by Con Template
Young Jae shook his head and chuckled at her reply.
Yoori grabbed her long white cashmere scarf that hung from the dining room chair. She sped back toward her brother, grabbing the doorknob to pull it closed on her way out.
“Where are we going for lunch?” she asked eagerly, relieved that for a few moments, she would be able to spend time with her family and forget about all the evil in her life. She slung her arm around her brother’s. Yoori grinned uncontrollably as they moved to the elevator.
“To a new sushi place that just opened,” Young Jae shared just as they stepped into the elevator.
His reply earned a cheer of approval from Yoori. She had been craving sushi for a few days now. Perhaps some good food would help chase away the crappiness that was in her life.
“Yes! Sounds good. I’ve been craving sushi!”
Young Jae laughed happily, playfully pulling Yoori closer to him after the elevator descended down.
“Good. I’ll call Anna and have her meet us there. It’ll be a good place to have our family lunch before we part ways.”
■ ■ ■
Moments Prior . . .
“Why didn’t you tell her what you’ve been doing for her?” Ace inquired after Tae Hyun hung up the phone with Yoori.
Sporting a forest green jacket and black cargo pants, Ace had been standing in Tae Hyun’s office—one that rested in one of Tae Hyun’s many nightclubs—and overheard the conversation between his boss and Yoori. Curiosity marked his scarred face.
Tae Hyun glanced up from his desk. He was dressed in a light blue, pinstriped dress shirt and dark gray pants. His fingers still held his Blackberry as he rested it on his brown mahogany desk. Conviction was etched on his face when his eyes latched on to Ace. Though there was resolution in his gaze, it was also evident that the conversation he had with a depressed Yoori had taken a toll on Tae Hyun.
“She doesn’t need to know that I’m having my Cobras investigate her brother because I think there’s something off about him,” he informed Ace, weariness seeping out of his voice. “Especially when I don’t have all the details on him yet.”
“You’ve been at this for days, boss. Perhaps if you just went home and got some rest—”
“Her safety supersedes my fatigue,” Tae Hyun said stubbornly. “It also supersedes the frustration of being away from her and having her think that I’m avoiding her. At the moment, I have a bad feeling about her brother. I need to make sure I know enough about him so that Yoori will be safe.” He sighed, looking at Ace with sternness in his eyes. “You and the rest swore to me that you’d eradicate all vengeance towards her if I allowed you back into the gang. Right now, she is my priority. Is she yours as well?”
Tenseness filled the room before Ace answered. “What happened with Kimmy will be something that haunts us, but you should know that we owe our lives to you. I’m sorry about what happened before. We didn’t know how much Ms. Choi meant to you. We’re not ingrates. We all know that the only reason why we’re here right now is because she begged for our lives, even when we tried to take hers. Despite anything that happened in the past, we were raised to know better. Obeying your orders aside, I still owe her my life, and I haven’t forgotten about that.”
A small smile appeared on Tae Hyun’s lips. He nodded in approval at Ace’s answer.
Ace noted the warmth that ran over Tae Hyun’s face. “You’ve really fallen for her, haven’t you, boss?”
Tae Hyun chuckled sullenly at Ace’s question.
“She will be the death of me,” he murmured, staring distractedly at his Blackberry.
Footfalls emanated from the hall. Seconds later, Mina stepped into Tae Hyun’s office. She wore a black bomber jacket and dark pants. The only thing that stood out from her dark attire was the manila folder she held in her hand. She respectfully greeted Tae Hyun with a bow when he turned to look at her. Mina then took her place beside Ace.
The mood instantly shifted from a companionable one to a tense, anticipation-filled silence. There was knowledge in that folder. It was knowledge that Tae Hyun knew dealt with Yoori’s safety. His stern eyes went from the folder and then to Mina.
“Yoori told me that Young Jae was doing some legitimate business in Japan,” Tae Hyun launched, getting right into business. “Did you find any evidence that corroborates this?”
Mina shook her head. She stepped forward to place the manila folder on Tae Hyun’s desk. She slid it beside his hands.
“The Cobras and I had to do a lot of digging, but we finally happened upon a good informant from the Japanese Underworld. Apparently, over the course of the last three years, Young Jae has been working as the new shadow gang leader for the 3rd layer of Japan’s Underworld. He goes by ‘AJ’ in that world. From whispers, it is said that he’s now at the top of the food chain. He hasn’t gone public with it, but from all the recruits he garnered, including all the airborne Scorpions who continue to linger in Korea, if Young Jae wanted, he could resurrect everyone and have as much power as you and the King of Skulls.”
“Fuck,” Tae Hyun muttered, thunderstruck by the weight of this new information. “I knew there was something off about him, but I didn’t think it went this deep.”
Mystification twisted Ace’s face. “Why didn’t we know about any of this?”
Although his question was directed to Mina, it was Tae Hyun who replied.
“Because Young Jae is an opportunist,” Tae Hyun answered, his firm eyes running from one Cobra to the other. It all finally made sense to him. “Because of what happened with An Soo Jin, and because it was spread throughout the Underworld that he became ‘broken’ after her death, the crime lords of this world didn’t press for his whereabouts. We all assumed that he lost his mind and was hiding out because he no longer wanted to be involved in this world. The only reason why he was able to disappear safely was because Ji Hoon and I were in the process of taking over this layer. Everyone was distracted with the prospect of a new Lord deriving from one of us. No one thought twice about the fallen King who decimated his gang because he was ‘too depressed’ over the loss of his baby sister.”
Tae Hyun smirked to himself.
Everything became clearer to him.
“He used his sister’s ‘death’ as an excuse to leave one Underworld so he could infiltrate another . . .”
Suspicion then sparked in his eyes. He glanced up at Ace, the spark igniting with more fire. He had, at long last, realized something crucial.
“A year and a half ago, I sent the nine of you to Taecin because there was evidence that suggested my brother had business there. When you went to the areas suggested, you ran into Yoori. How did you wind up stumbling into the store she was at?”
Ace and Mina eyed one another before Ace replied to Tae Hyun. “There were records of your brother paying a substantial amount of money to a storage place in Taecin. We couldn’t find the address of the storage area, but we knew the radius in which the money was transferred to. We inspected the area, found nothing, and instead, stumbled upon Ms. Choi. She was walking around in a local store and everything went to hell right then and there. We lost track of her and became enraged. Our need for vengeance got the best of us and we decided to set fire to the homes surrounding that area because we wanted to kill her.”
Prickly silence blanketed the office as Ace and Mina stood uncomfortably.
Though the reminder of what the Cobras did to Yoori hardened his face, Tae Hyun did not allow it to override the more important matters at hand. Tae Hyun turned to Mina, his mind paving a road for something that no one thought to venture on.
“Bring up my brother’s account. I want to see all records of his money transfers. You couldn’t find anything a year and a half ago. We’ll see if I can find anything now.”
Mina knotted her brows. She clearly didn’t understand the significance of Kwon Ho Young when they were speaking about Young Jae and the possible danger he presented to Yoori.
“Boss, I don’t underst
and—”
“Just do it,” Tae Hyun commanded, resolution and urgency fixed in his eyes. “Now.”
“Morals cease to exist here.”
18: The War of Scorpions
“Hi Anna!” Yoori happily greeted after she and Young Jae hurried into the quiet restaurant.
The heavy snow outside was deluging like rain, and she was grateful to be out of the storm. Her teeth chattered as she made her way into the restaurant. She could feel the residual coldness from the weather outside linger on her sensitive skin. Her only solace was that being in the restaurant meant that she would be able to eat soon. Yoori was also elated to be in the company of her family. Though her guilt was still present, it did not overshadow the joy she received from being with Young Jae and Anna.
“Yoori!” Anna greeted, rising from the table she was sitting at. She straightened her black blouse and pants before raising her arms up in a welcoming hug. “Where have you been? Young Jae and I have missed you. We came here for you and couldn’t believe how hard it’s been just to get a hold of you.” Anna embraced Yoori tightly. “You’re not pissed at Young Jae for blabbering on about Tae Hyun, are you? He can get annoying.”
“Thanks, baby,” Young Jae remarked bitterly.
Yoori cracked up at Anna’s blatant insult.
“But he means well,” Anna added with adoration. She gave her husband a playful wink. “He’s always been overprotective when it comes to you.”
“No, no. It had nothing to do with Tae Hyun!” Yoori assured, pulling out of the embrace. “I’ve just been really busy, but I’ve missed you guys too.”
A wave of apprehension swept through her, causing Yoori to smile halfheartedly. Why was she feeling so . . . uneasy all of a sudden?
The restaurant, which was named Bada, was a lot bigger than Yoori had anticipated for a sushi place. She assumed that since it was such a new restaurant, it would be hip and swarming with patrons. It was surprising to her that the place was pretty empty. As far as she could see, it only housed herself, Young Jae, Anna, PC, and two of her brother’s bodyguards. The guards, who were all dressed in suits, were standing near the bar, smiling at her when she walked in. She didn’t see any workers, but she imagined they were in the back or on break.
“Good,” Anna approved, pulling out a chair for Yoori, and dragging Yoori from her thoughts. “Let’s enjoy ourselves and eat then. I’m starving.”
“Yes!" Yoori concurred, quietly chastising herself for her unwarranted paranoia. She was with her brother and his wife for goodness’ sake. What was she getting nervous for?
“I’m so excited for sushi,” she shared, taking her place beside Anna at the big round table.
Young Jae gave Anna a quick peck on the lips before he took a seat on the other side of Yoori.
“God, I’m starving,” Young Jae breathed out. “Anna sucks at trying to make sushi so I always have the worst cravings for it.”
“Me too,” Yoori chimed.
She was scooting her chair closer to the table when the melodic sound of her Blackberry sang into the restaurant. She pulled it out from the pocket of her jacket and glanced at the screen. The glowing caller ID revealed that it was Tae Hyun calling. Her heart leapt in joy while a gush of happy thoughts entered her mind. Perhaps he was finished with his Underworld duties and could finally hang out with her. She would normally ignore any calls if she was with her brother, but given all the avoidance from Tae Hyun as of late, she couldn’t bring herself to disregard his call. She wanted to hear his voice again.
“Excuse me for a second,” she told her brother and Anna.
They nodded and smiled at her when she left the table to privately speak to Tae Hyun.
“Tae Hyun? Yoori answered happily, meandering to a private corner. She pressed the phone close to her ear. She was ecstatic to be speaking to him.
The anxious voice that came over the other line squashed the euphoria inside her. “Yoori, where are you? Kang Min just got to the apartment and he said that you’re not there.”
His voice pulsed with worry and it scared her. It did not help that the uneasiness, which twisted her insides, was worsening while speaking to him.
“With my brother,” she answered, pressing one hand against her tummy in an attempt to diffuse the restlessness barreling out of it.
“Fuck!” she heard him curse, tripling the panic she felt.
“What?” Yoori asked, unknowingly trembling where she stood. What the hell was going on? “What is it?”
“Where are you right now?” he asked, not yet divulging in why there was worry in his voice.
“At a sushi place.”
“What’s the name?”
“Bada. It’s new. It’s on Jade Street. Why? Are you coming?”
“Yes, I’m coming for you. But Yoori, what I’m about to say, you can’t react to this message.”
A paralyzing fear took hostage of her.
This definitely wasn’t good.
“What . . . What is it?”
“When Kang Min called and said that you weren’t at the apartment, I called the Serpents I had shadowing you to see where you were. They didn’t answer, and I had Kang Min look for them. It turned out that they had been murdered—their necks were snapped apart.”
Yoori’s heart started to pound feverishly while he went on.
“I’m sorry to tell you this, but Young Jae’s been lying to you. He hasn’t been doing any legit business in Japan. He’s actually a shadow Underworld King in Japan. He’s garnered so much power over the past three years that he’s at the top of the Japanese Underworld now.”
The blood drained from Yoori’s face while the eerie dread she felt skyrocketed.
“I think he’s up to something. You’re not safe with him, Yoori. But don’t act like you’re afraid. Just act normal with him. I’m coming right now. I’ll be there soon—”
The phone was snatched from Yoori’s hand. Soon after, a loud crack permeated the air. The phone was thrown against the restaurant tiles and shattered into several unrecoverable pieces.
Flustered, Yoori whirled around.
Shock stamped her face.
It was Anna who snatched the phone out of her hand.
Yoori took an unsteady step back. She was thunderstruck by the vicious look on Anna’s face. It was a complete opposite to the kind visage Yoori was used to seeing. There was a dangerous glint in Anna’s eyes. Her stare on Yoori was cold, unforgiving.
The doors to the restaurant suddenly slammed close, and the nerves in her body went cold. From the corner of her eyes, she saw PC and the two bodyguards move from where they were. They went over and stood behind her brother. Young Jae was still sitting at the table, his face void of emotions as he gazed at her.
Yoori knew instantly that she had walked into a trap.
All eyes were on her and they were all shrouded with rage.
After a long oppressing silence, her brother finally imparted words that had her blood freezing in her veins.
“Your betrayal has been disappointing,” he stated solemnly, staring at her with daggers forming in his eyes.
There was no more love, comfort, or protectiveness that radiated from him.
All that existed was wrath and the yearning for vengeance.
Yoori shook and continued to back away from Anna.
She helplessly looked over to her brother. Her eyes pleaded for him to help her. “Oppa, I—”
“Anna,” Young Jae prompted, interrupting Yoori by looking over to his wife. He was clearly uninterested in what she had to say. He had business to take care of. He was ready to get to it.
Yoori’s eyes averted to Anna.
Fear encased her when she saw Anna nod after her brother’s prompt.
She knew what Anna was about to do.
“I’ve always wanted to do this,” Anna said with satisfaction.
Before Yoori could back away or avoid the attack, a powerful kick was delivered across her face.
Pain exploded inside Y
oori as she fell to the floor.
The last thing she remembered was the feeling of someone grabbing her ankles and dragging her across the tiles before she lost all consciousness.
■ ■ ■
Yoori jolted to consciousness when icy water splashed across her face.
The pain of the stinging kick from Anna continued to throb on the left side of her face, causing Yoori to take several long seconds to lift her eyelids. It also took her several long seconds to remember the grave situation she was in.
Young Jae knows about Soo Jin’s betrayal, she reminded herself.
She took in a sharp, painful breath and lifted her gaze from the ground she was sitting on.
In the far corner of the room, her eyes landed on the two male Scorpions. Both held a bowl that she knew was once filled with cold water in their hands. Their icy eyes teemed with hatred. It was the polar opposite to the warm smiles they gave her when she walked into the restaurant. Her eyes roamed the restaurant. She quickly discovered that the hatred for her wasn’t confined to the two Scorpions in the corner of the room; it also spread across to all the other inhabitants. PC was standing beside Young Jae and Anna, both of whom were sitting at the table she was once at. All three wore the same icy look on their faces.
A nasty chill crawled throughout Yoori’s quivering body when she recalled Tae Hyun’s cautionary words. He was right. It was indeed her own brother who was now the biggest threat to her. The guilt she felt was now coupled with despair. Young Jae knew about Soo Jin’s betrayal. He planned on making Yoori pay for what Soo Jin did.
“How does the old Underworld saying go, Soo Jin?” Young Jae mused short moments later, sitting comfortably beside his wife. He sipped from his champagne glass. His mouth curved into a light and dangerous smile. “Oh, yes, ‘you can never forgive the ones who betrayed you. You have to make an example of them by reminding them what you’re capable of.’”
