Welcome to the Underworld (A Welcome to the Underworld Novel, Book 1)

by Con Template

  She honestly had to do a double take. Was this handsome thing the same beast who blackmailed her into slavery?

  Returning his attention to her, those enticing lips curved up in amusement. He wore a smile of masculine pride, one that knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was admiring his striking features.

  Yoori caught herself and her eyes widened. She uncomfortably scratched the back of her head, her face growing a darker shade of pink. She attempted to look elsewhere. She was utterly mortified that she got caught gawking.

  "We got off to a really bad start," he began. When he saw that she was still avoiding eye contact, he edged closer to her and tilted his head to meet her eyes.

  Yoori nodded slowly, her breathing becoming unsteady again. It surprised her that she adored the sound of his voice when he was so nice and polite. She shook, vexed with herself. What was wrong with her? Wasn't she supposed to be furious with this guy?

  "Yeah, forcing someone into slave labor never leaves a good first impression,” she sarcastically replied, trying desperately to hold onto what was left of the sassy Yoori who wasn’t infatuated with her potential boss/blackmailing customer.

  "Nor is spilling blazing hot coffee on someone's hands," he retorted, his smirk morphing into a charming smile. His face glowed like an angel in the morning light.

  She slowly nodded again, this time riveted by his change of behavior. He was actually being somewhat...likeable. She enjoyed their new form of interaction very much. Given the change in communication style, Yoori wondered if he was interested in her too. Was this the reason for his amicable behavior?

  "Anyway, we obviously didn't meet properly," he went on. His tone was almost apologetic. "The name is Kwon Tae Hyun. Friends call me Tae Hyun."

  Yoori could only blink in response. Lost in a stupor, she was forgetting why she disliked him in the first place.

  The smile that brought innocence to his face soon faded into a devilish one when he said his next words. "You can call me ‘boss’ though, seeing as though you're only an assistant." He chuckled, roughly sticking the red cap on her head. The familiar aura of his pompous personality returned and it left Yoori with nothing but a bad taste in her mouth.

  She glowered at him. Now she remembered why she disliked him so much. She took off the red cap in irritation.

  "What am I supposed to do with this?" she demanded, holding it up like he had just given her a foreign object she’d never seen before.

  As her blood boiled dangerously, her face grew redder with rage. She was beside herself that she was even momentarily attracted to him. Kwon Tae Hyun was an ass. Enough said.

  Clearly entertained with the death glare Yoori shot his way, Tae Hyun simply grinned as he turned away from her. He stretched his long arms into the air and yawned in boredom.

  "Hold it of course, assistant," he said, referring to the red cap. He narrowed his eyes onto her. He lowered his arms, his voice turning stern. "But if you mess it up or lose it, you're dead. You hear that, assistant?"

  Yoori's eyes bulged. His audacity infuriated her. Addressing her as "assistant.” Who did he think he was? It enraged her how quickly he could change from being a charming guy to a complete ass in a matter of seconds. She grimaced when she came to an answer.

  Typical male, she concluded with hatred. Well, she wouldn't have it! She wouldn’t let this guy walk all over her.

  "The name is Yoori." Hands on her hips, she took a step closer to him. "Choi Yoori," she said defiantly, killing the urge to step on his feet. She tried hard to appear intimidating under his entertained gaze. "Friends and everyone else call me Yoori, so you can do the same."

  Instead of responding to her with words of dispute, Tae Hyun decided to simply stare her down. It was as if, for his own amusement, he was trying to silently intimidate her.

  Being the stubborn and prideful fool that she was, Yoori puffed up her chest and glowered up at him with the same ferocity.

  They stared at each other for what seemed like forever, neither blinking. The staring challenge became so intense that Yoori’s eyes began to twitch non-stop, desperately begging her to blink so they could function again. A twinge of pain pricked at her eyes, making her groan. She couldn't handle it anymore. Miserably admitting defeat, Yoori dragged her gaze away, blinking in shame as her dry eyes basked in the glory of restored moisture.

  Disgraced by losing, Yoori was taken by surprise when she felt him reach for her hand. He laced his fingers with hers and tugged her with him, nearly causing her to trip over her own feet.

  "Car's here," he casually stated, acting as if a lethal staring contest didn’t commence seconds prior.

  Yoori distractedly followed Tae Hyun, her eyes not believing what they saw. She pointed dubiously at the black hummer limo approaching them. "You call that a car?"

  Tae Hyun chuckled, pulling her closer once the impossibly lavish limo made a complete stop at the curb. She gaped in awe as a lean, butler-looking chauffeur ran out and glided toward them. He wore an all black suit and dark sunglasses. His white-gloved hands stretched out to open the door. He was smiling warmly at them the entire time.

  Tae Hyun pulled her into the limo with him.

  "Oof!" Yoori struggled to get in without falling to her face. Once she successfully planted her butt on the leather seat, the door slammed shut behind her, causing the sunlight to fade into oblivion.

  She repositioned herself in the seat beside Tae Hyun. Her eyes roamed over the limo in wonderment. The interior was illuminated with white and blue lights. The black leather seats stretched out to the far corners of the limo. Beneath their feet, the carpet sparkled with a red velvet hue. Her eyes traveled the length of the bar to the side. The shot glasses that sat on it appeared to be embroidered with diamonds.

  This is too rich, she thought incredulously, lost in the affluent ambiance.

  "I would have figured that you were the type of girl who was used to this type of amenity," Tae Hyun observed carelessly, grabbing a bottle of Cristal and two champagne glasses. He poured the Cristal into the two glasses. He handed her a champagne glass.

  "In another life, maybe.” She clumsily took the champagne glass. She was very much thrown off balance with all of this. She knew Tae Hyun was not just another guy off the streets but from the decadence of this ride, it was evident that he was far from ordinary.

  "Choi Yoori."

  Yoori shuddered when he addressed her by her full name. For whatever reason, it made her feel inferior to him.

  "You can just call me Yoori," she corrected at once.

  "Choi Yoori," he repeated, dismissing her request. "I believe it's time to talk business."

  Yoori breathed in slowly, feeling more anxious than before. She was bitter that Tae Hyun was still addressing her by her full name but she decided to let it go. She had bigger fish to concern herself with. Namely, negotiating a good employment deal.

  "To start off, I run a billion dollar business. I'm a very busy man. What I need is very simple. I need someone to assist me in my day-to-day activities. My work is confidential. Once you start, you are expected to keep your mouth shut about what you see and hear. I do not work regular hours so you can throw the 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. concept out the window. I work with people who are known to be rough around the edges; I expect you to get along with them. I need someone who can work well under pressure and lead a group if necessary. Being in shape is crucial. It is not only for the benefit of people's eyes, but for your own benefit as well because this job will require a lot of running around. In my line of business, it is quite possible that you may get hurt while on the job. This is why I offer full health coverage."

  Yoori’s eyes bloomed at the possibility of needing full health coverage. What was he going to have her do?

  Ignoring her dramatic reaction, Tae Hyun continued. "Your duties will range from helping me set up appointments, researching for me, making me dinner, or making me coffee–" He stopped midway and stared at his red hands. Reminded of her unimpressive trac
k record with handling coffee, he said, "Maybe not the last part but basically anything to help make my life better and easier. I travel a lot. I expect you to be by my side every step of the way."

  He took out a Blackberry and tossed it to her. Yoori fumbled to catch it and nearly spilled her drink in the process. "Last but not least, you are now provided with the company phone. When I need you, I expect you to be there as soon as possible. You are not to disappoint me in this matter. Any questions?"

  "Pay?" Yoori asked at once. It was the most important thing!

  "Commission based."

  "Based on what?"

  "How much you make me happy.” A suggestive smile touched his lips. “It can vary, depending on how good you are."

  Yoori straightened, her internal alarm blaring. "Let’s get one thing straight. I'm here to assist you. I'm not having sex with you."

  He closed his eyes and laughed quietly, making her feel a little bit smaller than before. "I don't have sex with the help."

  Yoori’s teeth clenched but she maintained her poise. She had more business arrangements to focus on. "Well, I just wanted to get that out there. I don't want you forcing me."

  Tae Hyun rolled his eyes. "You will not be forced to have sex with me. Now can we move on from this topic?"

  Yoori nodded. "The hours. Can I get an estimate of how many hours a day I’m working? Am I working all days of the week? Do I get sick days? Vacation days?"

  Tae Hyun leaned in and leveled his gaze onto her. "You are working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. The only sick day you get is on Leap Year and that's the only day."

  Yoori's jaw dropped upon hearing this ludicrously evil schedule. "That's slave labor!"

  "That's being my assistant," he replied just as heatedly. "You literally gave me a second degree burn. You're lucky you're not in jail rotting away right now."

  Yoori slapped the palm of her hand against her forehead. How crappy could this job get? "You're being unreasonable right now!"

  “I'll tell you what," he pacified, edging closer to her. "We'll negotiate more once you start working. If you're an asset to have, I'll work with you on your terms. But for now, it's my terms. Do we have an agreement?"

  Her eyes formed suspicious slits when another thought entered her mind. "How long will I be working for you?"

  "How long do you want to stay?"

  "That's the thing, I don't want to work for you at all.”

  Tae Hyun frowned. "Well that obviously won't work out." Before Yoori could interject, he hurried on. "But I'll tell you what. At this point, I need you for the next couple of months. I have a lot of social events and business meetings, and it's crucial that you’re there to help me. How about you start working for a couple of months and we’ll just go from there?"

  Yoori considered his proposition. Being his personal assistant was definitely not the ideal situation. However, she really wasn’t in much of a position to further negotiate as she just met a dead-end! This guy was either going to send her to jail or force her to work for him. Given that she would at least be paid to be his assistant, there was no other choice for her.

  Yoori stifled a groan. She was definitely going to regret her next words. "Where do I sign?"

  Tae Hyun rewarded Yoori with a smile. "In my world, you do not sign anything. A deal is made with a shake of the hand or a clink of glasses." He held his champagne glass toward her. "Do we have a deal?"

  She apprehensively glanced between Tae Hyun and his champagne glass. There was no turning back after this. It felt like she was getting ready to sign her life off to the Devil. Uneasiness clouded her body at the thought. She inhaled deeply. She was scared, but it couldn't be too hard, right?

  She held up her glass, ready to seal the agreement. The glasses were about to collide before Tae Hyun pulled his away. Yoori gave him a quizzical look.

  "Choi Yoori, let me reiterate this point clearly,” he emphasized. "Throughout this whole process, you can completely fuck up on anything else and you will be forgiven. But the one thing I demand from you is that when I call for you, I expect you to be there. I need you to understand this. Day or night, rain or shine, when I need you, you have to be there."

  Yoori gave him a strange look at his request. She couldn't help but think the guy was horribly high maintenance. Did he really need someone to be his slave 24/7? Not taking the request seriously and no longer wanting to prolong this "negotiation" process, she simply smiled at him and held up her champagne glass to make a bullshit promise.

  "Day or night, rain or shine, when Kwon Tae Hyun needs me, I, Choi Yoori, will be right there by his side."

  Satisfied with her promise, Tae Hyun nodded, clinking his glass with hers. "Deal."

  The limo came to a slow stop as they drank from their respective glasses.

  Placing his glass into the cup holder, Tae Hyun clapped his hands together in anticipation. He was clearly relieved that the hard part of their business relationship was over. "Alright, Choi Yoori. It’s now time for you to start working. I didn't have much luck with my first assistant making it through the end of his term. I pray that you will have a different fate."

  "You had another assistant?" Yoori asked.

  He nodded. "I didn't make a deal with him like I did with you but he was my right hand man. And a good one too. It was a shame to lose him."

  "Did he quit?" Yoori asked casually, taking another sip of the Cristal.

  "You could say that. He couldn't handle it. He died."

  “WHAT?” Yoori sheathed her hand over her mouth to keep from spitting out the Cristal. “Fr – from exhaustion, right?" she asked shakily, wanting to verify that he meant dying only as a metaphor. He couldn't possibly mean it as anything else.

  Tae Hyun had an unaffected look on his face. "No, he died," he repeated simply.

  “From exhaustion?" she inquired again, unease seeping into her.

  “No, he took a bullet for me.”

  "Uh, in what sense?" she stuttered, hoping desperately that Tae Hyun was horrible at using metaphors. The thumping in her heart escalated. Her sixth sense was working again and it wasn't giving her good news.

  He leveled his gaze with hers, bored that she still didn’t get the point. "In the sense that someone shot at me, missed, and killed him instead."

  Yoori gaped at him in horror. She reawakened when she realized that her Cristal was about to spill all over the carpet. She held it upright and gazed at him, finally comprehending the hazardous situation she was in.

  "What business are you in?" she screamed, inching away from him. If this was his idea of a sick joke, it wasn't funny.

  The sound of the door opening permeated the limo. Tae Hyun stared back at Yoori. His face glowed under the rays of the natural light, giving him a divine appearance. Further elongating Yoori’s anticipation and the burning silence gnawing away at her, he purposely made things worse by reaching for a black blazer on the other side of the seat. Tae Hyun kept his gaze on her the whole time he put on the blazer. Yoori gulped in the deafening silence. Why did Tae Hyun somehow appeared more intimidating than before?

  Once her anxiety reached its precipice, he finally decided it was time to enlighten her.

  "I am one of the leading entrepreneurs of the Underworld," he explained coolly. "Some people know me as Kwon Tae Hyun, but most know me as the King of Serpents, the leader of one of the most notorious gangs in this country."

  He extended his hand out to her, the same amused smile layering his striking face.

  "Choi Yoori, welcome to my world."

  “I was born into it.”

  04: Kiss from the Serpent

  "You got PUNK'D!" Was what Yoori was hoping to hear as she blinked fearfully at Tae Hyun. One minute, he was a customer service representative's nightmare and the next moment, he was the leader of one of the most violent gangs in South Korea – a human being's nightmare.

  Yoori gulped, staring at his outstretched hand. Death definitely appeared more imminent now. Not w
anting to piss him off by making him wait, she downed her drink and grabbed his hand, allowing him to help her out.

  When she stepped foot outside, Yoori scanned her surroundings with hopeful eyes. She was praying for Ashton Kutcher to come running out of the corner, laughing at her for being stupid and pointing a camera in her face. She desperately hoped that she was on some hidden camera show and that this was all fake. Sadly for Choi Yoori, Ashton Kutcher was nowhere to be found. She squeezed the red hat in magnified fear. All of this was real. She was really in the company of an infamous crime lord.

  “You don’t strike me as the type of girl who would be afraid of all this,” Tae Hyun observed, gesturing goodbye to the driver. As the limo drove away, he turned and strode toward the building where they had been dropped off.

  Purposely sealing her lips to keep from responding, Yoori followed Tae Hyun quietly. She didn’t want to get on his bad side. Being the combative hothead she was, this meant she could never open her mouth again.

  Her lack of verbal response did not sit well with her new boss. “Choi Yoori,” Tae Hyun called with irritation, obviously not enjoying the fact that she wasn’t responding to him. “What has gotten into you? Why aren’t you replying?”

  Yoori jumped at the sound of his roaring voice. Feeling his eyes on her, she made it a self-presevational priority to keep her head lowered to better avoid eye contact.

  Hear no evil, see no evil, she chanted in her head. He can’t hurt me if I don’t make eye contact…