The Fall of Gods (A Welcome to the Underworld Novel, Book 2)

by Con Template

  “I told Tae Hyun what Ju Won insinuated was absurd. I told him that you didn’t resemble Soo Jin at all. I think that helped to throw Tae Hyun off for a bit but he might have taken what Ju Won said into consideration.”

  He did, Yoori thought to herself, the final drilling of the nail having more impact on her than anything else she heard.

  Her train of thoughts was short-lived when she felt Ji Hoon grab her hands.

  “Be with me,” Ji Hoon said tenderly, pulling her toward him. His voice was strained with desperation and determination. He was agonized as he stared at her. “I can protect you from all of this.”

  She shook her head. Thoughtlessly, she said, “Tae Hyun can protect me.”

  As soon as it came out of her mouth, she knew it sounded absurd. Why was it that even under the direst of circumstances, she still had so much faith in Tae Hyun? He walked out on her when she needed him most. He didn’t deserve that faith.

  Ji Hoon was angry at her answer. She could see it in his eyes. Despite this, he kept his composure. “Do you know why Ju Won favors Tae Hyun more than me?”

  Yoori shook her head, almost afraid of finding out the answer.

  “Because Ju Won has seen me at my weakest. Anything that deals with Soo Jin hits a nerve within me. He knows this – everyone knows this. They all know this and they will never forget it.” He held her closer, making sure she knew how serious he was being. “Tae Hyun has the upper hand right now because he had always been ambitious. He keeps one goal in mind and he sacrifices everything else for it.”

  The reminder of Tae Hyun seared into his mind, causing his eyes to burn with hatred. He was angry, bitter and jealous.

  “Do you think that he would care about you if the Advisors told him to get rid of you? Do you think he gives a damn about you? He’ll leave you. The first chance he gets where he senses you’re about to get in his way, he’ll leave you. He won’t stand by you like I will. He’ll leave you and he won’t come back to you.”

  Yoori was quiet, her mind wandering off to the nightmare of the night before. Tae Hyun really did leave her. It wasn’t a possibility; it was her reality.

  It was a mistake on Yoori’s part to allow the disappointed shadow to take over her pale face. It was a mistake on her part to not shrug off Ji Hoon’s words. Because, even if it was only for a brief second, she had forgotten that Ji Hoon was inspecting the reaction on her face. It was a brief moment, but he caught her bluff. He caught on to what she was feeling.

  His eyes enlarged with realization.

  “He’s already left you, hasn’t he?” Ji Hoon asked knowingly. “He already allowed what the Advisors told him to get to his head.”

  Silence claimed Yoori’s lips. She didn’t say anything, but her inability to speak was enough for Ji Hoon. It gave him fuel to continue on with his quest to make Yoori give up on Tae Hyun and come to him.

  “That’s the thing with Tae Hyun. All the girls he’s ever been with came flocking to me because he doesn’t care enough to keep them,” he probed, feeding on the worsening dread on her face. “Tae Hyun is incapable of caring about anyone but himself.”

  She didn’t want to listen anymore.

  “Yoori,” Ji Hoon called, staring her straight in the eyes. “Be with me. I can give you anything and everything you want. I’ll give you the world and I’ll never leave you.”

  “No, I can’t!” Yoori combated at once. She pulled herself from Ji Hoon. It was true that Tae Hyun didn’t care about her, but it didn’t automatically mean she didn’t care for him. She didn't know what was going on with her; she just knew she wanted to get away from Ji Hoon. She couldn't stand to be around him anymore.

  This was when Ji Hoon lost it.

  “Why are you so fucking hung up on Tae Hyun?” Ji Hoon shouted in disbelief. It was the first time he had ever raised his voice at her. Jealousy swarmed the now smothering rooftop. His voice elevated. “You haven’t even known him for that long and you’ve fallen that hard for him already?”

  “I don’t know!” Yoori cried, frustration rippling within her.

  She was livid with Tae Hyun, but she was even angrier that Ji Hoon spoke so horribly about him. She couldn’t stand Ji Hoon talking about him with such negativity; she couldn’t stand him trying to pull her away from Tae Hyun. If she hated Tae Hyun, then she’d hate him herself. She didn’t need anyone to add fuel to the fire.

  “I don’t know how I feel about him! All I know is that you need to stop, Ji Hoon! I won’t stand here and listen to you as you throw him under the bus. I don’t know how I truly feel about him, but I know how I feel about you.”

  She drew in a sharp breath, the dreaded words coming out of her quivering lips.

  “I’m sorry.” Her voice broke. “You’ve been nothing but kind to me since we’ve met. I know that you care a lot about me, I really do. And I care about you too…but I don’t have those feelings for you. I just don’t.”

  His hands fell from hers.

  He stared at her in silence, his chest heaving up and down. Then, when Yoori was ready to voice another apology, his eyes grew dark. He scoffed to himself, his face angrier than she had ever seen it. He didn’t take the news lightly and he wasn’t too intent on hiding it.

  “All because of Kwon Tae Hyun, right?” Ji Hoon accused, the last of his composure diminishing into the darkness of the night. “You’re only like this because of Kwon Tae Hyun—fucking Kwon Tae Hyun!” He raked his fingers through his hair in fury. His angry hands drew up in the air as he spoke to her, as he yelled at her. “You’re blinded by whatever spell he placed on you. Everyone in this fucking world seems to be!”

  “Ji Hoon, stop it,” Yoori ordered firmly. Though her voice was severe, she was actually scared stiff. Ji Hoon was a different person when he was angry. He looked terrifying.

  He scoffed to himself again, his eyes leaving hers and landing onto the city below him. “The great Kwon Tae Hyun…the crime lord who was raised to take over the 1st layer but garnered control over the 3rd layer instead…” Ji Hoon shook his head, lost in his own bitterness. “There’s nothing great about Tae Hyun yet everyone in this goddamn world reveres him like he’s God’s gift to our world. The two Advisors, the majority of the 1st layer and you.” He turned back to her. “You’re all blinded. I was the one who rightfully claimed my Skulls throne. I was the youngest crime lord in the 3rd layer. I was the one with the most revered Queen in my arms. I was the one and the only one who was supposed to be the contender for the Underworld throne. Yet when that fucking bastard came into the picture, this entire world fell on their knees and kneeled before him instead!”

  She began to back away while he spoke. She didn’t get far when he caught her by the hands and pulled her closer to him. His expression softened upon seeing the fear in her eyes.

  “I’m sorry,” he said tenderly. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” His hold on her tightened. “But don’t you see how much it’s hurting me that you’re with him? It’s killing me. It’s ripping me apart. He doesn’t deserve you. He’s too selfish and he will never be able to love you like I would be able to. Come back to me and be with me again.”

  “Come…come back?” Yoori asked incredulously, shaking in her stance.

  He wasn’t speaking to her like she was Choi Yoori.

  He was speaking to her like she was An Soo—

  A voice interrupted her thoughts, pulling her and Ji Hoon from their conversation.

  “Get your fucking hands off my girlfriend, Ji Hoon.”

  “For every temptation. . .”

  12: Fallen Kings

  Her once shaking body froze like ice upon hearing the familiar voice.

  Her heart revved to life and jumped in anticipation.

  Could it be?

  She breathed sharply, an electrifying surge of energy pulsating within her body

  Was that really his voice?

  Slowly, very slowly, as if afraid it would only be her imagination, she turned her head to the side. Sure enough,
she caught sight of the one person she was so angry with and the one person she couldn’t deny that she missed terribly.

  Kwon Tae Hyun…

  He came back.

  Standing a couple of feet away from them, dressed in a blue dress shirt with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and black slacks, Tae Hyun looked intimidating as he stood there with an angry countenance. He looked tired, definitely annoyed, and as handsome as ever. It wasn’t healthy to have so much anger and so much attraction toward this guy and Yoori knew that. She knew it but she couldn’t control it. It was a weakness she hated and a weakness she reveled in.

  “Who are you to tell me what to do?” Ji Hoon combated at once, breaking Yoori from her daze. His hold on Yoori tightened.

  Tae Hyun stiffened in annoyance when his eyes fell on the hands of Ji Hoon’s that still held Yoori’s.

  “Lee Ji Hoon,” he began warningly, his voice low but dangerous. “I am going to bash your skull against that glass wall if you don’t take your filthy hands off of her.”

  Though Tae Hyun was calm, the fire that brimmed in his eyes was enough to burn anyone alive. He didn’t like Ji Hoon touching Yoori and he was goddamn ready to do something about it.

  “Ji Hoon, let go of me,” Yoori commanded, knowing that Ji Hoon would listen to her as opposed to Tae Hyun.

  She didn’t want Ji Hoon to get hurt.

  She didn’t want either of them to get hurt.

  “Yoori, he’ll hurt you the first chance he’s able,” Ji Hoon warned gently, refusing to let go. There was care in his voice when he went on. “Remember what I told you. He only cares about himself. He – ”

  “Yoori…” Tae Hyun interrupted quietly, his soft eyes finally landing onto hers.

  It had only been a day since they’d been apart and to Yoori, it felt like she hadn’t seen Tae Hyun in centuries. How odd was it that just this particular interaction was enough to lift Yoori’s heart? How odd was it that he was speaking to her again, despite the severity of how he treated her? Recalling the pain he caused her, Yoori found herself unable to say anything to him. Though every fiber on her body wanted to run up to him and hug him, she kept still. She was still hurt. Why was he here? Why—

  “Chae Young said that you were at her apartment,” Tae Hyun continued, his eyes never leaving hers.

  Yoori paused at this information. He went to see Chae Young at the diner? He had been looking for her?

  “I went to her apartment and you weren’t there.”

  Yoori’s stomach wrenched when he confirmed her unspoken question. She thought to earlier in the morning. She left moments after Chae Young left to go work at the diner. If she hadn’t left, then Tae Hyun would’ve came and—

  “I’ve been looking for you all day,” he shared. His voice was apprehensive yet firm. He knew she wasn’t happy with him. Regardless of such knowledge, his gaze on her remained gentle and very much determined. “I’m sorry it took so long for me to find you but I’m here now and I want to take you home.” He sighed. “Let’s go home, Yoori.”

  There was so much running through her mind. She didn’t know how to react to what Tae Hyun was sharing with her. She felt relieved, happy, and resentful. Happy that Tae Hyun had been looking for her, happy that he came back for her. Yet she was resentful because of the way he treated her last night, how he left her when she begged him not to.

  There wasn’t much time to deliberate what she wanted to do but whatever it was that she needed to resolve, it had to be resolved with Tae Hyun. She had to leave Ji Hoon and go back with Tae Hyun.

  “Ji Hoon, let go,” Yoori said firmly, turning her gaze back over to him. Her mind was set.

  “Yoo—”

  “Now.”

  With much reluctance, Ji Hoon released his hold on her hand.

  Without another word, Yoori approached Tae Hyun, her face stern with anger. It didn’t matter that he had been looking for her all day. She hadn’t forgotten what he did to her. She hadn’t forgotten how much he hurt her. It would be terrible to give him the cold shoulder, but he surely deserved it.

  “I haven’t forgotten what you did last night,” Yoori warned when she reached him. Her voice was low enough where it was only audible to Tae Hyun.

  The wind blew past them and he nodded.

  His small smile remained. Noticing that her bangs had gotten into her eyes from the wind, Tae Hyun lifted both his hands and tucked her windswept bangs behind each of her ears. His touch was light, but powerful enough to cause Yoori to hold her breath. For a distracted second, she almost forgot that she was angry with him.

  “I haven’t forgotten either,” he whispered back, his voice and expression packed with regret. She noticed that there was a peculiar look in his eyes. If she didn’t know better, she would’ve thought he missed her too.

  He had more to say. He had more to say and she was dying to hear everything he wanted to say to her. Unfortunately, such as the situation they were in, the forgotten third party wasn’t happy with the scene that was taking place before him. He was damn well ready to end it.

  “Do you think I’ll let you take her away from me that easily?”

  Reminded of his rival’s presence, Tae Hyun withdrew his hands from Yoori and turned to Ji Hoon with a lethargic, but very annoyed, expression on his face.

  “Don’t test me, Ji Hoon,” he said sternly, fighting hard to keep his composure. “You have no idea how tempted I am to teach you a lesson right now. In the past, I didn’t care when you went after any other girls I’d been with, but Choi Yoori is different.”

  Yoori breathed faintly after hearing this.

  Tae Hyun went on. “You’re not taking her away from me and I’m not even going to let you try.”

  Tae Hyun placed his hand over her shoulder and was ready to walk out with Yoori when Ji Hoon’s next words froze their stance.

  “You’re only doing this because you know how much she means to me!”

  That was the last straw for Tae Hyun.

  He had enough.

  His eyes burned when he whipped around to face Ji Hoon, who was breathing heavily in anger.

  “Don’t you fucking tell me why I do the things that I do!” Tae Hyun shouted back, shocking Yoori with his quaking fury. “I told you that night that she’s not An Soo Jin!” He was furious. Not because of what Ji Hoon said, but because Ji Hoon reminded him that she was An Soo Jin. “I told the Advisors and I told you…Choi Yoori is not An Soo Jin. She’s her own person and I’ll be damned if I let you force her to become someone she doesn’t want to be.”

  There was a double meaning to his statement. It was one that Yoori could understand and one that she could appreciate.

  Ji Hoon laughed mockingly. “You’re a fucking wonderful actor, you know that? If I didn’t know you well enough, I would’ve thought you cared about someone other than yourself.”

  “I’m not the one playing the heartbroken prince charming,” Tae Hyun snarled back.

  It looked like Tae Hyun had a couple more choice words for Ji Hoon, but he resisted the temptation to say more insulting things. His main priority was to leave with Yoori. Everything else was secondary.

  Intertwining his fingers with hers, Tae Hyun pulled Yoori, who was taken aback by what had taken place, along with him. They were ready to leave until…

  “Let’s break the pact,” Ji Hoon declared, stopping Tae Hyun and Yoori in their tracks.

  Ji Hoon went on, knowing he had Tae Hyun’s undivided attention. His voice erupted with fury.

  “We’re the Kings of this layer, Tae Hyun. That old bastard has no right to ‘request’ anything of us,” he continued, referring to Ju Won. “It’s been too long since we’ve had our last rumble and I’m sure you’re yearning for my blood as much as I’m yearning for yours.”

  “No,” Yoori stated tightly, interrupting Tae Hyun before he could reply.

  She had had enough of this heated exchange between them.

  She glared at Ji Hoon. “You asked me for a date and I gave
it to you.” She flickered her glare to Tae Hyun. “You came here for me and I’m leaving with you.” She glanced from one to the other. “You two aren’t fighting. The night is over and we’re leaving.”

  “What do you say, Tae Hyun?” Ji Hoon incited, ignoring Yoori’s wishes. His eyes rested solely on Tae Hyun. Yoori’s blood boiled at the dismissal.

  Tae Hyun looked tempted. He looked downright tempted at the invitation to rip Ji Hoon to shreds. Yet, when he felt Yoori tighten her hold on him in silent disapproval, he curbed his violent desire. “I’m not wasting my time with you, Ji Hoon.” He glanced at Yoori. “I have more important matters to tend to.”

  Ji Hoon smirked when Tae Hyun was about to turn away from him.

  “I’ve never taken you for a coward, Tae Hyun,” Ji Hoon goaded. “Aren’t you the almighty King of Serpents? I thought there had to be something special about you since everyone seems to revere you like you’re a God. But I see you for who you are…who you’ve always been. You’re nothing but a coward who got lucky with a title that supersedes him.” He laughed dryly to himself. “You’re a piece of cowering shit without your title – just like your fucking father.”

  Tae Hyun’s jaw clenched at the reference to his father.

  Ji Hoon, reveling in the reaction he wanted to get out of Tae Hyun, went on mercilessly.

  “He kneeled before me, you know…” Ji Hoon continued to taunt, already rolling his sleeves up to his elbows. “Begged me to spare his life.” He chuckled. “But then I guess your family is a family of kneelers…” His eyes darkened with malice. “Especially that slut sister of yours who got down on her knees and gave me the best fucking blowjob I’ve ever had in my life.”

  And that was it.

  At that moment two things happened: Yoori, shocked and disgusted with Ji Hoon’s behavior, released her hold on Tae Hyun’s hand. There was no point of restraining Tae Hyun. He was livid and he was going to make Ji Hoon eat his words.

  With a scorch of vindictive fire in his eyes, Tae Hyun charged for Ji Hoon with his fist flying like a bullet in the air. In no time, Tae Hyun’s iron fist collided onto the cheek of Ji Hoon. The resounding impact of a bone shattering collision shook Yoori to her core. She could’ve sworn she saw the blinking of a white tooth dance in the sky as Ji Hoon spat out coagulated blood into the air.