The Fall of Gods (A Welcome to the Underworld Novel, Book 2) (49 page)

Even though she saw it coming, Yoori couldn’t control the unscrupulous dread that formed in her
 heart after she heard Tae Hyun give into the demands of the Advisors as soon as he heard that his candidacy to be the Lord of the Underworld was in jeopardy. 

She had always known that this candidacy was more important to Tae Hyun than anything else. She had always known this. It was just that, in the course of the recent weeks and all that had happened between them, she thought his priorities
 
might
 have changed. It was a silly hope on a silly girl’s part, but as she watched him harden at the knowledge that his position was challenged in the Underworld, she knew that Tae Hyun was still eager for power in this world. It didn’t matter what occurred in this bedroom or the night before, power continued to prevail over Tae Hyun’s needs and this fact alone was enough for her to justify her actions in not giving into him.

They didn’t belong together. This very moment proved it.

“In an hour. The Stadium,” Dong Min stated before adding, “And Tae Hyun?”

“Yes?”

“Stop distracting yourself. It’ll do no good for you in the end.”

The line went dead.

Dong Min’s words were simple but it felt like scalding knives.

Yoori stared at Tae Hyun in worry when he hung up.
 

“What?” He feigned obliviousness, but she knew in his eyes that he knew
 why she was so concerned. Even then, she knew that Tae Hyun was just trying to ease the stress away from her. He never enjoyed it whenever she had fear spread on her face. 

“They know that you’ve been too distracted with me?”
 

“They know that I haven’t been as active in the Underworld,” he corrected, still subtly attempting to ease the worry away from her.
 

“And they know it’s because of me,” she
persisted, worry spreading through her like cancer.

She knew that the Advisors didn’t approve of her being with him.  She doubted the entire Underworld would’ve approved of her being with him if and when everyone else found out. She knew all of this but she hadn’t realized what a big deal all of it was until now. Despite Tae Hyun’s nonchalance, Yoori knew the situation was graver than he was letting on.
 

“Don’t worry about it.”

“But – ”

“
It’ll be okay, Yoori,” he insisted. “I can deal with them. I was born into this world. I know how to play the politics. Plus, everyone in this world knows that Ji Hoon will never do a better job than me. I’m the only one who could lead this world in the way that it needs to be led.”

“What if they find someone else for the position and pit them against you?” The question came out before she could stop it. It wasn’t the right time to ask, but it was undeniably appropriate.
 

“
Who?” he inquired, his question coming out faster than he could catch it as well. “Who in this world has the power to challenge me? Who in this world has the power to bring me down?”

Yoori didn’t give Tae Hyun a name. She just stared at him, her eyes dark with storms of worry. While
 there were no words exchanged, Yoori knew that Tae Hyun could tell who she was thinking about. They were the only two who knew about her existence and knew 
who
she was in a past life. Judging by her notoriety in this world, Yoori knew her past self was more than capable of being considered a candidate, especially with a fickle old man like Ju Won who seemed to constantly change his mind about who his favorite potential heir was.

Yoori had always assumed that despite the fact that he was angry that Soo Jin had yet to complete a deed he wanted her to perform before she died, he still favored her most. Yoori believed that until she thought about it further. At this very moment, there was no doubt that it was Tae Hyun that Ju Won favored. Not Soo Jin, or Ji Hoon or anyone else. It was just Tae Hyun. Of course, with an untrustworthy man like Ju Won, he could very well be leading all the heirs to believe that he was favoring all of them. This also seemed like a likely scenario. Anything was possible with the cunning old Advisor.

“I – I’m just really worried,” she answered truthfully, unable to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach.

A tinge of remorse sparked in Tae Hyun’s eyes. Yoori knew it only sparked because he hated seeing her worry. She wished she had better control of her emotions. She was still troubled. Her fears were well-founded fears and that was enough to keep the sting of terror going within her. It wasn’t so much the fact that the Advisors were unhappy with him, but it was more due to the fact that the Advisors were powerful enough to sway opinions. If they wanted the Underworld to turn on Tae Hyun, then it would be a simple task, especially considering that there were already whispers about him being too “distracted” with her.

“Come on, Brat,” he whispered. Desperation was present in his voice. “I hate it when you get like this. Stop worrying. It’ll be fine – ” He stopped talking when his eyes enlarged in alarm. He pointed his index finger out dramatically. “YOORI, SPIDER!” 

“Eeep!
” Yoori shrieked like a little mouse.

She hopped over to Tae Hyun’s side of the bed and shook nonstop at the fear that a big spider had crawled onto her. Her eyes scanned the bed for the spider in question. It was only until she felt Tae Hyun grab her wrist and swiftly entangle something cold around it did she realize he had
 tricked her.

Yoori narrowed her eyes onto the bedpost.

Fear embalmed her eyes.

She had just been handcuffed to the bed!

“Uh oh...” 

Standing smugly to the side with his hands tugging on each end of the towel, Tae Hyun smirked at the pathetic state Yoori found herself in.

“You still worried?” he asked warmly, playfully nipping her nose with his thumb. “Please stop worrying. I can’t stand it when you worry like that.”

Yoori crinkled her nose. Only Tae Hyun would attempt to make her feel better by distracting her and scaring her about something
 else entirely. Her worry about the Advisors and the Underworld dispelled as she glared at Tae Hyun. Who the hell would try to make someone feel better by cuffing them to a bed?

“Very funny,
 
Kwon.
 Yeah, okay I’m not worried anymore. I’m pissed at you. Now grow up and let me go.”

She tugged against the cuffs. It was as strong as she remembered it. It was impenetrable without a key.
 

“Why should I let you go?” He folded his arms across his chest. “You tortured me like this last night,
remember?”

Yoori smiled uneasily. “We shouldn’t live in a world filled with the vicious cycles of revenge.”

Tae Hyun shook his head at her attempt to assuage his needs. “I can’t. No matter how much I like you,” Tae Hyun replied almost apologetically. His tone was still lighthearted. “I’m a very vengeful person. I won’t be able to go on with my day unless I get you back for what you did to me last night.”

Butterflies played in her tummy. “Heh, so what are you going to do? Just leave me chained here all day while you tease me by taking your clothes off?” She didn’t know why she said that, but she did and she was slightly hopeful that he would consider her question. They didn’t belong together but she could still lust after him and joke with him, right?
 

He raised a curious brow. “Are you suggesting something,
 
Choi
?”

“It was merely a question,” she replied before some sensibility rained over her. “Anyway, stop playing. Don’t you have evil, five-minute beating Advisors to meet?
 Let me go.”

“I don’t have to meet them for another hour,” he drawled. “Until then, you can hang out there while I make you suffer.”

“You’re such a jerk-face. You just got done trying to seduce me, trying to ease me of worry, and now you’re punishing me?”

Tae Hyun laughed affectionately.
 Instead of answering her, he merely sat himself back down on the edge of the bed beside her. He framed his hands over her cheeks and pulled her back to him. His lips brushed over hers. The kiss that came unto her lips was slow and deliberate, one that she didn’t protest as she closed her eyes and puckered her lips for him. She was a loser and she acknowledged it. Even when she was frustrated and determined not to have a relationship with the guy, she still gave into the temptation he threw out because she desired him so. She had to be honest. She was chained to a bed with a guy who was strutting his stuff without his shirt on…what girl wouldn’t close her eyes to enjoy a simple kiss? And Yoori did just that. She enjoyed the kiss and allowed it to detonate her senses. The stolen kiss was fast, memorable, and over too quickly when Tae Hyun pulled away from the kiss, leaving her to yearn for more. 

“So…you’re going to kiss me to death?” she finally spoke out, her eyes glazed from the aftermath of the quick and addicting kiss.

“No,” he replied. “That was my apology to you.”

It should have sounded scary but it didn’t. Yoori wasn’t afraid of Tae Hyun. She was just apprehensive about some of the punishments he might come up with. She didn’t want to have to deal
with it. They knew each other too well and unfortunately for Yoori, weaknesses were more than included in this tree of knowledge.

“Tae Hyun…
don’t be mean.” Her voice was soft but it wasn’t a plea. It was a subtle command – one that Tae Hyun didn’t miss. 

“See
, if you were my girlfriend, I’d actually listen to you,” he cleverly emphasized, reminding her that he wasn’t over the fact that he still wanted her as his girlfriend. “But you’re not so…”

“What…what are you going to do to your BFF?”
 

Tae Hyun sighed airily and leaned forward, strategically placing his lips right beside her ear.
 

“How do you feel about me making us the most decadent of breakfasts?” he whispered sultrily, just as he did the night prior while trying to seduce her. Yoori whimpered at the thought and he went on, encouraged by her weak reaction. “Can you imagine it,
 
baby
?” His hot breath painted a clear and juicy picture for her. “The works: pancakes, sausages, scrambled eggs, syrup, orange juice, rice, bacon, fresh fruits and your favorite…tater tots.” 

She wanted to ask him if he would ever consider switching occupations and becoming a commercial actor instead. He could probably do a commercial ad for TV. She was sure whatever the hell he advertised with that sexy voice of his would sell out in a matter of seconds. He was
 
that
 convincing. He would make one lucky company a lot of money if they ever signed him. Regrettably for Yoori, Tae Hyun was content with using his skills on her and her alone. 

“Can you imagine me and you on this bed,” he continued relentlessly, “eating all that food as the syrup and the taste of heaven roll around in our mouths? Can you already taste those deliciously plump tater tots as you roll it around in ketchup? The ecstasies in your mouth as you close your eyes and cry ou
t in the biggest of bliss?”

Yoori nodded sadly, hating Tae Hyun for making her so hungry. “You’re going to go make it, aren’t you? And then…you’re going to torture me by eating all of it in front of me.”

The crafty smile that quirked onto Tae Hyun’s face was confirmation to Yoori that this was his exact plan. “Unless you convince me otherwise.”

“How?” Yoori breathed out in agony. She was so hungry now.

“A kiss.”

“A kiss?” She gaped at him confusingly. “But you
 just kissed me.”

“A kiss
 
from
 you,” he reiterated. His eyes rested on the poutiness of her lips. “Just a kiss. I’ll be putty in your hands and I’ll un-cuff you.”

“I won’t be blackmailed into giving you a kiss, Tae Hyun,” she said sternly, wondering how the hell she managed to speak so severely when all she wanted to do was give in to him. It was times such as these, even when she was in handcuffs, that Yoori was amazed the lengths her mind went in terms of veiling control over her.
 

“
Damn,” he replied exhaustively. “You’re always so stubborn.” He stood up and reached for the cuffs above her. Taking out a key from his pocket, he surprised her by un-cuffing her from the bedpost.

Yoori gawked at him. “What happened to being a vengeful person?”

“I can forgive you.” His voice was concise but very much genuine.

“Have you forgiven in the past?” Her question was swift, just like many she voiced to him earlier in the day.

“No,” he answered quickly, and she knew it was the truth. “But there’s a first time for everything, right?”

His words ignited something inside her. Yoori didn’t know what came over her but when she watched him retreat to the closet to get dressed, she reached up, grabbed each ends of his towel and brought him back down.
 

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him toward her and pres
sed her lips over his upper lip, teasing him with the half-kiss until he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her up, slanting his face so that his lips would get the full treatment from her. It was a quick, passionate, and a hell of a kiss. One that ended too soon when Yoori used all her bearings and pulled herself away from him. It could never extend longer than a quick kiss. Both herself and Tae Hyun weren’t strong enough in the morning for a long and passionate kiss. They would never leave the bed if that occurred.