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

by Con Template

  Soo Jin was also aware that “love” would never be widely popularized in their world. Ji Hoon would always be punished for being “distracted”—that was unless she made their love notorious. Even in her semi-broken state, Soo Jin was clearheaded enough to watch out for her boyfriend. She planned to make things right for him. Ji Hoon was all she had left and she would be damned if she didn’t help turn him into one of the most powerful and notorious Kings in this world, and thereby help them as a couple. She was going to make them infamous in the Underworld.

  “Ji Hoon?” The message she left him was one that she had never left anyone before. She had never felt so weak and so human in her life as she sat there, waiting for him to come and get her. By this time, she knew that gang members were out stalking the streets, loitering about, and she wanted them to see Ji Hoon and herself come out of the club. For this crime, she wanted to give Ji Hoon the credit.

  While she waited, Soo Jin couldn’t help but hear the screams in her head. Oh God, the screams. They were getting louder and louder in her head. She couldn’t hear anything else. She couldn’t control anything. She couldn’t control her tears, couldn’t control her misery, and couldn’t control her inhumanity. She struggled to maintain her sanity. Why? Why was it so hard for her to be inhuman right now? Why the fuck was it so hard all of a sudden?

  She smirked morosely to herself.

  This was her price to pay for allowing her humanity to shine through. This was her punishment for being weak and this was her ultimate punishment for becoming human again. The Gods reside in heaven and humans go to hell. This was her hell.

  Soo Jin was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t even realize Ji Hoon had arrived until he was right in front of her, holding her to his chest while he stared at her. He was saying things she couldn’t hear because she was so overcome with the screams. She wasn’t sure what she said to him, but she knew it probably sounded crazy. The bewilderment on his face told her he was perplexed by her unusual behavior.

  “It’s okay, baby. I’m here,” he whispered despite his confusion.

  He held her close to his arms and without a moment of delay, they were inside his car and driving off. Ji Hoon only stiffened when he spotted some gang members peeking into the club from his rearview mirror. He knew that they saw them leave the club. He made a move to stop the car and reverse back to kill them, to stop them from spreading rumors until Soo Jin, who had enough sense to snap out of her daze, lifted her hand up and held a firm grip on his wrist.

  “They must spread the rumors,” she told him with conviction. The confusion in his eyes did not cause her resolve to falter. “Your reputation has been tarnished in this world because of your love for me, Ji Hoon. But I’m making things right. After tonight, when people hear of your ‘involvement’ in the Club Massacre, you will be the most infamous King this world has ever known. We have to let them live; we have to let them spread the rumors.”

  “Soo Jin, what’s going on?” he asked, bewildered.

  Unable to lie to him, she told him everything. She told him about Tony. She told him about the tape. She told him about the jade knife. She told him about the Siberian Tigers. She told him about what happened in the club and finally, she told him about her plans and how she needed him to give her a formula that would help fake her death.

  “Have you lost your mind?” Ji Hoon asked after she was done talking. His eyes scrutinized hers. “Your brother? After all that you told me about what the fucker did, you want him to be the one who injects you with the formula?”

  “It’s the only way!” Soo Jin gritted out as thunder started to rumble outside. “I need to disappear, and I need time to resurrect the Siberian Tigers!”

  “How fucking hard is it?” cried Ji Hoon. “I’ll kill Young Jae, and we’ll get this over with! You don’t have to risk your life!”

  “Young Jae will be my kill!” she snarled through clenched teeth, infuriated that he couldn’t see where she was coming from. “He will be my kill in the war that I’m bringing him! I want him to feel the same betrayal he gave to our father when he murdered him, and you can go fuck yourself if you think you’re getting in the way of that!”

  “You expect me to sit here, listen to your ridiculous plan, and help give you the very formula that may actually cause you to die?”

  “I don’t have time for this,” Soo Jin uttered impatiently. She still had to figure out a place to hide the jade knife. Everything was time sensitive now. She didn’t have time to convince Ji Hoon.

  “You’re making a mistake,” he told her, watching the stubbornness sweep out of her.

  “No,” she contended. “My mistake would be going through all this shit and not having Young Jae’s head and my own throne to make me feel better. In the span of the last few hours, I’ve become so fucking human that I feel like I’m going crazy. I did not just cry and feel the effects of hell just to let this epic moment pass me by.” She stopped to breathe and gather her wits. She momentarily calmed down, knowing that he was only trying to watch out for her. “You’re all I have left, Ji Hoon. I need this right now. I need this revenge and I need you to help me get it.”

  When he opened his mouth to combat her wishes, she interrupted him by opening the door and storming out.

  “You think about it and let me know,” she stated, not wanting to hear him oppose her plans.

  She slammed the door shut, leaving him to stare at her in disbelief.

  Despite being broken and arguing with her boyfriend, Soo Jin was unwilling to allow any of this to thwart her plans. She refused to experience hell without coming out with her plan being intact.

  Hide the jade knife, she told herself as she began to walk away, feeling disgusted with everything the knife represented. Hide it and let’s set the plan in motion . . .

  “And you will regret ever being born.”

  29: The Human Queen

  “Oppa!” the young girl screamed when her older brother tugged at her arm. He proceeded to drag her through the sea of dancing people at the masquerade ball they were attending. “Oppa! No, no, no!” she repeatedly shouted. “I don’t want to dance with you! You’re so weird! I want to dance with that cute boy I saw!”

  A newly turned ten-year-old Soo Jin, who was dressed in one of the prettiest pink princess gowns for her Uncle Ju Won’s party, looked around vividly, searching for the cute boy she saw. Her heart fluttered when she spotted him in the corner with a teacup in hand. He was so handsome. She wanted to run after him and talk to him, but her stupid big brother wouldn’t stop dragging her away from the cutie.

  “Come on, you dumb-dumb!” the young Young Jae shouted. He was dressed in a black tuxedo of his own. He continued to tug her into the middle of the dancing crowd. “I need to practice so I can dance with my future wifey! After that, you can go find your future husband and dance with him.”

  “Why me?” Soo Jin whined petulantly. “Why do I have to dance with you?”

  “Because you’re my baby sister. That’s what siblings do for each other!”

  “Do what?”

  “Have each other’s back!” Young Jae preached like a shepherd on a mission. “I got yours and you got mine!”

  He laughed, pinching his baby sister’s nose who, despite her own bitterness, would do this stupid favor for him and dance with him. He was, after all, her brother and she loved him.

  “You got my back right, lil sis?”

  ■■■

  “What I’m about to share, you will speak about to no one else. If you dare to breathe a word of it to anyone, then I will hunt you down and make you pay for everything,” Soo Jin said sternly, standing in a private room filled with over two dozen of her Scorpions, all of whom were personally trained by her.

  Jae Won and Kang Min were standing in the crowd, staring at her with immense curiosity.

  “We understand, boss,” one of the Scorpions conceded. “You have our word. We won’t repeat what goes on here.”

  Other voices murmured in agr
eement, assuring her that she had their unwavering loyalty.

  It had been days since the “Club Massacre” and the rumors had already circulated about her and Ji Hoon. The rumors were whispers of horror and fascination with the couple who were deemed as the most notorious couple in Underworld history.

  During this timespan, Soo Jin avoided calls from Ji Hoon because she no longer wanted to hear how much he hated her plans. To everyone else, she made a point to show how “broken” she was. In truth, that didn’t take much acting on her part because she was actually feeling depressed. She could not stop thinking about what happened at the club. Remorse continued to pelt over her like rain. Such a feeling was becoming unbearable for her. It was so crippling that she didn’t know how to stow it away and reclaim the inhumane side that she loved so much. It also didn’t help that, even after countless hours of deciphering, she still couldn’t figure out what the riddle Eve gave her meant.

  With the inability to control her own feelings and figure out the riddle aside, Soo Jin was still a force to be reckoned with in terms of executing her plans. She was well aware of how important it was that all branches of her grand plan went accordingly. The first of which would have to start with moving her trusted Scorpions out of the gang they grew up in.

  “I have . . . an important task for all of you,” she started faintly, already deciding that she couldn’t tell them her full plans until after the fact. Just in case anything went awry, she did not want to give away too much information to certain individuals all at once. She was the only one who could see the big picture; no one else could know what her grand plan was. “I have spoken to my brother and we decided that in order to expand the gang without anyone truly knowing, we have to do it silently so our rivals will be none the wiser.” She gazed at each and every one of them. “The task I have is for you to leave the Scorpions gang without saying another word to anyone or talking about this with each other. I want all of you to go out into the Underworld, form your own gangs, infiltrate other gangs, and essentially invest your time in there to mold the best and bring them with you when I call for you.”

  Her chest ached with unease. It troubled her that she had to lie to the group of people who have risked their lives for her. They were the ones she trusted the most.

  “Please know that there is no set time for how long you are to stay out there. You will be seen as traitors amongst the gang you grew up in. You should also know that what I’m asking you to do will be one of the hardest things you’ll have to do in your life. My brother will openly say that he is unaware of this plan. If it goes haywire, it’ll be your heads on the line.” She sighed, looking at all the brave faces of the ones she trained. They didn’t even flinch in fear for what she wanted them to do. This was why she had so much pride in them. They were a reflection of her, and she loved that they represented the best of her. “But if there’s any group of people whom I trust more than anything to do this right, then it’s all of you. I trust that if anyone can withstand this hardship and come out triumphant, it’s all of you. ”

  “We’re all under your debt, boss,” Anna spoke up from the back, earning nods from the rest of the Scorpions who would give up their lives for her. “Whatever you and our King need us to do, we’ll all do it without any inhibitions or questions.”

  Soo Jin nodded favorably at Anna and the rest of her trainees. “Your loyalty will not be forgotten. I promise that when the time comes for me to retrieve all of you, I will not forget what you’ve done.” She motioned for them to look at the white piece of paper she gave to each of them. “In your hands, you hold a letter that tells you of the gang I want you to infiltrate or the region of the country where I want you to form new gangs. Go back to your rooms, read the paper, and after you’re done, burn it and leave no trace of it. Over the course of the next few weeks, you will all leave accordingly. Do not say goodbye to anyone and remember to not breathe a word of this once you leave this room. When we’re ready, I’ll come back for all of you.”

  “Yes, boss,” the Scorpions replied before filing out of the meeting room.

  The only ones left were Jae Won and Kang Min, both of who broke her heart as they stood before her. She trusted them with her life and had never felt guiltier for keeping such a big plan from them. She told herself it was better this way. The less anyone else knew, the better.

  “Boss?” Jae Won asked, holding his piece of paper in his hand.

  “Yes?”

  “Kang Min and I should stay and protect you.”

  Soo Jin permitted a small smile to grace her lips. She should have known they would do this. “I do not need your protection.”

  “But—”

  “I do not need your protection,” she repeated when Kang Min made an effort to combat her commands. She looked at the pieces of paper they held in their hands. Her chest tightened uneasily. Jae Won was given the task of forming a gang of his own in Seoul while Kang Min was given the task of infiltrating into the Serpents gang. It was the two most dangerous jobs.

  “Boss,” Kang Min started hesitantly. His gentle gaze noted the swollenness of her eyes, which were the aftereffects of crying. “We’ve been worried about you. Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I know that the two of you will do well,” she said quickly, disregarding his concern. The last thing she wanted to do was to talk about her feelings. She may have been plagued with human emotions, but that did not mean she wanted to talk about it. “Now go get ready and remember to take care of yourselves.”

  Soo Jin left them with a heavy heart and ventured back into the hall to find her brother. The time was coming near. She had played the broken one long enough. It was time to talk to her brother about helping her commit “suicide.”

  Scorpions bowed to her in respect as she walked down the hall. Soo Jin was close to veering into her brother’s office before she nearly collided with someone who just walked out.

  She knitted her brows when she saw that it was Anna.

  “What are you doing here?” Soo Jin asked instinctively, taking inventory of Anna’s sudden nervousness when she saw that it was Soo Jin she nearly crashed into.

  Anna’s face blanched. “I . . . I just—”

  “I called her in,” Young Jae answered, stepping out of his office with a black suit on. He looked from Anna to Soo Jin. “Is there a problem?”

  “No,” replied Soo Jin, still glancing at Anna peculiarly. “I just need to talk to you.”

  “Great,” said Young Jae, wearing a big smile. “You’ve come just in time then. I was about to have Anna go look for you. Come out to the balconies with me. I have something to show you.”

  Soo Jin disregarded her fleeting confusion before she nodded at Young Jae, who was already turning to Anna with a smile still on his face.

  “Thank you, Anna . . . for all your help.”

  “No problem,” Anna replied before bowing to both Soo Jin and Young Jae, and then leaving in a flash.

  Restlessness briefly rustled in the pit of Soo Jin’s stomach. She was distracted from that feeling when Young Jae wrapped an arm around her and warmly pulled her into his office. They strode across the brightly lit room and headed straight for the connecting balcony. As they walked, she noticed that subtle tension exuded out of him. She had the impression he was perturbed about something.

  “You look upset,” she observed, resenting how comforting it still felt to be walking beside her older brother.

  It would take time to cut off ties when it pertains to blood, she reflected to herself.

  “I’ve heard some . . . upsetting news,” he shared, his eyes displaying discomfort that she was able to read him. “I recently found out that a partner I’ve been working with for quite some time has been ruining some parts of my business behind my back. I’m . . . disappointed.”

  “Anyone I know?”

  “An associate in Japan,” Young Jae stated briskly. “Plus, I’m upset because I’ve been worried about you. You’ve been different since the incident
at the club. Are you alright?”

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” Soo Jin said delicately, unable to subdue the pain at the remembrance. “I need to be somewhere alone with you. I need you to meet me—”

  It was the groaning that shut Soo Jin up.

  Eyes enlarged, Soo Jin raced to the balcony. Air left her chest when she saw what was on the lawn where most of their killings and massacres took place.

  Someone was tied up to a lamppost, shirtless while only wearing black pants. His pale face was beyond recognizable as blood ate at his skin. His hair looked like it had been recently shaved off. His body, mainly his chest area, was covered with stab wounds that had blood continuously flowing from it. Every inch of him was covered with blood. It did not take long for Soo Jin to surmise who this person was.

  Hwang Tony.

  He was thinner than an Underworld Prince should be. He looked emaciated, like he hadn’t eaten for weeks. She could see the outlining of his ribcage, and she could see that he was no longer an Underworld Royal. Now, because of her brother, he was just a man on the brink of death.

  After days of detaining him, Young Jae finally decided that it was time to show Soo Jin that he had “found” Tony.

  With a triumphant smile on his face, Young Jae swung his legs over the railing of the balcony. He jumped down onto the wet lawn, easily landing on the soles of his leather shoes. Feeling disjointed and trying hard not to appear suspicious, Soo Jin jumped down after him. Her fall wasn’t nearly as graceful. After years of landing flawlessly on her feet, Soo Jin broke her perfect record when she nearly stumbled to the side. She stood upright, her stupefied eyes still rested on a battered Tony.