been thoroughly soaked.
Or perhaps he had recognized her but chose to pretend otherwise. Their connection had been so fleeting they barely had reason to acknowledge each other—what began ended immediately, after all. There was hardly anything you could even call a “connection.”
Just as she got into her car and was about to start the engine, her phone chimed twice from inside her handbag. It was a message from Min Woo.
So he finally realized the trouble he’d caused?
Instead of replying, Yuli simply put her phone back into her bag. Sure, she might overlook his misdeed this time, considering the accident today would cause him trouble—but right now, she wasn’t in the mood to talk.
The notification chimed a few more times, then fell silent.
Yuli’s gaze shifted to Jae Ho’s jacket lying beside her handbag. She reached out and gently stroked the dark-colored fabric.
His wound looked pretty deep… He’d probably head straight to the hospital, right?
The jacket felt cool yet soft to the touch—just like its owner.
Male lead is reincarnated to save his wife
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
😀