The War of Gods (A Welcome to the Underworld Novel, Book 3) (26 page)

And this time, she knew what tactic she had to use.

Let’s see how you react to this one
, she thought expectantly.

They launched for each other on the maze like speeding trains. Just as they were about to collide, Yoori swooped down and rammed herself into his gut, causing a surprised Tae Hyun to lose his balance because he was too tall to swoop down that low.

“Ugh!”

Tae Hyun fell with a groan, but not before he held on to the tip of the maze and pulled himself back up. Yoori barely had time to run away from him when he held on to her stomach from behind, performed a jujitsu move, and tipped her backward.

“Ah!”

Her back hit the tip of the maze with brutal force, her left leg hanging off the brick. When she saw Tae Hyun stand before her, ready to push her off, she hammered a kick onto the side of his body, nearly causing him to topple off. In the midst of this, she regained her bearings and crouched on the maze, watching with hope that he would tip over.

To her disappointment, he did not lose balance. He stabilized himself and in an instant, was in front of her once more. Tae Hyun caught her arm and tugged her toward his hard chest. She attempted to pull herself free, but he held on to her.

He cracked a smile, clearly impressed with the resilience she was showing. However, that was not enough for him to show mercy. He wanted her as his girlfriend, and if that meant he had to push her off a maze, then so be it.

“I will make sure your fall from grace is a gentle one,” he promised before he pushed her off.

Yoori could not have that. In retaliation, she tried to hook an arm around his neck to use him to regain her equilibrium. However, in the process of doing this, she tripped over a loose brick, lost her footing, and fell headfirst toward the ground.

“Yoori!”

In fear of Yoori landing on her head, Tae Hyun jumped after her and caught her before she collided with the ground. He wrapped his arms around her and fell backward, allowing her to fall onto the cushion of his body instead.

A few moments of silence perused between them as they caught their breath. Shortly after, Tae Hyun laughed when he realized he was the one who hit the ground first.

“I think I just lost,” he whispered in amusement.

Calmly, he stood up, pulling Yoori with him. He smiled at her and pinned her against the wall inside the maze. He assessed the rustled look in her eyes and saw the fear within them.

“Soo Jin is not a threat to me,” he told her with conviction, sensing that she was still bothered by that fact. 

Yoori looked at him and then threateningly pressed a loose brick against his neck. Tae Hyun instantly froze.

“She may not be a threat, but I am,” she countered, realizing now that it was never Soo Jin that Tae Hyun should be concerned with. After the battle that took place, it was clear that it had always been Yoori who was the true threat.

“Where did you get that?”

“When we laid on the ground a second ago. I saw it and grabbed it before you pulled me up.” She exhaled, looking at him with disappointment. “You underestimate what I’m capable of.”

Tae Hyun smirked while pulling the brick away from his neck and tossing it to the ground. He continued to stare at her in amusement.

Yoori further explained, knowing he had not fully processed her point. “Now I know why they do not want you to be distracted by me. You are not careful around me.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because you jumped after me when I fell. You could’ve won, but you gave it all up and jumped after me. You lost because you wanted to save me.”

He exhaled patiently. “This is just a game.”

“Tonight it is,” she whispered. “But what about next time when we actually fight?” She tilted her head. “What if next time, it is no longer a game and it is Soo Jin that you’re fighting? Will you purposely lose to her in order to save me again?”

Tae Hyun smiled calmly. “There are five weapons buried in the wall you’re standing in front of. When you pressed that loose brick into my neck, I could’ve reached for any one of those weapons and killed you before you could even blink.” He touched her face, his features displaying no fear. “We are both a threat to each other. I am not the only one distracted here.” His gentle smile remained. “I know you are a threat to me and my existence, but the difference here is that I
want
you to be my distraction. I do not fear you because I trust that despite whatever power you have, you will never harm me.”

He stroked her cheek when he saw hope seep into her once severe gaze. “It is okay for us to be in a relationship where we are a threat to one another. It is not a bad thing; it is called trust.” He leaned in, his words breaking through all the fear that held Yoori captive. “I trust you, baby. That is why I brought you here, that is why I put you on that throne for the rest of my Serpents to see, and that is why I’m opening up to you right now. You threaten everything I’ve worked my entire life for, but you are still here because
I
want you to be. I’ve had a taste of what it’s like to be without you, and I do not want to go back to that life.” He moved in closer, his loving eyes holding hers. “Will you be mine now?”

Yoori smiled, feeling her heart warm. Despite her fears of the future whenever she thought about Soo Jin, she couldn’t deny how beautiful his words were—how beautiful a future with him could be. Perhaps she was being too paranoid. Perhaps she shouldn’t focus so much on the future, especially when she had something so wonderful in the present.

Instead of agreeing, however, she lightheartedly noted something else. “They’re watching us,” she whispered.

Tae Hyun did not even blink in concern. “No one is watching us.”

Yoori hid a smile and tilted her head in the direction of the estate. She had sensed them for a while now, perhaps a little after the two initiates ran from Tae Hyun like two scared puppies. It was only fair that she brought Tae Hyun’s attention to them as well.

“Your Serpents are watching us from the mansion.”

“No one,” he enunciated, turning around and glaring at the Serpents who were all watching from the packed mansion, “is watching us.”

As soon as the hundreds of Serpents realized he was glaring at them, they uneasily turned away and pretended they were not engrossed in watching their boss seduce his girlfriend. They awkwardly laughed with one another and looked everywhere else but at them.

Tae Hyun turned back to Yoori and when he did, she did something out of character: she kissed him.

She threw away all her inhibitions and simply kissed the one who stole her heart. What was the point of denying his efforts when she wanted him as well? There was no point. They had been through too much and they deserved this heavenly moment. 

And boy was she glad she did.

The moment their lips met, she felt the synapses of her brain explode to life. The world around her jumped in vibrancy, as if coming to life from the kiss she shared with Tae Hyun.

Tae Hyun chuckled into the kiss and wrapped his arms around her, sweeping his lips over hers with a passion that left her weak in the knees. His kiss was hot with intention, intoxicating by nature, and utterly mind-consuming. It was her wildest fantasy brought to life. She cursed herself for denying them this wonderful moment for so long, but she was grateful they could bask in it now.

While continuing to lock his lips with hers, he moved them deeper into the maze.

“Are you mine again?” he whispered in between their kiss, his lips nipping hers.

She nodded and gripped his powerful arms, relishing in their kiss. “Yes, baby.”

He chuckled again and lifted her up, allowing her to wrap her legs around his hips as they continued to kiss like there was no tomorrow.

“If they wrote history books about you, they would document this as the moment of your downfall,” Yoori whispered as she felt him press her back against the ivy-covered wall.

Tae Hyun grinned, moving his lips from her mouth, and drifting onto the side of her neck. His teeth scraped her skin with decadence, and he started to suckle on the sensitive skin there, earning mewls of approval from her. “I couldn’t think of a better reason to fall from the throne.”

She nodded distractedly before something else came up in her mind. Despite the immense pleasure she was receiving from Tae Hyun, s
he had other things to address. She knew the only way to bring it up was to catch Tae Hyun off guard.

Yoori
pulled out a folded, silver invitation card from the pocket of her dress. She held it in front of him, interrupting his loving attention on her neck. “Now can you tell me what this is all about?”

She
had found the card buried under a stack of mail in their apartment. It was clear that Tae Hyun had seen this invitation card. It bothered her that he didn’t mention it to her. She had been waiting for him to bring it up. When it was clear that he wasn’t planning to, she knew she had to take the lead.

A frown creased his brows as
he closed his eyes in weariness and gently placed her back on the ground. Given his now dampened sexual mood, it was palpable he wasn’t happy that she found it.

“That is an invitat
ion to Ju Won’s masquerade ball,” he said succinctly, the tone in his voice hinting that he didn’t want to have this conversation.

“Is it for his birthday?” s
he asked, disregarding the warning tone in his voice.

Tae Hyun shook his head.
“Every year before his birthday, Ju Won throws a charity event to help raise money for his foundation. It goes to help kids with leukemia.”

“Does the money really go to that foundation?”
Yoori asked skeptically. Judging by Ju Won’s morally questionable character, she had a hard time believing he would give any money away.

Tae Hyun’s next words
surprised her. “Every bit of it.”

She blinked. “Really?”

He nodded.

“Why this foundation?”

“Ju Won’s only daughter died from leukemia. He throws this event in her name every year.”

A
swell of sympathy streamed over Yoori when she thought about Ju Won actually loving someone other than himself. She briefly wondered if his daughter was the reason why he chose Soo Jin as his advisee. Perhaps Soo Jin reminded him of his daughter?

“I take it only people fro
m the Underworld are invited?” she asked instead, not wanting to bother herself with thoughts of Soo Jin and Ju Won. There were more pressing matters that needed answers.

“All layers from the Underworld are invited
, but it isn’t a closed event. Because it’s for a cause that has nothing to do with Underworld business, everyone is encouraged to bring dates who are not associated with the Underworld as well. It’s one of the rare occasions where enemies converse freely with enemies. Underworld businesses are not dealt with that night.” Tae Hyun smirked. “At least not in theory.”

“
You didn’t even tell me about it, and the event is tomorrow. I take it we’re not going?”

“We’re not going.”

Yoori frowned at his haste answer. “Why not?”

“Rumors surrounding you have been scarce. The
thing about our world is that it isn’t as connected as one might think. Information is important in this society and it isn’t shared easily. The only ones in the loop the majority of the time are the 3
rd
layer Kings and the Advisors because our people spread far and wide. Only a tight circle knows about you and your resemblance to An Soo Jin. An even smaller circle knows that you’re actually her and that you have amnesia. Aside from Ji Hoon, the Advisors, and myself, no one else knows the truth about you.” He eyed her. “Can you understand now why I’m not about to bring you to a party where all three layers can see you?”

“But yo
u can’t miss an event like this,” Yoori quickly countered. “The Advisors would use this against you later and say that you’re ‘distracted’ again. You can’t be stubborn, Tae Hyun. You have to go.”

“I’
m not leaving you home alone.”

“Isn’t it a masquerade b
all? I can wear one of those masquerade masks. I can go with you and be invisible.”

He was stubborn. “I don’t want to chance it. If we go, I’ll be pulled away left and
right. I don’t want to leave you to fend for yourself.”

“I don’t want you to
endanger your position in this world anymore,” she replied just as stubbornly. “You’re being stupid if you think missing any of these events won’t harm you in the end. Plus, I’m not a damn kid. You could leave me alone for a couple of minutes. I promise I won’t get beamed up by a UFO, and I won’t let terrorists abduct me.”

He frowned at her lame attempt at a
joke.

“I don’t want to go,” h
e stated resolutely, looking away as if that would end the conversation. “I hate masquerade balls, I hate dressing up for themed parties, and I know shit is going to go down. I can feel it.”

Acutely aware
that she wasn’t going to get her way unless she got strategic, Yoori decided to use her sexuality—as limited as it may be—as her weapon of choice.