The War of Gods (A Welcome to the Underworld Novel, Book 3) (64 page)

“I’m sure you regret defying your mother’s wishes by joining some lowly street gang now, don’t you?” she asked coolly, mocking the
fear that secreted from him.

The boy nodded hopelessly. T
ears mixed with his own blood as they glided down his eyes. The weight of the world’s regret laid in his eyes, yet it evoked no pity from Soo Jin, who was all but used to seeing pathetic humans cry when their lives hung in the balance.

She stroked a fing
er up and down his bloodied cheeks, her manicured nails collecting the blood. The boy shuddered and tried to move away from her, but when she applied pressure into the touch, the boy stopped moving. Possibly in fear that Soo Jin would rip his cheek apart if he inched away from her, he stayed rooted in his position.

Satisfied with his submission, Soo Jin continued to speak, her
voice elevated with slight annoyance. His existence reminded her of how much she hated parasites like him. “To you, all you see about the world of gangs is that we’re a lowly world who lives in alleys, surrounds ourselves with drugs, and do drive by shootings for the hell of it. You join your lowly street gangs thinking that you’ll be a part of a highly elite world and you do nothing but embarrass the very society that you pretend to be a part of.”

She smirked dryly, digging her nails in
to the open wound on his face, making him shudder even more from agony. He was pleading her to stop, yet with each plea, she dug her long nails deeper into the open flesh.

“
The media is cruel to you kids. You think you know about the world of gangs through your movies, your books, and the pathetic outlet you call your news. You know nothing about my exclusive world, yet you call yourself a gang member, reel in the rewards of being a soldier in the Underworld, and come out as nothing but a spineless fool when you meet the real deal.” Anger outlined her once calm face. “I despise little leeches like you. You embarrass my people and taint our names with your inferiority, and if I had more time, I’d pick off each and every one of you like the worthless pieces of shit you are.”

She had always hated being in alleys for the simple fact that
they were synonymous with the media’s stereotypical view of gangs. There were smaller gangs who were actually a part of the Underworld and parasitic street gangs who were nothing but trash to her exclusive society. Unfortunately, the outside world was only familiar with the parasitic street gangs because they were the only ones who were unskilled enough to be caught by the law.

It was an unknown history to the outside world that
street gangs actually derived from the Underworld gangs. As the story goes, unqualified gang members who were kicked out from the elite society formed street gangs of their own. It was a commonly misguided assumption that the Underworld crime lords were similar to the street gangs that were popularly portrayed in the media. For a prideful Queen like Soo Jin, as well as many other Royals in the Underworld, such notions offended them greatly because the ways of their world were more extravagant, business-like, orderly, and so much more superior and complex than the world of parasitic street gangs.

The “Royals,”
as some had termed this powerful group, in the Underworld were fans of drug trafficking, money laundering, and territorial wars, but their favorite pastime was controlling how the outside world worked. In short, the society resembled that of kingdoms in the modern world. Kings and Queens fought for boundless power while concurrently being politically charming enough to garner support from the other citizens in the Underworld. It was a complex structure that had all layers working together when needed. All of this ultimately led to profits that were economically pleasing to their bank accounts, flexible laws that were obedient to their way of life, power to please their pride, and finally, sustenance to uphold the bylaws of the secret society.

As far as Soo Jin was concerned, t
he only ones who stood on the same level as the Underworld in Korea were the “Royals” in the Italian, Chinese, Japanese, and American Underworlds, alongside any other country that had the Underworld pyramid. They were the only other secret societies that covertly ran the lives of the people in their country and they were the only peers outside of her society that she would give any reverence to. Any others impersonating the “gang” notion from her world were leeches to her. She would love to exterminate them fully if she had enough time to do so.

Soo Jin expelled a breath, p
ushing these scornful thoughts back. She focused her attention on the young boy who represented everything she was infuriated with.

More tears flowed from his eyes. A breath later,
a shuddering sob exploded from his brutally assaulted body. His own blood began to form a big pool around him, drenching him and the heels of her stilettos with his impending death.

Her annoyance with his existence
mounted, but the calmness in her demeanor remained.

“But you should count your blessi
ngs, little one,” she appeased, pulling her nails out of the open flesh while wiping his tears away with her bloodstained fingers. “It is a rare occurrence for a parasite like you to meet someone like me and it is an even rarer occurrence for someone like you to receive any mercy from me. Yet, every dog has his days and today is yours.”

She motioned for him to stare up at Kang Min, who
was dressed in a brown jacket and black pants. The rays of the sun moved behind him, making him appear divine. He was still peering down at the young boy with profound anguish in his eyes.

“Standing there
is your God. The moment he tortured you was the moment he took your soul. He now holds your life in his hands.” She leaned in closer to the boy, who was staring pleadingly at Kang Min. “Beg your God, little one. Beg your God for death and he will grant it to you.”

She spoke
. . .
and he listened.

“Please
. . .
” the young boy implored, having no more desire to live. “Please just kill me.”

“Kang Min,” Soo Jin called.
She could sense his apprehension and she didn’t like it one bit. “End it
. . .
now
.”

Alt
hough trembling faintly, Kang Min was unable to disobey any command given by the boss who saved his life and raised him. After taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Kang Min stepped forward, gazed down into the boy’s eyes, placed his hands on either side of the boy’s head and then, with the speed of lightning, snapped apart the boy’s neck like it was a dry twig.

The cracking of bones jumped in the air and evaporated in the wind, leaving nothing behind but the soft thud of the boy’s lifeless body fall
ing to the alleyway pavement.

“You did well, Kang Min.”

Soo Jin rose up and stood beside a fifteen-year-old Kang Min, who was no longer shaking, but chalk white. They stared at the lifeless body of the boy who was breathing only moments prior. She folded her arms. It had always amazed Soo Jin how thin the veil was between the world of living and death. Such realizations only further conveyed to her how thankful she was to be the person she had been trained to become. A Queen amongst humans
. . .

Sucks to be you, little one
, she thought, gazing one last time at the boy before returning her attention to the eighteen-year-old Jae Won, who was still defying gravity by jumping off the alleyway walls while the scene before them took place.

She averted her eyes to Kang Min and frowned when she caught the remorse tha
t exalted from his breathing.

“You should n
ever feel remorse in this world,” Soo Jin lectured swiftly, unhappy with his weakness.

Kang Min, like his older brother, had always been a talented and fast learner. If Soo Jin was the pride of the Advisors
, then the brothers were her pride. They were fast learners, but the one aspect of training that they had yet to master, all of which the rest of the Scorpions she trained had excelled in, was the ability to place their emotions aside and actually become Gods amongst humans.

“The only loyalty you owe is to your own blood and your trusted alliances,” Soo Jin went on, the coldness of her eyes burying into Kang
Min’s young and innocent ones. “Everyone else is just a casualty in this world and is worthless to you. They do not deserve your remorse. You save what’s left of your humanity for your brother and the gang that raised you.”

Kang Min nodded quietly, understanding this logic
, yet always having trouble executing it.

S
oo Jin tilted her head at him when she caught another line of regret that penetrated his eyes. The guilt did not arise for the one he just killed. It arose from the disappointment that he had upset her. The thought of him chastising himself thawed Soo Jin’s typically cold heart. She was strict with their training because she wanted to protect them. As emotionally vulnerable as they were, the loyalty the brothers had shown her over the years was unmatched by any other. It was one that would instill their values in her heart forever. The bond the three shared was untouchable and it was one that helped keep Soo Jin sane in such a sadistic world. She loved them like they were her family members.

The grave rigor in her eyes alleviated on Kang Min like an older sister
would for her little brother. She wanted to tell him to not feel ashamed, that it took a while to eradicate one’s soul. All it took was practice in killing. She wanted to tell him that she wasn’t disappointed with him.

Her thoughts were
interrupted when his brother’s voice peeled her from her reverie.

“We have a lot to learn, boss,
” Jae Won commented from behind, overhearing enough of the conversation even while he was busy training. His panting voice edged closer to them before she heard a pained moan emit from him.

Soo Jin
whipped her attention to him. When her eyes fastened onto Jae Won’s limping leg, displeasure bubbled in her chest. There were splatters of dirt stuck to his black jacket and pants from the training he did. His one singular blemish that always enraged Soo Jin was that he wore his weakness on his sleeves.

Ever since his initiation into the
Scorpions, where her ten-year-old self had initiated him and Kang Min (who were eight and five respectively) and broken countless bones in their bodies, Jae Won always had weak legs. Soo Jin refused to allow this setback from his initiation to hinder his training. She continued to push his body while forcing him to use other means to bypass his Achilles' heel. Training on alleyway walls had always acted as a good warm-up for Soo Jin and the brothers. Jae Won, who required this type of training the most, would have never been able to withstand her rigorous evening trainings had it not been for this exercise. She wanted the best for the brothers. This was why it pissed her off to no end whenever they showed the world their weaknesses.

“The next time you groan in pain, stop your training without my orders
, and limp pathetically in front of me while showing everyone how weak your legs are, I’ll bury you alive in a coffin for five days as your punishment,” Soo Jin warned severely, her irate eyes set on Jae Won.

Blood drained from Jae Won’s face
at the thought of being buried alive in a coffin.

She had never punished him in such a
manner, but Soo Jin was more than willing to if he continued to expose his weakness like this. At this rate, it would be better to bury him alive to eliminate any bad habits. If this bad habit of showing people how weak his lower body was continued, then she was certain it would put him in an early grave later on. She would do everything in her power to prevent that fate for him.

“I’m sorry, boss,” Jae Won responded quickly. His tone was respectful. He
understood that she was looking out for him. “I won’t let it happen again.”

“Good,” Soo Jin
approved, knowing that Jae Won would do good on his word. The only one who should see his weakness was her, no one else. 

She gazed down at her bloodied
manicure and the alley they were in. She had had enough of this disgusting area. It was time to head back to her true Underworld home.

S
oo Jin gestured a wave with her hand. “Now let’s get out of here before I throw up from disgust.”

“You will never be the exception.”

26: The War of Kingdoms

The sun had settled behind the darkening dusk, leaving behind the last stream of its glorious rays after Soo Jin and the brothers washed up and made their way through the streets. Their eyes reflected the view of the sky that hung over the block they were on.

Th
e remainders of the luminescent rays were caked between layers of purple, pink, and dark blue hues that brought the vibrancy of life to the canvas in the skies. The heavens above were beautiful, but the beauty it possessed did little to reflect onto its parallel counterpart. The world beneath it looked like a blemish on a picturesque painting.