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

by Con Template

  Yoori could scarcely voice her next words. “What kept you going?”

  “My father,” he stated simply. “He assured me that it would all get easier. He told me that this agonizing moment would pass. He said that this was a debt all Royals must pay if they wanted to be free of human weaknesses. He said that one day, when all of my weaknesses are gone, I would become better than human.” He smiled desolately. “He was right. Slowly but surely, as the years passed, this violent life became easier. Every time I killed, I felt more and more powerful. Every time anyone kneeled before me, I felt more and more like a God. Yet, no matter my current state in life, it doesn’t change the fact that my childhood wasn’t a pleasant one.” He finally turned to her. “You said you wondered what your childhood was like but you should know that Soo Jin wasn’t just any other Royal. She was different. She was the protégé of the three most powerful Advisors in the Underworld. She was trained at Ju Won’s mansion her entire childhood. At least I got to see different parts of the world growing up – she did not have the same freedom.” He smiled. “It is an excruciating road to become a God in this world. Perhaps it is your blessing that you do not remember your childhood. It is a rarity for Underworld Royals to have good childhoods – we are too busy losing our souls.”

  Yoori smiled sadly at Tae Hyun. Only her crime lord boss would recollect unpleasant memories of his past to make her feel better.

  “You know, you never asked me anything about being Soo Jin,” she stated wearily. She looked at him as she continued to swing listlessly. “You’re not curious about how much I remember? You’re not curious about my inner turmoil?”

  He knew enough, which was that Soo Jin wanted to commit suicide and she had asked her brother to help her. He also knew that Soo Jin somehow became Yoori. He knew all the important stuff she shared with him but he never once asked to know more about what was going on in her mind. She had always wondered if he was ever curious or if he was just being considerate.

  “Of course, I’m curious,” he admitted, his eyes never straying from her attentive ones. “Who wouldn’t be?” He shrugged. “But I figured if you wanted me to know more, when you’re ready, you’d tell me.”

  She liked his answer. He always gave good ones and he was always genuine about them. That was his charm: he was straightforward. Whether it be in-your-face straightforward or subtly straightforward, he always gave the answer he truly felt and she appreciated him for that.

  “I have two questions for you,” she continued, knowing that Tae Hyun would be the best person to go to for advice. “There are a couple of things I can’t seem to figure out myself and I think you may be able to help me figure them out.”

  His attentive silence prompted her to continue.

  “I can understand that something occurred in that club massacre that shook her to her core. There was a trigger and she snapped. What I don’t understand is why she tried to kill herself. I mean…Soo Jin was a trained killer…surely killing those people in the club wouldn’t merit her losing her mind. She’s killed in the past…what made these people so special that she actually felt remorse for them?”

  Tae Hyun took a few seconds to ponder the question. “Would you feel guilty if you killed five ants at once?”

  Yoori shook her head.

  “How about if you killed two cats at once?”

  Yoori slowly understood the point Tae Hyun was making.

  He went on, the gentle wind ruffling the short strands of his hair. “In the Underworld, the lives of humans differ in value. Generally, killing other gang members would equate to killing ants. You’re taking lives away but it has no effect on you because you’ve been trained to kill them. It demands no guilt from you because they are trained to kill you too. So it’s kinda like survival of the fittest. On the flip side, killing innocent families or kids hold a higher value in our world. That was why the club massacre incident was so well-known in the Underworld. It’s not so much that Soo Jin would dare to kill, but it was more along the lines that she would go so far as killing people who were not a threat to her whatsoever. It’s a complicated value in the Underworld that gets mixed up together. Some people, when they’ve killed enough, feel that they can withstand the weight that comes with killing families and kids.”

  He gazed at Yoori warily, already knowing the outcome of Soo Jin’s fate. “Judging from her desperate need to end her life, it seemed that killing the latter wasn’t as easy as she thought it would be.”

  Yoori nodded understandingly. That made sense. She ventured into her second question. “In my dreams – my memories – I see her kneeling in front of her brother…” She shifted uneasily. “My brother. She was begging him to end her life. This…this is so odd to me. I…I don’t understand why she couldn’t just kill herself. Why did she give him the needle instead? Why did she need her brother of all people to kill her?”

  “She is bound to him by oath.”

  She was thrown off by his answer. “Bound by oath?”

  “This world, as ruthless as it is, still heavily values loyalty and honor. You may not give it to your enemies, but you give it to your family – your Underworld family. When you join crime syndicates in the Underworld, it’s like joining a Kingdom of sorts. You not only go through the ‘blood in’ initiations, but you also take an oath. Your life is sworn to your King, which means that you either die protecting him or die serving him. Committing suicide is considered a betrayal to your gang—to your Underworld King. An Soo Jin was the underboss of the Scorpions gang. If she wanted to die without betraying the oath she took, then she would need his permission…she would need him to kill her.”

  “This world has a lot of bylaws, doesn’t it?” commented Yoori.

  “Merely guidelines that people live by,” Tae Hyun answered. He regarded her with hesitancy. “You…you’re not starting to feel suicidal, are you?”

  “What?” she practically shrieked. “No, of course not!”

  She didn’t like that she was Soo Jin but there was no way she would kill herself.

  “Good.” He exhaled in relief. “‘Cause I don’t care who the hell you were 3 years ago. I’ll kill you if you kill yourself.”

  She gave him a blank look. “Well, that was a stupid statement.”

  “Don’t be stupid and kill yourself and I won’t make a stupid statement like that.”

  “Okaaaaaay, buddy,” Yoori promised, finally letting out a giggle. She took another swig of her alcohol. She gave props to Tae Hyun for saying the most random things to show that he cared.

  “I am curious about something that deals with you being Soo Jin,” he said quietly, commanding her attention again.

  “Go ahead,” she prompted, though she was wary of what he may ask.

  He drank out of his bottle and began slowly. “It seems that if there’s only one person that holds the key to everything…it would be your brother.” His eyes locked with her curiously. “Why aren’t you more insistent with trying to find him so you can find out more about your past? If it was me, I’d be searching all ends of the world for the one person who could shine some light on my situation and pull me out of the darkness.”

  “I don’t even know where he is…” Her argument was futile and she knew that. It wasn’t so much that she didn’t want to find him. It was something else she was afraid of.

  “Ask me to help you and I’ll find him for you.” He paused. “Do you even want to find him?”

  It was then that she knew Tae Hyun wasn’t curious about whether or not she wanted to find her brother. He already knew that she didn’t want to find An Young Jae. He was curious as to why she didn’t want to find him.

  Yoori took a long moment to think about her answer before she gave it to Tae Hyun. She gave him the raw, unfiltered answer that she had never voiced out – even to herself.

  “Truthfully speaking, I’m not one of those people who have to know where they came from. When I woke up in the hospital 3 years ago and my adoptive family fed me all the lies abo
ut me hanging out with a bad crowd, I never once tried to find out who I was. I never once tried to find that bad crowd to find out what I was like in my ‘previous’ life. I’m not one of those brave people who have to know who they were and where they came from at all costs. I’m really weak and spineless like that. I always run away from my problems and that’s the only thing I’m really good at. The only thing I care about is being happy. For as long as I can, I just want to be happy. I don’t want to find Young Jae. I don’t want to learn more about my past. I don’t want to be out of the dark. I like things as they are now—especially right now. I’m really happy right now.”

  Her gaze went over to Tae Hyun. Though there was a gentle warmness in his gaze, Yoori knew that in many ways, even if he wouldn’t admit it to himself, he loved her answer. He loved her answer because what would the world be like if there was no more Tae Hyun and Yoori? As long as Soo Jin was out of the picture, they would always be together.

  Yoori laughed. “You knew I was going to say all that, huh?”

  “Slightly,” he admitted, holding back his smile.

  Yoori smiled before venturing into another set of thoughts. “How do you feel about all of this? Me being her? I know you’re used to killings and all but I think killing kids and families is a different level – a level that may be too vicious and barbaric for the Underworld itself. Why aren’t you disgusted?”

  “She regretted everything enough to want to make things right by killing herself. I don’t think anyone can truly be disgusted with that.” He tilted his head at Yoori, his eyes holding nothing but an affectionate gaze for her. “Plus, she’s you. You may get on my nerves at times but you could never disgust me.”

  Yoori frowned at the subtle insult he added in yet chose not to delve deeper into it. She was happy with his answer. This led her to her next random question.

  “Would you cry if I died?”

  “No,” he answered without a moment’s hesitation.

  What?!

  Did the fool drink too much alcohol to speak so irrationally?

  He sure knew how to kill a nice moment.

  “You’re not going to cry?” she asked belligerently, nearly having a heart attack from the shock she was experiencing.

  “Why would I?” he asked blithely, taking another gulp of his alcohol. His eyes were firmly solidified on her enraged ones as he did this.

  “What the hell, jerk-face? Why wouldn’t you cry if your best friend dies?”

  “Best friend?” He nearly choked on his drink. “How the hell did you become my best friend?”

  “Well, we are, aren’t we?”

  He made a rude noise. “Shouldn’t you get my permission before you label yourself as my best friend? I mean…I didn’t even want you to be my friend in the first place. Why the hell would I want you as my best friend?”

  She was beside herself now. “There you go again, you Snob, always thinking that you’re better than me.”

  “Eh, Choi Yoori,” Tae Hyun said sternly, taking offense to her accusation. “Just because I don’t want you as a friend doesn’t mean I think I’m better than you.”

  Yoori snorted and looked away. She thought about giving him the “read-between-the-lines” fingers but decided against it. It was one of those tricks that you could only use on someone once and she now regretted using it on him at the lake house. Surely he deserved the middle finger now more so than before.

  “Come on Brat, don’t be like this,” he urged lightly, trying to get her attention. He sighed when she continued to avoid eye contact. He shook his head at her stubbornness. With a look of exasperation, he said, “Why would I cry if I won’t let you die in the first place?”

  “You won’t let me die?” she parroted, turning back to face him with interest. She expected to see a mocking smile on his face but was surprised when no mockery marked his countenance. He looked serious.

  “I searched an entire city for you when I didn’t have to.” He shook his head at her like she was out of her mind when she assumed that he wouldn’t care. “I’m not going to let you die on me.”

  Her heart lifted at his answer. She had no doubt she was going to die from a heart attack if he continued to play with her emotions like this.

  She was prepared to bury the hatchet until he promptly added, “I mean if you die, who is going to entertain me?”

  Yet again, her heart was racing and it was not from being happy.

  “Does it look like I have this big red ball on my nose?” she finally snapped, taking another drink out of her nearly empty alcohol bottle.

  “What?” he asked incredulously. His eyes noted the nearly empty alcohol bottle in her hand and his eyes twinkled. It seemed he was under the assumption that Yoori was one step closer to getting drunk.

  She could feel the effects clouding her vision slightly. She went on, slurring a bit as she spoke. “A clooooooown! Do I look like a clooooown to you? Here for your own personal amusement? Is that why you’re always laughing at me and teasing meeeeee?”

  Tae Hyun laughed heartily at her. His eyes spoke of nothing but adoration. He finished his bout of laughter with a sigh. “What am I going to do without you, babe?”

  “You’ll probably die from boredom,” she remarked sarcastically, finishing the last drops of vodka. Once the bottle was empty, she tossed it to the side. The bottle clanked with the other empty alcohol bottles and fell to its place.

  Just when Yoori was about to close her eyes and lay her head against the metal chain of the swing, Tae Hyun’s next question more than speared the sobriety back into her.

  “Would you cry if I died?”

  She narrowed her eyes onto him. Her gaze blazed with warning. “Kwon Tae Hyun...if you die on me, I’ll kill you.” It was only after Yoori made that statement did she realize, as stupid as it sounded, the statement was more than true.

  Logically, it didn’t make sense the threats Tae Hyun and Yoori made to each other because how would it be possible that they could kill each other if the other one was already dead? It would probably never make sense to anyone else who heard it, but it made sense to Yoori and she knew that it more than made sense to Tae Hyun. That was the connection they had. It made sense to them – even if they couldn’t explain why.

  “What a stupid statement,” Tae Hyun quipped with a smile.

  “Well, don’t be stupid and die and I won’t make a stupid statement.”

  “What are you going to do without me, Yoori?” he asked, his riveting brown eyes holding her gaze. “Remember, clowns don’t cry...”

  Noting that she was no longer drinking, he leaned forward and offered his vodka bottle. It was their last bottle and it seemed that with the contents left within it, it was hers to finish.

  “I guess I’m the exception,” she stated. She leaned out to grab the alcohol bottle. She sat back in her seat and added, “Plus, you can’t die. You haven’t found Paris yet.”

  He regarded her poignantly. “What makes you think I’ll find Paris at all?”

  “You will,” she assured confidently. “I have faith.”

  “Haven’t we established that I don’t want to find it?” The content of the question was stern, yet it didn’t match his gentle voice.

  “That doesn’t mean you won’t.”

  He smiled at her insistence. He took a second to wrap his mind around something and then said, “Out of the two of us, who do you think will find it first?”

  She deliberated his question. The obvious answer would be her because she was the one seeking Paris. Yet, for whatever reason, Yoori felt it was fair game between them.

  “I guess we’ll have to live long enough to see.”

  “Alright,” Tae Hyun concluded. “So I guess it’s a pact…we won’t let each other die...”

  “Especially when we haven’t found Paris yet,” Yoori finished for him, raising her lone vodka bottle as an agreement of their pact.

  Guzzling down the liquid contents, Yoori was surprised when she saw Tae Hyun jump of
f his swing.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, pulling the bottle away from her mouth.

  Tae Hyun had stopped her swing in place and hunched forward. He was staring down at her and she was staring upward at him.

  “It’s getting colder,” he announced, his cool gaze on her. “We should get going.”

  The visibility of warm air permeated from her cold lips. “I guess it is time to go home, huh?” she asked sadly, not wanting to leave their little playground.

  Despite all the cryptic topics of conversation, this was actually one of the more heartwarming moments she had with Tae Hyun.

  She sighed.

  Damn the weather…

  The weather always had a tendency to ruin things for them.

  He smiled, crouching down in front of her. His eyes reflected amusement. “Who says we’re going home?”

  “But you said it’s getting—” She stopped. “Wait, what’s going on?”

  He tilted his head. “You don’t want to see your surprise?”

  Her eyes rounded with intrigue. She surveyed the playground. “This wasn’t the surprise?”

  He laughed. “Not even close.” He turned his head and pointed in the direction of the trees that led into the depths of the park.

  “Your surprise is in there, I think. I’m not too sure. We might have to do some exploring before we find it.”

  “What’s in there?” she asked, looking over in the direction he pointed her in. All she saw were trees.

  He shrugged coyly. “You’ll have to come with me to see.”

  “Tae Hyun, it’s getting colder,” she reminded him, though she didn’t see the problem in that.

  “Exactly,” he said as though that was the reason why they had to leave at that precise moment. He eyed her challengingly. “Are you just going to stay here like a sitting duck or do you want to have your breath taken away?”

  Yoori arched an inquiring brow. “A little overconfident with that statement, aren’t we?”