by Con Template
“Hey,” all three piped up, pouting in bitterness.
The mischievous girl in Yoori laughed quietly. It was incredibly amusing to watch Tae Hyun pick on other people. She smiled, putting aside the shock of discovering that Tae Hyun had planned to bring her here all along. Whatever sparked his decision, she was glad for it. She playfully pushed him away to reassure him she would be fine. “Go. I’ll be fine.”
He nodded before turning to the others. “Keep her entertained until I’m done.”
All three voiced their confirmation. Satisfied, Tae Hyun bestowed one last parting smile to Yoori before turning on his heels. When he moved away, about ten Serpents followed after him. Yoori’s eyes continued to shadow them until Tae Hyun made a turn into another corridor and disappeared into the eastern wing.
She briefly wondered what he had to do to prepare for the initiation.
“Come on, Yoori,” called Hae Jin, drawing Yoori out from her reverie. She and the brothers motioned for Yoori to follow them. “Let’s get you situated for the initiation.”
Yoori stole a final glance at the corridor Tae Hyun had disappeared into before she followed them into another part of the estate. They climbed up a flight of stairs that eventually led to the roof of the mansion.
Yoori folded her arms after she reached the roof. The billowing wind brought forth cold air that made goose bumps materialize on her body. Thankfully, the wind died down the further she walked onto the rooftop.
Her eyes traveled the length of the massive roof. She noticed about fifty people were already on the rooftop. They stood in small crowds, quietly conversing with one another while facing the estate gardens. From above, she could see that there were various people downstairs on the different balconies hanging from the mansion. She went to the edge of the roof in curiosity. She was floored upon finding that there were hundreds more Serpents on this part of the estate. Her eyes wandered over the world below her. Some of the well-dressed Serpents were perched on the balconies’ railings, some sat on the Spanish-like stairs that led into the garden, some stood on the landing of the stairs, and many leaned against the estate walls.
Then, at the center of the roof, she noticed a throne that resembled the one she saw at Ju Won’s mansion. It was also made out of pure gold and it looked magnificent. The only difference was that on the armrests of this throne, there were engravings of serpents with their heads raised up. The heads of the serpents faced into the gardens, looking like guardians for the initiation to come.
“You can sit here, Yoori,” said Hae Jin, tugging Yoori toward the throne.
Yoori smiled nervously, reluctant to obey. She was promptly reminded of what happened when Jung Min kidnapped her and showed her the golden throne at Ju Won’s estate. She fell so in love with the throne—so in love with the idea of power—that if she hadn’t heard Tae Hyun’s name, she would’ve been lost to the world. She eyed the throne before her warily. She did not want to sit on that throne; she did not want to entice herself with a power she should never seek.
“I’m okay,” she said briskly, no longer wanting to look at it.
Hae Jin displayed the “don’t-be-shy” look. “This throne was brought out specifically for you,” she insisted, completely oblivious to the conflict raging inside Yoori. “You should sit.”
“That’s Tae Hyun’s seat,” Yoori desperately uttered. She stared at the throne like a recovering alcoholic would at a bottle of liquor. The last thing she wanted was to fall to temptation; the last thing she wanted was for the monster inside her to come out.
“He’s not coming up here,” supplied Kang Min, standing behind the throne with Jae Won to the left of him. He beckoned for her to come forward. “Tonight, this is your seat.”
“Come again?” Yoori asked, perplexed.
Jae Won lightly rolled his eyes at what he perceived as a naïve question. “Come on, boss,” he coaxed with a patient smile. “This is your seat. Just sit.”
Yoori’s heart hammered while she looked between Hae Jin and the brothers. They were being incredibly insistent, and she did not want to appear problematic. Her experience here would wind up being unpleasant if she had to explain to them why she feared the throne so much. It was better to acquiesce and behave normally. When Tae Hyun made his appearance up here, then she would return his throne to him. It was that simple.
Her decision set, she nodded and approached the throne.
When she sat down, Yoori felt all eyes rest on her. It happened very subtly. As she moved her fingers over the serpent armrest, doing her best to not allow the euphoria to overtake her, she could see everyone turning slightly to glance in her direction. They did not say anything and they did not stare for long, but the action caused her to feel timid all the same. She was used to hiding in the shadows of the Underworld to protect her identity. The fact that she was sitting on a throne, on a roof no less, amidst several hundred Serpents made her edgy. It felt strange to be on display like this, like she was a new creature to this secret world.
Yoori took in a lungful of breath and looked ahead to disregard the apprehensiveness she felt.
The jaw dropping sight before her nearly caused her to gasp out loud.
When she initially glimpsed over the garden, she had no idea how big it actually was, and how mythical it looked. She looked past the expanse of the garden and moved her eyes further out into the horizon. There, she could see that a massive maze sat in the center of the enormous green land. It stood approximately eight feet in height, was covered in green ivies, and was large enough to resemble an arena. In the center of this grand labyrinth was a beautiful white stone fountain that had carvings of three serpents with water sprouting out of their mouths. White column-like lampposts surrounded the circular maze, making it appear as if it was a garden fit for the Gods of Olympus.
“This is where he trains them,” Hae Jin whispered, following Yoori’s mesmerized gaze.
Yoori turned to Hae Jin, wonder having yet to dissipate from her awestruck eyes. “Who?”
“All the new recruits,” Hae Jin clarified, standing to the right of her while the brothers stood to the left. “After they are initiated, my brother spends the first month of training here, teaching them the ways of the Underworld and how to survive in it.”
“Where is he?” Yoori asked, sobering up at the mention of Tae Hyun.
“Commencing the initiation,” answered Kang Min.
She turned to Kang Min as a puff of wind swam across the roof. “Will he come up soon?”
He shook his head, his smile light. “No.”
Yoori swallowed awkwardly. The only reason why she agreed to sit on the throne was because she thought it was temporary and that Tae Hyun would appear soon. She was unsettled to learn that this wasn’t the case. “Why is this throne here then?” she asked faintly. “I could’ve sat in a regular chair.”
Jae Won chuckled, taking a few steps ahead to sit at the edge of the roof. “Maybe he wants you to get comfortable,” he said, sitting down. “It will be a little while before we can begin.”
“When are we starting?” she asked, watching as Hae Jin and Kang Min followed suit and moved forward to sit on the edge of the roof beside Jae Won.
All around her, Yoori noticed that the rest of the Serpents moved forward to sit on the edge as well. She knitted her brows together. It felt odd to watch so many well-dressed people sit so casually on the floor. Did this mean the initiation was starting?
“It’ll start soon,” assured Kang Min. “Until then, just relax.”
Yoori expelled a tiny sigh before deciding that enough was enough. The throne may have been brought out for her, but that didn’t mean she had to sit on it the entire time. Without warning, she surged off the throne and proceeded to sit on the foundation of the roof with Hae Jin and the brothers.
“You’re supposed to sit on the throne, boss,” said an amused Jae Won when Yoori moved to sit between him and Kang Min.
“I want to sit down here with you guys,” Yoori s
aid petulantly, earning chuckles from them.
With their laughter as consent for her to remain where she was, Yoori took another look around. This time, she felt more comfortable sight-seeing from where she sat. While on the throne, she felt like a Queen overseeing her people. From the ground, she felt like a regular girl appreciating the new world around her.
Most of the other Serpents sat on the roof now, basking under the finalities of the sunset’s rays as they continued to have muted conversations with one another. Below, Yoori could see that some Serpents sat on the lawn while many others sat on the mansion’s long set of stairs. There was an air of anticipatory energy. It felt like she was waiting at a concert hall for a show to start; like they were all waiting for something incredibly spectacular to happen.
Yoori gazed around again. The scene ahead continued to leave her in awe. It was absolutely gorgeous.
“I can’t believe he actually brought me here,” Yoori whispered, enjoying the feel of the breeze on the roof. She looked at Hae Jin and the brothers when a curious thought occupied her mind. “Do you guys know how the initiation into other gangs work?”
“Vaguely,” shared Kang Min.
Her interest was piqued. “Yeah?”
They nodded before Hae Jin, who was sitting to the right of Kang Min, said, “You want to see a footage of the Skulls’ initiation while you wait?”
Yoori was floored by this suggestion. How was it possible that there was a video recording of an initiation when the bylaws of this world prohibited it? “I thought the Underworld is all about confidentiality?”
Hae Jin shrugged her apathy. “No one’s identity is revealed. Plus, I think it was Ji Hoon who let this video out. Maybe to show new recruits how lethal his gang is so they would think twice about joining other gangs. Anyway, do you want to see?”
Yoori was too excited to refuse. She was thunderstruck by the proposition, but she wasn’t abhorred by it. Anything that would give her more insight into how this secret society operated, she would gladly accept. “I want to see.”
Hae Jin got up to retrieve her smart tablet from underneath the throne.
Jae Won leaned forward to bequeath Hae Jin with a scrutinizing look. “Seriously? You hid your tablet under the throne?”
Hae Jin was unapologetic when she returned to the group and handed the tablet to Yoori. “I get bored waiting!”
Yoori grabbed the tablet and turned it on. A video file was already open and ready to be played. As Yoori tapped her finger on the “Play” icon, the four of them moved closer together and leaned in to watch.
“How does the Skulls’ initiation work?” Yoori asked when the video showed a reel of approximately fifty men fighting one another in a colossal pit.
“They bring in fifty at a time,” said Hae Jin, “but only thirty-six will come out alive.”
Yoori watched the men battle one another with knives, stabbing one another without mercy. The very sight of this struck fear inside her. It was so gruesome and barbaric. To her surprise, she suddenly felt grateful to be initiated by the Advisors. If she was in that pit, she doubted she would ever make it out alive.
“What happens if more than thirty-six survive the five-minute initiation?” asked Yoori a few moments later.
“The King of Skulls will join the fight at the last minute and he will kill enough to equate to thirty-six,” said Hae Jin. Right on cue, another figure jumped into the screen, going after the rest of the men in the pit. Even though the film was dark and Yoori could not make out his face, she knew it was Ji Hoon.
“Why thirty-six?” Yoori asked, suspecting a symbolic reason for this specific number.
“That was the number of recruits the first King of Skulls initiated when he formed the Skulls. Rumor has it, the Skulls’ estate is built upon the bones of the initiates who did not make it past the five-minute initiation, hence the gang’s chosen name.”
Yoori’s insides gave a horrified jolt. The thought of building a home over the corpses of those who didn’t make it into the gang disturbed her immensely.
“What is the meaning behind that type of initiation?” Yoori inquired, watching as Ji Hoon’s silhouette climbed out of the ditch.
In the pit, thirty-six men started cheering. They were clearly celebrating their successful initiation into the gang now that the other fourteen initiates had been slaughtered.
“The Skulls family heavily values the concept of survival of the fittest and alliances,” Hae Jin explained like she was the Underworld’s personal historian. “They believe that only a bond formed between people on the brink of death will form a lasting brotherhood. So they simulate a war zone. One where strangers will have to put their trust in one another, one where they will work to betray others, and one where only the most formidable alliances will survive. They believe that only people who rise to power and lose their souls together will show loyalty until the end.”
Yoori recalled Ji Hoon’s participation in the pit. “What does it mean when the King joins the pit during the last minute?”
“To show them that if they cannot properly obey an order, then their King will choose their fates for them. The King will not discriminate against alliances. He will kill according to his mood, according to his whim. To the Skulls initiates, it is preferable to do your own killing. At least they get to personally decide who dies as opposed to leaving it up to fate.”
Even though this was disturbing, it was also highly fascinating to Yoori. She wanted to learn more. She switched off the tablet before looking between the brothers.
“What about the Scorpions?” she asked keenly.
“The Scorpions’ initiation is not as straightforward as the Skulls’ initiation,” answered Jae Won. “It takes place on a more . . . complex level.”
“How so?”
“There was a maximum of five people for every initiation,” explained Kang Min, attracting Yoori’s attention. His eyes became reminiscent when talking about his old gang. “There were five levels, five obstacles. In the first minute, the initiates had to make it out of a locked room with a tiger.”
Yoori’s eyes enlarged in shock. This was the complete opposite of the video she just saw. “An . . . An actual tiger?” she stuttered.
Kang Min nodded.
Yoori was stupefied at the grandeur of this initiation. “Why a tiger?”
“To represent the Siberian Tigers,” Jae Won responded before enlightening her further. “Years ago, they were the fourth biggest gang in the Underworld. If the initiates made it out, then in the second level, they were locked in a room with six rival gang members. They had to kill all six and bring their skulls to the next level within one minute. In the third level, they were blindfolded and thrown into a pool filled with serpents. There was always one poisonous snake so they had to be weary of not getting bit by it. If they survived that, they were buried in a coffin with scorpions when they reached the fourth level. In that one minute, they had to ensure that all the scorpions were still alive. In the final round, they had to survive one minute with the Royal family. After that, they would be fully initiated.”
Yoori was flabbergasted at the complexity of the Scorpions’ initiation. “Why were there so many different levels?”
“The last four levels were to symbolize each gang,” Kang Min explained. “The Siberian tiger was there to warm them up for the next four minutes.”
“That is a fucked up warm up,” Yoori couldn’t help but breathe out.
Kang Min smirked in concurrence. “No kidding.”
“Could they kill the tiger?”
“They could try, but in that room, there were no weapons.”
Yoori blew out an uncomfortable breath. “They basically spent that minute running around?”
“They either ran or died.”
“Did a lot die?”
“Oh yeah,” confirmed Jae Won. “They didn’t even make it to the next level.”
Yoori grimaced before moving on with the conversation. “What about the next
levels?”
“Essentially the first three levels were to symbolize your cunningness and strength over rival gangs. In life, they will always be the ones standing in the way of your greatness in the Underworld.” Jae Won sighed, becoming nostalgic of his past. “The fourth level was where the pace changed. Instead of running or fighting, each of the initiates were locked in a coffin with about twenty scorpions. Even if you got stung or were in pain, the most important thing was to keep all the scorpions alive. It was supposed to represent your loyalty to your gang, that the well-being of the whole gang will supersede yours.”
Yoori had to admit that she liked that bit. There was great meaning behind that level.
“And the final level?” she prompted, surprised that she was becoming prideful of the way her—or Soo Jin’s—gang worked. It did not feel as barbaric as the Skulls’ initiation. If anything, it felt incredibly meaningful.
“If you were still alive, stepping out of the coffin was supposed to symbolize your rebirth and your first sight should only be of your Gods,” shared Kang Min. “The Royal family was always at the end. They represented the keys to your new Kingdom, your new family. They did not give access to their Kingdom to just anyone, and this one minute was considered the hardest minute to endure.”
Jae Won smiled. Regardless of how difficult this final level was, it was evident he had a lot of pride that he was one of the few who successfully endured it. “When we were initiated, the Royal family consisted of our boss, her brother, and her father.”
“‘The Holy Trinity’ as we called them,” provided Kang Min. Warmth infiltrated his voice at the recollection of the Royal Scorpion family.
Jae Won shook his head briefly, clearly recalling his own initiation. “They were vicious, unforgiving.”
“You two were initiated at age eight and ten?” Yoori asked to clarify.
They nodded as their confirmation.
She canted her head as a breeze ruffled over the roof. “How did you make it out?”
They smiled as Jae Won said, “Our boss was with us the entire way until the last level.”