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

by Con Template

  Yoori merely blinked at him in shock.

  She couldn’t believe this crazy shit either.

  “Is this fucker really doing this to me?” he went on manically. “In my own city? While I’m holding a fucking ice cream?!”

  “Don’t hurt him,” Yoori said a second later, afraid that Tae Hyun’s wrath would be the kid’s demise. Her chin wobbled under the flurry of snow. “He’s just a kid.”

  “I won’t hurt him if he gives me his damn watch!” screamed the kid, thinking that Yoori was talking to him.

  He had no idea how wrong he was.

  Beside her, the King that had thousands of soldiers at his disposal was getting angrier and angrier by the second.

  “He’s a little asshole that’s trying to mug me,” Tae Hyun growled back to Yoori, his eyes glaring at the kid like a shark in the night.

  “We’re supposed to be normal,” said Yoori through clenched teeth.

  Across from her, the kid was still pointing the gun at them, looking around edgily to make sure there were no witnesses. He clearly didn’t anticipate this mugging to take so long. He also didn’t anticipate Tae Hyun to be so scary.

  Yoori glared at Tae Hyun sternly, ignoring the kid. “You promised me a normal day.”

  “Normal people don’t get mugged on a normal day,” gritted Tae Hyun, his eyes never straying from the attempted mugger. “I should teach the little fucker a lesson.”

  Yoori could see that the guy was beginning to regret holding them up. He obviously did not expect to be threatening some psycho who looked like he could rip his head off at any moment.

  “Look,” the attempted mugger said, trying to not appear fearful of Tae Hyun. “I don’t want any trouble. I just want your watch.”

  “I’ll give you mine,” Yoori offered diplomatically, extending her wrist to offer the silver Rolex Tae Hyun gifted her.

  “A lot of people want what I have,” Tae Hyun growled, gently pushing Yoori’s extended arm down while keeping his eyes on the attempted mugger. He inched closer to him, his eyes becoming scarier. He only stopped when the cuffs anchored him to Yoori. Tae Hyun did not appear less intimidating with the handcuffs. If anything, he looked like a ferocious, caged lion that could attack at any moment. “You should know that no one ever gets to have what I have.”

  The guy stared fearfully at the handcuffs.

  “What . . . What is that?” he asked unsteadily, clearly wishing he held someone else up.

  “Couples’ bracelet,” said Yoori while Tae Hyun said, “Handcuffs.”

  The guy became shakier. Despite his obvious fear of Tae Hyun, his curiosity won out. “Why . . . Why are you guys wearing handcuffs?”

  “Shoot me,” Tae Hyun said instead, not deigning to answer the guy.

  The attempted mugger’s voice rose to a high-pitched sound. “What?”

  “What?” cried Yoori as well, tugging at Tae Hyun’s wrist. “Did the ice cream give you a brain freeze? What’s wrong with you? Why would you say that?”

  “Shoot me,” ordered Tae Hyun, staring unblinkingly at the attempted mugger. “I will give you one shot. If you get a bullet in me, I’ll give you my watch. If not, I will wrap my hand around your neck, squeeze the life out of you, and just when you think you’re going to die, I’m going to let go. Then, I’m going to rip your flesh off with my bare hands, and when I’m done, I will break off your bones and pick my teeth with it.”

  A wash of silence hung over them.

  For a long time, all that could be heard was the sound of falling snow.

  A long pause later, Tae Hyun straightened his back and finally said, “Do you still want my watch?”

  The teenager shook his head, looking like he couldn’t have regretted being born more. He did not know who Tae Hyun was, but he now knew he wasn’t someone to mug.

  Tae Hyun nodded, still holding his ice cream. Throughout this entire scene, never once did the ice cream ruin his authoritative stature. If anything, it made him look more psychotic.

  “Now get the fuck out of our sight,” he commanded. He pointed a warning finger at the guy. “And if I see you holding anyone else at gunpoint, I will kill you. I will find out where you live, I will throw you in a coffin with hungry rats, I will stand by and listen to them devour your flesh, and then I will end your life. Got it?”

  The boy nodded with a bow before taking off like the wind.

  Throughout this speech, all Yoori could do was stare in awe.

  After a gust of wind hurdled past them, she said, “That was so cool!” She took a step forward while licking her ice cream. Her eyes glistened in admiration for how her Snob handled this situation. Although he looked like a crazy fucker, it was awesome that he didn’t resort to violence. “How’d you get so cool?”

  “I can’t believe I just got held up at gunpoint,” Tae Hyun muttered to himself, still not over this embarrassing fact. He looked at the ice cream in his possession. He swayed his head in disbelief. He clearly hated his life right now. “I can’t believe I just got held up at gunpoint while holding an ice cream cone.”

  Yoori laughed, pressing herself into him. “You handled yourself well.”

  “I threatened to kill him,” Tae Hyun corrected blandly.

  “Yeah, normal people do that,” she said with another laugh. She paused. “Well, actually normal people put their safety first and give up their watch, but when it comes to you, I suppose the most normal thing was to scare the mugger shitless.” She tugged at his arm, very pleased that this did not ruin their night. “Shall we continue this wonderfully normal day?”

  Tae Hyun groaned, and Yoori tugged him on, disregarding his petulant moans. She got right back to their innocuous conversation before they were so rudely interrupted.

  “You know what this night reminds me of?” Yoori asked nostalgically, trying to get Tae Hyun’s mind off the mugger.

  “What?” he asked, taking one huge bite of his ice cream before contorting his face at the iciness the little dessert offered. He was struggling to eat it (and forget about the mugger) to help make her day perfect, and he couldn’t have looked more adorable doing so.

  “Oh goodness, it felt like ages ago,” Yoori shared whimsically, remembering the memory that left her warm with fondness. Her face lit up with delight. “But this night reminds me of the night where this insanely hot gang leader came into my life and pretty much handcuffed me and abducted me from my own home.”

  She smirked to herself while taking a bite of her ice cream.

  “But he had such a bad attitude.” Yoori was on a roll, earning a frown of discontent from the “hot gang leader” beside her. He was offended that she dared to speak so badly about him.

  She plowed on like the energizer bunny. “You should’ve met this guy, Tae Hyun. You would’ve wanted to beat his ass down—just like that mugger you scared shitless. I had to sequester myself in my own apartment for eight days because I was waiting for him to come to my apartment with machine guns. It was kind of lame if you think about it. I should’ve just ran out of town—”

  “Eight days?” Tae Hyun asked incredulously.

  Yoori realized that she had never shared with Tae Hyun her thoughts on what happened those nights after she ran away from him.

  She nodded to confirm.

  “You paranoid freak,” he said with adoration. He took the last bite of his ice cream in delight. Thoughts of the mugger vanquished from his mind. Being enlightened with her side of the story obviously made him happy. “I can’t believe you hid yourself in your apartment for eight days.” He gazed down at her with hilarity gleaming in his eyes. “How did it all work out for you, smart one?”

  “It didn’t.” She feigned sourness while she lifted her ice cream up to his lips, silently instructing him to help her finish it.

  She was imparted with a sour frown, one to which she smiled sweetly at before he leaned down and took a huge bite for her. He motioned for her to continue. It didn’t even seem like he was cold anymore. He was too entertai
ned and eager to hear her side of the story.

  Yoori finished her own ice cream before continuing with her tale. “When I finally let my guard down, he came on the eighth day and proceeded to sit on the toilet cover while I showered. He pretty much threw a bathrobe at my face, packed up my stuff, pulled me out into the cold with nothing but a pink bathrobe on and abducted me.” Her face twisted into a scowl. “That insensitive jerk. That night was such a cold night too. I had just showered and I was freezing. It didn’t help that I looked like a prostitute being carted off to jail with the handcuffs.”

  Tae Hyun smiled to himself, reliving the same scene. “You must’ve been the prettiest sight in that pink bathrobe.”

  Yoori blushed at his words.

  They had been a couple for a while, and even though he spoiled her rotten with his actions, he rarely spoiled her with his words. The simple act of him complimenting her with no sarcasm in his voice was enough to make Yoori treasure this little moment.

  “What was going on through your mind that night?” she asked, wanting to switch roles. She was curious to learn his side of the story.

  Tae Hyun’s smile grew a bit wider as he recounted his own memories. “I was thinking that I must be going crazy because I was going to have an unwilling girl move into my apartment with me. The thing that worried me more was that I knew this particular girl was going to drive me crazy because she had so much spunk in her. I knew she was going to be trouble with a capital ‘T.’” He gazed at her. “You didn’t know it then, but I wasn’t looking forward to being handcuffed to you. The handcuffs were just a scare tactic used to keep you from running. I actually really hated being cuffed to you because your lame ass insisted on sleeping on the floor. Do you know how uncomfortable it was to sleep with my hand dangling down the bed and not being able to move around freely?”

  “Do you not know how uncomfortable it was to sleep on the cold tiles while your mean ass hogged all the blanket?” Yoori’s eyes sparkled when she realized something else. “Okay so that next morning, I woke up and I was in bed with you . . . what really happened? Did I really get onto the bed like you said?”

  His prideful smirk was all the answer she needed to know the truth. “No. I got sick of hearing you shiver so I went down, carried you in my arms, and pretty much threw you into bed with me.”

  “I knew it, you liar!” she gasped out. If that was a lie, then what about the other mysteries? “So, when I fainted and you told me I got down on the floor and slept with you . . . you were lying then too, weren’t you?”

  He shook his head. “No, you really did that. You murmured something in your sleep and got up. I thought you were awake and asked if you were getting better, but you didn’t say anything. You just came down onto the floor, wrapped your arms around me, and then slept on my chest. It was actually kind of scary because you lifted up my shirt and kept smoothing your hands over my abs.” A coy grin came over his lips, hinting to her that he didn’t mind it so much that she was molesting him. “That was when I knew you had a thing for my stomach. You wouldn’t stop caressing it until you fell asleep.”

  Fire burned on her cheeks. “Why . . . Why didn’t you wake me up?”

  Damn. How embarrassing was it that she was molesting a complete stranger in her sleep?

  His powerful shoulders lifted in a shrug. “I felt bad for you because you seemed really sad, even when you were sleeping. I let you do it because it seemed to have calmed you down. That was why I got up early to make breakfast. I wanted to cheer you up. But then you wound up pissing me off, so I ate everything until I wanted to throw up.”

  Yoori inhaled blissfully when she replayed that moment where she said he was only being nice to her because he wanted to “experiment” his food on her to get other girls. It was so strange to talk about the past and see how far they had come since those days.

  “Why were we cuffed together for so long if you didn’t enjoy it, Tae Hyun?” she inquired seconds later.

  Tae Hyun was quiet for a moment before he said, “I wanted an excuse to hold your hand.”

  He turned his eyes away from her for a fleeting moment, and Yoori saw a little blush take over his face as he said this. The weight of the object that had fast become their “couples’ bracelet” moved against their wrists while their hands tightened around each other.

  “Did you look forward to having me move in?”

  He shook his head and laughed. “I never invite girls home so to have one live with me, especially an unwilling and mean one, was a dreadful prospect for me. There were a lot of things I had to change in the apartment to make it suitable for you. For instance, do you notice how much cleaner it is since you moved in? I actually pick up after myself now because I don’t want to deal with hearing you complain while calling me a pig. Even though it’s you who makes the mess.”

  Yoori laughed to herself. “What else did you have to modify in your daily routine, Tae Hyun?”

  “I don’t wear much clothing when I sleep.”

  Wheels screeched to a stop at this mind-blowing and scandalously sexy tidbit. Her eyes blossomed as she stopped walking.

  “Like . . . shirtless and just shorts?”

  Tae Hyun eyed her with those smoldering eyes, the ones laced with unrivaled carnality that left her with yearnings throughout her body.

  Nude, Yoori answered in her mind.

  God’s gift to women sleeps without anything covering his perfect, naked body.

  How the hell was it possible that she wasn’t graced with this sight?

  “Um . . .” Yoori began quietly, being reminded of what she wanted to do with him once their night was over. She might as well talk to him about it now. “I know you may think that I’d be uncomfortable . . . but you can sleep however you want. If you want to dress less to bed then I won’t mind . . .”

  “But we spoon at night,” he countered as if spooning while he was nude was an issue for her.

  Exactly.

  Yoori continued to feign casualness. “I could suffer through it for you.”

  He shook his head with another laugh. “I won’t tease myself.”

  This was her opening line to get the conversation moving in terms of going to the next level of their relationship.

  “Tae Hyun,” she started shyly, swaying uncertainly in her stance. Feeling edgy over the conversation she was about to initiate, Yoori nervously played with the buttons on his jacket. She pressed against him suggestively.

  “Uh, what are you doing?” Tae Hyun asked awkwardly, his eyes clearly wondering if she ate something wrong. It was evident her strange behavior was scaring him.

  Still nervous, Yoori swayed from side to side while kicking air and avoiding eye contact with him.

  “It’s been a while since you . . . you know . . .”

  “What?” Tae Hyun asked, genuinely not understanding her hint.

  “You know . . .” she repeated, not bothering to clarify.

  This proved to be a bad idea when dealing with an impatient guy like Tae Hyun.

  “Damn it, you mumbler,” Tae Hyun berated, annoyed that she wasn’t making sense. “Did a duck bite your tongue or something? Do I look like a mind reader? Just tell me!”

  You impatient fool! How dare you yell at me! She wanted to scream at him for killing the mood for her. She held in the fiery urge to lash out at him. The desire to get them into bed after the night ended was too prominent in her horny mind.

  “Why don’t you tease me with your towel anymore?” she finally voiced, still kicking air while tugging at the buttons on his jacket. Gathering some nerves, she lifted her eyes to meet his.

  The dawning realization played in his eyes when it all made sense to him.

  Yoori continued on. “You did it once and I know I didn’t pull it off, but you know . . .” She blushed immensely while staring into his beguiling brown eyes. “You know . . . I think we’ve been together long enough where I’m ready to . . . you know . . .”

  Pull it off and maybe more, Yoori ad
ded bashfully in her head.

  Tae Hyun smirked at her in absolute amusement. Sighing, he placed a hand underneath her chin and lifted her gaze to meet his when she tried to turn away from him. Her breath stalled once she saw his eyes again. There was a dark, carnal sexuality in his stare that had Yoori going weak in the knees.

  “Are you really ready?” he asked while regarding her with uncertainty.

  “You think I’m not?”

  “I don’t think we’re ready.”

  Humiliation seared her cheeks. After trying so hard to get into her pants, he was rejecting her now?

  “You thought we were ready when you seduced me like a porn star and pretty much told me that I owned your body,” she told him with scorn. “Remember? ‘This is all yours . . .’”

  How could he say she pretty much owned his body when he wouldn’t give it to her when she wanted it?

  “I was impatient then, but I’ve seen things clearer now,” he explained. “I don’t think we’re ready.”

  Yoori snorted.

  How could they not be ready? They were twenty-four-year-olds with the biggest sexual tension surrounding them. How could they not be ready?

  “So, you just don’t want to?” she confronted, though deep down, she knew he wanted her.

  He chuckled bitterly. “If only you knew how much I want you, how much I want to give you all the pleasures in the world and listen to your voice as you scream out my name.” He looked at her. “But we’re not ready to fully appreciate any of that.”

  She was still flabbergasted. “When will we be ready then?”

  “When everything’s perfect.”

  Okay. He just set the impossible bar, and this did not make her happy. She was trying to be a positive person, but she wasn’t naïve anymore.

  “Nothing in this world is perfect, Tae Hyun,” she said sadly.

  “I’ll give you perfection,” he told her with conviction in his voice. “When the time is right, I’ll give you no less than perfection.”

  “How will you know when the time is right?”

  “When you find what you’re looking for, Nemo.”

  Yoori felt the balloons in her mind deflate at the knowledge that she wasn’t getting “any” tonight.