by Con Template
There was a certain charm to them that continued to remind her of someone she knew. She bit her lip, still feeling puzzled. She gathered, judging by the slightly cocky and charming aura that emanated from them, that they were heirs in the 1st layer. Despite being certain that she had never met them, she could not shake the feeling that she knew of them.
“Do the two heirs of the 1st layer have names?” Soo Jin asked cordially, observing that although they were admiring her beauty, both heirs were seemingly very interested in just talking to her and not bedding her. Given that the 1st layer heirs were known to be players in their own right, this was an extremely rare occurrence.
They laughed, looking at one another before nodding and murmuring things like, “Damn, we’ve been so rude.”
“Choi Hyun Woo,” the first one introduced, flashing her a gorgeous smile that would cause women from all over the world to faint in awe.
“Daniel Lee,” the second one introduced, tucking his hands into his pockets in hidden glee. A portion of his lips lifted in an amused smirk that could stop the hearts of women anywhere.
She furrowed her brows at the familiarity of their names. She couldn’t put a finger on why they felt so familiar to her until—
“My best friends,” a silky and enticing voice answered against her right ear, clearing any fog of confusion that once immersed her mind.
The warm breath acted as a stimulant for her. Its warmth teased the nerves in her ear and sparked a cataclysmic reaction that traveled like a freight train down her body. Her body came alive with desires she couldn’t control, and much to her own horror, she knew only one man possessed the natural talent to trigger a reaction of that magnitude from her.
Crap.
Desperate to stay away from him, she wheeled around in haste. She quickly stepped away from the owner of the voice, nearly tripping over Dong Min in the process. Luckily for the Advisor, he was saved from being mowed down by the Queen when an amused Choi Hyun Woo and Daniel Lee pulled him out of the way.
While staring at Tae Hyun’s gorgeous and smiling face, she now realized that Dong Min’s “business associates” were not mere heirs in the 1st layer. They were the Princes of the 1st layer.
It all came together for her.
Choi Hyun Woo was the son of Choi Min Hyuk, the powerful crime lord at Ju Won’s birthday party. Daniel Lee was the son of the infamous Lee Sang Min, another powerful 1st layer crime lord who owned the majority of the entertainment and media outlets in Korea. Not to mention, Daniel was also the nephew of the influential politicians who attended Ju Won’s party. Hyun Woo and Daniel were both considered the most powerful Princes in the 1st layer, and worst of all, they were also Kwon Tae Hyun’s best friends.
“What are you doing here?” Soo Jin asked at once, more shocked to be around Tae Hyun than to have finally met his best friends.
The curves of his tempting lips raised in a teasing smile. His amused eyes took note of her frazzled state.
“Jumping like a scared little kitten,” he mused softly, his voice washing over her like hot and delicious honey. “I didn’t think the Queen of the Underworld was capable of being spooked.”
“What are you doing here?” she asked again, refusing to acknowledge his observation.
She could kill her body for its conditioned reaction to him. Who the hell knew hormones could get the Queen herself like this? Even when she reigned three years ago, she wasn’t like this around Ji Hoon—or any man for that matter. But with Kwon Tae Hyun, it was like he was a sexy aphrodisiac created specifically for her. She could control her logicality concerning him—that he was an enemy she was prepared to kill when the time was right—but her body had no such discrimination. It just wanted him—all of his glorious, naked self.
To say the least, the normally composed Soo Jin was appalled with her abnormal behavior. After the fight with him, she had reasoned that she was off her game because she had just returned after three years of amnesia. It was clear now that feeling disjointed was only relevant when in the presence of her biggest enemy—and apparently her body’s biggest aphrodisiac.
“You’re in the business district,” he replied smoothly. He did not deign to spare a look at his Advisor or his best friends. His attention was wholly and solely focused on her. “This is my playground.”
“Why are you here?” she asked again, recognizing that she sounded like a broken record.
“Business. You?”
“Business,” she replied just as simply.
She abruptly decided that it was time to leave him and the ridiculous state she was finding herself in. After three years of being a “normal” girl, Soo Jin was dreadfully embarrassed that she didn’t have more control over her own body. She was so immersed with his presence that she didn’t even realize his baby sister was standing next to him. It wasn’t until Hae Jin moved slightly beside him did Soo Jin notice her.
Hae Jin’s pretty eyes brightened when Soo Jin finally made eye contact with her.
A little too excited, Hae Jin parted her lips and elatedly said, “Hi Yoo—!”
“It’s Soo Jin,” she snapped without thinking.
Soo Jin instantly regretted speaking so brusquely when Hae Jin clamped her mouth down in shock, thrown by her authoritative voice.
Hae Jin swallowed convulsively, doing her best to maintain the smile that was fading from her face. As she nodded apologetically to Soo Jin, Tae Hyun placed a hand on his sister’s shoulder, his eyes seemingly saying things to Hae Jin that Soo Jin couldn't read. Whatever it was he wordlessly said to her, it made Hae Jin feel better. She was once again staring at Soo Jin with a hint of warmth in her eyes. It was the same warm look she always gave to Yoori whenever she was around her.
Soo Jin’s throat grew dry at the reminder of her human counterpart. She would not allow the memory of Choi Yoori to ruin her day.
“Well, I should go now,” she said with finality, composure still laced in her serene voice. No matter how flustered she was, she refused to show these people how much they fazed her.
“You know, out of the three of us, Tae Hyun has always been the chick magnet. It’s pretty rare to not see a woman fawn all over him when he gives her his attention. Though I must admit that it’s pretty entertaining to watch his ex-girlfriend jump around like a scared kitten at his near presence.”
“His presence has no effect on me,” Soo Jin bit out at Daniel, secretly horrified that others could see that his presence not only had an effect on her, but it also intimidated the hell out of her.
“The Queen of the Underworld gets amnesia and becomes someone else, only to fall in love with her future enemy. After regaining her memories, the King is still pining for the Queen who wants nothing but war from him,” Hyun Woo mused to himself, already lost in his own set of thoughts. He shot Daniel with a curious look. “Doesn’t that sound like a good TV drama to create?”
“I should pitch it to my father,” Daniel agreed fervently. “I’m sure we can make something work out.”
Soo Jin understood now why they made her so uneasy when she first met them. It was because they were almost exactly like Tae Hyun. They were blunt, witty, sarcastic, and had the charisma to make the entire world fall to their feet.
“Don’t you trust fund babies have meetings to get to?” Tae Hyun interrupted firmly, his eyes still heavily invested on Soo Jin, who was staring at him with unconcealed malice.
“We actually have dinner plans,” Hyun Woo answered, laughing with Daniel when it was all too clear to them that they were being dismissed. He stepped away from the circle and extended his hand out to Hae Jin. “Come on, little one. Let your brother do what he needs to do.”
“Take care of my sister,” Tae Hyun said to his best friends as they pulled Hae Jin away from him.
“Don’t we always,” Daniel answered, playfully tousling Hae Jin’s hair when she stood beside them. She murmured words of protest as a little sister would to older brothers who picked on her.
“Tae Hyu
n,” Dong Min started, obviously wanting to knock some sense into Tae Hyun to keep him from trying to seduce Soo Jin.
Before he could say anymore, Hyun Woo and Daniel punctually interrupted him. They placed their arms around him and playfully herded him away from Tae Hyun and Soo Jin, both of whom were still staring unblinkingly at one another.
Soo Jin was still giving him the “if-you-come-near-me-I’ll-kill-you” look, and Tae Hyun was giving her the “you’re-breathtaking” look.
“Oh, come on, uncle,” Daniel placated. “We know you want the best for your favorite advisee, but the King of Serpents can take care of himself around the Queen of the Underworld. You know once he sets his mind on something, it’s done and over with. Stop fighting it and just let go.”
Defeated by the simple fact that Hyun Woo and Daniel were persuasive charmers themselves, Dong Min expelled an exasperated sigh, and just like that . . . gave up. It was indicative on his face that he knew there was no more he could say or do. Whatever path Tae Hyun chose now, it was his to choose alone.
“Let’s go then,” Daniel whispered to Hae Jin as Dong Min moved ahead with Hyun Woo. Daniel glanced over his shoulder and gave Tae Hyun an encouraging smile. “Your brother is going to be busy.”
With a bright smile on her lips, Hae Jin nodded. Her hopeful eyes landed on Soo Jin, who didn’t even dare to make eye contact with her.
“Bye . . . Soo Jin,” she whispered before making her departure.
Something in Soo Jin’s heart gave out when Hae Jin vocalized her birth name. She briefly wondered why it pained her to hear Hae Jin call her by her birth name, but she did not push that thought. Perhaps it was just odd because she was so used to Hae Jin referring to her as “Yoori”.
“Bye,” Soo Jin replied just as quietly, watching from the corner of her eyes as Hae Jin and Daniel walked out of the building and joined Dong Min and Hyun Woo on the street. Within an instant, they were gone, and Soo Jin was left wondering what had happened to Hae Jin during Ju Won’s birthday party. Apart from a small glance of her, she hardly remembered seeing Hae Jin at all.
“Where was she during the party?” Soo Jin asked, finally able to say something else to him. Her chin was inclined, her eyes stern, and her arms were folded across her rapidly rising and falling chest. Although she looked intimidating, she doubted she could evoke any fear from Tae Hyun.
He mirrored her movements by folding his arms over his black suit.
“After you appeared with Kang Min and Jae Won, she was ready to run to you guys. At that time, I didn’t know what you were capable of; I didn’t know what the brothers were capable of. In case anything went awry, I didn’t want her to be there. So I silently ordered a couple of my Serpents to grab her and take her home as a precaution. I wanted to protect her from all of you; I wanted to protect her from bearing witness to things she shouldn’t see in case a bloodshed between us occurred.”
“Smart choice,” Soo Jin replied, feeling relief that Hae Jin wasn’t there when she killed the man who questioned her power. She also felt relief that Hae Jin didn’t see her making out with Ji Hoon to hurt her brother and relief that Hae Jin didn’t see her fighting Tae Hyun. Despite her distant behavior towards Hae Jin now, she did not want Hae Jin to hate her. The last thing she wanted was for Hae Jin to be afraid of her.
“Have you been purposely avoiding me?”
Soo Jin was abruptly tugged out of her thoughts with his ludicrous question.
“Why the hell would I?”
Even though she had been avoiding him, she would never admit it to him.
Since their confrontation, she had been disturbed that she couldn’t get that butterfly feeling out of her stomach whenever she thought about him. Being around him made her feel all too human, too much like a young woman instead of a feared Queen. She abhorred the effect he had on her. She wanted to kick herself for being stupid enough to walk into the very building that he was already in. He was probably having a meeting with some trusted alliances, and like a stupid prey, she sauntered into the lion’s den and pretty much laid there on a silver platter, conversing with his mentor and friends and unknowingly tempting him to come feast on her.
“Then can we go somewhere private to talk? Alone?”
There was no seductive tone in his voice. Even though it sounded professional and sincere, there was no denying the spark in his eyes. Desire teemed in his gaze. He appraised her appreciatively, openly admiring the outfit she wore and the way her perfect curls were gathered on one side of her shoulder.
“I’m not going anywhere alone with you,” she clipped out instinctively.
She had not forgotten what happened after their fight. Her physical wounds had already begun to heal, but the scar he left her—the one where he promised to “win her back”—was still deeply rooted in her mind. She didn’t want to deal with this type of war with him, and if she could help it, she wouldn’t do anything to encourage it either. Being alone with him was just asking for trouble.
“So you admit it,” he noted complacently, knowingly. “You’re afraid to be alone with me.”
“I admitted no such thing,” she snapped, the prideful Queen within her enraged that he dared to voice such a blasphemous thing.
It may have been true that she was hesitant to be around him because no matter how strong she was, Soo Jin also recognized that she was a twenty-four-year-old woman in the presence of a twenty-four-year-old man who had the charms to rival Casanova, the body to challenge Adonis, and the ungodly good looks to rival fallen angels. As her weak counterpart once deemed, Kwon Tae Hyun was made for sex. And unfortunately for Soo Jin, in addition to being a celebrated legend in this world, she was also a young woman who had needs. At the moment, all she wanted was—for lack of better words—to have sex with Kwon Tae Hyun over and over and over again until she died. After that, she wanted to wake up and repeat the process over and over again.
She inhaled a sharp, chastising breath at the thought.
Fucking tempting bastard.
Nope.
There was no way in hell she was going anywhere alone with him.
“I simply don’t want to be alone with you,” she contended calmly, never one to admit her weakness in front of any man. “I’m not afraid of you. Why would I be afraid of you?”
He shrugged a bit too innocently for her taste. “I don’t know. Why would any girl be afraid of being alone with a guy unless she was afraid of the things she might do when no one else was around?”
A wordless curse escaped her lips while her eyes sharpened with daggers.
“Your arrogance is offensive,” she commented swiftly.
“And your ignorance is insulting,” he contended just as easily before stepping closer to her.
His tall frame towered over hers, reminding her that despite their stations in life—that they were born to be enemies—there was an undeniable chemistry between them. He was a very attractive man, and she was a very attracted woman. She wanted him, and the fact that he was so close only further enticed her.
“What are you apprehensive of, Soo Jin? I only want to talk to you from a King to a Queen.” His strong shoulders lifted in a lazy shrug. “But of course, if you want me to speak to you as a man to a woman, then that could easily be arranged too.”
Dismayed with his words, an angry Soo Jin was about to tell him to fuck off before he cleverly plowed on.
“We’re prospective Lords in the Underworld, Soo Jin, not savages. I know that ambitious body of yours is just waiting to destroy me, but placing your killer instincts aside, how about we act like the civilized and professional business people that we’re also trained to be? After all, if you follow the cliché standard and try to fight me every time you see me, then we’re no better than the parasitic street gangs our world looks down upon.”
Damn, he got her there.
She definitely didn’t want to be like the parasites she hated so much. She also knew she couldn’t keep avoiding him, at least not when he was standing
right there. If she kept on running away, then she knew what that would signify to him. Preys only ran when they were unsure of their capabilities and were afraid of being caught by their hunter.
If she kept playing this cat and mouse game, then it meant that she was running away—it meant that she was the prey. And God help her, that would only further legitimize Tae Hyun as the hunter. She couldn’t have that. She could not be hunted when she was a predator herself; she could not allow him to hunt her when he was her biggest rival for the throne. She had to set the precedence early on in their relationship; she had to show him that he was not chasing after a girl—he was chasing after a Queen.
Resolved that she wasn’t going to run anymore, Soo Jin kept her chin held high and stared at him challengingly. Although she would not give him the satisfaction of a chase, she would happily give him the beginnings of their war.
“How do you survive with that insatiable arrogance and smart mouth of yours?” she asked, silently crediting him for provoking her into being alone with him. The annoyance of having to be around him aside, she had to give credit where it was due. He was definitely showing her what a formidable King he was.
Tae Hyun chuckled, the vibration of his laughter doing funny things to her stomach. He extended a hand out to her, inclining his head towards the elevator. He obviously had a place in mind for their private meeting together.
“I have a girlfriend who has an equally smart mouth to insult me and keep me in line,” he answered affectionately.
Soo Jin caught the underlying message in that statement, but chose to disregard it. She proceeded into the elevator without taking his hand and stood in the corner of the metal box with her arms crossed. She ignored the extreme palpitating of her heart as the doors slid to a close and the elevator began its ascension into the top floors. When Tae Hyun favored her with a breathtaking smile that sent heat to rush to her cheeks, she inwardly prayed for strength.
This private meeting with the charismatic King of the Underworld was not going to be easy, and she prayed she would not come out being his seduced prey when it was over.