The End of Gods (A Welcome to the Underworld Novel, Book 4) (10 page)

“Then we can arrange for you to be out of it,” she retorted quickly.

“If you can even touch me that is,” he countered just as quickly.

She didn’t like the condescending tone he used with her, and she most definitely didn’t like that when she spoke to him, she was also feeling a bit affected and intimidated by the sternness he radiated. Kwon Tae Hyun was a natural born leader who had the charms of a politician and an untouchable quality that made him a great King. The aura of his power could supersede many, and when one was around him, they could not deny his overwhelming presence. The fact that he was an alpha male by nature was also a problem. His promise of protection was a godsend, and his opposition was hell on earth.

By how things were going, she knew he merely viewed her as an opposition. This alone sparked the competitive fuel in her veins. It definitely helped that she was an alpha female by nature, and it helped even more that his prevailing personality didn’t frighten her. All it did was remind her of the epic fight to come. It was a fight that she could not wait to wage against him.

She smirked, not even deigning to reply to him, for she knew it pissed off the prideful one whenever he was ignored. She could hear Tae Hyun’s scowl of anger from across the room for her complete disregard of him. She maintained her air of indifference and turned back to the Advisors. She had other things to resolve before she dealt with the favored King.

“Uncle,” she started cordially, staring directly at Ju Won, “please reconsider—”

“I have mixed feelings about you, Soo Jin,” Ju Won admitted, his face cool with aloofness. “I spent three long years feeling disgraced by you because I thought you actually felt remorse and committed suicide. But now that you’re here, I can’t help but feel intrigued.” He grinned, his eyes roaming around the room at all the people in attendance. “But in matters like this, it is not my place to decide if you should become a contender.”

Soo Jin furrowed her brows in confusion before someone spoke in Ju Won’s place.

“You’re in a precarious position right now, Soo Jin, for it is not the Advisors who decide your future in this world,” a Corporate Crime Lord from the balconies shared as he held his champagne glass in hand. She immediately recognized him as Choi Min Hyuk, the owner of the various conglomerates around the world. He was one of the, if not the most powerful and respected, Corporate Crime Lord in the 1
st
layer. To add insult to injury, he was also one of Tae Hyun’s mentors.

Ju Won nodded, staying quiet as Choi Min Hyuk continued to speak. “The three elder Advisors are the mentors, but apart from working together to choose an heir for their empires, their powers have never been absolute. They may choose their heirs, but it is the majority of the Underworld who ultimately decides who their Lord should be. We consider the eldest Advisor’s decision as a supplement to our end decision—nothing more, nothing less. With that said, they do not hold vetoing or approving power in terms of who gets to be a contender for the throne. The choice resides in the Kings and the rest of the Underworld. Three years ago, we all agreed on two competing Kings. The King of Serpents and the King of Skulls had already been crowned the contenders. Your sudden appearance, although very fascinating and intriguing to me, does not surpass the traditions of this world. One King has already opposed you joining the ranks—”

“—I want her as a contender,” Ji Hoon interrupted, staring directly at Soo Jin, who smiled as she kept her eyes on Min Hyuk.

“I believe that equals out the vote of the Kings,” she replied blithely, more than elated with Ji Hoon’s overt support.

Min Hyuk did not get a chance to respond when a woman standing on the adjacent balcony, a woman she recognized as an Advisor for the 2
nd
layer and a Ji Hoon supporter, said, “Make your speech then. Tell us exactly why we should kneel before you. Afterwards, we’ll all decide as a society about what course to take.”

Soo Jin nodded and complied, not because she was afraid of them, but because she respected them. Her society was a tough world to infiltrate and an even tougher world to impress. One had to be born into it, be raised within it, and be willing to die in it to make any sort of impact. She was born to rule, but she still had to fight for power. She still had to remind everyone why she was better than them. 

“You’ve all heard of me, remembered me, or dreamed of meeting me,” she began powerfully, her voice resonating across the enormous room. “I am the very embodiment of greatness. I was born with the prestigious Japanese and Korean Underworld blood pumping in my veins. I was raised to be powerful in this world, to be the pride of this world, and to rule over this world. If I wanted to, I could kill over five hundred of you in the span of an hour without even breaking a sweat. If I wanted to, I could outsmart and outwit each and every one of you without thinking about it. I could do whatever I want because I was trained to be above the rest—I was trained to be your God.”

She made sure to pause and allow them to soak in her words before continuing with unmatched authority.

“Will you really forgo what the future may hold because of a few minor problems that I could easily solve in a few days? I don’t have an official gang right now, but I could easily form one. All I ask for right now is your trust in my capabilities, the things I can bring, and the greatness that you all know have always awaited me. I am a walking and breathing legend. I am the only one who has captivated this world and the world outside ours with such allure, that I can’t help but wonder if seventy-percent of your recruits didn’t join out of fascination about me and the world that raised me.” Her eyes grew firmer, more determined. “Give me back the throne that has been rightfully mine the moment I took my breath in this world. Give me a chance to retrieve the throne that was stolen from me three years ago. Give me what I want, and I’ll bring you an epic era that you will never forget.”

She knew her speech worked. She knew it was effective when a profound silence collapsed over the room after she was done speaking. She smiled inwardly, pleased with this response. It was only a matter of time before she got what she wanted tonight.

“Please leave for the time being,” Ju Won told her softly, a crafty light playing off in his eyes when he realized what he could do with this historic moment. The wickedness in his eyes didn’t sit well with Soo Jin, but she didn’t have time to try and figure it out. “We have things to discuss, and there’s no need for the two Kings and our Queen to be in the room when we discuss it.”

“Of course,” said Soo Jin, already anticipating having to leave the room as they held their discussion.

Bowing slightly, she raced down the steps and motioned for Jae Won and Kang Min to stay where they were. Then, she made sure her wicked eyes were trained on Tae Hyun’s, who was watching her every move with a cold expression on his face. She bestowed him with a devious smile before veering her attention to Ji Hoon.

Watch this, Kwon Tae Hyun,
she thought cruelly.

She smiled seductively and extended a hand out to Ji Hoon.

“Hi babe,” she whispered to him after he raced down from his seat and enveloped her in an embrace.

“God, I’ve missed you, baby,” Ji Hoon murmured against her neck, holding her close to him before he hovered his lips over her, reveling in the feel of her being close to him. “It’s been hell without you.”

“I’ve missed you too,” she cooed before she wrapped her arms around his neck, closed her eyes, and brought him down for a kiss that was long overdue between them.

She kissed him for a few long breaths, angling herself into a methodical direction. She kissed Ji Hoon with more deliberation, her cruel eyes fixing on Tae Hyun. She noted that Tae Hyun was doing his best to not look their way—he was employing everything in his power to not rush over from his seat and tear Ji Hoon apart for even touching her. She knew this scene was a painful one for the King of Serpents, which was why she so callously displayed it in front of him.

After a long moment she pulled out of the kiss, stared up admiringly at Ji Hoon, and tugged at his hand, leading him towards the door where an adjoining room laid. She kicked the door closed with her foot, catching one last peripheral glance of Tae Hyun rising from his seat and storming out of the opposite doors, away from the room she and Ji Hoon were in and away from the privacy she wanted herself and Ji Hoon to have.

They still had unfinished business to tend to, and she intended to take care of it without delay.

“And you can fight all you want . . .”

03: The War Clause

“I thought Tae Hyun kicked you out of the country,” Ji Hoon murmured in a perplexed state of mind.   As they continued to stumble into the adjoining room, he embraced her with an iron-grip and continuously molded his lips with hers.

“I got the trigger I needed to come out,” Soo Jin explained, panting for little bouts of air. Their mixed breaths continued to mingle as she affectionately pressed her body against his. As the tempo of their kiss leisurely came to a halt, she steadily withdrew her lips and moved her fingers through his hair, feeling the silky texture between her fingers. She gazed at him warmly and suddenly asked, “Have you really?”

“What?” He tilted his head to the side in confusion. He didn’t understand her question.

“Missed me? Have you really missed me?”

“Yes, of course,” he uttered, thunderstruck by her query. “Why would you ask that?”

A chilling air settled over them. Soon, the warmth from her eyes abruptly dissipated. While the rest of the Underworld was discussing her future, she might as well resolve some of the issues with her “boyfriend” too.

“You’ve been having so much fun these past three years, haven’t you, Ji Hoon?” Soo Jin casually observed. Her voice encompassed all the vile feelings she was harboring. It was low, concentrated, and lethal. “Sleeping around with your many playmates when you told me for years that no one would be able to catch your eye after me.” The vacant stare slowly morphed into a dangerous glint, and Ji Hoon grew more and more wary of the impending confrontation. “But you know what pisses me off
more
? The simple fact that you didn’t even try to help me regain my memories when you saw me again as Yoori.”

With Soo Jin’s evident animosity, the hope and jubilance in Ji Hoon’s eyes instantly vanished. He realized now that this reunion wasn’t going to be as heartwarming as he anticipated. In fact, it was painstakingly clear that it was going to be the polar opposite.

“I didn’t want you to go through with your original plan,” he justified in hopes of vindicating himself.

“No,” she rebutted, dismissing all his bullshit excuses. After unwrapping her arms from around his neck and pulling out of their embrace, she stepped away from him calmly—too calmly. “You didn’t want me to regain my memories because you preferred my body and not the killer impulse that came with it. I was your pretty little trophy, and my memories or wellbeing didn’t matter to you.” She smirked dryly, shaking her head at him in great pity. “But of course, since our dear Yoori couldn’t care less for you, you decided it was finally time to have your trophy emerge by sending
eleven men
to rape an innocent girl, and thus, provoking my anger. And, oh yeah, choking my neck against a wall and slapping the hell out of me when my counterpart didn’t give you what you wanted.”

Even though her voice was serene, her eyes were fuming with toxic fire. 

“I hit Yoori,
not you
,” Ji Hoon defended as if he were the victim in this scenario. Aggravated by Soo Jin’s belittlement, his voice escalated to the same level of anger as Soo Jin’s. “I sent men to rape Chae Young,
not you
. All of this happened
because
of you. You just had to go through with that stupid plan of yours when I told you not to. Do you know what it was like for me to go through three years of hell by myself when I once had the best woman by my side? It also didn’t help that your precious human counterpart had to get into bed with my greatest enemy.”

Soo Jin smirked, her patience wearing thin with Ji Hoon. The next words out of her mouth throbbed with restrained fury. It brewed with a storm that would annihilate Ji Hoon if she liberated it.

“The fact that you’re breathing is a miracle. If I hadn’t taken into consideration all those times where you helped me and stuck with me through my ‘stupid plan’, then I wouldn’t even have cared about keeping you alive. Regardless of how tempted I am to skin you alive, I owe you for your help, and I’m returning the favor. But believe me, one of the blessings of being Yoori was seeing your true colors. I will never forget when you didn’t even give a fuck about my well-being and told Tae Hyun that I killed his mother.” Her breathing became harsher. She was absolutely livid with the remembrance of Tae Hyun confronting her about his mother’s death. “Kwon Tae Hyun is a
fucking
King in this world. Under oath, he is required to put the loyalty for his family and his gang above anything else. He is required to
exterminate
anyone who dares to hurt his family, and you didn’t put my fucking
safety
over your petty jealousy?”

She did not permit him to speak when he tried to chime in.

“It was pure luck that he showed me mercy because of his feelings for my stupid human counterpart, and it was pure luck that your idiocy didn’t get me killed. I’ll never forget that—among other things. Having said that, it looks like we’re not going to work out anymore.”

Unable to believe the words ringing in his ears, Ji Hoon’s calm composition deteriorated. His eyes rounded incredulously. “Are you breaking up with me?” he asked heatedly, his voice laced with outrage. “After I gave you my support in there while Tae Hyun opposed you? Do you think they’d even be considering you as a Lord if I hadn’t given my approval?”

“Yes,” she responded flippantly. Her voice teemed with artificial sweetness. “Thank you for your support. It was much appreciated.” She then tilted her head out of curiosity. “By the way, what happened to your nose? Did Kwon Tae Hyun kick the shit out of you?”

He didn’t say anything and merely looked away from her.

Ji Hoon was unable to maintain his poise when—

Bam!

Without notice, Soo Jin whipped her hand in the air and slapped the shit out of him with the back of her hand. The sound of flesh hitting flesh resonated into the air. A red handprint formed on Ji Hoon’s handsome, but completely fucked up, face.

Fire raged in his eyes. He muttered a spiteful curse, glaring at her with the utmost hatred. He was no longer infatuated with her; he was simply infuriated with her. “What the fuck are you doing—?”

“
That
was for slapping me in your bar the other night,” she told him unapologetically. “And believe me, if you so much as go near Lee Chae Young, I will bypass the debt I owe you, and I will cut you into a million pieces before I feed you to the dogs. Do you understand me? Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an Underworld meeting to attend.”

“Don’t you fucking betray me like this, Soo Jin!” Ji Hoon bellowed, following after her. He pushed the doors open and marched back into the ballroom where everyone awaited them. “After all I’ve done for you, don’t you fucking walk away from me like this!”

The entire Underworld didn’t miss Ji Hoon’s resentful shouts, nor did they miss the red hand mark on his cheek as Soo Jin openly ignored him and sat back down on her seat. Once Ji Hoon realized the attention of the Underworld was on him and how pathetic and deranged he looked, he quelled his fury and went back to his own seat with quiet rage.

After Soo Jin was settled on her throne, she cast a glance over to Tae Hyun, who looked like he had been holding his breath the entire time she was in the room with Ji Hoon. To her amusement, he exhaled a small air of relief when it was clear that she had kicked Ji Hoon to the curb. Soo Jin smirked. Figures that he still saw—if only remotely—a fraction of his Princess when he looked at her. Soo Jin laughed to herself, ready to use it against him in the very near future. Until then, she had another matter to tend to.

“Give me good news,” Soo Jin prompted loftily. She lifted one bent knee up on the throne and sat comfortably, ignoring the quiet stream of curses coming from Ji Hoon’s corner.

Ji Hoon was never good with rejections, and his display of anger made it obvious. This night was clearly not in his favor.

Ju Won grinned from the podium, looking directly at Soo Jin. There was a wickedness to his smile that caused ice-cold chills to form on her skin. “What would you do for the throne, An Soo Jin?”

“Anything,” she answered swiftly, meaning it wholeheartedly.

She then shifted uncomfortably. There was a change in the air that she couldn’t decode. It was as if the anticipation in the room had grown . . . higher. She looked at the crowd curiously. What the hell did they talk about when she was in the next room with Ji Hoon?

Ju Won nodded proudly, pleased with her response. He had taught her to ruthlessly seek power, and he was thrilled that she was displaying such determination tonight.

“I have spoken to the other elders in the Underworld about what has taken place tonight, what has happened these past three years, and what we want to add—in terms of a little twist—for this anointment.”

Soo Jin, Tae Hyun, and Ji Hoon’s ears piqued in interest as he continued.

“This Underworld has become too much about the politics and not enough about the savagery that this society was born upon. After much deliberation and agreement from the majority in this room, we decided to uphold one of our old values and keep it solely at two contenders.”

Soo Jin was about to swallow in anger until Ju Won turned apologetically to Ji Hoon and said, “Unfortunately, we have decided because An Soo Jin—under your support—has joined the ranks, then someone has to be cut. I regret to inform you, Ji Hoon, that it has been agreed upon that you will no longer be a contender for the Underworld throne.”

“
What?
” Ji Hoon roared in disbelief, propelling himself from his chair in anger.

Tae Hyun’s eyes grew wide in outrage as well. The last thing he wanted was for Soo Jin to be his sole opponent.

Soo Jin, on the other hand, was thrilled.

This was
definitely
not Ji Hoon’s night.

“Ju Won,” Jung Min began, looking troubled. It was evident from his demeanor that he had spent the majority of his time trying to convince Ju Won and the rest of the Underworld to not eliminate his beloved advisee.

For some reason, Dong Min didn’t look as happy as he should have been either. She couldn’t understand why he was not beaming with happiness. Was he upset because he was trying to help Tae Hyun keep her out of the ranks and lost, or was he upset about something else?

“Ju Won, you fucking bastard!” Ji Hoon lashed out with blinding rage. “After all these years, you throw me aside like this?”

“I’m sorry, my child,” Ju Won placated, looking genuinely apologetic. “The decision was out of my hands. This outcome was based solely upon that of the other Royals in the Underworld. In terms of competition, you are a great King, but you knew from the get-go that you were the contender for Tae Hyun’s throne. Soo Jin had always been the favorite three years ago, and now with her return, she has reclaimed the spot you once had.”

This explanation did not sit well with the Skulls.

“You’re all idiots!”
they started to scream out.

“This is an outrage!”

“—A big mistake!”

“We don’t have time for this!” a high-powered politician—a mentor who had always supported Soo Jin—shouted from the furthest end of the balconies in annoyance.

All around him, the rest of the Underworld populace casually hung their arms over the railing of the balconies to showcase their glinting guns. When outside of Underworld gatherings, the powers of the 3
rd
layer Kings are unsurpassed. However, when in the presence of a gathered society, it was an unspoken law that everyone abided with the peace and left the bloodshed outside. This was what set the Underworld apart from all other crime worlds. They not only prevailed with strength, but also with bylaws, respect, and high standards of composure. The members of the Underworld did not allow themselves to embarrassingly stoop down to the level of stereotypical parasites who shoot at one another for the sake of shooting at one another. Nevertheless, if provoked with disorder or violence, then all was fair in their books. They may have been politicians by design, but they were ruthless by nature.

“It has already been decided that the King of Serpents and the returning Queen will be the two contenders,” he went on, earning the concurrence from the rest of the Royals beside him. “No amount of bitching will change it. If you’re unhappy with the decision, then you can try to bring war upon us right now. Either do that or simply get over it.”

“It should be me and Ji Hoon,” Tae Hyun contended from his seat, shaking from his own restrained fury. He was barely able to conceal the indignation in his voice. “It has always been the Kings’ decision, and I never agreed for her to be a part of this.”

“Tae Hyun,” Min Hyuk said sternly, looking down at him with cool eyes. “This isn’t a tea party, son. We try to accommodate your wishes because you’re the Kings of this layer, but that doesn’t mean your power is absolute—not unless you become the Lord. We only want the best to compete, and the best are you and An Soo Jin. Having Ji Hoon in the mix, especially with our next condition, will not make sense.”