Welcome to the Underworld (A Welcome to the Underworld Novel, Book 1)

by Con Template

  "Oh and also…Choi Yoori, we have not decided on the formalities of your punishment."

  She looked at him, the weight of the suitcase heavy in her hand. "Well...isn't having me be your full-time servant good enough?"

  "Assistant," he corrected as though the politically correct term would make her feel better.

  "Crumbs to the peasant," she dismissed. She held her chin up. "That said, I think forcing me to move in with you is punishment enough."

  "Who says you're moving in?"

  Annoyance knitted her brows. "Why am I holding my suitcase then?"

  "You're staying over as part of your punishment for running away. I can't trust you right now. Think of it as your probation. I need you where I can easily find you."

  Again, Yoori did not like his choice of words. “Part of your punishment…” What else could he punish her with? Wasn’t the torture of being around him 24/7 enough of a punishment?

  "Okay..." she trailed off uncertainly. "What do you have in mind for the rest of my punishment?"

  He lifted his powerful shoulders up and shrugged. "I'll think of something."

  Her spine stiffened. He seemed too happy, like he already had something diabolical in mind...

  “Choi Yoori,” he said, diverting her thoughts to the living room. “I think I left my wallet on your coffee table. Please go grab it for me."

  She sighed at his request. My first official duty as a walking slave...She dragged her feet and went into the living room. She didn't like how he commanded her as opposed to asking her nicely but she felt no energy to argue. She was absolutely exhausted. As she drew closer to the coffee table, she belatedly realized that she was still dressed in her bathrobe.

  "Before we go, give me a few minutes to change out of this bathrobe – What the hell?"

  When she felt something cold encircle her left wrist, Yoori whipped her head back like a snake.

  Her gaze lowered to her wrist in horror. Every muscle in her body froze at the sight of the ghastly device. It couldn't be what she thought it was...

  Yoori's nightmare became reality when she concluded that she had just been handcuffed! And if the horrific sight before her wasn't bad enough, Tae Hyun decided to sprinkle a bit more disaster onto Yoori's already crappy life.

  The flow of her blood slowed when she watched as Tae Hyun encircled his right wrist with the other cuff. He fixed the collar of his shirt, inadvertently causing Yoori's left wrist to dangle about with his actions. Tae Hyun then purposefully tugged at her wrist, leading her to the door.

  Lost in disbelief, Yoori gawked at a smug Tae Hyun as they exited her apartment. She was stupefied beyond words. It was bad enough that she was handcuffed like a common criminal, but to be handcuffed to the Devil himself?

  "Choi Yoori," he began, extremely pleased with himself. A roguish grin crept upon his handsome face. "If you haven't already figured it out, I've decided on the other part of your punishment."

  “To be the leading hand in this world. . .”

  08: Chained to You

  It could not have looked more wrong.

  Being dragged out of her apartment complex with a handcuff on her wrist could not have looked more wrong. Things could not have looked worse, but they did. They looked worse because she was not only dragged around in handcuffs, but she was also dragged around while wearing a pink bathrobe. Could this make her look anymore like a common prostitute?

  In the purest of shame, Yoori lowered her head while she exited her apartment with Tae Hyun. She couldn’t have hated him more.

  "Is this really necessary?" she hissed, hiding her face behind his back when she passed several of her neighbors.

  "Was it really necessary for you to run off?" he asked, relentlessly pulling her out into the cold streets.

  "Yes!" she screamed through gritted teeth. Her body shuddered when the cool air speared through the fabric of her bathrobe and grazed her skin. It definitely didn't help that she had just showered. Her hair was still damp and she was getting a headache from the cold.

  "Then it's necessary that I do this as well," he countered, speeding up.

  Struggling to keep up, she glared at his profile. "How is this necessary?"

  He kept his attention on the sidewalk ahead. "You show absolutely no remorse for what you did. You don't think what you did was wrong. How can I trust that you won't run away again? I can't trust you. Not right now. This is the only way to make sure that you will never run again."

  "Okay, okay, okay. Lesson learned," she lied, already formulating a plot to take off again. "Can you please un-cuff me? My wrist hurts.”

  "Choi Yoori, this is not a lesson. This is a punishment. It doesn't matter if you 'learned your lesson.’ This punishment will ensure that you will never forget it."

  She glared at his wickedly witty answer. "You are pure evil."

  He hid a crooked smile. "I prefer to see myself as strict."

  Yoori’s attention veered when she took inventory of the unfamiliar scenery around her.

  It was darker now.

  The unnatural silence of this new neighborhood scared her. Her eyes scanned the streets again. It looked empty, but she somehow knew that wasn't the case. Akin to a scary movie playing in her mind, Yoori jumped after hearing a twig snap. She was sure of it now. They were definitely not alone. Fear alive and well in her body, Yoori sped up to be closer to Tae Hyun. At least one of them appeared unaffected by the sudden change in their environment.

  "I run everything around here," he calmly reassured her, his eyes focused on the sidewalk ahead. "Nothing is going to happen."

  Yoori remained alert. His territory or not, the area they were in was too scary for her. It didn't help that she couldn't really defend herself by making a run for it because she was handcuffed. It also didn't help that she was still wearing her bathrobe. She cursed the fated world for this horrible karma. Everything was going against her.

  As if the ominous silence wasn't enough to scare her, an unexpected murmur in the darkness caused Yoori's heart to race faster.

  "Is that really her?" a voice asked.

  "What’s she doing with boss?" another voice asked.

  "Shit,” the third one stated. “She's back.”

  A rock lodged in her throat. Yoori turned in the direction of the voices. She spotted four shadows standing near a tree. They froze upon noticing her attention on them. As they continued to walk, Yoori glanced at Tae Hyun, who remained unaffected by the entire situation.

  "Did – did you hear that?" she stuttered, speeding to catch up with him. “What did they mean when they said I’m back?" She looked around, trying to spot more hidden shadows in the darkness. To her relief, she didn't find anymore – none that she could spot at least. She swallowed uneasily. Was it her or was something odd happening around here?

  Tae Hyun shrugged his indifference. "They know you as the assistant who ran away. Word gets around."

  Yoori nodded, staring around vacantly. His answer made sense. They always made sense but they never seemed to quench her curiosity. Her intuition told her that there was more than what he was telling her however, her rationality told her to stop being overly paranoid. For that night, Yoori decided it was best to be rational.

  "Are we there yet?" she whispered. It no longer mattered where they were headed. She just wanted to get off the streets.

  She was surprised when he actually said yes.

  She stared up at his apartment complex in disbelief. After what appeared to be the longest journey of her life, they finally arrived at the doorsteps of Tae Hyun's apartment. She was finally out of the scrutiny of the public eye.

  Tae Hyun yawned before closing the door behind him. He switched on the lights.

  "Well, I'm ready for bed,” he announced, fatigue present in his quiet voice.

  Yoori nodded absentmindedly, following him into his bedroom. She was ready for bed too.

  When they walked into his bedroom, Yoori's stunned eyes perused the room. The room was a very spacio
us one. A handsome mahogany desk sat in the room with various cabinets surrounding the area. The king sized bed, which was ordained with black silk, caught her eye. It was absolutely breathtaking. The decadence of the bedroom appeared as if it was a room specifically built for royalty.

  All hail the King of Serpents, she marveled stupidly. Oh how she wanted to sleep on that bed for the rest of her lif – WAIT A SECOND!

  She looked at their cuffed wrists in dread. The prude within her emerged.

  "Um, Tae Hyun?" she began shyly.

  Loosening his tie, he regarded her. "Yeah?"

  "There's only one bed..." she trailed off, hoping Tae Hyun would catch her drift. Didn’t he realize what an honorable girl she was? She couldn't share a bed with him.

  He stared at her blankly, his expression not comprehending her subtle words. "Yeah?"

  Yoori blinked slowly. She didn't know if he was playing dumb or if he was serious. "There's two of us..." she continued, trailing off again. She prayed he would catch the drift this time.

  His blank stare remained. "Yeah?"

  Yoori gawked at him. Wow, he really sucked at picking up subtleties. "Should. I. Move. The. Couch. In. Here?" she said slowly, enunciating every word.

  He frowned in response to her speaking to him like he was a child. "I don't like people moving my stuff."

  Her exasperation with him elevated. He was really being a pain in the ass. It wasn't like she was moving his couch out to the park or something. She just wanted to move it into his room so she didn’t have to share a bed with him!

  "Well, should you un-cuff me then?” she suggested, preferring this option anyway. “I'll go sleep outside in the living room."

  He appraised her like she was the most untrustworthy criminal in the world. He shook his head. "I don't trust you. You'll probably take off again."

  She sputtered in outrage. "Where the hell am I going to sleep then?"

  He took off his tie and began to unbutton his shirt. "You can sleep on the floor next to my bed or you can sleep on the bed.” He yawned, approaching the bed with Yoori in tow. “Whatever you decide is fine with me."

  Yoori followed with a grimace, her cuffed wrist leading the way. "You're serious? My only options are the floor or the bed?"

  He flopped himself onto his bed, a move that caused her cuffed hand to be outstretched. He sighed as though relieved to finally be in the comfort of his own bed. Though it could never be proven, she was sure that it was his subtle way of telling her that she should choose the bed.

  Her eyes gradually fell upon his chest. He had unbuttoned his shirt and his perfectly tanned chest was now peeking out at her…not to mention a hint of his six-pack abs.

  Wow.

  Was she drooling? No, of course not. Gawking yes but not drooling.

  Yoori broke out of her momentary gawking phase when she saw that he opened his eyes.

  "Bed feels nice," he crooned in a hushed voice. He motioned her to the bed by patting the mattress.

  Yoori stared at him incredulously. What got into him? Was he really flirting or just screwing around? She heaved a bitter breath, positive that he was screwing around with her. She cursed and angrily grabbed a pillow from his bed. She couldn't believe she allowed his handsome physique to get the best of her...again.

  Determined to not allow herself to be hypnotized by Tae Hyun’s physical attractiveness, she tossed the pillow on the floor. She would not, under any circumstances, share the same bed as him. It wasn't right. For one, he was her boss and second, he was an evil crime lord. That fact in and of itself was a powerful deterrent.

  Yoori scowled when she heard Tae Hyun chuckle, his eyes on her as she kneeled on the floor. As soon as her bare knees touched the cold tiles, goose bumps ran up and down her skin, causing her to shiver under the pricking cold. With her left wrist dangling from his right wrist, she laid down. She groaned softly. The floor was cold, uncomfortable, and unforgiving.

  Tae Hyun poked his head out from above the bed. "There's enough room on the bed, you know."

  Yoori stared up. She felt her heart grow warmer at the sight before her. It amazed her that he was still smiling. Kwon Tae Hyun didn’t strike her as the type to be smiley for such a long period of time. It surprised her. Not so much that there was a genuinely happy smile on his face, but that seeing him happy made her smile too. It was one of those weird contagious things.

  Catching herself, Yoori cast her attention to her pillow. She didn't want to be caught staring for too long again. God knows the teasing he would put her through if he caught her gawking.

  "There's enough room down here too,” she countered, repositioning her pillow in distress. It broke her heart. No matter how much she repositioned it, the pillow would never be comfortable enough for her.

  "Alright then," she heard him say. She watched his head vanish from the bed. Her resentment amplified. The fool could try and convince her to sleep on the bed. She wasn’t planning on taking him up on his offer but wasn't it the gentlemanly thing to do? At least offer a couple more times before you actually stop!

  There was a slight tug on her cuffed wrist before the flash of a comforter gliding over the bed soared into her vision.

  As pricks of the gnawing cold jumped from the tiles and onto her skin, she was reminded of the importance of being warm. "Hey, do you have another blanket?"

  "Nope.”

  Her jaw slackened. "You really only have one?"

  Without deigning to stick his head out to speak to her, he said, "Yup.”

  "Well...can you throw half of your comforter down here so I can use it too?" The tiles were alarmingly cold.

  "Sorry. No can do. I don't like having my blanket on the floor."

  She sputtered in disbelief.

  "It's freezing down here!" she snapped, wanting to rip the comforter away from him instead of asking for permission. Though the alternative was tempting, Yoori resisted the urge to start any unnecessary drama.

  "You can come up on the bed at any time," he offered offhandedly.

  Although she couldn't see him, she detected a huge grin on his face when he said that last sentence. What a jerk!

  "Ugh! Forget it!" She grudgingly turned to her side. She tried to cross her arms to shelter herself from the cold. The anchor of the cuffs made it impossible. She shut her eyes, forcing herself to fall asleep so she wouldn’t have to suffer any longer.

  "Choi Yoori," she heard his voice again.

  Her lids lifted. His head reappeared above the bed. He lay on his chest, resting his chin against the edge of the bed. He smiled down at her.

  "What?" she answered impatiently.

  "Tell me about yourself," he prompted casually, staring down at her with interest.

  She gave him a skeptical look. After all that happened, he decided it was best to get to know her now? She eyed him suspiciously, wondering what he had up his sleeves. Tae Hyun's smile grew wider in response to her suspicious stare.

  Feeling that there was no harm in having this conversation, she sighed. "What do you want to know?" she asked, growing uncomfortable upon remembering the loss of her family and her amnesia. She was determined not to get into that part of the story. The last thing she wanted to do was share with a gang leader her sob story.

  "What do you want me to know?" he answered courteously, reading her uncomfortable body language.

  She relaxed fractionally, relieved that he posed the question in a way that made it easier for her to answer. "I'm originally from Taecin,” she began lively. "I first moved to Seoul about a year and a half ago. I've been here ever since."

  Tae Hyun kept his gaze on her, expecting her to go further into details. When all she did was blink at him, he chuckled. "Wow. That's really all you're going to tell me?"

  Yoori bounced her head smugly, feeling proud that she had the upper hand in the information-withholding department. "There's really not much to tell. That's the gist of it."

  Minus the amnesia and the part where her family died in a fire, of c
ourse. But again, Tae Hyun didn't need to know any of that.

  He nodded, accepting that she wasn't going to give him more details.

  Yoori jutted her chin up. "Your turn. Tell me about yourself."

  He laughed, thoroughly amused at the ball being bounced in his court. "Well to start, what do you think you know about me?"

  She was taken aback by how he posed the question. Interesting how he was supposed to answer but he somehow made it about her. She had no complaints though. She wanted to answer this one.

  "The King of Serpents, " she launched, examining him with a critical eye.

  The stereotypical hot and evil gang leader… She shook her head, unable to think of anything else to say aside from the obvious. "There's not too much room for imagination here, boss. Unfortunately, you’re every unpleasant thing I would expect a gang leader to be."

  She expected him to cuss her out for being so blunt but instead, he just nodded, appreciating the straightforwardness of her answer. "You're right. There's definitely not a lot of room for imagination here. Whatever you think you know about me, it's probably true."

  Yoori got excited. Ooh, a chance to give him a low blow!

  "What if I told you that I think you're a monster?" she asked quickly, scanning his face for a reaction. She was surprised to find that he smiled pleasantly.

  "Then I would say that you're probably right on the dot. God knows I'm no angel."

  Her critical stare still on him, it threw her off her smug course when it felt like she was the one who received the low blow. She couldn't help but feel dispirited with how nonchalant he acted. It disturbed her immensely. "You sound so proud of that fact."

  "I wouldn't be where I am today if I didn't embrace it."

  Her interest peaked. "So you're telling me that regardless of all that charm you throw around at times, all those tiny moments of kindness that you show…beneath it all, you’re completely free of morality? You really are a monster?"

  He stiffened his jaw, struck by the severity of what she said. He, however, remained collected. "I'm telling you that it’s in your best interest to always think the worst of me. If I'm nice and playful with you then enjoy it, but don't form any attachment to it. I'm one of the Royals in the Underworld for a reason and I don't want you to forget that."