The War of Gods (A Welcome to the Underworld Novel, Book 3)

by Con Template

  Yoori agreed.

  As much as she hated to admit it, she agreed.

  It did not matter how much she had fallen in life, how pathetic she had become. It did not matter how badly she had been treated. None of that mattered, for everything had led her back to this throne, to this blissful state. This was her remedy from all the problems in the human world. No one could touch her on this throne. When she sat here, she was above all the troubles of the world. She was better than human; she was finally a God again—

  “Tae Hyun.”

  Yoori broke out of her trance when she heard his name.

  She unsteadily stared out at the world below. Her eyes immediately fixated on the coffin.

  Jung Min continued, relentlessly spewing poison into her mind. “Imagine all that divine power and imagine Tae Hyun wanting that power too. Imagine him fighting you for your throne.”

  Territorial anger sparked inside her.

  She clenched her hands on the arm handles.

  Jung Min fed off this territorial emotion. “You have played dead for long enough. There is only room for one God on this throne, just as there is only room for one failed God in that coffin. Would you really choose to lay in that coffin for Tae Hyun?”

  Yoori stood abruptly. The conflicting emotions were suffocating her. She no longer had time, or strength, for this. She moved past him. “Let me out of here.”

  “I know that right now, you do not want to fight him,” Jung Min persisted, slowing her in her tracks. “I know that you still have feelings for him, but do you remember what you said to me when you were younger?”

  Yoori stopped by the landing on the stairs and awaited his answer.

  “I asked Soo Jin why she kept fighting, and she told me that she was fighting for the one who would be worth all this hell. She was fighting for the one who would make her an immortal God. She spent her life training and perfecting her skills to prepare for her war against another God who would immortalize her in this world.” He walked over to her on the landing. His eyes were piercing, poignant. “You have found him, Soo Jin. You have finally found the one you spent a lifetime training for. This is the epic war that you’ve always dreamed of; this is the moment you’ve been waiting for all your life. Wage a war against him, kill him, and only then will you finally know true immortality.”

  Yoori lost all semblance of control when Jung Min said, “kill him.”

  Akin to a monster awakening inside her, she lifted her leg and kicked him hard on the stomach.

  Boom!

  Jung Min was sent flying down the stairs. His groans echoed throughout the estate as he fell over every step.

  As he made his way down, Yoori started to calmly walk down the stairs.

  “My name is Yoori,” she declared as she followed his falling body down the stairs. Her voice was calm, yet her eyes blazed in anger. She had enough of Jung Min’s poisonous instigations. “I am not An Soo Jin. I am not your advisee, nor am I your puppet.”

  Jung Min finally landed on the ground. Breathing painfully, he gazed up as she continued down the stairs. Her eyes were on him every step of the way.

  “I may not be your beloved Queen, but I am still a force to be reckoned with. I singlehandedly killed those eleven bastards in the alley, not Tae Hyun or Soo Jin. I am the one who is standing before you alive and breathing, not Soo Jin.”

  She stopped at the last remaining step and stared down at him with unforgiving eyes.

  “If you ever pull another stunt like this and have those bastards kidnap me again, I will show you how powerful I can be. Soo Jin is not here, but you do not want to test me. Her wrath will never match mine. If I am truly a fallen God, then I have nothing to lose. Soo Jin did not have the guts to bury you in that coffin, but I do. And trust me, if I bury you in that coffin, you will never come out again.”

  That said, she strode over his body and made her way out of the estate. Never once did she look back.

  Long seconds later, when she was finally out of sight, Jung Min smiled like he just witnessed the return of a long lost Queen. Yoori’s reaction was exactly what he wanted from her all along.

  “Welcome back to the Underworld, child,” he whispered with a cruel smirk. “I hope you enjoyed your fall. Now it’s time for war.”

  “Are revered like Kings and Queens. . .”

  03: A Royal Run-In

  “Shin Jung Min literally kidnapped you?” Kang Min asked incredulously the following night.

  Yoori nodded, uncomfortably playing with the edges of the book she was reading.

  After she returned from Ju Won’s house of horrors, Yoori was immediately greeted by horrified Serpents who were shocked that they had not only failed to protect her last night, but that she also had battle wounds to show for their failure. They had asked her what happened, but Yoori, who was still fazed by Jung Min’s instigations, refused to talk to them.

  It wasn’t until Kang Min, who had been absent since her fight with Tae Hyun, appeared at the library did she relent. At the offset, she was intent on giving him the cold shoulder. Much like her bitterness toward Jae Won, Yoori was also pissed at Kang Min.

  Despite her cold treatment, Kang Min persevered, telling her that he wasn’t trying to trick her; he only had her best interest at heart. He explained to her that he had to choose between trusting Tae Hyun to watch over her or trusting the Underworld to “take care” of her. Given that the former was the lesser of the two evils, Tae Hyun was the best option. Although Yoori still harbored some resentment toward Kang Min, she also needed someone to talk to about this. Even if it was an abbreviated and very shortened version of the true story, she had to at least let something out.

  “Yeah. He literally kidnapped me,” she confirmed. “He still thinks I’m Soo Jin in disguise and he was trying to ‘resurrect’ her. He had these guys beat me in the limo, and he even locked me in a coffin at Ju Won’s mansion. It was horrible and creepy. I’m glad it’s over.”

  “That old bastard,” Kang Min muttered to himself before saying, “How did you make it out? The guys said that they saw you walking back to your apartment. No one dropped you off. You just literally walked. How did you escape from Jung Min?”

  “I gave Jung Min a piece of my mind,” she said softly. And I kicked the shit out of him, she amended in her mind.

  “And he let you go just like that?”

  “Yeah,” she confirmed with a shrug. “I mean, I told him again that I’m not Soo Jin. I told him that Tae Hyun and I are over and that I’m done with the Underworld. I guess after all of that, he got tired of me and decided to let me go.”

  Kang Min shook his head again. Although he was only eighteen and had a face that resembled an innocent angel, the current hardened features on his face told another story. He looked pissed beyond measure. “I can’t believe he had five men beat you in a limo. That old bastard is sick.”

  “I handled myself,” Yoori hinted to him vaguely.

  Kang Min was not paying attention.

  “I know who the five trainers are,” he assured her, anger still radiating from him. “I’ll take care of them for you.”

  “There are five of them and one of you,” she reminded. “And they were the ones who trained Soo Jin.”

  “I was trained by An Soo Jin and Kwon Tae Hyun. I think I’m good—”

  Kang Min stopped talking when he saw the light change in Yoori’s once emotionless eyes. She had been spreading so many lies about being “fine” with her current predicament, but her anchor to this world would always be Tae Hyun. He was always the one who reminded her that she wasn’t fine, that she was broken.

  Kang Min shifted uncertainly. After a long minute of silence, he asked, “Do you want an update on him?”

  “No,” Yoori said at once. Even though secretly, she did. But she would not torture herself. He was out of her life for good. She did not need to be curious about his well-being.

  “Okay,” said Kang Min. He looked around uncomfortably again. “Well, I’m reall
y glad you’re okay. Jae Won and Hae Jin will be relieved too once I update them.”

  Yoori looked at Kang Min. She pushed her book closer to her chest. “They know I was kidnapped?”

  “Yes.” He glared at the Serpents at the other end of the library. “Our fellow Serpents over there told us about your . . . bruised state last night. They didn’t know what happened, but they knew it was bad, which was why I decided to brave your wrath and make an appearance today.”

  “Brave my wrath?”

  Kang Min swallowed, looking more like a fearful teenager rather than a badass in a black leather jacket and dark pants.

  “I know you’re mad,” he reiterated. “And I wish you didn’t find out the way that you did, but please know that Jae Won and I only wanted the best for you. What Tae Hyun did was wrong, but he really fell for you—”

  “It’s done,” Yoori interrupted. “I have moved on. Your boss has moved on, and it’s time for you and Jae Won to move on as well. I was upset with you, but I’m not pissed anymore. I want to forget everything and not dwell on all this useless stuff.”

  He nodded. “Then does this mean that you’ll return Hae Jin’s calls soon?” When Yoori went still, he plowed on. “She truly didn’t know anything. She only found out recently when she noticed that you had been avoiding her. Out of the whole group, she was the only innocent party.”

  Yoori ran her fingers through her hair and tried to conceal her frustration. “I have to move on, Kang Min. That means I have to let go of things—and people—who will prevent me from doing so. I can’t be friends with Hae Jin anymore. I have to move on.”

  “Excuse me, we’re closing in ten minutes,” the female library assistant reminded Yoori and Kang Min as she made her rounds through the library.

  Yoori and Kang Min gave a polite smile. “Okay, thank you.”

  They stood up.

  Yoori slung her black wristlet over her wrist and pulled up the hood of her forest green hoodie. She then gathered her books and stacked them on a box to be shelved.

  Yoori smiled softly at Kang Min. “I’m going to call it a night.” She paused before saying, “It was good seeing you.”

  “You too, Yoori,” he said quietly.

  “Have a good night.”

  Without waiting for him to reply, she rushed out of the library. She was afraid that if she spent a second longer with Kang Min, then she’d want nothing but her old life back.

  Yoori bid goodbye to the librarian and the library assistant closing up at the front and sped outside to where the Mercedes sat. The winter cold spilled over her as she ran to her car. There was no snow or rain, but the night was still relatively cold enough that she was thankful she had her hoodie covering her head. As she was about to open the door, the call of her instincts had her frozen in her stance.

  The sensation of being watched washed over her again.

  Instinctively, her eyes veered up to the building down the street. She was greeted with the sight of a silhouette standing on the roof. Yoori squinted her eyes. She was about to move closer to determine if her eyes were playing tricks on her when she heard her Serpents bodyguards running out of the library. They rushed to their cars, ready to follow her to her next destination. She returned her eyes to the roof. The silhouette was no longer there.

  For a paranoid moment, she wondered if it was one of Jung Min’s men stalking her and waiting to kidnap her again. She pondered it further for a second, and then dismissed it as nothing. After the ass kicking she gave Jung Min, she doubted he would send anyone after her anytime soon.

  There’s no one on that roof, she attempted to convince herself. It was just her imagination.

  Her eyes returned to the library. There, she caught sight of Kang Min standing beside one of the windows. He gave her a small nod as he watched her from above. She smiled tentatively at him, waved goodbye, and got into her car. She breathed in deeply, doing her best to recollect herself. Now that Kang Min was no longer in her company, she finally felt like she could return to her numb state. It was a state that she preferred and one she was grateful to get back into.

  As she was not too keen on whipping up another bowl of instant noodle for dinner, and because she was craving some burgers and fries, Yoori decided to head over to one of her favorite restaurants. When she reached the restaurant, she was floored by the crowd. The street was packed with people; there did not appear to be a close parking spot in sight. After circling the block a few times, she was thankful that she managed to find street parking a little further out. She was also thankful that she had placed her order on the phone beforehand. This allowed her to quickly run into the restaurant, get her food in a white to-go box, and make her quick exit within a moment’s notice.

  “Excuse me,” Yoori uttered.

  She dodged around a group of fancy looking girls. They were dressed in sparkly dresses with their makeup done to perfection. After that, she moved around a group of well-dressed guys who were meandering around the sidewalk.

  Yoori was in one of the upscale neighborhoods in Seoul. It was an area where the most high-class restaurants were available for people who had the money to afford the more extravagant dining in life. All around her were people who wore clothes and jewelry worth thousands of dollars. Truth be told, Yoori felt like an eyesore on a Christmas tree that had many beautiful ornaments. She was simply dressed in a forest green hoodie and blue jeans. The hems of her jeans were tucked into her black suede boots and that was the extent of her creative “fashion” sense. It was an understatement to say that she felt out of place. Yoori just wanted to get home as quickly as possible before someone started to think she was a mugger.

  Yoori hopped off the curb. She was standing in the space between her Mercedes and a black Jaguar XF-R when she heard someone call her name.

  “Yoori?”

  She whirled around. She restrained a gasp when she saw who had called out to her. There, in front of one of the most lavish restaurants in town, stood Lee Ji Hoon waving at her. He was dressed in black slacks and a navy blue dress shirt. He couldn’t have looked more like the ideal clientele for this restaurant. His black jacket hung off his hand as he advanced toward her. His black hair was slicked back tonight, giving him a polished look. In this space and time, he also earned giggles and whispers of admiration from a group of girls in the background. It was no surprise; Ji Hoon was as handsome as ever. Everyone on the street could see that.

  “Ji Hoon,” Yoori greeted in bewilderment, holding the to-go box close to her chest. She hadn’t expected to run into him—or anyone she knew for that matter. She was happy to see a familiar face. In the same degree, she was cautious with this meeting. She hadn’t forgotten how awkward they had left things. She hoped this meeting wouldn’t be as dramatic.

  “Did I scare you?” he delicately asked when he reached her. He stopped in front of her and remained on the curb. The elevated height of the curb made him appear taller than usual, especially with her peering up at him from the pavement of the street.

  “No, no!” Yoori said quickly, mustering up a smile.

  Albeit things were uncomfortable, she didn’t want it to be obvious that she felt awkward. Regardless of all that had transpired, she still had a soft spot for Ji Hoon. The only deterrent to seeing him was that she was instantaneously reminded of Tae Hyun. She was also reminded of the last, painful words she said to Tae Hyun before she ran out on him. Her heart started to clench, and Yoori quickly shoved those thoughts out of her mind. She continued to focus on Ji Hoon, hell-bent on not thinking about Tae Hyun. He was out of her life, and she was going to keep it that way.

  “I just didn’t expect to run into anyone,” she finished quietly. Her eyes strayed to the lavish restaurant behind him. “You just had dinner?”

  “Yeah. The company was dismal, but the food was good,” he replied with a gentle smile that indicated to Yoori he was walking on eggshells around her. It was evident that he hadn’t forgotten how they had left things off either. Yoori was actually
surprised that he even cared enough to talk to her. She thought they were done when she chose Tae Hyun over him that night.

  His eyes wandered over the to-go box in her grasp. “What are you having for dinner?”

  “Just a burger and fries,” Yoori said with a shrug. She swallowed past her apprehension and wondered if she should excuse herself or stay and chitchat with him. Persuaded by the genuine happiness that arose in his eyes when she spoke to him, Yoori decided to further the conversation with what she thought would be a nice icebreaker. “So, you’re always dressed up in business clothes whenever I see you. Is that your standard uniform?”

  Ji Hoon’s smile grew wider. He was relieved that she was being conversational. “I have meetings left and right. Someone of my position has to look like he can take on important jobs. Dressing for the part is an everyday occurrence.” He shrugged carelessly. “I’ve been wearing business clothes for as long as I can remember; it’s like a second skin to me.”

  Yoori nodded, not knowing what else to say after that. After a pause, she asked, “How have you been?”

  “Pretty shitty since the last time I saw you.”

  Here comes the awkwardness, Yoori thought morosely.

  She should have expected that men like Ji Hoon and Tae Hyun would always get right to the point. Both were similar in that respect.

  “It’s never too heartwarming when the girl you have your eyes on chooses another guy.”

  Yoori’s heart ached after hearing the comment. It ached for Ji Hoon, but it ached for Tae Hyun even more. She hated that she couldn’t stop thinking about him and that she felt guilty for lying to him (even though he was the one who lied to her and hurt her first).

  “You just had a meeting then?” Yoori asked, changing the subject to save herself from being thrown into another state of misery.