Another self-mocking laugh came before his next statement. “The world was cruel when it sent you out to the balcony to find me. It was so cruel when it sat you there next to me. I hate that no matter how hard I try to avoid you, all you had to do was blink and I’d give you all the attention in the world. I hated it even more when you told me you were An Soo Jin, when you told me that you were starting to remember everything again. I should’ve been happy then. I should’ve been happy when the world gave me the fault I wanted from you. You being An Soo Jin should’ve been the clincher for me. It really should’ve been. But...I never could’ve imagined the pain to follow when I wasn’t disgusted, but worried that I would have to let you go now. It was then that I realized it was finally time to let you go. I have been living on borrowed time with you for too long and it was time to return you to the world I stole you from.”
He took in a sharp, painful breath. “I never could’ve imagined how hard it would be to just walk away from you. How hard it was to see you in so much pain…how hard it was to ignore you as you followed me, trying to talk to me with your voice softer and more broken than I’ve ever heard it. I could’ve never imagined how heart wrenching it would be to open that door and have you tell me that you needed me and beg me not to leave. Those seconds I stood there with my back turned to you were the most miserable seconds of my life. The hardest part was just walking away, knowing that I couldn’t take care of you when I should’ve – when I wanted to.”
Yoori took in a sharp, agonizing breath and continued to listen.
“You would think after all that, it would’ve been easy for me to leave but I just stood there. I just stood there thinking about nothing but you.” He briefly closed his eyes. “I knew as I stood there that I was screwed. I knew then that I had fallen and was no longer a God. I knew as I fell beside that wall, the pain ripping me apart like none I had ever known, that I was finally human again. Against all odds, I fell for the biggest weakness – the biggest temptation – of all and became human again.”
He opened his eyes and called for her.
“Yoori…”
“Hmm?” she asked, still dazed with everything she had just heard.
Tae Hyun wasn’t the only one who was drunk on that bench. Yoori was drunk too. Drunk on alcohol and apparently on Tae Hyun. Her mind was everywhere yet nowhere.
“You’re one of my best friends…you know that, right?” he slurred, a smile taking over his now carefree face. “I care about you…a lot…so don’t you ever forget it.”
She nodded dubiously, thankful that they had returned to the carefree portion of the conversation. God knows she needed to absorb everything when she was sober, not when there were endless amounts of alcohol swimming inside her.
“And you’re one of mine,” she said genuinely. “You know that too, right?”
“How much do you care for me?” he asked, gazing up at her with anticipation.
“More than I should,” she said honestly, stroking the piling snow away from his profile.
He nodded, more than satisfied with her answer. He closed his eyes and began to nuzzle closer to her.
“Do you see what I mean now when I say that I’ve been living on borrowed time?” Though his eyes were closed, he was still speaking directly to her. “This is your chance now, Yoori…your choice. If you want to go back to your world, I’ll take you back now. I’ll send you to another country and I’ll make sure no one in the Underworld is able to find you. I’ll make sure you’re safe…even if I’m not there to watch over you. You just have to let me know though…do you want to go back to your world?”
“You’re so drunk right now, Tae Hyun,” she commented delicately, not wanting to answer his question.
“I’m not,” he insisted, his eyes still closed while he laid one side of his cheek on her lap. “You didn’t answer the question…”
She sighed, stroking his defined jawline. “We’re both living in the same world, Tae Hyun. If you return me…you still have to come with me. Do you know why?”
“Why?”
She smiled sadly. “Because you’re not the only one living on borrowed time…I am too. Why do you put so much pressure on yourself to be the one to let go when you have none of those powers in the first place?”
He was quiet, listening intently as she went on.
“You don’t get to decide whether or not you can keep having me around. I decide if I want to stay or not and if I want to leave so badly, then I’ll run away again…it’s not that hard.”
“You’ll always come back to me,” he warned with a charming smirk on his sleeping countenance. “You know why, right?”
“‘Cause I’m your boomerang?”
He shook his head. “‘Cause you fell for me…just like I did for you.”
Panic blared inside her at his blunt answer. The walls around her began to form when she realized how true that statement might’ve been.
No.
She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t fall for Tae Hyun. No. They would never work out…no.
Trying so hard to maintain her composure, she stiffened up, swallowed tightly and said, “Well, that was an arrogant statement on your part.”
“It’s alright, assistant,” he easily appeased in his drunken state. “It’s okay that you fell for me. You’re actually pretty amazing to have held out for so long.”
Her heart raced some more.
She couldn’t have this.
Enough was enough!
“Get off, get off, get off,” Yoori demanded, attempting to push Tae Hyun’s head off her lap. “I refuse to listen to all of this. You weren’t even drunk when you said all of that, were you?” she accused mindlessly. Her main intention now was to get away from this topic. “Which parts were lies and which were truths?”
“No, I was just kiiiiidding!” Tae Hyun slurred, referencing to him saying that they fell for each other. He was not even listening to Yoori’s accusatory questions. She kept trying to push him off. He pouted and fought to sleep on her lap. He nearly fell off before a panicked Yoori caught him in time. She wanted him off but she didn’t want him to get hurt.
“Damn it! Why did you drink so much?” she shouted, knowing now that everything he said was a mixture of truth and over-exaggerated drunkenness. He was messing with her. Even when he was drunk, he was messing with her.
“I can’t believe you’re so drunk that all you want to do is sleep on my lap and joke about us falling for each other. Don’t you know that’s a no-no in BFF land?”
“Are you cussing at me?” he suddenly accused, his eyes widening in outrage.
“Am I—wh—what?”
“What the hell is ‘BFF’?”
“Oh! ‘Best Friends Forever,’” she explained. If this were any other situation, she would’ve laughed at him for his cuteness in not knowing the acronym. However, this was definitely not the time considering she had other worries coursing through her already heavy mind.
“What the fuck…” he remarked bewilderingly. “Why would I want to be your best friend forever? I thought it was just a stage.”
“A – A stage?” she stuttered dubiously. “Like there’s another level that comes after that title? What the hell did you think comes after being my best friend?”
“You’re so confusing,” he replied, already closing his eyes and falling back asleep.
“Hey Kwon Tae Hyun! You know that you’re talking to Choi Yoori, right?” she shouted, so confused as to what was going on. Did he know he was speaking to her and not someone else? “You’re not harboring some pent up feelings for some other mystery girl in your past and telling me all this stuff because you’re confused, right?”
Silence met her.
He had already fallen asleep.
Now it was Yoori who was left downright unsatisfied.
Bitterness gushed through her and her heart raced in confusion. Her eyes held his sleeping countenance in its gaze, never faltering its attention to anything else. Yoori conclud
ed that it was probably better that he had fallen asleep. She would be able to have some peace to herself and her own thoughts.
She thought back to his words.
Everything that he said…were they really true or were they just exaggerated lies?
The silence mocked her as she waited for an epiphany.
Nothing came.
The only one who could really answer her question was asleep and who knew if his drunken self would even remember saying all that stuff to her?
She sighed, stroking the snow away from his sleeping face and from his jacket. She casted her attentive gaze over to him again. She gradually found herself lost in just staring.
The snow was still falling gracefully around them. The soft glow of the moonlight speared dimly through the white tipped trees, its affectionate rays kissing over Tae Hyun’s perfectly crafted features.
One would think Yoori would use the peaceful time wisely and use it to recollect her thoughts. Yet, all she could think about was him, the handsome devil sleeping like an angel on her lap.
Kwon Tae Hyun, Kwon Tae Hyun, Kwon Tae Hyun….
She was lost, so lost in an enrapturing daze…
Before she could catch herself, her fingers had already ventured onto the contour of his jaw. Ever so slowly, she slid her finger down the defined line and rested it on the skin of his smooth cheek.
Yoori couldn’t decide why, despite all her gripes about him, she was so fascinated with Kwon Tae Hyun. Do I like him because he’s handsome or do I like him because he’s Kwon Tae Hyun? The question may appear redundant but it posed as a significant query for Yoori. She had always thrown her attraction for Tae Hyun as nothing but a crush because he was more than easy on the eyes. She accepted the fact that she may be a bit superficial but if that were the case, then wouldn’t she have the toughest time choosing between him and Ji Hoon? Her attachment, loyalty, and feelings were all given to Tae Hyun and to this day, she didn’t know why he commanded such an unyielding attachment from her.
There was an off-handed charm that Tae Hyun possessed, which made him more alluring and addicting for Yoori. She thought about all the qualities he possessed – good and bad. Tae Hyun could be sweet when he wanted to be but he could also be a jackass if he wanted to be. It was funny because she actually felt that she could handle the asshole side better than the sweet side of Tae Hyun. At least with the asshole side, she could have enough sense to argue back. But on reserved occasions where Tae Hyun threw his charms at her, there was never a moment where Yoori didn’t feel weak in the knees and completely lose all her senses.
She exhaled, her eyes straying onto the contents of his sexy lips.
What an enticing moment.
My, my…how inviting they look under the glow of the soft moon...
A naughty thought occurred to her. She knew she shouldn’t do it because it was like playing with fire but yet…she had the biggest yearning to do it. Why not, right? He was asleep. It wouldn’t count as anything.
Yeah, her confused and tipsy self urged. Her eyes were still marked on those enticing lips of his. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt if she did it fast. It wouldn’t hurt if she just –
Without a second’s hesitation, Yoori, with all her inhibition thrown into an abyss, leaned forward and pecked his tempting lips with hers.
It was quick with intention, but powerful enough by nature to send a fire sprouting onto her lips.
She gasped quietly and straightened herself up. Her eyes still locked on him, she gulped in disbelief at what she had done. Her lips burned, begging for more of his lips as her heart pounded fiercely against her chest.
She just took advantage of Tae Hyun and kissed him!
She tried.
She tried so hard to bite her lips to prevent a smile from overtaking it but her nerves were too overwhelmed. It was nice. The stolen kiss was so nice. It was so nice that she wanted another one but with whatever strength she had left, she somehow managed to anchor herself from giving into another round of temptation. She had already taken advantage of Tae Hyun’s drunken state…surely she couldn’t do it again.
The implications of her actions only rained down on her when she caressed the short strands of his hair, her eyes feasting on the features of Tae Hyun’s countenance.
Her thoughts ran amuck while she admired him.
He looked just like a fallen angel while he slept. Even the moon favored him as it kissed his smooth skin. It all felt like a dream, like a complete dream until –
“Can I have another?”
Shit! Yoori cursed in her head, panicking when she realized that he was awake. He wasn’t actually asleep?
“Huh?” she managed to squeak out, her eyes enlarged in urgency. She gaped at his still sleeping countenance, unsure if she just heard right.
“No, no, no, don’t stop…another,” he murmured again, his eyes still closed.
Her heart breathed in relief when she realized that he was only dreaming. “Thank you,” she mouthed while gazing toward the sky. “Thank you so much.”
“BOSSES!” Yoori heard two voices call out from the side.
At the sound of the voices, a once dreaming Tae Hyun woke up to see Yoori staring down at him. She tried her best to stay relaxed when she observed that, through the drowsiness in his eyes, he was actually staring at her strangely.
He looked unsure as he continued to stare. And then, just as more snow graced his face, he parted his lips and said, “Did…did you do something to me while I was sleeping?”
“Excuse me?” she spluttered out, snorting as if she couldn’t believe how ridiculous he was being – even though she was worried shitless. “What would I do to you?”
She bit her lips but immediately stopped when she saw that Tae Hyun was biting his lips too.
He was still staring at her suspiciously.
Was it just her or was he eyeing her guilty lips?
Great.
This was her karma for taking advantage of her BFF.
No more drinking for her!
“They…they’re here!” she announced, desperately trying to change the subject.
She was saved when the brothers, both dressed in jeans, black puffy jackets, and beanies, finally reached them. The brothers looked sleepy and a little bit bitter to be in the park. No doubt they were reminded of the pond they fell into.
“Hey Boss Kwon, you alright?” Jae Won asked warily when he saw that Tae Hyun was still laying his head on Yoori’s lap.
“Did we interrupt something?” Kang Min asked, heeding his brother’s apprehension when he concluded that the scene before them looked suspiciously provocative.
“Tae Hyun’s drunk and I’m a bit tipsy,” Yoori explained, wanting to telepathically hug them for coming just in the nick of time. Heroes. That was what these two were. They were her heroes.
“I’m not drunk,” Tae Hyun stated defensively. He lifted his head from her lap and sat upright on the bench. “I’m just tipsy too.”
Kang Min smiled and then looked at Yoori. “Yeah Yoori, boss rarely gets drunk. He can handle his liquor.”
Yoori let out a round of laughter when she thought about how ridiculous Tae Hyun had been acting throughout the night. “Oh you didn’t see how drunk he was when he was speaking to me earlier – ”
Yoori only quietly stopped laughing when she realized a dawning of realization had illuminated in the brothers’ eyes when they heard what she said.
The brothers quietly averted their gazes over to Tae Hyun, who was sitting pretty on the bench. His lethargic eyes met their questioning ones.
It was an odd scene for Yoori because she didn’t quite understand what was happening. It was like the brothers and Tae Hyun were having a telepathic conversation while they stared at one another in silence. Was it one of those guy things where they didn’t have to say anything yet they completely understood each other? It seemed that way when the brothers finally blinked in comprehension.
Then, as if nothing occurred, they turned back to
Yoori with a hidden smile on their faces and merely said, “You ready to go?”
Still flustered as to what had just taken place, she turned to Tae Hyun. He was staring at her with innocence in his eyes.
“You ready?” he also asked.
She nodded apprehensively. She was ready to go, but she was not ready for whatever it was that Tae Hyun had planned for her.
As innocent as his eyes appeared, there was still a sultry light within them that left her on the edge of her seat. If her womanly intuition concerning the matter was any indication, then the interesting night she was having was far from over. If anything, the epic portion of their already eventful night was ready to take place.
“Rest assured. . .”
19: Confessions of a King
The ride back home was an uneventful one. Afraid that they’d throw up in Tae Hyun’s Mercedes, both Yoori and Tae Hyun insisted that they ride in the backseat of Kang Min’s blue BMW instead. That suggestion was much to the delight of Jae Won, who was psyched that he got to drive the Mercedes and was able to get out of riding with the drunk people. It was a suggestion that was much to the bitter dismay of Kang Min, whose eyes nearly watered when he heard the news that the drunk people were riding in his precious car.
Kang Min, clearly afraid that driving too fast (and using his brakes too much) would trigger the barf-mode in his passengers, made sure the ride was safe and smooth. After a couple of friendly green lights and several stoplights, they reached Tae Hyun’s apartment just as the snow stopped falling. Jae Won, who had gotten to the apartment before them, ran out of the car to help carry Tae Hyun out after they parked.
The journey back up to the apartment was smooth too.
As soon as they helped Yoori and Tae Hyun into the elevator, Yoori informed the brothers that she could take care of Tae Hyun and thanked them for all their help.
The Fall of Gods (A Welcome to the Underworld Novel, Book 2) Page 29