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

by Con Template

  Yoori had always assumed that despite the fact that he was angry that Soo Jin had yet to complete a deed he wanted her to perform before she died, he still favored her most. Yoori believed that until she thought about it further. At this very moment, there was no doubt that it was Tae Hyun that Ju Won favored. Not Soo Jin, or Ji Hoon or anyone else. It was just Tae Hyun. Of course, with an untrustworthy man like Ju Won, he could very well be leading all the heirs to believe that he was favoring all of them. This also seemed like a likely scenario. Anything was possible with the cunning old Advisor.

  “I – I’m just really worried,” she answered truthfully, unable to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach.

  A tinge of remorse sparked in Tae Hyun’s eyes. Yoori knew it only sparked because he hated seeing her worry. She wished she had better control of her emotions. She was still troubled. Her fears were well-founded fears and that was enough to keep the sting of terror going within her. It wasn’t so much the fact that the Advisors were unhappy with him, but it was more due to the fact that the Advisors were powerful enough to sway opinions. If they wanted the Underworld to turn on Tae Hyun, then it would be a simple task, especially considering that there were already whispers about him being too “distracted” with her.

  “Come on, Brat,” he whispered. Desperation was present in his voice. “I hate it when you get like this. Stop worrying. It’ll be fine – ” He stopped talking when his eyes enlarged in alarm. He pointed his index finger out dramatically. “YOORI, SPIDER!”

  “Eeep!” Yoori shrieked like a little mouse.

  She hopped over to Tae Hyun’s side of the bed and shook nonstop at the fear that a big spider had crawled onto her. Her eyes scanned the bed for the spider in question. It was only until she felt Tae Hyun grab her wrist and swiftly entangle something cold around it did she realize he had tricked her.

  Yoori narrowed her eyes onto the bedpost.

  Fear embalmed her eyes.

  She had just been handcuffed to the bed!

  “Uh oh...”

  Standing smugly to the side with his hands tugging on each end of the towel, Tae Hyun smirked at the pathetic state Yoori found herself in.

  “You still worried?” he asked warmly, playfully nipping her nose with his thumb. “Please stop worrying. I can’t stand it when you worry like that.”

  Yoori crinkled her nose. Only Tae Hyun would attempt to make her feel better by distracting her and scaring her about something else entirely. Her worry about the Advisors and the Underworld dispelled as she glared at Tae Hyun. Who the hell would try to make someone feel better by cuffing them to a bed?

  “Very funny, Kwon. Yeah, okay I’m not worried anymore. I’m pissed at you. Now grow up and let me go.”

  She tugged against the cuffs. It was as strong as she remembered it. It was impenetrable without a key.

  “Why should I let you go?” He folded his arms across his chest. “You tortured me like this last night, remember?”

  Yoori smiled uneasily. “We shouldn’t live in a world filled with the vicious cycles of revenge.”

  Tae Hyun shook his head at her attempt to assuage his needs. “I can’t. No matter how much I like you,” Tae Hyun replied almost apologetically. His tone was still lighthearted. “I’m a very vengeful person. I won’t be able to go on with my day unless I get you back for what you did to me last night.”

  Butterflies played in her tummy. “Heh, so what are you going to do? Just leave me chained here all day while you tease me by taking your clothes off?” She didn’t know why she said that, but she did and she was slightly hopeful that he would consider her question. They didn’t belong together but she could still lust after him and joke with him, right?

  He raised a curious brow. “Are you suggesting something, Choi?”

  “It was merely a question,” she replied before some sensibility rained over her. “Anyway, stop playing. Don’t you have evil, five-minute beating Advisors to meet? Let me go.”

  “I don’t have to meet them for another hour,” he drawled. “Until then, you can hang out there while I make you suffer.”

  “You’re such a jerk-face. You just got done trying to seduce me, trying to ease me of worry, and now you’re punishing me?”

  Tae Hyun laughed affectionately. Instead of answering her, he merely sat himself back down on the edge of the bed beside her. He framed his hands over her cheeks and pulled her back to him. His lips brushed over hers. The kiss that came unto her lips was slow and deliberate, one that she didn’t protest as she closed her eyes and puckered her lips for him. She was a loser and she acknowledged it. Even when she was frustrated and determined not to have a relationship with the guy, she still gave into the temptation he threw out because she desired him so. She had to be honest. She was chained to a bed with a guy who was strutting his stuff without his shirt on…what girl wouldn’t close her eyes to enjoy a simple kiss? And Yoori did just that. She enjoyed the kiss and allowed it to detonate her senses. The stolen kiss was fast, memorable, and over too quickly when Tae Hyun pulled away from the kiss, leaving her to yearn for more.

  “So…you’re going to kiss me to death?” she finally spoke out, her eyes glazed from the aftermath of the quick and addicting kiss.

  “No,” he replied. “That was my apology to you.”

  It should have sounded scary but it didn’t. Yoori wasn’t afraid of Tae Hyun. She was just apprehensive about some of the punishments he might come up with. She didn’t want to have to deal with it. They knew each other too well and unfortunately for Yoori, weaknesses were more than included in this tree of knowledge.

  “Tae Hyun…don’t be mean.” Her voice was soft but it wasn’t a plea. It was a subtle command – one that Tae Hyun didn’t miss.

  “See, if you were my girlfriend, I’d actually listen to you,” he cleverly emphasized, reminding her that he wasn’t over the fact that he still wanted her as his girlfriend. “But you’re not so…”

  “What…what are you going to do to your BFF?”

  Tae Hyun sighed airily and leaned forward, strategically placing his lips right beside her ear.

  “How do you feel about me making us the most decadent of breakfasts?” he whispered sultrily, just as he did the night prior while trying to seduce her. Yoori whimpered at the thought and he went on, encouraged by her weak reaction. “Can you imagine it, baby?” His hot breath painted a clear and juicy picture for her. “The works: pancakes, sausages, scrambled eggs, syrup, orange juice, rice, bacon, fresh fruits and your favorite…tater tots.”

  She wanted to ask him if he would ever consider switching occupations and becoming a commercial actor instead. He could probably do a commercial ad for TV. She was sure whatever the hell he advertised with that sexy voice of his would sell out in a matter of seconds. He was that convincing. He would make one lucky company a lot of money if they ever signed him. Regrettably for Yoori, Tae Hyun was content with using his skills on her and her alone.

  “Can you imagine me and you on this bed,” he continued relentlessly, “eating all that food as the syrup and the taste of heaven roll around in our mouths? Can you already taste those deliciously plump tater tots as you roll it around in ketchup? The ecstasies in your mouth as you close your eyes and cry out in the biggest of bliss?”

  Yoori nodded sadly, hating Tae Hyun for making her so hungry. “You’re going to go make it, aren’t you? And then…you’re going to torture me by eating all of it in front of me.”

  The crafty smile that quirked onto Tae Hyun’s face was confirmation to Yoori that this was his exact plan. “Unless you convince me otherwise.”

  “How?” Yoori breathed out in agony. She was so hungry now.

  “A kiss.”

  “A kiss?” She gaped at him confusingly. “But you just kissed me.”

  “A kiss from you,” he reiterated. His eyes rested on the poutiness of her lips. “Just a kiss. I’ll be putty in your hands and I’ll un-cuff you.”

  “I won’t be blackmailed into giv
ing you a kiss, Tae Hyun,” she said sternly, wondering how the hell she managed to speak so severely when all she wanted to do was give in to him. It was times such as these, even when she was in handcuffs, that Yoori was amazed the lengths her mind went in terms of veiling control over her.

  “Damn,” he replied exhaustively. “You’re always so stubborn.” He stood up and reached for the cuffs above her. Taking out a key from his pocket, he surprised her by un-cuffing her from the bedpost.

  Yoori gawked at him. “What happened to being a vengeful person?”

  “I can forgive you.” His voice was concise but very much genuine.

  “Have you forgiven in the past?” Her question was swift, just like many she voiced to him earlier in the day.

  “No,” he answered quickly, and she knew it was the truth. “But there’s a first time for everything, right?”

  His words ignited something inside her. Yoori didn’t know what came over her but when she watched him retreat to the closet to get dressed, she reached up, grabbed each ends of his towel and brought him back down.

  Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him toward her and pressed her lips over his upper lip, teasing him with the half-kiss until he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her up, slanting his face so that his lips would get the full treatment from her. It was a quick, passionate, and a hell of a kiss. One that ended too soon when Yoori used all her bearings and pulled herself away from him. It could never extend longer than a quick kiss. Both herself and Tae Hyun weren’t strong enough in the morning for a long and passionate kiss. They would never leave the bed if that occurred.

  “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.