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

by Con Template

  The politicians, business tycoons, and heavy media influencers were known to be “snobbish” when it came to dealing with their more powerful counterparts and had always been distant to the Kings of the 3rd layer. Garnering support from the majority of the 1st layer had always appeared to be an unfeasible feat . . . that was until the Prince of Serpents came along and dazzled everyone with his charms, cunningness, superiority, impressive fighting skills that was said to have rivaled Kings and, of course, the unrivaled good looks that were said to have stolen the hearts of any woman he came across.

  Soo Jin scoffed in skepticism at the last bit about how much of an eye-candy he was.

  She had never met the guy, nor had the pleasure of seeing how good-looking he was, but just hearing the rave reviews from the typically hard to impress 1st layer crowd irritated her. She hated the bastard for the simple reason that he was Ho Young’s baby brother, and she hated it more that there was someone out there, who wasn’t an heir to the 3rd layer throne like her, receiving the same type of reverence as her. Granted her status was still higher, it was no secret that the revered Prince of the 1st layer was becoming stronger and stronger. She was willing to bet that it would only be a matter of time before the spoiled 1st layer bastard yielded as much power as she did. He was a force to be reckoned with and having him by Ho Young’s side only meant that there was a higher chance that the favor of the Underworld would tilt in their direction, thereby meaning that the distribution of power would eventually be theirs.

  The prospect enraged Soo Jin.

  She made a mental note to kill off the “good-looking and charming” bastard for the simple fact that his existence offended her and boiled her competitive blood.

  “An Soo Jin,” Ho Young mocked, finding hilarity in the obvious anger resonating from the revered Queen, “your jealousy over Tae Hyun’s growing reverence is toxic. I swear, I’m about to keel over from the steam that comes out of you whenever you think of him.”

  Jealousy was never a great color on her.

  “Fuck you, you worthless pig,” Soo Jin snapped, unable to contain her rage. She clenched her fists. She wanted nothing more than to rip his guts out with her bare hands. She had done it before with others and would love to do it to him.

  “You’re not my type,” Ho Young taunted, inhaling another round of smoke that seemed to reach the pit of his lungs before extricating itself with the current of the wind.

  She grew angrier with his careless demeanor.

  Then, she lost it because she knew what his type was. “I dare you to laugh once I cut off your dick and shove it down your throat, you disgusting piece of shi—”

  “Don’t you have other things to do than stand here and piss off my sister?” a deep male voice interrupted just as Soo Jin was preparing to lunge at Ho Young and kill him once and for all.

  Soo Jin turned and was annoyed when her brother, An Young Jae, moved beside her. His eyes were firmly set on Ho Young. The appearance of her brother meant one thing: she would not be able to fight with Kwon Ho Young.

  They stared at one another, both Kings fearless in spite of the other.

  Tension saturated the air, and Soo Jin could’ve sworn they were having a silent conversation with each other before Ho Young broke the silence and smiled mockingly at Young Jae’s comment.

  His expression said it all: he was ready to leave anyway.

  Allowing one last puff of smoke to curl away from his lips, he threw the cigar away and killed the light with the sole of his expensive black leather shoe.

  “Yes, now that you’ve mentioned it, I believe it is time to send this new car over to my little brother before he comes back to visit our fair city.” His unreadable eyes moved on to Young Jae. He held it there for a brief moment before his gaze journeyed on to Soo Jin. His lips lifted into a patronizing grin. Then, he said words that he knew would make her blood simmer. “It’s been a pleasure, my Queen.”

  There was no respect with how he addressed her. He said it with such ridicule that it became the last straw for Soo Jin.

  Fucking bastard.

  Unable to stand it, Soo Jin released her inhibitions and made a move to chase after Ho Young. She was stopped in her tracks when her brother’s hand encircled her arm like a vise. His grip on her was unforgiving. It was sure to leave a bruise, but Soo Jin didn’t even flinch at the pain. She was too focused on Ho Young.

  In her bout of anger, she decided to open Pandora’s Box.

  “I saw you that night, Ho Young,” she uttered, knowing just what to say to knock him off his high horse.

  She no longer wanted to keep a secret what she’d known about Ho Young for the past two years. She did not care about keeping her word to her brother and keeping this information to herself. All she wanted to do was to hurt Ho Young and take credit in the glory of what happened to his family.

  Ho Young’s eyes grew firm on her. “What are you talking about?”

  “Soo Jin,” Young Jae said gravely, tightening his grip on her arm. Her brother wasn’t an idiot. He knew what she was trying to do; he knew she was trying to provoke Ho Young. “Don’t you dare.”

  His severe voice did little to dissuade Soo Jin who, although was loyal enough to her brother, was spoiled enough by him that she just didn’t care to adhere to his strict call. That was the thing about Soo Jin, her pride and hot temper surpassed even her loyalty to her brother.

  “The night of your mother’s death,” she whispered despite her brother’s warning to shut up. “I saw you walking out of your baby sister’s room, buttoning the last button of your shirt before you went back to your room.”

  She laughed when she saw the dawning light of knowledge in Ho Young’s eyes. He looked gobsmacked that there had been a witness to that scene.

  Soo Jin went on, feeding on his stricken state. “How proud your mother must be in death to realize that her eldest son has been raping his baby sister all along.” A savage laugh flooded from her. “I wonder how that little brother of yours will feel if he ever finds out what you’ve been doing to her? I’m sure that little tidbit would ruin the great brotherhood shared between the two of you, don’t you think?”

  “When . . . were you in the Serpents’ estate?” he asked instead, not even bothering to deny her accusations.

  Ho Young, like her brother, was one of the more intelligent men that she had met. It was a quality that all the Kings of the Underworld had to possess. He knew immediately that Soo Jin wasn’t simply telling him that she knew he had been raping his sister; he knew she was also insinuating something else. And if the darkness that overtook his eyes was any indication, then he already had a hunch that this bomb would be a big one.

  The memory of that night came vividly to her mind and she slowly unraveled it to him.

  “I was . . . visiting your mother.” She purposely made the indifference in her tone of voice as cruel as possible. “Brought her some alcohol bottles to help her along with her misery.” Soo Jin feigned a disappointed sigh, which earned a growl from her older brother. He was infuriated that she even dared to reveal this against his orders. “It’s a crying shame what happened to her. What a senseless death.”

  Ho Young’s eyes enlarged at this admission. He did not need to hear her actual confession to know what she was implying. “It was you all along . . .”

  The patience that once enamored him evaporated with the last rays of the setting sun. A powerful and dangerous aura took over instead. He was angry, livid. All this fury was directed at Soo Jin, who more than welcomed his hatred.

  “Ho Young,” Young Jae said tightly, tightening his grip on Soo Jin.

  He pulled her behind him with a force that Soo Jin could’ve fought, but chose not to for she knew she had not only pushed Ho Young’s patience over the edge, but his as well. However, as aggravated as Young Jae was with her, the brotherly protection he had for her overshadowed his own irritation.

  His indiscernible eyes buried into Ho Young’s. “Any fight you want to get justice
for begins and ends with me. I’m sure you haven’t forgotten that agreement we made, the one that states we leave our sisters out of our war? You do care about your sister enough to protect her, right?”

  The tone in which Young Jae asked this question hit a nerve in Ho Young.

  Anger dispelled out of his eyes at Young Jae’s reminder of his sister.

  Soo Jin smirked. So, that was the reason why Ho Young never tried to hurt her, because they made an agreement to not hurt each other’s sisters. The logic seemed odd to her, as she required no protection, but it seemed to be a pact that Ho Young took seriously because the fury that once veiled over him vanished with the desire to protect his sister.

  “It is lucky for both of you that I’m busy right now,” he said with finality, remnants of darkness still coloring his voice. “And to be brief, I hope you don’t mind that I ordered my Cobras to kill two dozen of your Scorpions to even the score for killing my men the other night. The bodies are laying on your estate’s lawn as we speak.”

  Soo Jin stiffened in anger at this knowledge.

  Ho Young grinned as if he was telling them he had just left a care package at their home. “And just for how our meeting progressed tonight, I’ll send out the orders to have two dozen more sent your way.” He inclined his head toward Soo Jin. Residual malice treaded on his features. “You should be more careful from this point on. One day, your disillusioned pride will get you killed. Take care . . . little one.”

  On that note, Ho Young pulled the door to the Mercedes open. He seated himself in the car just as Soo Jin made a move to run after him for giving her that subtle threat.

  “Stay where you are, lil sis,” Young Jae commanded simply, his eyes on Ho Young as he started the engine.

  Soo Jin didn’t even realize she was still steps away from chasing after him until her brother’s voice stopped her. She did as she was told, for she knew her disobedience of her brother’s orders was capped for the night. Everyone had their limits; she did not want to push his.

  “Oppa, please,” Soo Jin pleaded through clenched teeth, watching Ho Young drive away in the car he just bought his younger brother. “Let me go after him. I can’t stand seeing him breathe after what he did to our father. Let me have the honor of killing him. I don’t know how much longer I can obey your commands and wait for you to kill him. You’re taking too long and it’s making me wonder if you ever will.”

  She didn’t hide the resentment in her voice as she watched Ho Young drive away.

  Young Jae did not miss the insinuation of her words. The cold eyes she received from him told her there was no way in hell he was giving her the glory of killing Ho Young. Simply put, it was clear he was getting pretty damn tired of her disobedience.

  “Don’t you dare question me and my plans. We have spoken about this. Ho Young’s head belongs to me,” Young Jae warned sternly, his eyes challenging her to further disobey his orders. “I know you want him dead. Trust me, so do I. But we need patience, Soo Jin. There is killing and there is torturing. I want him when my power is highest, when the Underworld kneels before me. I want him when he has nothing, when he is kneeling before me in misery, begging for his life. I want to watch the tears flow down his eyes as I skin him alive. I want to win during a war, not a simple battle. That revenge will be sweeter than killing him now, in the middle of the evening where we would never be able to savor his death and our victory.”

  The mental image that manifested in her mind at her brother’s words did little to repress her rage. It was all in the future and it was all too long for her to wait. She did not want to wait any further. Soo Jin parted her lips to argue, but was again silenced by Young Jae. He had already anticipated her rebuttal.

  “Do you really have any loyalty to me if you can’t even listen to my orders?!” he screamed.

  Soo Jin clamped her mouth shut, her lips twitching in embarrassment. She could feel the heart-shaped necklace her father gave her burn a mark into her chest.

  This was one of the few times he yelled at her, and she knew she had pushed him over the edge. Yet, as her angry eyes averted from the space Ho Young once stood in, the animosity she felt when she laid her eyes on Young Jae was one that fueled another fire in her soul.

  Soo Jin pondered the irony of her station in life.

  She was a Queen before others, yet still a lowly soldier when in the presence of her brother.

  How pathetic she felt to have her powers so confined, how angry she felt that he was the one curbing the potential of her power, and how bitter she felt to know that he was the one who stood in her way on the path to ultimate power.

  Soo Jin closed her eyes, biting back thoughts about what life would be like if he was gone, if she could be the one to rule over the Scorpions. However, she stowed away such thoughts for she knew nothing good would come out of tempting herself with a power that she should never seek. She loved her brother and despite her love for power, she wasn’t willing to allow her thoughts to venture on to the possibility of her betraying him.

  “Yes, oppa,” Soo Jin relented, bowing as her show of adherence to his orders. “I’ll stay away from him.”

  She wasn’t happy with what she said, but prideful entities were rarely happy when they took commands from others.

  Satisfied, Young Jae smiled at her cooperation. He placed a hand on her shoulder to show how much he appreciated her compliance. “It is better this way, lil sis. Just trust me on this. It’s better this way.”

  She nodded, not fully registering his words.

  Although his gaze on her was kind, she could also see a restless fatigue in his eyes. He had just returned from doing something and he did not look settled. She glanced down at his hands and saw that there was blood marring his fists. He had just hit something.

  “Something is bothering you,” Soo Jin noted, concern replacing the bitterness. Her brother rarely had his feathers ruffled and if he did, then it meant a disconcertion had occurred.

  “I’ve heard some . . . unsettling news,” he confirmed.

  Soo Jin furrowed her brows. “What is it?”

  “Hwang Tony . . . has been spotted.”

  It was Soo Jin’s turn to be rattled.

  “Hwang . . . Hwang Tony?” Her eyes blossomed at this information. “Hwang Hee Jun’s younger brother? But I thought he died when you raided the Siberian Tigers’ estate and killed the lineage?”

  “Somehow, some way, he made it out alive and he’s in Seoul. When we killed them, we eradicated the Siberian Tigers’ lineage, but not the extended family. Hwang Hee Jun’s girlfriend, her children, and some of his extended family continue to live, and I believe they have been housing Tony.”

  “What do you want me to do?” Soo Jin asked, knowing already that this type of problem was something that her brother always personally went to her for.

  “What you do best,” he said slowly, his intent clear. “Kidnap the family, bring them to Club Pure, and do what I need you to do there. My reputation hangs on the line. We need to find Tony and kill him immediately. We also need to silence any necessary people who are threats to ruining the reign of my throne.”

  “Of course,” she replied. Her strict eyes softened slightly when a specific tidbit came to her mind. She recalled that Hwang Hee Jun had a girlfriend who had two children of her own. “What about the children?”

  “I would like it,” Young Jae began, his eyes softening at the thought of the children, “if the mother and her children would be spared. If they don’t know too much, then I would prefer for them to be spared.”

  Soo Jin nodded, understanding the reluctance on her brother’s part to hurt a mother and her children. Out of the two siblings, Young Jae was always the kinder one.

  “If everything goes well, then I think we can arrange that.”

  “And Soo Jin?”

  “Yes, oppa?”

  “There will be four other selected Scorpions with us,” he shared carefully. “None of our other Scorpions, or anyone else, will be invo
lved. We’ll keep this quiet. I don’t want anyone to know about Tony still being alive and what we’re about to do.”

  Soo Jin nodded, understanding what he was implying.

  “When we’re through with them,” she assured, knowing well the controversial line that was drawn in the Underworld between Kings killing gang members and “innocents.” Her brother could never be involved in this tryst if he wanted to keep the honor in his reputation intact. “No one would know why they were there in the first place.”

  He smiled in approval of her answer. “Can you get this taken care of now?”

  “Soon,” she promised. “I’ll get it all set up, but before that, I have a meeting with Ju Won. It’ll only take a few moments. In the meantime, I’ll make sure to give the orders to the four Scorpions to scope out the homes before we abduct the extended family.”

  Young Jae nodded at what she said, his mind already venturing elsewhere. “What does Ju Won want?”

  “With him, who knows,” Soo Jin said honestly. All she knew was that if Ju Won wanted to see her, then he would get his way. That was how much loyalty and admiration she had for the eldest Advisor who helped her become the Queen she was today.

  “Be careful with him, lil sis,” Young Jae admonished as she prepared to leave. He had never liked Ju Won. “He is a ruthless bastard and he can’t be trusted. I don’t want you to place so much trust in him and be betrayed in the end.”

  Soo Jin felt the weight of her two gold guns behind her back as she backed away from her brother and headed over to the precious black Lamborghini that awaited her down the street.

  “You forget, big brother, that I was personally trained by him,” she said with much amusement, not knowing then how the simple meeting with Ju Won would be the changing of tides that would alter the course of her life forever.

  “If any type of betrayal occurs . . . then it will be on my part.”

  “You will be made an example of. . .”

  27: The Betrayal of Scorpions