The End of Gods (A Welcome to the Underworld Novel, Book 4) (29 page)

“That wasn’t a kiss, Kwon Tae Hyun,” she corrected swiftly. “That was an attack on your part.”

“An attack?” The amusement left his face. In its place came an affronted expression. He didn’t like her denial. “Oh, I see,” he stated with mild sarcasm. “So ripping my favorite shirt off and running your fingers over my chest was your act of defense?”

Soo Jin opened her mouth with the intention of firing a clever comeback. When nothing but embarrassment enflamed her cheeks, she closed her mouth in silence.

“What do you want from me?” she asked seconds later, doing her best to retain any semblance of dignity she had left. “Do you want a sequel to that kiss? If so, then I’m not in the mood, and I’m not giving it to you.”

“It’s a nice night,” he placated, taking an assertive step forward. A heartbreakingly gorgeous smile graced his lips when he added, “we should go out.”

“I’m busy,” she rejected at once.

“With?”

“I just am.”

“Come on,” he coaxed with a laugh. “You and I both know the flexibility that comes with our ‘jobs’.”

Soo Jin smirked. She feigned deliberation with the tilt of her head and slowly said, “
No
.” When he laughed in disbelief, Soo Jin added, “You’re only doing this because of that stupid pride of yours.”

Tae Hyun canted his head in curiosity. He gazed at her with dubious interest. “You care to elaborate on that?”

“About three weeks ago, you said that before the month is over, you’d win me back. Well, we’re a week away from fighting each other to the death, and you haven’t won me back yet. You’re on a timeline right now. This is why you’re following me like a stalker. You haven’t been able to successfully woo me, and now you’re at the end of your rope. Your time is running out. This is your last ditch effort.” Her face held a resolve that appeared inflexible. “I won’t be part of your game, King of Serpents; I won’t have my time wasted.”

His amused smirk widened when he took three powerful strides closer to her. He effortlessly filled the air between them with his enthralling presence.

“You think I needed every day of those three weeks to woo you?” he asked with light hilarity. “Is that why you’ve been avoiding me? Because you think I needed to catch you at every moment, run after you every minute, and court you every second to win you back?”

His warm laughter rolled over the darkness of the night. When it died down, he gazed at her with a seductive look that made her feel hot all over.

“I only need one night with you, Soo Jin,” he told her gently and confidently. “Not to woo you, not to chase you, not to court you, and definitely not to save my pride because my ‘time is running out’. When I told you that I’d win you back before our historic battle, I meant that I had planned on spending one quality night with you.” He shrugged lightly. “I knew you’d spend the remaining weeks avoiding me. I was not foolish enough to think I had the luxury of all four weeks to pursue you.”

“One night, huh?” she repeated after him. “Pretty cocky, don’t you think?”

“Hopeful,” he corrected with humble eyes. “Pretty hopeful of me.” His gaze searched hers. “So, what do you say? One night? Just tonight.” He looked around appreciatively. “It’s such a beautiful night. You don’t want to stay cooped up inside, especially when our friends are having dinner with each other anyway.”

“Why didn’t you go eat with them?” she asked instinctively.

“Because I knew you’d come for Chae Young and my sister. I knew you would come visit them and that you weren’t going to stay. I knew this, and I wanted to spend time with you.” He smiled at her. “What do you say, Soo Jin?”

She was tempted to agree, but she knew better. She would not give Tae Hyun any opportunity to weaken her already fragile resolve. She turned away from him and began to walk to the driver’s side of her car.

“No,” she said simply.

To her surprise, he nodded. He tucked his hands into the pockets of his black pants in acceptance of her answer. Without so much as a disappointed expression, he began to walk away from her.

“Damn, you’re boring,” she heard him murmur. “Definitely nothing compared to Yoori.”

Soo Jin instantaneously stopped in her tracks. A jolt of jealousy rang through her. She narrowed her eyes on his departing body.

“
What
did you just say?” she gritted through her teeth.

He wore a sly and unapologetic smirk when he turned around. “You heard me.”

She had every urge to get into the car and run him over for comparing her to Choi Yoori. Of course, running the guy over would suck for her reputation because she was supposed to officially kill him during their epic battle. What would running him over do? Instead of being a revered Lord in this world, she would be known as the homicidal bitch who ran over the great Underworld King with a car—a goddamned car instead of killing him during a larger-than-life battle.

Damn.

Petty anger aside, Soo Jin wasn’t willing to let Kwon Tae Hyun die such a measly death.

“What happened to being a charmer, Kwon Tae Hyun?” she inquired tightly, her angry gaze burying knives into his.

“There’s more to me than my charms, you know that,” he replied, approaching her with such male grace that she wondered if there was anything he did physically that she did not like.

He grinned once he reached her, his eyes speaking highly of his adoration for her.

Soo Jin held in a laugh of remembrance. She recalled from distant memories about Tae Hyun’s
other
charms—those that left one’s blood boiling like acid.

“Yes, I do recall your sarcasm, your temperament, and the invariable fact that you picked on my counterpart constantly. Not always your best side, right, King of Serpents?”

It was a lie. His charms aside, she found every other aspect of him fascinating as well.

“I was hoping that if any woman would accept me for who I am, it would be you.”

The sweet smile on her face was canceled out by her acidic reply. “Bite me.”

Tae Hyun’s lips curled in an alluring smile that basically said,
“I’ll take you up on that offer later.”

Instead of vocalizing this, he politely said, “I want to challenge you.”

While Soo Jin’s eyes widened suspiciously, her ears perked up in interest. She folded her arms over her chest once more and evaluated him with curiosity. “Come again?”

“Our relationship has become a bit bland. Since you’re more prone to avoiding me, being angry at me, and avoiding me some more after that . . . amazing . . . kiss the other night.”

Soo Jin did her best to keep her eyes away from his lips while he forged on.

“Having said that, I decided that we should have a mini-challenge tonight to settle things.”

As if knowing that this was the only thing he could do to get her where he wanted her, he said, “If you win, I’ll leave you alone, and I’ll do whatever you want in matters pertaining to the throne. If you want me to give it up to you, I’ll do so willingly. However, you should know that I’ve been ready to hand it over to you for quite some time now—”

“What if I want you to actually fight me?” she interrupted, intrigued with this challenge. “What if I want you to use all the strength at your disposal to give me the epic fight I’ve been yearning for?”

“You can have whatever terms you like.”

She scoffed at the fact that he did not seem to care what her terms were. As he was sure he’d win anyway, her terms did not matter.

“You’re awfully arrogant that you’ll win,” she observed critically.

He shrugged loftily. “People mistake my confidence for arrogance. Granted I walk the fine line, I’m actually just confident. I believe in my abilities, and I’m very good at making others believe in them too.” He looked at her, his eyes filled with challenge. “I heard the great Queen never backs down from a proposed challenge, but if you’re afraid of losing to me . . .”

“
When
I win,” she interrupted, refusing to back down from a proposed challenge, “you will leave me alone until the day of our official fight. And on that day, I want you to fight me with all that you have—you will hold nothing back. I don’t want a flippant victory; I want to win fair and square, and I want to win during a legendary fight where the Underworld sees me as the God that I am.”

“No problem,” he agreed without hesitation. He did not seem the least bit concerned that he would lose.

“What are your conditions?” she asked, though deep down, she already knew what he wanted from her.

He favored her with a wolfishly seductive smile that had her swallowing uncomfortably for a moment.

“When I win,” he told her, his voice lowering into a tone that could only be described as the sexiest thing she had ever heard. “I’ll let you know.”

“Okay,” she responded. She instinctively pulled herself away to keep from pouncing on him. With her game face on, she asked, “What are you challenging me to?”

“. . . every God’s death sentence.”

13: Intoxicated Gods

This cannot be happening . . .

Soo Jin stared dumbfounded at the scene before her. Never in her wildest dreams would she have anticipated this. When she accepted this challenge from Tae Hyun, she truly believed she was either going to get her ass handed to her or she was going to kick some ass. The prospect of such an epic challenge disintegrated as she stood on the grass with one leg pointed out. She shook her head and folded her arms in disappointment.

She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her when he brought her to a grocery store and proceeded to clear out the entire alcohol aisle. She was certain she was losing her mind when she walked with him holding bags upon bags of heavy alcohol bottles. She was positive she had gone over the edge when Kwon Tae Hyun sat his defined ass onto the grass and started withdrawing the bottles from their bags.

Her eyes followed the clinking noises of glass hitting glass. Tae Hyun, comfortably seated with his legs crossed, organized bottles of all shapes and sizes around him. Directly in front of him sat ten shot glasses. He started to fill the shot glasses with a mixture of Southern Comfort and Grey Goose vodka—her two favorite drinks. The flickering pond rippled behind him, twinkling under the admiration of the moon. Had it not been for the excessive presence of hard liquor, it would have looked like he was preparing for a picnic rather than a wild fraternity party.

Flabbergasted, Soo Jin surveyed her environment to allow the peculiar scene to sink in. They were in
Mint Park
, a park that reminded her of a past she wanted to forget, but unfortunately, brought back the memory of an animal she hoped she wouldn’t run into again. She veered her attention back to Tae Hyun. After another minute of staring at him in disbelief, she finally accepted that the stupidity of this scene was definitely her reality.

Her eyes morphed into indignation. This was not the challenge she had anticipated.

As if feeling her peeved eyes on him, Tae Hyun peered up at her.

“What, smart one?” he prompted with teasing charm. His striking face lit up under the kiss of the moon and stars. He flashed her a smile that was hot enough to melt glacial ice. He filled the last shot glass with a round of Southern Comfort. “Did you think I was going to physically fight you?”

“You lunatic!” she sputtered out, abhorred with the scene before her. She could no longer contain her outrage. “I thought we were going to duel with kendo sticks, katanas, guns, pool sticks, or even chop-sticks! You brought us here to do
this
?”

How? How was it possible that this was the King she had been dying to meet her whole life? How was it possible that the God of all Gods was nonchalantly sitting on the ground, pouring drinks for her instead of fighting her to the death?

“This is so anticlimactic,” she whispered under her breath. She was tempted to shove him into the pond to appease her rage. She promptly resisted the urge. Knowing the guy, he would probably use his animal reflexes to grab her and haul her in with him.

“We could easily arrange a nude wrestling match. I could give you that climax you want,” Tae Hyun replied almost too innocently. He favored her with a wink that nearly left the horny twenty-four-year-old girl in her to faint in shock.

Soo Jin diffused those thoughts before they could conjure any side effects. Maintaining her poise, she simply bestowed him with an unimpressed look.

The King before her laughed to himself.

“You’ve already agreed to the terms, Soo Jin. You can’t back out.” His crafty eyes scrutinized her for apprehension. “You’re not afraid of losing, are you?”

“I’m afraid of nothing,” Soo Jin answered swiftly.

It was a lie.

The challenge was ridiculous, yes, but it wasn’t an easy one.

With fighting, she could at least use her strength and power to knock him out. She would be able to do so without anything inhibiting her logic. The truth was: alcohol, Kwon Tae Hyun, and An Soo Jin should not mix. This combination would not only spell disaster for her self-control, but it would also pave the road for Tae Hyun’s advances. She knew this, and she was damn sure Tae Hyun knew it too. This was why he opted to have this “challenge” as opposed to any other challenge. What better way to court someone than to get them drunk?

“This is ridiculous,” she grumbled, hopeful that she could convince him to challenge her on something else. “How are we going to compete? Are we just going to drink?”

“We’ll do as the frat kids do,” he answered, his tone of voice affirming that they weren’t going to do anything else. “Whoever gets drunk first is the loser. Plain and simple.”

Soo Jin was all set to complain about the childishness of the challenge. Any gripes she wanted to articulate dissolved after he handed her the first shot glass of the night.

“For tonight, let’s forget about our problems,” he started, staring at her with poignant emotions she couldn’t decipher. Even though he knew she was pissed off about the challenge, he did not want her to go into it hating the game entirely. He wanted her to enjoy it as well. “Let’s forget about our fucked up pasts and our screwed up futures. Just be my distraction tonight, and I’ll be yours.”

The memory of her sitting alone in her closet, pathetically hugging his hoodie the night prior materialized into her mind. It reminded her that she had nothing but an empty estate to go home to and an empty arena to seek solace in. The loneliness that threatened to overtake her receded as she stared into his eyes.

Sighing, she finally gave in to a temptation she knew she should never give in to. Soo Jin grabbed the shot glass, took a swig of it, and sat down across from him.

As she crossed her legs and handed him the empty shot glass for a refill, he rewarded her with a dazzling smile.

“Let the games begin,” he whispered favorably.

■
■
■

“Damn cheater. Did you even drink that?” Soo Jin asked several hours later, eyeing him with open suspiciousness.

“Of course I did,” Tae Hyun retorted defensively. He discarded another empty alcohol bottle into the big pile beside them to show his point. “Just because I’m still awake doesn’t mean I’m cheating.”

“Surrender, you loser,” Soo Jin immaturely urged, downing another swig of Grey Goose. Her face was utterly flushed.

It had been hours since they started the drinking game. Despite her best efforts to maintain control, she was slowly losing her inhibitions. After the vast amount of alcohol she consumed, she was definitely feeling freer as she drank with Tae Hyun. The change in her normally controlled disposition was visible to her drinking buddy.

“Soo Jin,” Tae Hyun prompted. His perceptive eyes took note of the evolution of her personality from the beginning of the night up until that moment. “Are you getting drunk?”

“Of course not,” she borderline slurred. She was more relaxed, but she definitely wasn’t drunk. Would a drunk person be as coherent as her? Would a drunk person still be aware of the hostility she harbored for Tae Hyun, even when he was throwing his disarming charm her way?

“Because it’s okay to be,” he coaxed melodically. “I wouldn’t think less of you.”

Soo Jin glared. His attempt to lure out a victory for himself did not amuse her.

He chuckled at the evil eye she presented him and poured them another round of shots.

As Soo Jin held the shot glass in her hand and took another heavenly swig of Southern Comfort, she was suddenly reminded of something that had been bothering her.

She narrowed her eyes on him. “I have a question for you.”

“What?” he asked, taking two simultaneous shots.

A big puff of cold wind stampeded through the park, momentarily grazing over their skin and tossing leaves about.

Tucking her windblown bangs behind her ears, Soo Jin’s eyes rippled with annoyance. “Where the hell do you get off taking credit for a tea mixture that
I
created?”

No beating around the bushes, no walking on eggshells.

The drunken war was on.

Tae Hyun arched an affronted brow. “
Your
tea?”

“Yes, my tea—that heavenly tea!” she cried a bit too passionately. Her big brown eyes were wide with accusation. “You plagiarized my invention!”

He gawked at her like antennas had sprouted from her head. He eyed her accusingly. “Are you drunk?”

“Why do you keep asking me that?”

“Because you’re out of your mind, woman,” he berated. He was not fond of anyone—not even a girl he was trying to charm the pants off of—accusing him of plagiarizing someone else’s tea concoction. “Where do you get off taking credit for something
I
created?”

“Prove it,” Soo Jin snapped. She was beside herself that he was lying.

“Prove what?”

“That you made it.”

“Do I look like an all powerful, supernatural entity to you?” he asked sarcastically, using a tone that only Kwon Tae Hyun could employ without appearing like a total jerk. “How am I supposed to prove I created it? I was screwing around with the mixes when I was a kid. I didn’t get a patent on it.”

“So was I,” Soo Jin replied. “So. Was. I.”

He stared at her in silence. He did not know how to react to her nonsensical retort.

Soo Jin went quiet. She did not know why the hell she said it either.

The blank look on Tae Hyun’s face would have been comical if Soo Jin was not on its receiving end.

“You’re so amazingly drunk, it’s not even funny,” he said moments later, shifting all the shot glasses away from her.

“Nice try, pretty boy,” she retaliated, snatching all the shot glasses and returning them to their rightful place—beside her. She lifted a shot glass to drink. “I’m not drunk.”

A wide smile split Tae Hyun’s face before his eyes noticed the bruise on her arm. Humor fled his expression while his visage lit up with concern. It was like someone had doused him with ice-cold water.

“Who touched you?” he asked tightly. His jaw tightened gravely. There was no mistaking the protectiveness he harbored for her, even if she was more than capable of taking care of herself.

“No one,” Soo Jin answered swiftly, staring at the bruise for a second. She shrugged it off. “I’ve been training.”

“Why?”

Soo Jin laughed to herself. The answer was already ridiculous in her mind. She was not eager to vocally share it. Nevertheless, given that she was feeling freer tonight, she reasoned there was no harm in sharing the silly truth.

“Because Yoori was lazy and didn’t work out. In three years, she destroyed the muscle and stamina I gained in my ten years of training. I can’t run without panting now. It’s embarrassing to say the least.” Her eyes then metamorphosed into poisonous slits. “This is all your
fault.”

Tae Hyun smiled with genuine confusion. Comfortably perching his hands behind his back, he asked, “What did I do, my lovely accuser?”

“She ate a lot more when she was with you.”

He choked back a laugh. He nodded as if in concurrence and patted his stomach. There was no fat, just solid muscle when he tapped on it.

“Yes,” he concurred blithely. “We’re fat pigs to say the least.”

She had no idea if he was trying to subtly seduce her by bringing attention to the abs that she worshipped so much. Perhaps it was an innocent action or perhaps it wasn’t. Regardless, it took all of Soo Jin’s willpower to not lick her lips and stare at the seductive area.

She was doing a valiant job of staring at the pond behind him when a sudden sound infiltrated her ears. Her eyes bloomed in watchfulness. Soo Jin snapped her head around the park.

She turned back to Tae Hyun, who was staring at her blankly.

“Did you hear that?” she hissed quietly.

He tilted his head in curiosity. There was a tint of unease in his eyes when he processed her reaction. It was clear that her bizarre behavior was disconcerting him. “Hear what?”

“No, seriously,” Soo Jin insisted earnestly. Her eyes vigilantly surveyed the quiet and dark park. “I know you heard it too.”

“Wait, what the hell are you talking about?” he asked, his eyes sharing in the alertness. “Hear what? Is someone else here?”

“No! Shhhh!” she shushed in her now drunken state. “Just listen!”

Tae Hyun examined the park.

Wind was blowing the leaves of trees, running over the grass, and howling over the quiet pond, yet no other sound accompanied it.

He faced her again. This time, the watchfulness of his eyes was set on her, not the supposed noise in the park. He evaluated the paleness of her face and how outrageous she sounded.

“How many fingers am I holding up?” he asked a second later, holding up three fingers.

He clearly thought she had gone bonkers.