by Con Template
Fire raged in his eyes. He muttered a spiteful curse, glaring at her with the utmost hatred. He was no longer infatuated with her; he was simply infuriated with her. “What the fuck are you doing—?”
“That was for slapping me in your bar the other night,” she told him unapologetically. “And believe me, if you so much as go near Lee Chae Young, I will bypass the debt I owe you, and I will cut you into a million pieces before I feed you to the dogs. Do you understand me? Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an Underworld meeting to attend.”
“Don’t you fucking betray me like this, Soo Jin!” Ji Hoon bellowed, following after her. He pushed the doors open and marched back into the ballroom where everyone awaited them. “After all I’ve done for you, don’t you fucking walk away from me like this!”
The entire Underworld didn’t miss Ji Hoon’s resentful shouts, nor did they miss the red hand mark on his cheek as Soo Jin openly ignored him and sat back down on her seat. Once Ji Hoon realized the attention of the Underworld was on him and how pathetic and deranged he looked, he quelled his fury and went back to his own seat with quiet rage.
After Soo Jin was settled on her throne, she cast a glance over to Tae Hyun, who looked like he had been holding his breath the entire time she was in the room with Ji Hoon. To her amusement, he exhaled a small air of relief when it was clear that she had kicked Ji Hoon to the curb. Soo Jin smirked. Figures that he still saw—if only remotely—a fraction of his Princess when he looked at her. Soo Jin laughed to herself, ready to use it against him in the very near future. Until then, she had another matter to tend to.
“Give me good news,” Soo Jin prompted loftily. She lifted one bent knee up on the throne and sat comfortably, ignoring the quiet stream of curses coming from Ji Hoon’s corner.
Ji Hoon was never good with rejections, and his display of anger made it obvious. This night was clearly not in his favor.
Ju Won grinned from the podium, looking directly at Soo Jin. There was a wickedness to his smile that caused ice-cold chills to form on her skin. “What would you do for the throne, An Soo Jin?”
“Anything,” she answered swiftly, meaning it wholeheartedly.
She then shifted uncomfortably. There was a change in the air that she couldn’t decode. It was as if the anticipation in the room had grown . . . higher. She looked at the crowd curiously. What the hell did they talk about when she was in the next room with Ji Hoon?
Ju Won nodded proudly, pleased with her response. He had taught her to ruthlessly seek power, and he was thrilled that she was displaying such determination tonight.
“I have spoken to the other elders in the Underworld about what has taken place tonight, what has happened these past three years, and what we want to add—in terms of a little twist—for this anointment.”
Soo Jin, Tae Hyun, and Ji Hoon’s ears piqued in interest as he continued.
“This Underworld has become too much about the politics and not enough about the savagery that this society was born upon. After much deliberation and agreement from the majority in this room, we decided to uphold one of our old values and keep it solely at two contenders.”
Soo Jin was about to swallow in anger until Ju Won turned apologetically to Ji Hoon and said, “Unfortunately, we have decided because An Soo Jin—under your support—has joined the ranks, then someone has to be cut. I regret to inform you, Ji Hoon, that it has been agreed upon that you will no longer be a contender for the Underworld throne.”
“What?” Ji Hoon roared in disbelief, propelling himself from his chair in anger.
Tae Hyun’s eyes grew wide in outrage as well. The last thing he wanted was for Soo Jin to be his sole opponent.
Soo Jin, on the other hand, was thrilled.
This was definitely not Ji Hoon’s night.
“Ju Won,” Jung Min began, looking troubled. It was evident from his demeanor that he had spent the majority of his time trying to convince Ju Won and the rest of the Underworld to not eliminate his beloved advisee.
For some reason, Dong Min didn’t look as happy as he should have been either. She couldn’t understand why he was not beaming with happiness. Was he upset because he was trying to help Tae Hyun keep her out of the ranks and lost, or was he upset about something else?
“Ju Won, you fucking bastard!” Ji Hoon lashed out with blinding rage. “After all these years, you throw me aside like this?”
“I’m sorry, my child,” Ju Won placated, looking genuinely apologetic. “The decision was out of my hands. This outcome was based solely upon that of the other Royals in the Underworld. In terms of competition, you are a great King, but you knew from the get-go that you were the contender for Tae Hyun’s throne. Soo Jin had always been the favorite three years ago, and now with her return, she has reclaimed the spot you once had.”
This explanation did not sit well with the Skulls.
“You’re all idiots!” they started to scream out.
“This is an outrage!”
“—A big mistake!”
“We don’t have time for this!” a high-powered politician—a mentor who had always supported Soo Jin—shouted from the furthest end of the balconies in annoyance.
All around him, the rest of the Underworld populace casually hung their arms over the railing of the balconies to showcase their glinting guns. When outside of Underworld gatherings, the powers of the 3rd layer Kings are unsurpassed. However, when in the presence of a gathered society, it was an unspoken law that everyone abided with the peace and left the bloodshed outside. This was what set the Underworld apart from all other crime worlds. They not only prevailed with strength, but also with bylaws, respect, and high standards of composure. The members of the Underworld did not allow themselves to embarrassingly stoop down to the level of stereotypical parasites who shoot at one another for the sake of shooting at one another. Nevertheless, if provoked with disorder or violence, then all was fair in their books. They may have been politicians by design, but they were ruthless by nature.
“It has already been decided that the King of Serpents and the returning Queen will be the two contenders,” he went on, earning the concurrence from the rest of the Royals beside him. “No amount of bitching will change it. If you’re unhappy with the decision, then you can try to bring war upon us right now. Either do that or simply get over it.”
“It should be me and Ji Hoon,” Tae Hyun contended from his seat, shaking from his own restrained fury. He was barely able to conceal the indignation in his voice. “It has always been the Kings’ decision, and I never agreed for her to be a part of this.”
“Tae Hyun,” Min Hyuk said sternly, looking down at him with cool eyes. “This isn’t a tea party, son. We try to accommodate your wishes because you’re the Kings of this layer, but that doesn’t mean your power is absolute—not unless you become the Lord. We only want the best to compete, and the best are you and An Soo Jin. Having Ji Hoon in the mix, especially with our next condition, will not make sense.”
Before Tae Hyun could even argue his point, the future of the Underworld was set in stone with Ji Hoon’s next set of actions.
“Fuck this,” Ji Hoon snapped, looking down at his gang members and furiously flying down the steps.
Even from across the room, Soo Jin could hear Tae Hyun curse under his breath as he watched Ji Hoon completely lose his cool.
“Send out the word!” Ji Hoon bellowed out. From all corners, hundreds upon hundreds of Skulls started to withdraw from the crowd and follow his departure. “I want the Skulls to decapitate every Serpent they come across and any gang member under An Soo Jin’s rule. We’ll see how much power they’ll both have over me after that.” He then glared murderously at Ju Won. “And give the green light: before the month is over, I want the eldest Advisor’s head.”
He scrutinized the room with hate shooting from his eyes. For the first time, he shed his calm exterior and freed the ruthlessness that had always possessed him.
“You think I’m going to lie back a
nd allow you to screw me over? Think again. This throne has and will always be mine. Trust me when I say that, with or without your support, I’ll become the new Lord of this world, and I’ll eradicate anyone who threatens me. So please, everyone who helped make the decision to kick me out of the ranks tonight, I hope you sleep well because once I become the Lord—you’re all dead.”
Jung Min shook his head in dissatisfaction at Ji Hoon’s thoughtless actions. He and the entire Underworld watched disapprovingly as the King of Skulls made his grand exit from the ballroom.
Not allowing Ji Hoon’s outburst to deter him, Ju Won persevered with his speech. He gazed at Soo Jin with resolve in his eyes.
“Sitting in the room right now is the King, who is beloved and feared by the majority of the Underworld. He is the mountain that stands in your way.”
Soo Jin smiled, staring directly at Tae Hyun, whose icy gaze met hers.
“Tae Hyun,” Ju Won spoke firmly.
In the background, the entire Underworld populace began to put their guns away. With hushed silence, they all listened to the announcement.
“The moment you stepped foot into our world, it was decided amongst the Advisors in the 2nd layer and the Corporate Crime Lords in the 1st layer that you would be the crowned Lord. This was your throne to lose, and Ji Hoon was merely the one to take it from you if you couldn’t hold on to it. But now that we have the Queen herself reclaiming her shot at the throne, I think I speak for everyone here when I say that between the two of you, you truly are the Gods of our world. With that said, there will be no more choosing of heirs.”
Tae Hyun and Soo Jin straightened in their seats, their shoulders stiffening uneasily.
They knew that things were about to get more . . . stringent.
“It was a privilege to see the battle, no matter how constricted, between the King of Serpents and the King of Skulls, but my biggest honor in life came when Soo Jin made her return. Now, it feels like the stage is complete.” He beamed, pleased that the stars had aligned and he was finally gifted with the most perfect birthday present of his life. “Kwon Tae Hyun, An Soo Jin . . .” He paused a moment for the whole Underworld to listen attentively. “When you two were out of the room, I took it upon myself to share your story.”
A sinkhole materialized in Soo Jin’s stomach. She imagined the same thing had happened to Tae Hyun as the blood drained from his face. It was then that Soo Jin understood why Dong Min looked so crestfallen. He didn’t care about Ji Hoon being taken out of the ranks. He was unhappy because Ju Won had exploited the fact that she, or Yoori to be exact, used to have a relationship with Tae Hyun. With the cruelty that Ju Won possessed, she was sure he made their story appear like a show to the rest of the Underworld—a form of entertainment for them in which this love story would end with one of them killing the other.
Ju Won observed Tae Hyun, who was silently seething while he listened to the Advisor. He understood all too clearly why Dong Min greatly opposed him being with Yoori. It wasn’t because Dong Min was trying to align himself with Ju Won’s wishes or because he was loyal to the eldest Advisor; no, it was because Dong Min had long been anticipating that one day, Ju Won would realize the gem he was sitting on and he would exploit them, just as he was doing right now.
“I told them about who had been distracting our King these past couple of months, and I told them who stole your heart.” He looked at Soo Jin, who was silently fuming at the thought of the entire Underworld being privy to her private affairs. “I told them about your amnesia, the moment you reappeared in our world months ago, the fact that you were the one who accompanied our King of Serpents to the masquerade ball, and that you had your heart—or your counterpart’s heart—stolen by the King himself.”
Soo Jin could distinguish a mixture of two different emotions in the crowd. The minority were shaking their heads in disbelief at Ju Won’s cruelty while the majority were breathing in excitement and eagerly anticipating his next words.
Ju Won forged on. He was the most excited of all. “Your story has become a legend in this world. It has fascinated us so much that we wanted to see how much more epic both of you can make it. We decided that we’re going to add a very fair twist to it . . . we will do as every potential Lord has done in the past.” He eyed Soo Jin cold-heartedly. “An Soo Jin, give us Kwon Tae Hyun’s head, and this world will kneel before you.”
He then turned to Tae Hyun.
“Kwon Tae Hyun, be the powerful King we know you can be, give us An Soo Jin’s head, and we’ll give you this world.”
He divided his attention between the most revered King and Queen of the Underworld.
“We know of the relationship the two of you shared, but it seems to have been confirmed that both of you have gotten over one another. Your final task in proving your capabilities to be an Underworld Lord will come into existence in a month’s time. Once you’ve gathered your entire army and train as you need to be trained, we will all meet at a chosen location. You will then give us the once-in-a-lifetime-duel that will set off a legendary era for the new Lord of our world. You will not only prove to us that you are the best physically, but that you are also ruthless enough to lead us. And what better way to show us how dedicated you are to this throne than killing the one you used to love?”
Ju Won sadistically grinned at both Tae Hyun and Soo Jin.
“What do you say? Right here, right now, in front of the entire Underworld’s elites, are we in agreement? Will you give us the most historic fight of the century?”
Soo Jin couldn’t decipher what the King across from her was thinking.
Kwon Tae Hyun was a master when it came to hiding his true emotions. True to form, at the moment, the impassiveness on his cold face was a tough exterior for her to read. She felt his gaze rest on hers. He was attempting to read her emotions as well. When neither could decipher the other’s thoughts, they merely stared at each other for another hostile moment before the ruthlessness of their world caught up to them.
Without any further hesitation, they both sternly declared, “Done.”
Not deigning to spare another glance in her direction, Tae Hyun expelled a lethargic sigh, looked at the audience before him, and apathetically announced, “An Soo Jin would never walk into an Underworld meeting without an army of her own—at least not without a plan to obtain one.”
He regarded her, and Soo Jin smirked, recognizing that he had figured out what she was doing. She also understood why he was so intent on not letting her join in the ranks to become a fellow contender. He already suspected that she had come here with a plan.
“In her quest to ‘reclaim’ her throne, she has not only proven to the entire Underworld how powerful she is as an individual, but also proved to any doubtful, future gang members of hers that she is going to be the perfect Queen to resurrect them and lead them after five years of extinction.” He regarded her with growing boredom. “Time is money, Soo Jin. Hurry up and form your gang so we can get on with the night.”
For the first time that night, Soo Jin laughed in exhilaration.
Oh, she was impressed. This was most certainly the worthy opponent that she spent her entire life dreaming that she would conquer one day.
“You are truly the best match I could ever hope for,” she said before suddenly whipping out the jade knife from her jacket.
Whish!
Without missing a beat, she threw it across the room. It soared through the air at lightning speed, nearly piercing into Tae Hyun’s forehead. He skillfully kicked the knife away before it hit him. The flying knife retracted to the side and dove straight for the podium where Ju Won stood. In a swift and fluid motion, the knife buried itself into the microphone that Ju Won held, centimeters away from the Advisor’s heart.
Tae Hyun was pissed. Soo Jin wasn’t sure what he was more pissed off about: the fact that she tried to bury the knife into his head or the fact that he missed and buried the knife into the microphone instead of Ju Won’s black heart.
&nb
sp; Her face morphed into an enormous grin. She was sure he was pissed because he missed Ju Won’s heart.
As gasps and Ju Won’s stream of spiteful curses filled the room, Soo Jin stood up from her throne and sighed. She commenced with the procedure to invoke the army that awaited her from the moment she walked into the ballroom.
“On the left side of the Siberian Tigers’ estate, buried deep in the ground under the red roses, what you’re looking for, you’ll find it there . . .”
She allowed a moment’s pause for the sound of her voice to resonate across the ballroom before she continued.
“Three years ago, nine Cobras were scarred on the left side of their cheeks with the number ‘57’. The person who did that was me, and the person who has the jade knife is me. From what transpired here, you know of the reverence I hold over this world and the power I would bring to you if you returned to your roots and allowed me to resurrect you.”
She smiled, inhaling proudly.
“I hereby call upon the oath you swore to the gang when you were initiated, and as your new leader, I command your loyalty and your undying allegiance.”
She looked all around.
“Siberian Tigers,” she said loudly and clearly. “Down.”
At her command, a multitude of events occurred at once: twenty-eight snipers, all dressed in black with sturdy black ropes attached to their harnesses, fell from the dome shaped ceiling. Behind them, countless men and women jumped from the balconies and staircases they were on, while a collected wave of people throughout the ballroom trudged forward. With one command, the resurrection of a once extinct gang transpired as they fell to the floor on one knee. Over three hundred of those in attendance bowed before her. They were all the former elites of the Siberian Tigers, and they were all offering themselves to serve under her reign as their new leader.
Soo Jin nodded approvingly before measuring the crowd again.
This time her eyes were warmer and gentler.
“Before I left you, I told you that once the time comes, I’d retrieve you and would never forget your loyalty. The time has come, and I want all of you back. With that said, step forward.”