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

by Template, Con

  "Choi Yoori, right?" Jin Ae yelled out while her men drew closer to Yoori. "Enjoy what's to come. Because after they're done with you..." She held up the knife smugly. "Your face will no longer merit lustful stares. Tae Hyun and Ji Hoon will never look at you again."

  "You are fucking crazy," Yoori croaked.

  She turned around in a panic, ready to make her escape. Her efforts were hindered when she saw that there was another heavily built figure – another one of Jin Ae’s bodyguards – blocking her path. She was trapped.

  "Crazy, huh? You have some nerve saying that to me.” Jin Ae smirked. “After they're done with you, I'll cut off your tongue. Then we'll see how much nerve you have left." Her venomous eyes landed on the three men. "Start."

  Yoori glared at the men approaching her. "You have no idea the hell you're going to be in for if you touch me," she said warningly, desperately hoping that they wouldn't catch her bluff and that they would recoil in fear.

  Terror flooded through her when all they did was exchanged smiles and increased their pace.

  "When we're done, I get to screw her first," the one in the middle stated, moving to her with heightened speed.

  Yoori cursed, her heart pounding wildly. She attempted to run. Such an escape was thwarted when a powerful kick slammed into her stomach. Yoori fell roughly onto the pavement. An explosion of pain pulsed through her. She pressed the back of her head against the cement, finding it hard to breathe. As if the pain throbbing in her stomach wasn't enough, another brute kick to the side of her head left her gasping for air.

  "Woo, you stupid idiot,” the second guy said to the one who assaulted her. “Don't kick so close to her face. I want to screw this beautiful little thing in all her glory before boss slices her face open."

  The one who answered to the name "Woo" laughed.

  "My bad," he sneered unapologetically. He reached his hand out and firmly clutched her chin. He centered her face to meet his eyes. "I'll avoid hitting this beautiful face from now on."

  After taking a moment to reflect on her pain, Woo imparted Yoori with two slaps across each side of her face. He laughed heartily, enjoying that his handprint left a mark on both sides of her face.

  "My bad," he mocked once more.

  Yoori took in a shaky breath when she felt the painful sting of the slaps. Her vision blackened for a moment as she wiped the blood escaping from her mouth. With the little strength that remained, she attempted to stand up. She struggled to get away.

  She didn’t get far.

  A pair of hands wrapped themselves around her ankles, causing her to fall back down.

  "God baby, you have no idea how excited you're making us," the third guy groaned. He tugged her to him. He grabbed a fistful of her hair and roughly pulled her closer to him. His perverted hands found their way onto her legs.

  "This is going to be fun," he whispered hoarsely, his fingers violently groping her thighs.

  Rage whipped through Yoori like a tornado.

  No one touches her like that.

  "Don't fucking touch me!" she shrieked, her hand suddenly reaching out for anything she could use as a weapon. She managed to secure a discarded glass bottle in her hand. Rallying all the strength within her, she roughly slammed the bottle against the guy's skull, causing the side of his head to bleed profusely.

  "Fucking bitch!" Pain morphed onto his face. His hands clamped over his head. He applied pressure against the wound, loudly cursing at Yoori.

  With the broken tip of the bottle in hand, Yoori managed to get up and point the broken fragment at the two who still stood there. Maybe it was because of the pain throbbing within her, maybe it was because of how they touched her, or maybe it was the adrenaline pumping through her body, but as she stared at the two men, her eyes poisoned with an elevated level of hatred, she turned into someone else.

  Rage consumed her body.

  Blood.

  She wanted their blood.

  Kill them. All of them, her newfound devilish conscience whispered from inside her head.

  She was happy to oblige.

  Though the number of opponents outweighed her, she knew victory was possible. As her strategic eyes fell onto each of their necks, she knew that one slice was all it took to leave them knocking on death's door. She stood there, waiting like she had done it so many times before. All they had to do was come a little bit closer and she'd be ready to strike. She'd be ready for the kill.

  "You truly do not know who you're fucking with," Yoori whispered dangerously, steadying her grasp on the bottle. And she would show them. She would show all of them who they were fucking with. "I am going to kill all of you."

  Woo laughed in response. "I am going to have so much fun screwing you.”

  He advanced, ready to put her in her place.

  Just a couple more steps, Yoori thought in fervor, her tactical eyes following his advancement. Her heart beat impatiently. She raised the tip of the bottle in anticipation. Just three more steps and she'd be able to slice his throat open. Just three more steps and this sorry piece of shit will understand what hell is.

  3...

  Her focus on him heightened.

  2...

  Her grasp on her weapon tightened.

  1...

  She froze.

  He was exactly where she wanted him to be. He was standing at the exact position where death was imminent. All she had to do was run the shattered bottle against his throat and he'd be spurting out blood. All she had to do was act. It was that simple. Yet as he stood there, oblivious to the fact that his life was truly at her mercy, Yoori couldn't find the courage, or the heart, to kill him in such a manner.

  The hunger for blood evaporated from her eyes.

  She couldn't.

  No.

  Choi Yoori was not a killer.

  No matter how strong the urge was, she just couldn't.

  And that was all it took to have that violent alter ego leave her side.

  She dropped the bottle to the floor. It shattered, obliterating any future protection it may offer her.

  That was all it took for her to stand there, vulnerability raining over her. That was all it took for her to become a prey...once more.

  "I knew you wouldn't have the guts," Woo said darkly, standing dangerously close to her. "Now it's time to show you the consequences of going against my boss." He produced a pocketknife from his back pocket. "Scream really loud as I slice off your face, alright beautiful?"

  It all happened in slow motion. Woo raised his knife in the air and before she knew it, the knife was flying at her, the sharpness of its blade hungry for her blood. It was so close. It was merely centimeters away from cutting into her skin when she realized that the knife had contracted backward. Her eyes bloomed. She watched Woo contort his face in pain as he sagged forward.

  Someone had pulled him away from her.

  Someone had saved her.

  To avoid getting pummeled by Woo’s fall, Yoori stumbled backward. Her shock filled eyes fell upon her unexpected savior. Her eyes stretched when she made out the face of her rescuer.

  "Jae Won?" she uttered, watching in disbelief as he took on the rest of Jin Ae's men.

  Jae Won resembled a ninja dressed in all black business casual clothing. The punches and kicks he imparted unto them appeared effortless. One by one, they all crumpled to the floor. When he was done, he stood in between her and Jin Ae's fallen men. Jae Won had a taut smirk on his face that indicated he was annoyed with the situation at hand.

  "Jae Won!” Jin Ae screamed. Her eyes went from Jae Won to her fallen men, all of whom were groaning in agony. “What do you think you're doing?"

  "You fuckers.” Jae Won’s enraged eyes settled on Jin Ae and her fallen men. "You have some nerve touching her like that."

  "Nerve? What the fuck are you talking about? What is your relation to that bitch? Is she screwing you too?"

  "You watch your mouth, Jin Ae!" He pointed a threatening finger at her. "The only reason why you're
not convulsing on the floor right now is because of your relation to Ju Won! If you dare to talk about her like that again, I swear I'm going to rip your tongue out!"

  Relation...to Ju Won? Yoori thought curiously. Her mind ran amuck. Who was this man that everyone kept bringing up?

  "Jae Won! Do you have a death wish?" Woo hollered upon hearing Jae Won speak to his boss in such a manner. He attempted to stand up but failed miserably. Jae Won's assault left him in shambles. In other words, he had the shit beat out of him and he wasn’t going to stand properly for a long time.

  "I should ask you the same thing. Speaking to her like that… Do you have any idea what she can do to you?" Jae Won paused, his anger amplifying. "You know what? Fuck it!" His fury prevailing over him, Jae Won could no longer resist the urge to impart another round of kicks to Woo, who was now whimpering in pain. "You're such a tough guy, huh? Hitting her like she's nothing?"

  Stopping midway, his breathing relentless in speed, Jae Won managed to pull himself away from a terrified and bloodied Woo.

  Yoori was mystified. She couldn't believe her eyes. Why was Jae Won so protective over her?

  "Yoori, are you okay?" a gentle voice asked behind her. A pair of hands reached behind her and helped her up. When she stood upright and turned her head, another familiar face greeted her.

  "Kang Min?" she asked with uncertainty, looking him up and down. Were her eyes playing tricks on her? Did she get beat too hard? Why was he here?

  "Get the hell out of here before I kill all of you!" Jae Won roared at Jin Ae's fallen men.

  "One second, Yoori," Kang Min said smiling. He left Yoori's side to join Jae Won.

  "Kang Min! Are you with Jae Won? Did you already switch sides?" Jin Ae screamed, obviously unhappy with the new players and their cameo in her arena.

  Good job, Jin Ae, Yoori thought dazedly, watching the scene unfold. She was painfully curious too. Why were Jae Won and Kang Min together? What was the meaning of this?

  Ignoring the questions Jin Ae posed, a very pissed off Kang Min whipped a black gun from his black leather jacket and promptly aimed it at Jin Ae. A look of fear danced over the once pompous girl's face.

  "You have five seconds to leave before I blow your heads off," he warned gravely. His eyes fastened on the fallen men before him, all of whom had turned to each other in fear. His finger tightened around the trigger. The conviction in his gaze conveyed that his threats were not to be taken lightly.

  Jin Ae's men didn't hesitate to crawl up with unmatchable speed and skitter off like cockroaches. During his grand exodus, Woo hastily grabbed Jin Ae's arm. She was screaming words of protests when he dragged her away.

  "What the hell are you doing, you spineless piece of crap?" Jin Ae screamed, slapping Woo across the face. "Die if you have to! I want her blood!"

  "We'll finish her off next time," Woo said pleadingly, his face red from the merciless slaps.

  "Choi Yoori! This is not over!" Jin Ae screamed at the top of her lungs before her men threw her into a black SUV and drove off. "I'm going to kill you if it's the last thing I do!"

  The car screeched off, leaving Yoori, Jae Won, and Kang Min alone at the scene of the crime. Yoori faced her two unexpected rescuers. She noticed that their demeanors had changed since their exchange with Jin Ae.

  Jae Won's face resembled a kid's as he ran toward her in eagerness.

  Placing his gun back behind his back, Kang Min followed closely behind Jae Won, his face more stern and wary.

  "You two..." she began when they stopped in front of her. She was at a loss for words. What were they doing together? Why was Kang Min with Jae Won? Did he betray Tae Hyun and joined forces with Jae Won? And Jae Won, had he been following her since that day in the alley?

  They saved her...but what were they going to do with her?

  As her curious eyes bore into them, Yoori began to notice the subtle similarities in their faces. The features were so subtle that one wouldn't be able to figure out the resemblance if they stood any further apart. They were related, she was sure of that much. She just wasn't sure of what they wanted with her.

  She anticipated Kang Min would answer her un-verbalized questions when he opened his mouth. To her bewilderment, his next words did not answer any of her questions. Instead, it brought up more.

  "It's been –" he said almost absentmindedly, his eyes scanning her face. He closed his mouth, unsure if he should finish his sentence. His face remained puzzled; he seemed uncertain of what was happening as well.

  Jae Won, however, gazed at her with the utmost happiness and certainty.

  "It’s been awhile," he said without reluctance, finishing Kang Min's string of thoughts for him. He reached behind his back and pulled out a gold gun.

  Her body went rigid when she took inventory of the gun. Did he save her just to execute her in the end?

  Her question was answered when Jae Won reached for her hand and raised it palm up. He placed the gun in her hand.

  Yoori studied the gun in awe. For some strange reason, it felt like a pet had been returned to her. The beauty of its craftsmanship was amazing and the familiarity of its presence mesmerized her.

  She looked at Kang Min and Jae Won questioningly. What was happening? What was the meaning of all of this? What was she supposed to do with the gun?

  Jae Won only smiled as a response. His hand met hers and he gently folded her fingers so she would have a better grasp of the gun.

  "We've missed you," he said simply, his eyes hopeful and eager. He looked at the gun and then at her. "Welcome back, boss."

  “You have to make an example of them. . .”

  18: The Lost Scorpions

  Welcome back, boss?

  Needless to say, it took Yoori more than a few breaths to fully soak up the ridiculousness of the statement.

  Her flabbergasted eyes went from Jae Won and to Kang Min. Jae Won still had a hopeful smile spread across his face. Kang Min on the other hand was still looking at her with uncertainty. Regardless of the dissimilarities in the expressions they held, she knew they were both anxiously waiting for her reply.

  She stood in stoned silence, a cloud of confusion hovering over her. Question after question pounded in her head. If her mind was racing before, then it was racing tenfold now.

  Welcome back, boss?

  That whole statement didn't make sense. She paused briefly. Well, the “boss” part she could absorb quickly. Jae Won had called her that since he saw her in the alley. However, what about the gun?

  The weight of it seemed to have increased in her hand. She didn't understand why he gave her the gun. Why they gave her the gun. More importantly, she didn't understand why it felt natural for her to be holding it. Was it possible that she had been in this world for so long that even holding a weapon felt natural now? She grimaced. She would have to come back to that question again.

  She cast her thoughts to the most troubling part of the statement.

  Welcome back.

  That was probably the most riveting question and the only one she truly cared enough to dissect. Welcome back from what? Welcome back to the apartment? Welcome back from the fight with Jin Ae's men?

  Her rationality told her that Jae Won had to be referring to those two options. It couldn't be possible that he’d be welcoming her back from anything but those things. Her intuition, however, told her there was definitely another meaning to that statement. She didn't want to push it though. It was a strange gut feeling but she was almost too afraid to know. In addition to that cautious gut feeling, she was also exhausted. Probably not too exhausted to not care about the confusion these boys had thrown her into, but definitely too exhausted to exert any real energy to try and find out what was going on. Her entire body was in pain and all she wanted to do at that precise instant was to get away from everything.

  Intent on making her much-needed exit, Yoori's gaze on them grew firm.

  "I'm sorry," she finally managed, breaking the thick silence.

  She fla
ttened her hand out and extended the gun back to Jae Won. "I honestly don't know how I became your ‘boss’ but all of this is a mistake. I am quite possibly the most spineless girl you'd ever meet. I'm in no position to even be holding this gun. I would never be able to use it."

  She extended it closer to him, hoping that he would nod in understanding and release it from her grasp.

  Please just take it and let me leave, she thought, gazing at him intently. Her face started to twitch in pain. Her legs were ready to give out.

  Unfazed by her behavior, Jae Won gave her a knowing smile that caused her to delve deeper into perplexity. He leaned in closer to her. Without so much as looking at the gun she was extending to him, he whispered, “Boss…Kang Min and I already checked. There's no one else here. You don't have to pretend you don't know us anymore."

  Pretend?

  The hell?

  Yoori looked at him hesitantly. "I know who both of you are," she said with certainty, stealing a quick glance at Kang Min. He was still quiet.

  Jae Won beamed prematurely.

  "I just don't know what the hell is going on," she added punctually.

  His expression fell.

  With the weight of the gun prominent in her hand, she no longer had the patience to hold onto it. The familiarity and attachment she was forming with it scared her. She had to get rid of it.

  She hastily grabbed Jae Won's hand and returned the gun.

  She backed away.

  Jae Won's face grew dim.

  "Please tell me you're joking," he said hoarsely, becoming as pale as Kang Min. "Boss, if you're acting right now, then you're starting to look believable."

  Her heart grew heavy at the crestfallen look on his face. Her entire body then tensed up in realization. This particular dialogue felt too similar to the one she had with Ji Hoon in the warehouse. Too damn similar.

  "Jae Won," Kang Min finally spoke up, his voice shaking vaguely.

  Yoori and Jae Won turned their attention to the sudden active role Kang Min took in the conversation. Though the look of uncertainty had since left his face, his pale expression remained.