The Grand Temptation (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 6

Could it be… someone he’s supposed to partner with?

Kim Manager’s voice slipped into Yuli’s tangled thoughts.

“You probably don’t need an introduction, Yuli?”

Unfortunately, her brain—already overloaded—failed to process his words. She didn’t even realize he was speaking to her.

“Yuli?”

Only after hearing her name called a second time did Yuli snap back to her senses and turn toward Kim Manager.

“Oh, yes. Manager.”

“You know Architect Kwon Je Ho well, don’t you?”

Kim Manager, who was Min Woo’s senior from university, knew that Je Ho and Min Woo were cousins. Naturally, he was also aware of Yuli’s relationship with Je Ho—though, of course, he didn’t know they’d once been engaged ten years ago.

“Since you two are practically going to become relatives soon, you must already know each other well, right?”

Yuli offered an awkward smile and quickly shifted her gaze away from Je Ho.

He must feel just as embarrassed as I do. Did he even know I worked here?

When their eyes met, he gave a light nod. Unlike her, he showed neither surprise nor discomfort. His expression remained unchanged as he looked at her.

“Architect Kwon Je Ho has decided to join Bauhaus during his stay in Korea.”

Just as she’d expected—he’d become Bauhaus’s partner. But why?

It was utterly incomprehensible. She’d assumed he’d returned to Korea solely for the KG Group headquarters project, yet now he was suddenly partnering with Bauhaus…?

For a world-renowned architect like him, the descriptors “small-scale and modest” were far from fitting—“largest in the world” would be more appropriate.

Was he suffering burnout? Was this year his sabbatical?

Still, it wasn’t her place to question his decision. He’d likely be more of an investor-type partner—merely lending his name, not actually coming in to work here.

Yes, that must be it.

For some reason, an uneasy feeling crept over Yuli, and she unconsciously furrowed her brow.

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“It’s small, but let’s still take a look around.”

Je Ho toured the office under Kim Manager’s guidance. True to Kim’s words, the workspace paled in comparison to Je Ho’s usual working environment—but that fact held no significance to him.

After all, he’d made a crucial decision the previous night.

The night before.

After dinner, in the underground parking lot.

Click—the car door opened, and Je Ho got into the passenger seat.

“Okay, I’ll let him know. Talk to you later.”

Woo Gyeol, who had been on the phone, ended the call and turned toward the passenger seat. Without a word, Je Ho grabbed his seatbelt and clicked it into place. Before starting the car, Woo Gyeol glanced at Je Ho’s expression.

“Was the atmosphere really uncomfortable?”

Instead of answering, Je Ho let out a soft, ironic chuckle.

His uncle glaring at him with burning hostility, his cousin brother flaunting everything that now belonged to him, and even his grandfather pretending not to notice their strained relationship—it wasn’t just uncomfortable. It was suffocatingly heavy.

“Did the food even go down? Want some antacid?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Je Ho shook his head and closed his eyes. Right now, he needed headache medicine more than antacid. A dull headache was creeping in—a familiar sensation whenever his mind grew cluttered.

But why did he feel so conflicted? Hadn’t he already steeled himself before deciding to return? Just because dinner was awkward, did he really have to get a headache? Come on. Things would only get more twisted from here on out…

Though he knew exactly who was causing his headache, Je Ho deliberately chose to ignore it.

…Chae Yul Ri.

She was the reason his heart felt so tangled.

“I’ll drive you anyway—it’s on my way.”

“Huh.”

Remembering his own words, Je Ho let out a hollow laugh. She wasn’t some naive child who couldn’t get home on her own.

Looking back, it had been the same ten years ago. Back then, too, there’d been no real need to risk his safety just to find her necklace. Whether it was her late mother’s only keepsake or not—it had nothing to do with him. He’d already firmly told the adults he had no intention of marriage.

Yet, whenever he was around Yuli, his resolve wavered. He’d found her climbing over the wall just to see him endearing, and her tearful face when she lost the necklace had genuinely pained him. He’d wanted to know more about her.

Not long after, the engagement fell through, turning his fleeting hope into emptiness…

And now she’d reappeared—as Min Woo’s fiancée. Watching Yuli sit demurely beside Min Woo, Je Ho felt a burning ache under his sternum and a surge of nausea rising in his throat. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly why she irritated him so much—he just couldn’t stand seeing her like that.

“I just checked the email Brandon sent.”

At Woo Gyeol’s words, Je Ho opened his eyes.

“…This is…”

As Je Ho read the email, his expression gradually darkened.

“Yeah. Just as we suspected. The person Vice Chairman Kwon met right before the accident—was definitely Min Woo. The crash happened about thirty minutes after he left Min Woo at the hotel.”

Woo Gyeol spoke with a heavy, somber face.

There was a reason Je Ho had decided to come to Korea, setting aside his busy schedule.

It wasn’t because Chairman Kwon summoned him.

After decades of practically cutting ties, why would Chairman Kwon suddenly call Je Ho back? Was it really just for the KG Group headquarters project? Or was he considering Je Ho as his successor?

He couldn’t possibly install his second son, Executive Director Kwon Woo Sik, as chairman—everyone knew how incompetent he was as a business leader, not to mention his lack of character as a leader.

Director Kwon Woo Min wasn’t significantly better than his father, and Chairman Kwon surely knew that. That must be why Je Ho—the world-renowned architect—had caught the Chairman’s eye.

But Je Ho had no interest in becoming a successor. His only concern was identifying those responsible for putting his father, Vice Chairman Kwon Je Woong, in the hospital—and making them pay in full.

After stepping down from his vice chairmanship, his father had moved to the U.S., where he later fell into a coma following a traffic accident. Toxicology reports showed high blood alcohol levels, and the U.S. police concluded it was drunk driving.

Yet Vice Chairman Kwon never touched alcohol. When Je Ho learned his father had been investigating the Arcadia Mall project just before the crash, he began to suspect foul play.

Adding to his suspicion was the complete silence from the Korean family estate. Could it be that even Chairman Kwon hadn’t been informed? Acting on this doubt, Je Ho reached out to Thornton, a globally renowned tycoon he’d befriended through architectural projects.

Brandon, Thornton’s secretary, had sent a report stating that the overseas construction issues—and likely the accident itself—were possibly orchestrated by someone behind the scenes. Je Ho’s uncle and cousin, Kwon Min Woo, were strongly implicated as the masterminds.

Right then, Je Ho received a call from Chairman Kwon ordering him to come to Korea—and after much deliberation, he boarded a flight back.

The email from Brandon included a photo of Vice Chairman Kwon meeting Min Woo in the hotel lobby thirty minutes before the crash.

“The Arcadia Mall was originally Vice Chairman’s project, right? Of course he’d take an interest. But since site selection was proving tricky, he must’ve asked Min Woo about it.”

Woo Gyeol explained to Je Ho, who was glaring at the photo.

“So my father went to meet Min Woo himself when he heard Min Woo was on a business trip to the U.S.?”

Woo Gyeol nodded grimly in response. Je Ho’s eyes flickered dangerously as he stared at the photo.

“You know what’s truly infuriating? Chairman still doesn’t know the condition his eldest son is in.”

A bitter, hollow laugh escaped Je Ho’s lips.

At first, he’d believed Chairman Kwon was merely concealing his emotions. But as their dinner conversation dragged on, Je Ho became certain the Chairman knew nothing about the accident.

Executive Director Kwon and Min Woo, however, acted differently—tense throughout dinner, as if expecting Je Ho to drop a bombshell at any moment. Je Ho had accepted the Chairman’s dinner invitation precisely to make them uncomfortable, even if just a little.

Even if Je Ho revealed the truth, they’d have plenty of excuses—claiming ignorance would be enough.

Of course, Je Ho hadn’t informed them about the accident either. But for KG Group’s intelligence team to have overlooked the incident entirely was suspicious. Clearly, someone was deliberately keeping the information from reaching Chairman Kwon’s ears.

After staring at the email for a long while, Je Ho finally seemed to gather his thoughts and handed the phone back to Woo Gyeol.

“Let’s go.”

Je Ho cradled his neck with one hand and turned to look out the window. His neck already felt stiff from the brief tension.

He’d held onto a sliver of hope that his family wasn’t involved…

But reality, when it finally confronted him, proved even crueler than anticipated.

“…First,”

Je Ho, who had been silently staring ahead, finally spoke slowly.

“I need to unsettle Min Woo.”

“How?”

Woo Gyeol asked. Je Ho remained silent, his gaze fixed outside the window. Just as the car exited the underground parking lot, he caught sight of Yuli getting into a taxi on the opposite side.

“Chae Yul Ri.”

Je Ho murmured her name under his breath, barely moving his lips.

The woman Min Woo loved—the woman about to marry Min Woo…

Chae Yul Ri was the biggest reason Min Woo was so desperate to become the group’s heir.

Je Ho could still clearly picture Min Woo’s proud expression as he wrapped his arm around Yuli’s shoulders.

Of course, Min Woo likely genuinely cared for her—but perhaps he wanted her even more because she’d once been Je Ho’s fiancée. Ever since childhood, Min Woo had coveted everything Je Ho possessed.

So what if Je Ho took Yuli back—someone Min Woo thought he’d already claimed? How would Min Woo react then?

Though it went against his instincts, no attack would be more effective. And perhaps, just perhaps, Yuli’s father—Assemblyman Chae—might also be connected to the past incident.

Two birds with one stone.

As if eager to vanish from his sight as quickly as possible, the taxi carrying Yuli rapidly accelerated away.

Just because you can’t see something doesn’t mean it ceases to exist…

Je Ho’s eyes grew cold as he watched the taxi disappear into the distance.

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After touring the office, Je Ho left before other employees arrived. Kim Manager asked Yuli and Sun Young to keep the news secret from everyone else until all paperwork was finalized.

Was it because she’d met Je Ho so unexpectedly? She couldn’t concentrate all morning. With yesterday’s postponed tasks still hanging over her, Yuli focused intensely on her work, skipping even lunch.

Just before quitting time, she received a call from Hyun Kyung.

[You’ll be off soon, right? Let’s have dinner together.]

“I’ve got some work left—I’ll probably have to stay late. Go ahead and eat without me. We can grab a drink after I finish.”

[Got it. Call me when you’re done.]

After shutting down her computer and standing up, Yuli noticed the office was completely empty—all her coworkers had already left. She must have been so absorbed in her work that she’d barely registered their goodbyes.

Just as she stepped out of the office, she heard footsteps approaching from the end of the hallway.

Manager?

At this late hour, the only person who might return to the office would be Kim Manager. But as Yuli turned toward the sound, she froze in place without meaning to.

“Oh…”

She’d seen him enough times now that she could recognize him from his silhouette alone, even from a distance.

Why is he here at this hour…?

Yuli narrowed her eyes slightly as she watched Je Ho walking toward her. The dim hallway lights cast deep shadows across his pale face.

They’d only been apart for less than a full day—so why did seeing him again feel like this…?

Clack, clack—the distance between them steadily closing.

Thump, thump, thump—her dried-up emotions began to spasm.

Yuli took a quick breath and yanked the door handle—but for some reason, the door wouldn’t shut properly. She pulled harder, and just then, Je Ho, who had already approached, placed his hand over hers.

Thunk—

Was that the sound of the door closing? Or her heart dropping?

“You’re leaving late today, aren’t you?”

Instead of answering, Yuli silently stared at his large hand resting over hers.