The Grand Temptation (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 8
“Since we’re not married yet, should I already be calling you ‘sister-in-law’?”
Jae Ho raised one corner of his lips, his gaze fixed firmly on Yuli.
Sister-in-law?
At the word “sister-in-law,” Yuli’s brow instinctively furrowed. It wasn’t technically incorrect, but it felt so awkward it gave her goosebumps…
Marrying Min Woo meant she and Jae Ho would become brother- and sister-in-law—a fact she’d always known. So why bring it up now, of all times?
Noticing her subtle shift in expression, Jae Ho’s eyes deepened as they stayed locked on Yuli. Feeling strangely as though her inner thoughts had been exposed, Yuli gently lowered her gaze, avoiding his stare.
“No, hyung.”
At that moment, Min Woo spoke up calmly, a sly smile curling his lips.
“She was once your fiancée—no wonder it’s hard to call her ‘sister-in-law’ so easily.”
He seemed deliberately intent on provoking Jae Ho. Yet Jae Ho merely grinned faintly, showing no reaction to such an overt challenge. Ironically, it was Min Woo who now felt ignored. His expression twisted instantly.
Yuli quietly observed the two men locked in an unyielding battle of wills.
Ten years ago or now, both engagements were still loveless political marriages—so why did they suddenly act out some melodramatic love triangle? Though the two men were clearly the ones vying for dominance, she—the mere third party—felt as uneasy as if seated on a bed of thorns. Yuli sighed inwardly and refilled her empty glass.
“By the way… I have one question.”
Again, Jae Ho kept his eyes on Yuli as he addressed Min Woo.
“Why Yuli, of all people? You knew perfectly well she was supposed to marry me… Was it really necessary?”
“Ugh.”
The question was so blunt it caught her off guard. Yuli hastily set down her glass, covered her mouth with a napkin, and looked at Jae Ho with flustered eyes.
But Min Woo seemed unfazed. As if he’d anticipated the question, he smirked and pulled Yuli close, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. Before she could resist, she found herself nestled in his embrace.
“It’s not like we’re divorced—what’s stopping us?”
Min Woo scoffed, tightening his grip around her. He clutched her arm so hard it began to ache. Her brow instinctively knotted, but since Jae Ho was watching her intently, she swallowed her discomfort and stayed still.
Though Min Woo’s treatment of her like a trophy infuriated her, she couldn’t push him away—not in front of Jae Ho. After all, her fiancé was Kwon Min Woo, not Kwon Jae Ho.
Perhaps Jae Ho noticed her pain—or maybe it was Min Woo’s overbearing manner that bothered him.
Jae Ho’s gaze lingered on Min Woo’s hand tightly gripping Yuli’s arm. Min Woo, intoxicated by his sense of triumph, failed to notice the fury burning in Jae Ho’s eyes—a dangerous glare that seemed ready to rip Min Woo’s hand away from her at any second.
Helpless, Yuli offered Jae Ho a faint, casual smile, as if nothing were wrong. Even if their marriage was purely formal, she still needed to uphold Min Woo’s dignity.
At the sight of her smile, Jae Ho’s intense stare—which had seemed capable of boring a hole through her—cracked ever so slightly. He gave a wry twist of his lips, turned his head away, and leaned back against the chair, crossing one leg leisurely as if watching a stage play.
“I heard your original match was supposed to be the eldest daughter of Tae Min Group. Yet you insisted to the Chairman that it had to be Yuli—and no one else.”
“Ha! Who told you that?”
Annoyed that Jae Ho knew more than expected, Min Woo raised his voice sharply.
Seizing the moment his grip loosened, Yuli quickly slipped out of his embrace. He’d held her so tightly that the spot where his fingers had dug in now stung, tears prickling her eyes.
Min Woo occasionally lost control of himself like this—completely unaware of his own actions. This was clearly one of those times. Yuli rubbed her throbbing arm with her palm. There was probably already a red mark on her skin; it had happened several times before. She’d warned him repeatedly to be careful, but apparently, he’d forgotten again.
The argument between the two men continued.
“It doesn’t matter who told me—the important thing is that it reached my ears.”
“Go ahead and let them gossip behind my back. I don’t care. If I have to enter a political marriage anyway, I’d rather marry Yuli, my friend of over ten years, than the eldest daughter of Tae Min Group whom I’ve never even met. I told Grandfather the same.”
“Friends with Yuli for over ten years?”
Surprised, Jae Ho narrowed his brows. Min Woo lifted his chin proudly—a childhood habit that always surfaced whenever he felt smug.
“Didn’t you know? I met Yuli before you did. We’ve known each other since high school. Your engagement came later.”
Chronologically, Min Woo was right. But back then, Yuli hadn’t really known him well. She vaguely recalled passing him once at a charity gala hosted by Cheong Ah Group—the one belonging to Hyun Kyung.
It wasn’t until long after Jae Ho had left for America that she and Min Woo became friends through Hyun Kyung’s introduction. Min Woo claimed they’d spoken the very first day they met, but Yuli honestly couldn’t remember.
At every charity event, she met so many people—it was impossible to recall them all. But she’d never corrected him, fearing he’d be disappointed.
“Whether or not you were briefly engaged to hyung, it lasted only a short while. In contrast, Yuli and I have been together for the past ten years.”
When Min Woo tried to pull her into his arms again, Yuli sidestepped his hand and shot him a subtle glare. Noticing her discomfort, Min Woo reluctantly placed his hand on the back of her chair instead, then leaned in close and whispered tenderly, as if sharing a lover’s secret.
“Yuli, remember our trip to Malawi together?”
He clearly wanted to flaunt to Jae Ho just how close he and Yuli were—more than just friends. Yuli nodded silently. It wasn’t a fabrication; they really had gone to Malawi together. But Hyun Kyung had been there too—it was a volunteer trip.
“We stayed in the same room, remember? I still think about the night sky we saw then. Wow… the stars in that black sky shimmered like diamonds…”
Listening only to Min Woo’s words, one might think it was a dreamy honeymoon. Again, Yuli chose not to contradict him. After all, they were getting married—what did it matter?
“Yes. That’s right.”
Yuli took a quick sip of wine. As she set the glass down, her eyes met Jae Ho’s. Beneath his slowly blinking lids flickered something cold—almost as if demanding to know whether she and Min Woo truly shared something deeper.
Her heart plummeted instantly. Even as she hurriedly took another sip to avoid his gaze, her hand trembled faintly. She couldn’t pinpoint why, but the thought that he might misunderstand tightened her chest with an odd, heavy ache.
“I always assumed it was just a political marriage…”
Jae Ho, who had remained silent until then, finally spoke.
“But it seems you two truly care for each other.”
“Well, of course we care about each other—”
Min Woo began blurting out his true feelings but suddenly caught himself and snapped his mouth shut. With the wedding so near, he couldn’t risk burdening Yuli. Their marriage had been carefully agreed upon—purely transactional, with emotions thoroughly excluded.
“Whether we care or not, does it really matter in a political marriage?”
Min Woo quickly covered his slip.
“Really?”
Knowing how much Min Woo cared for Yuli, Jae Ho gave an ambiguous look and turned toward her.
“Marriage isn’t a merger between corporations…”
“Honestly, is it really that different?”
Yuli frowned at the corporate merger analogy.
“Min Woo and I are marrying because our conditions align, and we believe we’ll make excellent partners.”
She wasn’t trying to defend him—but his words stung as if he were mocking her, and she couldn’t stay quiet. Oblivious, Min Woo mistook her words as support and grinned broadly, his mouth wide open.
“So you just said ‘conditions’—not love?”
“Yes, exactly. Con-di-tions.”
Yuli stressed the word firmly—but her voice trembled slightly at the end. Jae Ho’s eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly at the nuance, then settled again.
“I don’t believe in love—that fleeting emotion. I trust a marriage built on mutual need far more; it’s far more binding.”
Jae Ho offered no rebuttal. He simply watched her intently, his gaze calm and utterly devoid of emotion. Yet Yuli couldn’t bear to meet his eyes any longer and turned her head aside—because faint though it was, she’d sensed contempt in his stare.
The more she thought about it, the more anger quietly simmered within her.
He knew nothing of what she’d been through all these years—yet here he was, passing judgment so rashly.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Yuli asked bluntly, no longer hiding her feelings. Amused by her reaction, Jae Ho’s eyes crinkled as he let out a short laugh.
“I’m just wondering—is the Chae Yul Ri before me really the same person who, ten years ago, flushed with anger and declared she’d never accept a political marriage?”
Yuli shot him a cold glare.
“Ten years is enough time for mountains and rivers to change—of course people change, and so do their views on marriage.”
Perhaps it was her parents’ influence. She’d dated several men, but none of the relationships lasted. For one, she could never fully trust them; and for their part, they seemed more interested in her background—in Assemblyman Chae’s power—than in her.
Over time, she’d simply stopped believing in love. That’s why a loveless political marriage now felt easier—because at least she wouldn’t be betrayed.
“What about you, hyung?”
Min Woo, who’d been watching their exchange, quietly interjected.
“Can you really say you’re the same as you were back then? Are you still absolutely against political marriages?”
“Of course.”
Only then did Jae Ho finally shift his gaze from Yuli to Min Woo.
“I believe marriage should only happen with someone I truly love. It’s not a business deal.”
“Hearing you say that… Do you, by any chance, have someone you’re seeing?”
“…Maybe.”
Jae Ho fell silent, as if lost in thought. After a pause, he spoke again.
“There is a woman—one I keep finding myself drawn to, someone who constantly occupies my thoughts.”
Yuli pretended to look elsewhere, feigning disinterest—but she couldn’t stop her ears from perking up.
A woman he kept finding himself drawn to, someone who constantly occupied his thoughts?
Who could she be?
It wasn’t just curiosity—something strange stirred inside her. Her heart prickled as if pricked by a needle.
Yuli was startled by her own reaction. Just moments ago, she’d declared she didn’t believe in love—yet here she was, feeling suffocated as though crushed beneath a heavy stone, all because of some unknown woman.
It must be the alcohol—her emotions were clearly compromised.
“Is she in Korea? Or in America?”
“Her current location doesn’t matter—because…”
Jae Ho paused briefly, then turned his gaze toward Yuli and continued leisurely.
“She’ll soon be mine.”
A faint, elusive smile hovered at the corner of his lips as he murmured almost to himself.
“…Of course, it won’t be easy.”
Male lead Asks for a Divorce Every Day
It’s not often you come across a plot like this in the female-dominant genre — make sure to check it out!
This is a novel I’m planning to reread as well.
The male lead is strong, skilled in martial arts, and not the usual fragile type you often see in matriarchal novels.
Meanwhile, the female lead is a scientist—rational and logical. Even when she falls for the male lead, she doesn’t let her emotions cloud her decisions.
If you push through the first few chapters, you’ll gradually find the story really intriguing.
It has a mix of mystery, detective elements, and romance.
The author’s writing style is like crafting a puzzle—except they deliberately leave out a few pieces, making it hard to predict what happens next, yet keeping you hooked.
In the end, everything will come together and be explained.
One-sentence summary: Wife, stop playing with beakers and look at me!
In a laboratory accident, research scientist Zhu Wansheng accidentally travels to a matriarchal world. The original owner of the body is an eighteen-year-old only daughter of a wealthy rouge merchant, already married with a handsome young man.
Zhu Wansheng grins: Nice! She always said she was heaven’s favorite granddaughter. After a life of toil in her previous life, she can enjoy blessings in this one.
However, her joy lasts no more than three seconds as bad news arrives: the original owner’s family is about to go bankrupt, and her husband wants a divorce.
Even worse, she’s stuck with a research system full of restrictions.
Zhu Wansheng: ? Is this the destiny of a research dog?
——
Faced with this mess, Zhu Wansheng pours herself a bowl of wine to drown her sorrows. In her drunken haze, her husband arrives.
His figure is imposing, holding a long sword, with a dignified air that captivates Zhu Wansheng.
Gu Yingqing, however, looks at the alcohol-reeking Zhu Wansheng with undisguised disgust and coldly asks, “Divorce or not?” The intoxicated Zhu Wansheng mumbles vaguely, “I think… it’s not… it’s not… impossible!”
——
The next day, after sobering up, Zhu Wansheng is full of energy, rolling up her sleeves ready to make a big move. As for yesterday? She has no memory of it.
Zhu Wansheng is ambitious; a research dog fears nothing!
Upgrading rouge, extracting fragrances, producing perfumes, researching lipsticks… all shall bow to the power of modern technology!
The original owner’s dying rouge shop is revitalized. Her mother is pleased and with a wave of her hand, passes on the family business to her. As she takes control and her experimental results gain popularity, it’s the pinnacle of her life…
——
But there are always those who can’t stand to see her doing well. Jealousy, scheming, assassination attempts – they want nothing less than her life.
The person who has always kept his distance from her suddenly holds her tightly in his arms, eyes full of concern.
She is unharmed, but he falls into a pool of blood…
Zhu Wansheng feels guilty, “I can grant you one wish.”
Gu Yingqing tentatively circles his arms around her, carefully resting his head in the crook of her neck, pleading softly, “I regret it. Can we not divorce?”
Zhu Wansheng: ? When did I agree to a divorce?
[Small Theater]
The newly developed rouge is beautifully packaged, and Zhu Wansheng is eager to try it.
Gu Yingqing suddenly appears: “My lady, may I apply it for you?”
Cool fingertips lightly brush her lips. His Adam’s apple bobs as he leans in for a light bite.
Zhu Wansheng: ?
Gu Yingqing: It smells so good, I wanted to taste it…
On a warm spring day, Zhu Wansheng tries a new perfume: “Spring Night.” Gu Yingqing corners her against a wall.
Warm breath lingers on her neck.
“My lady, from now on, may I test the fragrances for you?”
[Humorous female scientist vs scheming live-in son-in-law male lead]
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😀