The War of Gods (A Welcome to the Underworld Novel, Book 3) (29 page)

J
u Won continued to speak, his eyes moving from Yoori to Tae Hyun. “We were under the impression that you weren’t going to be here tonight, Tae Hyun.”

His voice was warm
—too warm.

“Impressions were wrong,
” Tae Hyun answered with a warm voice of his own. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

“No,” Dong Min said
pleasantly, “you have something else that may be more important to you than the world, right, my boy?” The muscles in Tae Hyun’s body tensed when Dong Min averted his stern gaze to Yoori. “I see that everything has worked out well for our young lovebirds.”

“
And it’s going to stay that way,” Tae Hyun said with a nod, earning a disapproving glare from his Advisor.

“Young lover’s quarrels,
” Ju Won noted with hearty amusement. He turned to Dong Min with a chuckle. “Didn’t I tell you and Jung Min that I knew they would get back together soon? I knew our boy couldn’t stay away from the one who stole his heart.”

Yoori could detect the sheer anger in Ju Won’s gleeful voice. Outward appearances aside, h
e was extremely pissed off that Tae Hyun was still with her. It went against all their warnings. 

There was forced amusement in Dong Min’s smile
, and this alone scared Yoori. He was, if not more, pissed.

“I’m
glad it all worked out and I’m glad you came,” Dong Min said to Tae Hyun, still trying to maintain his cool. “I just spoke to some of your mentors from the 1
st
layer. They brought some of their colleagues from the 1
st
layer in China and Japan to meet you. We should go and see them. They’re anxious to meet you.”

Tae Hyun nodded. He protectively intertwined his fingers with Yoori’s. “Of course,
I would love to introduce them to Yoori.”

“Actually
, would you mind if I spoke to her for a moment?” Ju Won interjected gently. “We haven’t had a chance to converse. I would love the opportunity to get to know her. From the looks of how things are going, she may be the new Queen of Serpents, right?”

“That won’t be necessary,
” Tae Hyun declined swiftly. He made no effort to hide his warning glare. There was no way he was going to leave Yoori alone with Ju Won.

“
Tae Hyun,” Dong Min chimed in warningly. “There are certain topics that Yoori shouldn’t be privy to when we’re having important discussions with your mentors.” His eyes grew gentler when they roamed from Yoori and then back to Tae Hyun. “This is a great night for a great cause. There will be no troubles brewing; Ju Won just wants to get to know Yoori.”

Tae Hyun
was prepared to decline the offer again when Yoori said, “Tae Hyun, just go. I want to get to know Ju Won.”

She
received a less than pleasant stare from Tae Hyun when she unclasped her hand from his. He wasn’t happy that she was looking for trouble with one of the biggest sharks of all.

“Yoori—”

Yoori cut Tae Hyun off with a big smile to Ju Won. “I would love to keep you company.” She would be damned if she allowed Ju Won to intimidate her any further. This old bastard had been a nuisance in her life. She was ready to give him a piece of her mind. “I’ve heard so much about you. It would be an honor to have some quality time with you.”

She smiled wider
, giving a pissed off Tae Hyun a stare that told him she would be fine. She turned back to Ju Won while Tae Hyun closed his eyes in defeat.

Dong Min chuckled approving
ly while Ju Won smiled in victory.

“Well, that settles it then!” Ju Won
exclaimed, grinning at Tae Hyun, whose expression was guarded with worry. “I won’t go far. I’ll speak to her on one of the patios. When you’re ready, you can come and find us there.”

“
Uncle,” Tae Hyun voiced politely, brushing past Ju Won. He stopped when he was arm-to-arm with him. “I trust that Yoori won’t be upset when I come back for her. It would definitely dampen my evening if she was anything but comfortable.”

The contents of his words were respectful
, but the deliverance dripped with warning.

“Spoken by a true King,” said Ju Won, unperturbed
. He took a step to the side to allow Tae Hyun to pass. He faced Yoori and extended his arm to her. His expression radiated warmth when he said, “Now if you’ll excuse us, we’ll be outside if you need anything.”

With a nod of goodbye
and a brief expression of worry from Tae Hyun, they soon parted ways. Although she was with one of the top sharks in the Underworld, Yoori felt no fear. Yoori knew Ju Won wasn’t looking to harm her tonight. As long as she didn’t cause too much trouble, Nemo was safe from all the sharks for the time being.

She apprehensively took his arm and
walked with him. Yoori felt sick to her stomach while she walked arm-in-arm with Ju Won. Being this close to someone so evil made her nauseous, to the extent where she wanted to run away. Albeit she was revolted, Yoori kept a pleasant expression on her face. Appearances were everything in this world and there was no one better to practice this with than the master himself.

There were t
hree sets of patios that adorned Ju Won’s mansion. The one in the west overlooked the vastness of the hills they were on. The one in the east held the view of the city in all its glory and the gargantuan one in the center led into Ju Won’s majestic garden. For their meeting together, Yoori and Ju Won headed in the direction of the west patio, the one furthest away from the life of the party and the one secluded enough for muted conversations.

“
Is Jin Ae here, sir?” Yoori blurted while they swept across the dim ballroom. She didn’t know why she asked, but she had to get the question out. She had been at the party for a while now and she hadn’t even caught a glimpse of Jin Ae. She was beginning to wonder if the girl was even here.

A smile broadened his lips
. “After what happened during your initiation, I didn’t feel it was necessary for her to make an appearance when you’re in attendance. I do hate it when my guests feel uncomfortable.”

“T
hat was very considerate of you,” Yoori voiced when they approached the patio doors.

They
stepped onto the marble foundation of the patio. She detached her arm from his. She briefly wondered if Ju Won knew the things Jin Ae did to Chae Young. Yoori concluded that Ju Won must’ve known what Jin Ae did. This was why Jin Ae wasn’t present tonight. The thought made her blood boil. Her hatred for Ju Won grew exponentially. It was no surprise that a bitch like Jin Ae would have an uncle like Ju Won.

The cool air greeted their walk toward
the railing of the patio. Since it was considerably cold, everyone was mingling inside, leaving Yoori and Ju Won with the patio to themselves. The only breath of warmth came from the heating lamps that were scattered on various parts of the patio.

As the
world inside the mansion continued without them, a sudden curiosity hit Yoori.

“You said that you didn’t feel it was necessary for Jin Ae to be present while I was in attendance.” She eyed Ju Won while they walked side by side. “How did you know I was coming?”

“I knew that you wouldn’t miss this party for the world.” He smiled to himself. “Masquerade balls have always been your favorite events.”

Yoori broke eye contact and looked at the world outside the mansion. Her eyes roamed over the panoramic view. Ju Won’s infinity pool spilled
into the dark horizon that was bejeweled with distant skyscrapers and twinkling lights. Even though she didn’t enjoy her company, she had to admit this patio offered the most spectacular views.

“You mean masquerade balls were Soo Jin’s favorite events,” she corrected silently, almost defensively.

“I know about your meeting with Jung Min,” Ju Won said coolly. His eyes wandered over the panoramic view. “There is no need to beat around the bush. It’s just us. No one else is here. You don’t have to hide your curiosity about her. It is okay to hate her and be fascinated with her. There is a reason why this world hasn’t forgotten about her.”

Yoori tightened her jaw. She did not say anything to refute his words because that was exactly what she felt: hatred and fascination with An Soo Jin. Albeit he was correct with his words, she would not give him the satisfaction of her verbally confirming it.

He smiled at her silence. “Do you not wonder about her past? About the Queen behind all the legends?”

Yoori swallowed tightly again. She allowed the silence to sweep past her. Curiosity gnawed at her, but she kept it contained. She knew why Ju Won was doing this. He wasn’t intent on reminiscing about Soo Jin; he was intent on trying to trigger her memories. Yoori was determined to not walk into this trap. She had to keep Soo Jin at bay.

“Tae Hyun told me that you throw a charity event every year in your daughter’s name,” she launched, changing the subject and breaking the small silence that perused between them. “That’s very admirable.”

Yoori
wanted to vomit at her own words as she stared out into the distance. “
Admirable my ass
,” she thought, sickening clouds storming her mind.

Ju Won
chuckled bitterly. He did not look deterred with her blatant disregard for Soo Jin’s past, but he did look perturbed by her words. As if reading her thoughts, he said, “I am one of the longest living crime lords this world has ever known. There’s nothing admirable about throwing a charity event once every year for my daughter.”

J
u Won, like most of the crime lords she had met, wasn’t in the mood for her bullshit. Evidently, the art of beating around the bush was not a valuable virtue for any of the crime lords in the Underworld.

He went on, his voice growing icier.
“I do my part because I love children and I love my only daughter even more. There’s no need for admiration. I think you know that I, of all people, don’t deserve any admiration.” He cast a sideways glance in her direction. “I know you have a lot of animosity for me. Let’s address it, shall we?”

Yoori smirked, relieved that she was able to lose it with the geniality. She would give him credit for being charitable every year for his de
ceased daughter’s sake, but she would give him no more than that.

“Fine, we’ll cut the bullshit then,” s
he began severely. Her ice-cold eyes pulsed with warning. “I’m sick and tired of you trying to pull me and Tae Hyun apart. You may have a hold over Soo Jin, but you have no hold over me. I know you requested that both Tae Hyun and Ji Hoon stay away from me because I’m a distraction, but I’m not with Ji Hoon, and I would appreciate it if you stayed out of my relationship with Tae Hyun. Just because he wants to be with me doesn’t mean he’ll lose sight of the power he seeks in this world.”

Ju Won kept
his tranquil eyes on the view ahead. His arms behind his back, he continued to look unfazed by her hardened words.

“Behind us is the gathering of some of the most powerful people
the world will ever know. The majority of the people in there are so high up that they could strike fear in government officials and silence the world as they please. At the top of that magnificent pyramid are Tae Hyun and Ji Hoon.” He turned to her, unreadable poignancy teeming in his eyes. “Do you not see it, my child? Even crime lords from other countries are flocking here to meet them—both of them. They want to meet them because they want to know who the next potential Lords are.” He held his father-like gaze on her, his voice growing gentler. “You may not understand it, but everything that is being done right now is done for your own good—for all three of you. Love gets in the way of everything and the three of you shouldn’t fall victim to it, especially not with all the talent you have. You’re better than that.”

“So planting seeds of doubt in us, instigating
, and pitting us against one another is for our own good?” She exhaled patiently, wondering if it was possible for Ju Won to see the steam coming out of her ears. She was so angry. His words were pure bullshit. “You’re not helping any of us, Ju Won,” she confronted fearlessly, a foreign part of her giving her the strength she needed to talk back to Ju Won. “All you’re doing right now is entertaining yourself because you know your death is near and your glory days are over.”

Her insult snapped the last shred of his patience.

“
You ungrateful fool!
” Ju Won gritted through his teeth. For the first time since Yoori had met him, Ju Won finally displayed anger. “How dare you speak to me that way? You think just because you have the young Kings in the palms of your hands that I’d be afraid to do anything to you? Think again,” he spat, his eyes burning with rage that scared the living hell out of Yoori.

Ju Won
noted the fear in her gaze and instantly subdued the fire in his eyes. It was only then did Yoori experience a déjà vu of sorts. Ju Won scared her when he was composed, but he scared her—and the Soo Jin buried deep within her—even more when he lost his temper.

He took in a deep inhalation and averted his gaze unto the horizon. The coolness in his voice returned.
“You have so much to learn. Power is fleeting in this world. All those people in there may adore and admire Tae Hyun, but this is a cruel world. Behind their smiles, they are waiting to find out what the great King’s Achilles’ heel would be.” He sharpened his eyes onto her. “Soo Jin was the Achilles’ heel for Ji Hoon and he was knocked down a notch from power because these people saw his weakness. Do you think you won’t be the same downfall for Tae Hyun?”