The War of Gods (A Welcome to the Underworld Novel, Book 3) (24 page)

Yoori let out a groan and finally relented. She begrudgingly patted him down with the towel, doing her best to not enjoy it. She failed miserably. As soon as her towel-covered hands made contact with his warm chest, any sense of urgency dissipated. With heat infusing her cheeks, she patted every part of his upper body down with care. Yoori even indulged herself when she got to his abs. She patted his abdomen down slowly, enjoying every rock-hard ridge and the contractions of his muscles while he waited for her to finish. She only stopped when she was an inch away from the lining of his pants.

“There,” she announced, moving her hands away.

Tae Hyun caught her hands and urged them back onto his stomach. “You missed a spot,” he whispered, holding her eyes. Slowly, he moved her hands down the v-cut muscle that led into his pants. He brushed the towel lower, dragging her towel-covered hands into the spot where the elastic of the pants budged slightly. He stopped it there, his sultry eyes holding hers captive.

“Do you know what I want to do to you right now?” he finally whispered, his eyes looking so mesmerizing that it was a miracle she hadn’t self-combusted from wonder yet.

Yoori shook her head dumbly.

His gaze drifted to her lips before he leaned down to rest his mouth against her ear. His hot breath swept over her as he whispered all the naughty things he would do to her after he ripped off her dress and threw her into that pond. It was so scandalous that by the time he told her what they would do while they were on that bridge, she had enough sense to raise her hands in the air and screamed:

“Okay, I forfeit! You win! I totally want you too, but this is too inappropriate, Tae Hyun! We’re not even officially boyfriend and girlfriend anymore.”

“That’s why you should be my girlfriend again,” he supplied quickly. Too quickly for Yoori’s taste.

Yoori gawked at him when a realization struck her. “Did you bring me to this estate and show me this initiation so you can convince me to become your girlfriend again?”

His shoulders lifted into a shrug as his confirmation. “Two birds with one stone, right? I get to be open with you, and I get to seduce you and convince you to be my girlfriend again.”

Yoori sputtered in disbelief and pushed him away.

“This is the story you want me to tell people?” she gritted out, wanting to smack him for using his body as a weapon. “That I only became your girlfriend again because you were acting like a porn star and I wanted to do those fun things you were suggesting in the pond?”

Tae Hyun stared at her like she was crazy. “
Who
are you planning to tell our story to? Our friends don’t care how we get back together. They already know it happened since we moved back in together.”

“What if I tell this story to other people?” Yoori combated weakly.

“Who?” Tae Hyun questioned critically. “This world is all about confidentiality, remember?” He could barely contain his smile of disbelief. “Plus, who would believe you if you did tell our story to someone outside of the Underworld? No offense, but if you used the terminology of the ‘Underworld,’ ‘King of Serpents,’ or the ‘Queen of the Underworld’ to the outside world, they would probably think you’re a lunatic babbling about Greek mythology.” 

Yoori clamped her mouth shut because he was right. If she shared their story with other people, more than likely, no one would believe her. Her story was too incredible to believe.

Despite the fact that he had a point, she would not give him the satisfaction of feeling like he won.

“Just for that, I’m definitely not agreeing to be your girlfriend tonight.”

Tae Hyun let out a defeated groan. “Damn! I almost had it!”

Yoori smirked before pulling his hand and tugging him deeper into the gardens so she could do some exploring. Now that her rationale had returned, she was ready to do some other fun things here. “Now continue to show me around.”

At her childish prompt, Tae Hyun laughed, putting all motives of convincing her to be his girlfriend aside to enjoy the walk with her. He held his hand tighter around hers and pulled her toward the bridge, walking over the glistening water that once held a naked God.

“So, this is the thing you needed your Cobras to do?” she launched, staring briefly up at the moon when she remembered the Cobras’ roles in the initiation. “Shouldn’t they be resting?”

“I told you that they needed to heal physically and mentally. They have been away from the gang for far too long. They should be the ones to help initiate the new members. It’s the only good way to re-introduce them to the Serpents. Plus, the initiates were no match for them. To my Cobras, this was the equivalent of taking a brisk walk around the estate.”

“I understand now why you were knocked out for so long after your last initiation,” said Yoori. “It’s still crazy to me how elaborate and big this initiation was.” She took a moment to ponder a curious thought. “Do you think I would make it out alive?”

Tae Hyun smiled when they stepped off the balcony and journeyed into the deeper parts of the garden. “You don’t need to suffer through it.”

“But what if I did have to?” she insisted, curious about his thoughts on this topic. “Do you think I’d make it?”

He did not even think about the answer. “You would.”

Yoori laughed, finding it difficult to believe him. “Are you just saying this because you’re trying to get on my good side?”

“No,” he said genuinely. “I really believe it.”

She smiled, briefly casting her gaze at the jewel encrusted canvas above them. The sense of marvel she felt had yet to dissipate. If anything, it only became more potent. “Watching this initiation makes me realize what a rich history the Underworld has. There’s so much symbolism to everything. I can’t believe this society has been able to keep this a secret from the public. It’s so
. . .
unbelievable.”

“The crime lords in the 1
st
layer do an exceptional job of damage control if and when someone does try to expose the secret.” Tae Hyun laughed to himself. “There are few things the Royals in the Underworld agree on, but the one thing we do see eye-to-eye on is that secrecy is everything. Anyone who threatens that will die a very slow, miserable, and agonizing death.” He shrugged. “Few are brave enough to anger all the Gods in the Underworld.”

Yoori nodded before her stream of thoughts ventured back to the other initiations. “I heard how the initiation for the Skulls and Scorpions worked.”

Interest dripped into his voice. “What do you think?”

“I don’t think I could survive the Skulls’ initiation,” she said at once.

“You could survive it,” Tae Hyun amended. “The operative word here is ‘want.’ You do not
want
to go through the initiation. You do not believe in killing your fellow initiates to get into a ‘Kingdom’ that is supposed to be your extended family.”

Yoori inhaled deeply, agreeing with his amendment. Perhaps if she put her heart and soul into it, she would survive the Skulls’ initiation. However, she did not want to give up her heart and soul. She did not agree with their value system nor did she want to be a part of that family. Her focus voyaged to the initiation her former self helped administer.

“What do you think of the Scorpions’ initiation?”

A warm light illumed Tae Hyun’s face when he mulled over the answer. “I like theirs a lot,” he shared slowly. “Maybe even a little bit more than my own.”

Yoori’s brows crept up incredulously. “Really?”

He nodded seriously and elaborated. “I like that a member of the Royal family must be with you throughout the four levels. I think that is a genius concept. The bond created through that initiation is lifelong.” He took a deep inhalation. “This is why when Young Jae left Korea, the majority of his gang left with him. This is why he was able to vanish without a trace, because he has the silence and loyalty of so many followers.” He smirked before casually dropping a bombshell. “This is why to this day, Kang Min and Jae Won remain loyal to An Soo Jin. Because even in death, she will always be the God who brought them to their new life.”

Yoori fidgeted uneasily. This was the first time Tae Hyun ever mentioned anything about Kang Min and Jae Won being Scorpions.

“I knew you were aware that Jae Won was her right-hand man,” Yoori started warily, “but I didn’t realize you knew that Kang Min was part of the Scorpions gang too.”

“I knew who he was the moment he asked to join my gang,” Tae Hyun shared, “but since he was so keen on saying that he was from some random gang, I decided to play along.”

Yoori regarded Tae Hyun under a whole new light. She wondered what else the King of Serpents was aware of. “What else do you know that you haven’t shared?”

“You mean apart from the fact that they are brothers or the fact that Kang Min is my sister’s boyfriend?”

Yoori’s eyes bulged. She nearly choked when she said her next words. “You know about Kang Min and Hae Jin?”

“That’s my baby sister. I know everything.” He then glared at her. “Oh, and I appreciate you disclosing all of this to me.”

Yoori wasted no time in defending her actions—or lack thereof. “I was afraid you were going to kill him!”

“And I will,” he agreed vehemently. “If he ever fucks up with my sister, I will nail him to the wall, cut him up piece by piece, and throw the remains in the ocean for the sharks to devour.”

Yoori was mind-boggled. “Why haven’t you assassinated him yet?”

Tae Hyun let out a calming breath. “Because he’s making her happy.”

“I don’t get it,” Yoori continued, still reeling from this unexpected revelation. “Why didn’t you tell them? Why are you acting like you don’t know they’re a couple?”

He shrugged his indifference. “I think it’s more fun to scare the living shit out of them. I enjoy that Kang Min is living in fear. He should get used to that feeling. As long as he is with my sister, I will be his worst nightmare.”

“You are evil,” Yoori remarked in wonderment.

“And you will keep this between us,” he whispered, nuzzling her nose with his as they neared a balding tree in the garden. He stared down at her with tantalizing eyes. “You won’t give away my secret, will you?”

“I can’t keep this a secret,” she provided helplessly.

Tae Hyun feigned disappointment in his gaze. “You kept it a secret from me.”

Because you are the psychotic one out of the group!
Yoori wanted to exclaim. Instead, she censored herself and played it safe. This was not her business, and she did not want to get in the middle of this. If Tae Hyun wanted to torture Kang Min so he’d live in fear his entire life, then so be it. It would be one of those quirky relationships they would laugh about if the secret ever became revealed.   

At the mention of brothers and boyfriends, Yoori was abruptly reminded of the Scorpions’ initiation when she saw a statue of three serpents in the garden. She recalled one portion of the Scorpions’ initiation having to do with serpents. An odd thought occurred to her that she had to voice.  

“While growing up,” she began, berating herself for not asking Tae Hyun this question in the past, “did you ever meet my father or brother?”

“I met your brother briefly after I became the King of Serpents,” Tae Hyun shared, looking at her in interest. It was clear he was surprised that she was suddenly so curious about his past with her family. Nonetheless, he answered her question without any qualms. “It was at the ‘crowning’ ceremony. From the brief interaction, he was civil enough with me.”

Yoori beamed at the thought of her brother and Tae Hyun getting along, if only momentarily.

“What about my father?” she inquired keenly.

“I met him once,” he provided, surprising her with his answer, “when I was very young.”

Her curiosity was piqued. “How young?”

“Ten. I was training with my instructor in Japan. Your father knew that instructor, and he stopped by for a visit. He saw me training—or more precisely, he saw me struggling. I hadn’t slept properly in days. I was barely able to throw a punch, let alone shoot a gun. He noticed that I was out of it and gave me water. Then, he gave me the same advice that my father always gave me.”

“What did he say?”

“He said that this momentary weakness would not last—that the pain I was feeling was weakness leaving my body. He assured me that one day, this would all be worth it.” Tae Hyun laughed disbelievingly. “It wasn’t until he left that my instructor told me I was in the company of the King of Scorpions.”

“What was your reaction?”
asked Yoori, engrossed in the story about her brother and father. It made her feel warm inside to hear this from Tae Hyun. Even though she didn’t remember her father or her brother, it brought comfort to know that Tae Hyun had met them. Tae Hyun was the person she cared about most in this world and him knowing her family made her feel like she was connected to them. Her family no longer felt like a faceless dream; they felt real due to Tae Hyun’s recollection of them.

“Relieved that he didn’t kill me on the spot.”

Yoori had to stifle a giggle. “Did the Scorpions and the Serpents really hate each other back then?”

He gave her the obvious answer. “All Kings hate each other in every era.”