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

by Con Template

  Tae Hyun elaborated on his current train of thoughts. “In the Underworld, sometimes a red rose symbolizes someone’s body. For instance, if you were to receive a red rose on your doorstep, it would mean that harm is about to come your way or your death is near.”

  By now, Yoori was not only freezing her ass off, but she was also confused. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  Tae Hyun peeled every layer of his reasoning for her. “When you’re burying something, you have to stab the shovel into the red roses—or the bodies—in order to get to the ground. And ‘estate’ in the Underworld would also signify someone’s wealth or their pride.”

  “To truly want answers, you’ll ask for the equations in which the answers derive from.”

  Ju Won’s words replayed in her mind, and Yoori finally understood what Tae Hyun was doing. He was solving the conundrum given to them by using the clue that Ju Won secretly gave her. In order to uncover the real answer, they needed to decipher what the prominent words in the riddle symbolized.

  “Yoori,” Tae Hyun called out when the puzzle pieces started to fall into place for him. “The acronym for Siberian Tigers would be ‘S.T.’ When you physically look at that acronym, doesn’t it resemble something else?”

  Yoori’s eyes swelled up at this simple, yet eye-opening revelation. Tae Hyun’s knowledge was contagious. It didn’t take long for Yoori to get swept up in the enlightenment. She bestowed him with her own pearls of wisdom.

  “The number 57 . . . ‘S.T.’ resembles 57.” Her heart thumped in exhilaration. “The number ‘57’ represents ‘S.T.,’ the acronym of the Siberian Tigers.”

  For so long, the significance of the number “57” eluded her. She couldn’t believe she didn’t put it all together sooner. Thank goodness for the pathway Tae Hyun paved for her.

  Tae Hyunnie, you fucking gorgeous genius.

  Yoori was in a state of thrill. The urges to jump on him, hug him, and compliment him with all that she had surged through Yoori. But she held back the impulse. Distracting him from his momentum of revelations would not help them in the end. Perhaps when all of this was good and over, she’d shower him with the enamoring kisses he so rightfully deserved. Right now, they were here for business and anything else would have to wait.

  Yoori’s bout of distraction did not deter Tae Hyun from his thoughts. He was still on track; he was still on his way to unearthing the secret that had them spellbound.

  The weather around them became unforgiving. The dark sky rumbled and growled while the rain splashed viciously at their faces. There was no warmth left on their bodies. In spite of how merciless the storm was becoming, Yoori and Tae Hyun were so lost in their own little world that being drenched from head to toe was the least of their worries.

  “On the left side of the Siberian Tigers’ estate, buried deep in the ground under the red roses. What you’re looking for, you’ll find it there,” Tae Hyun repeated again. It was clear something crucial had flickered in his mind. Silence embalmed him for a brief second before his glittering brown eyes met Yoori’s. His gaze was one filled with exhilaration, disbelief, and utter confusion. “I don’t think the woman was telling Soo Jin where any item was hidden. I think she was telling Soo Jin how to perform a procedure.”

  Chills seeped through Yoori.

  “A procedure?” she breathed out, unable to figure out why she was abruptly afraid. A paranoid part of her envisioned a cult-like process that involved cloaks, knives, red roses, burials, and sacrifices. She speedily eradicated those ridiculous thoughts from her head. A cult-like procedure would’ve been too easy of an explanation for the secret they were sitting on. Whatever it was that they were trying to uncover, it was more than an “item” that Ju Won wanted.

  Still mystified, Tae Hyun reflected further. He repeated the riddle to himself again. A realization lit up on his face. He suddenly turned to Yoori with widened eyes when it all became crystal clear to him.

  “I think for the procedure, the woman was telling Soo Jin to scar the Siberian Tigers’ pride—the number ‘57’—onto the left side of the body on someone else’s pride.” His voice heightened with knowledge. “My Cobras were the pride of the Serpents three years ago. I think that was why An Soo Jin chose to scar the left side of their cheeks . . . because of this procedure.”

  “But why?” Her brain struggled to put the puzzle pieces together. She couldn’t understand any of it. “Why the hell would she tell Soo Jin to scar your Cobras?”

  “I think it’s universal, Yoori. I think my Cobras stumbled across Soo Jin that night and they were perfect for what she needed.”

  “I don’t understand.” Yoori blinked the rain off her eyelashes. “Ju Won was trying to find out a procedure?”

  Frustration marked Tae Hyun’s visage. He pulled his hood off and raked his fingers through his now damp hair. Rivulets of rain poured down his face. He shrugged irritably. “I’m at a dead-end too.”

  Anxiety besieged her. The exhilaration that once livened her soul vanished. Yoori’s mind ran in circles. Did the “item” even exist? Did Ju Won give her a hint the other night because he knew she’d decipher what the woman said? Or was it just a coincidence? Why did Soo Jin scar the Cobras? Why would the woman tell Soo Jin to scar anyone when Soo Jin was specifically asking for the location of an item? Nothing . . . Nothing was making sense to her.

  “This is so frustrating!” Yoori groaned, lowering her hood. She ran her fingers through her hair in aggravation. A migraine began to ensue in her overwhelmed mind. “It’s like once we figure something out, the puzzle becomes bigger and bigger!”

  Sharing in the same confused state as Tae Hyun, Yoori’s eyes aimlessly wandered all throughout the estate. The world surrounding her was now submerged with water. Completely drenched from the rain, it was only when a streak of lightning lit the world up did an awareness dawn on her.

  “I’ve been here before,” she said mindlessly, casting her gaze at the mansion without blinking.

  Intrigue came over Tae Hyun. “With your brother?”

  “No.” Her eyes did not waver from the grand infrastructure. It seemingly glowed in contrast to the dark world around them. It acted as her haven, a magnetic haven. An unfamiliar sensation gripped her. Thunder boomed in the near distance, and she broke into a run for the mansion.

  “What are you doing?” Tae Hyun asked, running and keeping pace with her.

  “I’ve been here before.” Her boots dug into the muddy grass as she accelerated her pace. “In my dreams. I’ve been here before in my dreams.”

  It was a dream she had right before she woke up and found Chae Young in the diner. It was a dream that felt so alive to her, but she categorized as immaterial. It did not matter that she couldn’t remember much from the dream because her body remembered plenty. It continued to steer her toward the mansion.

  Just like in the dream, Yoori kicked down the door to the estate and looked from left to right. Over the years, the mansion had evolved from the memories within her dreams. Luckily, some aspects of it remained the same. Yoori followed her instincts and ran down the corridor. She kicked another door down, nearly knocking it off its hinges. She sped down the stairs with Tae Hyun fast on her heels. They were in the basement where the Serpents stored their weapons and other miscellaneous items. The entire room was cloaked in darkness before Tae Hyun switched on the lights.

  Yoori’s eyes zeroed in on a particular spot when the basement illumed with color.

  Recalling her dream, Yoori threw herself on the ground. She proceeded to move several brown boxes out of her way, revealing a brick wall parallel to her. Her hands shook from the remembrance of what occurred in the dream. Her lungs hyperventilated for air as she reached for the brick. She carefully pulled it out, unearthing a hollow space.

  Yoori’s breath hitched.

  Something sat inside that hollow space . . .

  The world seemingly stopped in its rotation and stood with breathless anticipation as Yoori gazed at what wa
s inside the hollow area.

  Oh God, Yoori thought when she realized that she had just ran across an enormous estate and found the same exact thing that the Soo Jin in her dreams hid. Her eyes swelled incredulously. She assessed the item that saturated the confined space with its small presence. Yoori was almost afraid to touch it. She felt Tae Hyun stand beside her, his eyes locked on the same thing.

  A gold handkerchief rested in the hollow area.

  Even under the dim lighting of the basement, it was evident that there was a bloody handprint on it. Yoori also noticed that an object was wrapped within it. She took in a deep inhalation to calm her nerves and to prepare herself for the revelation to come. Her quivering fingers reached in and wrapped itself around the handkerchief. With bated breath, she pulled it out and unfolded the handkerchief. A gasp fell from her lips when the item was finally revealed.

  Lying above the gold fabric was a small jade knife that had the face of a tiger carved in the center. There was a small hole punctured at the tip of the knife where two red strings ran through it, clasping together at the end to form a necklace. There were remnants of dried blood on the surface of the knife.

  “The jade knife of the Siberian Tigers,” whispered Tae Hyun, observing it from where he stood. Amazement came over him. He regarded it like it was a missing treasure. “It was rumored that the Siberian Tigers possessed a valuable jade knife as their treasured heirloom. It is only passed down to the succeeding Kings or Queens who will take over the gang. No one outside the members of the gang has seen the knife.” Genuine wonder inhabited Tae Hyun’s voice. “I was under the impression that it was all a rumor and that the knife never existed.”

  “This was what Ju Won wanted?” Yoori breathed out, holding the knife like it was an item immersed with the plague.

  Disgust boiled within her.

  Countless people died . . . for this?

  The longer she cast her gaze upon it, the worse the throbbing in her mind became. The surface of the jade knife burned through her skin like scalding lava.

  “Yoori,” Tae Hyun called out from behind her. “In the hollow space, there’s something else in there.”

  He crouched on the floor beside her and pulled the item out.

  A silver chain dangled from the tip of Tae Hyun’s index finger. On the chain hung a thick, silver heart pendant. Tae Hyun inspected the innocuous object. He turned the necklace around and found that there was a tiny engraving behind it that read: “To my daughter, the best are never distracted.”

  Yoori’s heart leapt at the words. She knew instantly that the necklace had nothing to do with the jade pendant. It was merely hidden there by Soo Jin because it was a gift from her father—from Yoori’s father.

  Tae Hyun continued to examine it. “Why is this locket here?” he asked, unbeknownst to himself that his girlfriend had already formulated the answer.

  “To remind herself that she had to be ruthless and that she had to avenge him,” Yoori replied intuitively.

  The heart pendant acted like a small trigger, unleashing something so massive that she was not prepared for it. Yoori was promptly reminded of the dream she had about Soo Jin and Ji Hoon . . .

  "If you're not going to support me, then that's fine," she uttered, stopping abruptly. She gazed at him unblinkingly, her determination never faltering on what she had to do. "But do not think for one second that you can change my mind!"

  She breathed heavily, gazing at his frozen countenance. "Tonight is the night where he helps me make things right," she continued, her voice breaking. She held back the tears that were ready to stream out of her eyes. "Tonight is the night where I make things right. If you love me, then you'll help me make things right as well."

  Another gasp escaped Yoori’s lips. It suddenly occurred to her that Soo Jin didn’t mean killing herself would “make things right.” Yoori had always assumed that the Soo Jin in her dream meant killing herself would “make things right,” but she realized now that it wasn’t what Soo Jin meant.

  Yoori’s rapid stream of thoughts ventured on to the incident at the club.

  “Is that what you want? For this world to kneel under the rule of the Serpents? The fuckers who murdered our father?”

  There was judgment in her eyes that she gave away for a split second. It was a look that insinuated Young Jae didn’t care about their father’s death as much as she did.

  Soo Jin loved her father immensely. Yoori could feel the love in the marrows of her bones. Was it possible that Soo Jin believed Young Jae was incapable of leading the Scorpions because he couldn’t exact vengeance for her father? Was it possible she felt she would be the best candidate for it because her brother was too “distracted”?

  Positively unsettled, Yoori went on to recall her brother’s meeting with the brothers on the lawn . . .

  “Your loyalty was never to me,” Young Jae said severely. There was no forgiveness in his voice. “You were given the option of leaving with the rest to Japan, yet you chose to stay here. As far as I’m concerned, you are no longer Scorpions. Don’t bother greeting me by kneeling. There’s no point. I don’t deal well with ingrates.”

  Yoori didn’t think about this too in-depth before, but it was boggling her mind now. Why didn’t Kang Min and Jae Won follow Young Jae to Japan? They had always been so trustworthy. She knew they would not be the type to be disloyal. Still, the whole situation didn’t make sense to her. Shaking, Yoori then recollected the memory of when she was in her room with Kang Min, after the brothers had saved her from Jin Ae and while he was helping pack her things for Tae Hyun’s apartment.

  The brothers appeared close enough to each other, but there was one thing that didn't make sense. Why would two brothers split off and joined different gangs? Why didn't they stay with their boss if they were so loyal to her? Why would they leave?

  "Why did you two part ways and joined different gangs?" she asked, finding it hard to keep this question to herself.

  Before Kang Min could even think to answer, he was punctually interrupted by a familiar voice.

  The truth became clearer when another bombshell hit.

  “57!” the boys started crying out. “57!”

  “I told you to fucking stop crying!” Soo Jin snapped.

  Her furious screams only made the kids cry harder.

  Infuriated, she slapped them across the face to shut them up, but they still wouldn’t listen. They continued to cry and continued to shout out the number. Soo Jin was rubbing her face in irritation. She began to crack under the emotions spilling out of her. Their cries grew louder and louder. They became so desperate that they were even ready to rush over to Young Jae for his help.

  Two heart-stopping gunshots were suddenly fired.

  Boom! Boom!

  Then, it all returned to the dream she had about Ji Hoon and Soo Jin.

  "He's not going to help you kill yourself."

  "If he’s the person I know he is . . . he will."

  "Baby, don't do this," he pleaded, grabbing her arms to prevent her from retreating. "We'll figure out another way to make things right. You can't risk your life like this."

  And finally, as her heart raced beyond limit, as the air around her became insufficient, and as the blood drained from her face, the puzzle pieces came together for her in the most horrific way.

  “Tae Hyun” Yoori began brokenly, finally holding his eyes with hers.

  He watched her part her shaking lips, his eyes filled with nothing but worry.

  “It . . .” Yoori continued shakily. “It was never in her plan. It was never in Soo Jin’s plan to die.”

  Tae Hyun looked at her like he had seen a ghost.

  He questioned her again to be sure he heard right. “What did you just say?”

  Despite the pain coursing through her, Yoori struggled with great difficulty to explain. “What happened in the club, all the guilt she felt . . . it was all just a smokescreen to hide the bigger part of her plan.” She held Tae Hyun’s hand in feverish fea
r. Her eyes grew wider from shock. “Before she went into that club, Ju Won must have already told her that the answer was going to be given to her in riddles.” She covered her mouth in anguish and trembled even more. “When the kids started screaming out the answer, she shot them because she didn’t want Young Jae to hear it. She didn’t want him to hear the true answer to the riddle.”

  Yoori ignored the constriction in her chest and continued to speak. Tae Hyun held on to her, his warmth giving her comfort in face of the dark abyss she was swirling into.

  “Ji Hoon knew she wasn’t trying to kill herself. That’s why in my dreams—my memories—he said to her, ‘you can’t risk your life like this.’ He was in on it the entire time. Her guilt, the tears she shed for that family, and the guilt she felt for betraying her brother may have been real, but the guilt didn’t derail her from her original plan.” Yoori shook her head while a worried Tae Hyun eased the bangs from her pale face. “I think that part of the plan was for her to fake her death and for Ji Hoon to come back for her in the alley. There was also a plan for the brothers, and whoever was under her jurisdiction, to split off and infiltrate other gangs. The formula she gave Young Jae was given to her by Ji Hoon. Soo Jin must’ve known how much she would need to fake her death but—”

  “But she couldn’t anticipate Young Jae giving her amnesia and hiding her in a secluded city to protect her from trying to ‘kill herself,’” Tae Hyun finished for her.

  The expression on his face said it all: he was astounded by this revelation.

  He exhaled disbelievingly. “But why would Soo Jin disclose to Young Jae what Ju Won wanted her to do?”

  “Because she still needed the information, and she knew that Young Jae would take the answer as a literal meaning, not a riddled one,” explained Yoori. “Ju Won must’ve had Soo Jin ask the woman a specific question to get a specific answer. I think the woman, or one of her children . . . one of them had the jade knife on them.”

  “Which was why Soo Jin returned to the nightclub the second time that night. She went back to retrieve the jade knife,” Tae Hyun thoughtlessly finished for her before something else illuminated in his eyes. “Yoori,” he launched. “To scar my Serpents, that must mean that Soo Jin was sending a message to the Siberian Tigers out there who know of the procedure. Similar to Ji Hoon when he carved a drawing of skulls on the faces of the ones who died in the business district, Soo Jin was using the same tactic for publicity. Only in this case, this specific ‘procedure’ was one only recognized by the active members of the Siberian Tigers. She was sending out the message to them that a new Royal had been crowned, and that they were supposed to wait for the one who had the jade knife.”