The Fall of Gods (A Welcome to the Underworld Novel, Book 2) (50 page)

“What was that for?” he asked, his eyes gleaming with content.

“That wasn’t a kiss,” Yoori elaborated, releasing her grip on either side of his towel, allowing him to stand back up. “I’m just returning what I stole last night.”

“I was under the impression that you weren’t giving it back.”

“There’s a first time for everything.”

He smiled, almost ready to get up again when Yoori held onto his arm.
 

“Tae Hyun,” she voiced worriedly. “I can hear it in their voices. They’re angry with you.” No matter how distracted she was
, she couldn’t shake the fear off of her, especially when she knew he was getting ready to meet them.

“I know they are.” His gaze on her was confident, unafraid. Rising up, he drew across the room and approached the closet where he pulled out a gray, long sleeved dress shirt and black pants. “But at the end the day, their power is to merely advise. They have no direct power
 over me.” Running his hand through a sleeve of his shirt, Tae Hyun also said, “Now close your eyes.”

Seeing that he was in the process of changing his pants, she did as she was told.
 

“Just…just
 don’t underestimate them,” she warned with her eyes shut, listening as his pajama pants fell to the floor. 

“I never do.” She heard him murmur before long seconds later, a warm palm touched her face.

Yoori opened her eyes and saw that Tae Hyun was staring down at her with a smile that nearly had her keeling over for air. He was fully dressed and he looked as mouthwatering as ever.

“Thanks for the concern though, Brat.” Natural charm radiated from him even when he wasn’t trying to exude it. He extracted his hand from her cheek and reached for his Blackberry. “It’s nice to know that you’re attached to me enough.”
 

Spurred with the walls of her defense, she said, “If you get hurt, then I’ll have to take care of you. I’m too lazy for that.” She didn’t mean any of it and she knew he didn’t believe any of it. She just had to get it out there for the record.

She jumped off the bed and followed a laughing Tae Hyun as he ventured out of the room and into the living room. Their living room illumed with natural sunlight. It invigorated Yoori to see such a sight.

“Call Jae Won or Kang Min if you want to go anywhere,” he instructed, already grabbing his keys from the coffee table. He headed straight for the door. “And if you see them, ask them what they want for dinner.”
 

In light of all the new developments that had occurred, Yoori had momentarily forgotten about the dinner party they were having. A small tread of hope kindled within her. At least there were still good things happening, she thought distractedly before chasing after him.

“Wait!” she cried, running barefoot behind him as he wore his black leather shoes. “Hey, I have last words for you.” 

“What is it?” he asked tiredly. His hand was already pulling the door open.
 

In lieu of saying anything, Yoori simply stomped up to him with the intention of yelling at him one last time for seducing her the night prior and warning him to be careful with the Advisors.
 She had intended to merely voice all of that but instead, she did the unthinkable. 

She
 
shoved
 him.

“Have you
 
lost 
your mind?” Tae Hyun asked bewilderingly, flabbergasted by the unexpected show of violence on Yoori’s part. 

“
That was for trying to seduce me last night. You perv, I can’t believe you actually grabbed my hands and ran them down your chest and stomach. You know I have a thing for your abs.” She shoved him again. “And you better be careful with them or I’ll kill you. I don’t want to host that stupid dinner all by myself.” She finished that warning with a final shove that left him to stare at her in annoyance. “And that’s for just being you. I hate you.”

“You know what, Choi Yoori?” Tae Hyun asked through gritted teeth. His patience was visibly pushed over the edge.
 

“
What?”

And then he did the unthinkable: he
shoved
her as well. 

Nearly causing her to collide with the wall behind her, he caught her just in time before any damage was done to her body. After that, he picked her up and pressed her against the wall, causing her to instinctively wrap her legs around his
hips. Yoori’s first inclination was to fight to get out of his hold, but her body’s first reaction was to wrap her arms around his neck. And that was what she did. She wrapped her arms around his neck like she was his beloved girlfriend rather than an uninterested personal assistant.

Tae Hyun’s lips swept over hers, his kiss filled with hunger and need. Fire spread through Yoori’s lips, spikes of warmth and bliss surged from the crown of her head to the tip of her toes. It was a kiss they had been dying to have since morning resumed. Reveling in the feel of his lips whispering on hers, Yoori was almost lost in it when he abruptly pulled away, panting fiercely.

He brought a palm up and framed her cheek with it. “
That
 was for cuffing me to the bed last night.” His lips met hers again. It was short, but still filled with immeasurable fire. “
That
 was for rejecting me when I asked to be your boyfriend.” He nipped her lips again. “
That’s
 so you don’t forget how much you want me.” 

While pulling away, he allowed Yoori to fall back against the wall, holding onto her to keep her from crashing to the ground. He then cupped her face and kissed her again,
 
one last time
. This one was longer, wilder and more passionate – all of which left Yoori stunned with so much ecstasy that she was certain she would pass out if Tae Hyun hadn’t pulled away from her in time. 

“What…what was that last one for?” she asked, panting for air with Tae Hyun.
 

“I’m not giving
 it back to you,” he simply stated. He closed his eyes and briefly pressed his forehead against hers. Their yearning breaths mingled in excitement as they both fought for air.

Still flustered, she said,
“Give what back?” 

He didn’t answer her. Bestowing her with one last kiss on the forehead, he finally pulled himself away. He approached the opened door like he never got
into a “I-have-to-have-you-now-kiss” with Yoori, who still looked mesmerized. Her eyes were still dreary from the kiss. 

“Don’t miss me too much,” he imparted with a sultry grin.

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving Yoori lost in wonderment. Her back was still pressed against the wall, her body still adjusting to the kiss that just took place.

“I’m not giving it back to you,”
 she repeated in her fragmented mind. Was he talking about the “stolen” kiss or something else? What the hell did he mean by that? She was lost in a series of unanswerable questions until the sound of soft knocking left her staring at the door. 

Under the impression that it was Tae Hyun, Yoori, who quickly fixed her hair to look presentable and composed, meandered over to the door and opened it without looking through the peephole.

“Did you want another dramatic goodbye – ” 

Yoori’s heart stalled when it was clear that the person she was talking to
 wasn’t Tae Hyun. It was someone else. Someone else she didn’t want to see and someone she was deathly afraid of seeing.

Shin Jung Min.

“Yoori,” Jung Min greeted.

His lips quirked into a smile that didn’t reach his cold eyes.
He looked just as intimidating as when she last saw him at Ju Won’s mansion, if not more intimidating. He was an old man, yet he still towered over her, reminding her of how powerful he was when he beat her through her five-minute initiation.

“Tae…Tae Hyun isn’t here,” was all Yoori could muster out. Her nails dug into the knob of the door. She was tempted to slam the door in his face but she resisted. She didn’t know Jung Min that well, but she knew the old man was strong. He wasn’t someone to piss off.
 

His face displayed no emotion to the news.

“I know,” he stated simply. “I came here to see you.”

“Me?”

He nodded, still stoic and dangerous. 

“Can I have a few moments with you?” His tone was a warning one. It was one that hinted that he wouldn’t take no for an answer and that he would use other forces to convince her if necessary. He didn’t raise his voice, nor did he glare at her, nor did he make threats, but his calm demeanor sent chills up her spine all the same.

Yoori wanted to refuse him. She was getting ready to find an excuse when the words of protest lodged itself against her throat after Jung Min gravely added, “It’ll only be a few moments.”

His eyes dimmed in forewarning.

“Tae Hyun is being given a few moments to decide how he wants to get rid of you. You should have a few moments to decide the same.”

“The time will come. . .”

21: Lord of the Underworld

CenYen Mist. 

That was where Shin Jung Min brought her. He brought her to
a contemporary teahouse that has been a luxury staple in Seoul for years now. Surrounded by indoor waterfalls as walls in every corner, the teahouse oozed of wealth and power. The atmosphere was serene. There were only a couple of guests in the big central room that stretched over the entire vicinity. It gave a “homey” feeling of sorts.

From what Yoori heard,
 CenYen Mist had an exclusive clientele. If you weren’t a prominent figure in Seoul’s society, you wouldn’t be able to book a reservation for months. And apparently, Shin Jung Min was one of those prominent figures in society as he commanded one of the bigger tables that sat in a secluded area of the teahouse.

Dressed in a light brown sweater and brown pants, Jung Min looked like he would be a regular uncle that
you would have tea with – that was if your uncle was one of the top Advisors in the Underworld.

The serenity of the teahouse should have relaxed Yoori, who was sitting in a wooden chair across from Jung Min. 

A waitress placed their expensive tea in front of them.

“How were you after your initiation?” Jung Min asked casually, sipping from his tea.

The waitress gave them a polite bow, loosened the green chiffon drape to give them privacy and left. 

Yoori swallowed her green tea and fidgeted in her seat. Caught off guard that Jung Min of all people was at her doorstep, Yoori only cared enough to grab Tae Hyun’s black hoodie as her source of warmth. It was ironic, she thought, to be talking about the initiation when she was wearing the exact same hoodie that she was beaten in.
 

“I was fine,” she answered meekly, careful to not divulge into so much information.

She wondered why Jung Min was wasting so much time with small talk. After that cryptic message at her doorstep, Yoori hoped he would give her some respect and just stop beating around the bushes. She was still feeling uneasy. 

“Tae Hyun must’ve taken good care of you afterward,” said Jung Min, his eyes cold as ever.

“He did.” Never being one for patience, small talk evaded Yoori. She felt compelled to address the pink elephant in the room. “I just wanted you to know that I’m not who you think I am.”

“Don’t patronize me,” Jung Min said severely. Evidently, he was not a fan of useless small talk either.

Yoori had to use all her strength to not flinch from the fear that raced through her. He didn’t raise his voice but there was something about Jung Min that just terrified her. 

Now
 they were getting right down to business.

“You may be able to fool Ji Hoon, you may be able to fool Kang Min and Jae Won, and you may be able to fool Tae Hyun…but you can’t fool me.” His gaze on her grew stronger.
 “I was there in the hospital with your mother and father when you were born. I was there for each and every one of your birthdays. I was the one who trained you for 10 years, so don’t you dare patronize me and say that you’re not the person I 
know
 you are. The three of us know who you are, Soo Jin. We’re just respecting your wishes and the new life you’ve created for yourself.”

“What new life have I created for myself?” Yoori asked, maintaining her composure and continuing to play dumb. She hadn’t anticipated Jung Min to go into details about being there for her in the past. It caught her by surprise. She was certain it wouldn’t be the last thing he says that would catch her by surprise today.
 

“Right now, you’re either lying to me or you did something to yourself and now you’ve completely lost your memory.” He sighed knowingly and almost mockingly.
 “And with what happened the other night…the way you ‘allowed’ us to beat you down like you were a dog, I’m betting on the latter. You used one of the test drugs we concocted, didn’t you? You faked your death, injected yourself with the shot that brought forth your blissful amnesia and now here you are, a completely new person who is more than free from the guilt of what she did to that poor family in the club.”