The End of Gods (A Welcome to the Underworld Novel, Book 4) (27 page)

“I’m at war with her brother, not her,” Soo Jin answered swiftly, genuinely meaning it. She would never prohibit the brothers from speaking to Chae Young or Hae Jin. “You two can socialize with her. It doesn’t matter to me.”

Jae Won divided a hopeful look between them. “Do you both want to come?”

“No,” said Soo Jin.

“It’s best that I don’t go,” Kang Min stated half a second later.

Soo Jin straightened in her seat. Thrown off by Kang Min’s answer, she turned to him. “Why aren’t you going?”

Kang Min offered her a sullen smile. Desolation gripped his eyes as he thought about his ex-girlfriend. “We’re no longer together. After abandoning the gang that took me in and betraying them, I don’t deserve to be around her.”

His unfiltered answer left Soo Jin and Jae Won whirling. Knowing that Kang Min had already thought this decision through, Soo Jin said no more on the matter. This conversation had already taken a turn for the worse. She no longer wanted to kindle that unsettling fire with further questions.

“You’re really not coming?” Jae Won asked as they bid their goodbyes for the evening. His expression was hopeful that she would change her mind. “I’m sure Chae Young would be happy to see you. She thinks that you no longer want to be friends with her because you’ve regained all your memories. If you show up, it’ll really make her night.”

“I’m not interested,” Soo Jin lied easily. Under normal circumstances, she would have been furious that Jae Won divulged Underworld business to an outsider. Last she knew, Chae Young had no idea Choi Yoori was actually An Soo Jin. It was clear that Jae Won had updated her on the truth of the situation. For any other Siberian Tiger, this infraction was punishable by several nights in a sealed coffin. However, because it was Chae Young, she did not dwell on Jae Won’s infraction. With a mask of nonchalance still solidified on her face, she simply shook her head. “Go and have fun. I have plans anyway.”

“Boss,” Kang Min began after his brother walked out.

“Hmm?”

“This may be too forward of me,” he continued, his pale eyes holding hers, “but do you miss Yoori?”

The simple question hit her like a ton of bricks. Akin to a wall materializing inside her heart, she hardened her emotions and stared at Kang Min with cold, inflexible eyes. She did not like his question, and she damn well expressed that in her sharp gaze.

“If Yoori was here right now, then I wouldn’t be here,” she answered through gritted teeth. “
You
answer the question. Would I miss her?”

Kang Min measured the resolve in her icy eyes. For a brief moment, she feared that he could read the vulnerability through her masked face. To her relief, he did not answer her question. With a respectful incline of the head, he merely ended the conversation by saying, “Have a good night, boss.”

Click.

No one could have prepared Soo Jin for the torrent of loneliness that spread over her as soon as Kang Min closed the door. She looked around the massive living room. The fading embers of the dying fire made her feel a hundred times lonelier than she did earlier in the night. She debated on going outside to kill a few dozen Serpents. She wanted to harden these stupid human emotions that were scorching through her and weakening her. Soo Jin vetoed that idea as quickly as it materialized. She was exhausted from all the training, and her body strength was completely spent. All she wanted at that moment was to rest and to forget about her bleak reality.

Although she had intended to go to bed, her body had a mind of its own as it guided her to the walk-in closet. Before she could process what was happening, her knees dropped to the floor. Kneeling in front of a small white dresser, she slid the last drawer out, pilfered through it, and with much effort, pulled a black garment out of it.

She bit her lips, breathing in a lungful of anticipatory air.

With her back pressed against the closet wall, she quietly held the innocuous black hoodie in her hands. She brought her fingers up and grazed the hoodie carefully. She found herself shaking as the simple garment brought forth a wave of feelings and memories that never belonged to her, yet she allowed to filter into her mind. The numbness she felt was killing her, and the only thing to ease it was this hoodie.

Fully aware of how pathetic she looked, Soo Jin sat hidden in the closet for the remainder of the night. She closed her eyes, allowed all logic to fade away and gripped the hoodie to her chest. She listened to the quiet thumping of her heart. She could feel her heart yearn for a life that never belonged to her—another reality that felt like a dream.

This pain was a debt that she had to pay—a sacrifice that she had to offer. 

No one said the road to being a God was easy, and this final phase of killing the last shred of her humanity was going to be the most difficult of all.

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“Mr. Lee! This place is packed tonight!” Hae Jin cried the next evening. She ran around the diner, taking orders from customers before they closed up early and went out for Chae Young’s birthday dinner.

Mr. Lee chuckled, his chubby hands holding plates upon plates of food for his customers. “It’s like they know we’re planning on closing up early,” he told her warmly. He skidded past her in haste, his little white apron dancing over his brown sweater and pants. “Thank you for helping out.”

“No problem!” Hae Jin replied with a bright smile. Her black halter dress moved gracefully as she went to another table to ask if they needed anything else.

“Whoa! Watch it, Pops!” Jae Won shouted from the other end of the diner. Instinctively, he bent his body backwards and tipped his head before Mr. Lee’s dishes slammed into his face. Had he not moved in time, the food would have spilled all over his black jacket and jeans.

“Ho, ho! Sorry, son. But nice reflexes!” Mr. Lee chortled in apology, thoroughly impressed with Jae Won’s reflexes. He couldn’t have known, as Jae Won and Chae Young decided it was best to not divulge this to him, that Jae Won was one of the highest-ranking members of a powerful Underworld gang—hence his impressive reflexes. “I wouldn’t want to hurt my best waiter.”

“Yeah, slave labor, you mean,” Jae Won humored with a laugh. Shaking his head humorously, he brought the dirty dishes to the back.

“How was therapy today?” Hae Jin asked Chae Young moments later.

While all the patrons were happily enjoying their dinner, Hae Jin stood beside Chae Young as they took their breaks. Their eyes scanned over the packed diner. After these last sets of patrons left, they could finally close up and leave for Chae Young’s birthday dinner.

“It was good,” Chae Young answered with a bright smile. Unable to help herself, she extended her hand and wrapped her arm around Hae Jin, smothering her with a sisterly half-hug embrace. “Thanks for coming and helping out tonight, babe. My dad and I would’ve died if it was just the two of us.”

Hae Jin laughed, waving a hand and quietly saying, “It was nothing.”

“Have you spoken to Kang Min since . . .?”

Chae Young’s question trailed into the abyss once she saw Hae Jin’s smile wane.

With her positive air wilting at the reminder of Kang Min, Hae Jin shook her head. “He hasn’t returned my calls.”

Chae Young sighed sympathetically. Her voice mirrored the pain in Hae Jin’s. “Have you spoken to Jae Won about it? It’s so unlike Kang Min to act like this. The guy’s crazy about you.”

Hae Jin shrugged. “I don’t know. Jae Won’s been busy helping your dad with the diner. I didn’t want to bug him about it. Plus, Kang Min’s a big boy. If he wants to see or talk to me, he knows how to reach me.”

“Yeah, but still,” Chae Young said bitterly, upset with Kang Min for behaving this way. Her eyes perused the room. When she caught sight of Jae Won, she knew what to do. She unhooked herself from Hae Jin and approached him. “Hey hun.”

Jae Won stopped in mid-pace after walking out of the kitchen. He beamed at her and took a couple of steps closer to the counter. He placed his hands atop the counter as leverage and leaned forward to talk to his girlfriend. “What’s up, hun?”

“Do you know if Kang Min or Yoori are coming tonight?” Her voice was hopeful; it matched the hopeful expression on Hae Jin’s face.

Jae Won did his best to conceal his solemn expression. He shook his head. “They’re a bit busy right now. They won’t be coming.”

The despondency on the girls’ faces was clear. They tried to keep their smiles intact.

Unsettled that he had singlehandedly dampened their spirits, Jae Won hastily added, “For what it’s worth, I think they really wanted to be here.” He released a weary sigh. “It’s just . . . things are complicated. It’s not like it used to be—”

“Chae Young!
”
Mr. Lee interjected happily, trotting up from the side and startling Jae Won. “Look who finally came back after quitting so suddenly!”

Chae Young, Hae Jin, and Jae Won’s eyes broadened when they saw who it was.

Stepping out from behind Mr. Lee, Soo Jin presented them with a warm, beautiful smile. The white jacket she wore brought out the pink in her cheeks, while the black jeans and Uggs she wore enhanced the silky hue of her long black hair.

“Hi everyone,” Soo Jin greeted. Her eyes ran from Jae Won, to Chae Young, and then to Hae Jin; they all wore shocked but excited expressions. Her smile lengthened when she held up a blue Tiffany & Co. bag in her hand. “I won’t be able to stay long. I just wanted to stop by and give the birthday girl her gift.”

“Wait,” Mr. Lee said after hearing this news. “Why can’t you come to dinner with us? We haven’t seen you around in a while, Yoori.”

Soo Jin feigned a pout at the usual tone Mr. Lee used with her—or Yoori—whenever she was late for work or argued with customers. She wouldn’t normally respond to being called “Yoori”, but because Mr. Lee was blissfully unaware of her stature as the Queen of the Underworld, she decided it was best to play along. She added a tinge of regret to her warm smile. “I’ve been really busy. It took a lot of effort to push my schedule back to come tonight.”

That was a complete lie. It did not take effort to push her schedule back. It did, however, take effort to succumb to her human emotions and stop by the diner. Because when it was all said and done, hating the reminder of Yoori aside, she really missed Chae Young. Chae Young was her first real friend, and Soo Jin loved her dearly. She couldn’t push her friend away, especially not on her birthday.

It will be the last time I see her,
Soo Jin reasoned once she gave herself the concession of seeing Chae Young. She would see Chae Young and catch a glimpse of Hae Jin one final time before she cut them out of her life. She knew the weakness of her attachment to them was a problem, and Soo Jin was more than willing to reconcile that matter. But, for tonight, she simply wanted to be normal before she completely immersed herself with the darkness that was the Underworld. She had the rest of her life to be a God. It could not hurt to be human for a small part of this night.

“Well, let’s give them their alone time then, yeah?” Hae Jin uttered. Even though it was clear that she wanted to stay and talk to both girls, she respected the fact that Soo Jin may not want any interaction with her. Being the sweet person that she was, she put her needs aside and put Soo Jin’s first.

It was an act that grated Soo Jin’s insides. Hae Jin could have never known that Soo Jin’s purpose for coming here was to catch a final glance of her as well. She wanted Hae Jin to stay, but given everything that had transpired, this was not something she could voice.

Mr. Lee and Jae Won followed Hae Jin’s lead as they left Chae Young and Soo Jin alone.

Chae Young did not wait a second longer to greet Soo Jin. She ran to her, happiness beaming out of her like the rays of the sun.

“Ahh! Yoori, Yoori, Yoori!” she squealed ecstatically, pulling a laughing Soo Jin into an embrace. The fabric of their jackets clashed as Chae Young bounced up and down. “I thought you weren’t coming! I—” Chae Young stopped when she realized something. “Um, I can call you Yoori, right?”

“Yeah, it’s completely fine. Don’t worry about it!” Soo Jin appeased her worries, honestly not minding when it came to Chae Young.

Her heart warmed from merely being around Chae Young. She could not stop smiling as she looked at her. Since this was possibly the last moment she would ever see Chae Young, she wanted to treasure every bit of it.

“Look what I brought,” Soo Jin shared, handing the blue gift bag to Chae Young. “Happy Birthday.”

Chae Young grinned, accepting the birthday gift and thanking her. Once she placed the gift bag on the counter, she faced Soo Jin with a frown. “Why can’t you come to dinner? I miss you.”

Soo Jin’s heart dropped. Outwardly, she forced the smile to stay on her face. A part of her wanted to go. Nevertheless, a bigger part of her knew it was a bad idea. Seeing Yoori’s best friend for a brief moment was already a bad idea. Going out to dinner and encouraging the human emotions she was trying to eradicate was plain reckless. No, she would not go to dinner with everyone. She could not be that reckless.

“I’m really busy,” she lied with ease, “but I had to stop by to see you before things get crazier.”

Chae Young nodded sadly. She was smart enough to deduce that Soo Jin was lying, but also perceptive enough to not force the issue. She would take what she could get from Soo Jin.