The End of Gods (A Welcome to the Underworld Novel, Book 4) Read Online Free PDF Page A

wondering how she knew he was holding a teacup the whole time. Soo Jin, much to her own horror, gave him a strange look as well. She belatedly realized that she had unknowingly admitted that she had been stalking him throughout the night. Even though he was slightly perturbed by her eccentricity, the boy didn’t delve deeper into how Soo Jin knew he had a teacup with him the entire night.
    Instead, he casually said, “Since you helped me carry all this stuff here, you can help me decide what tastes good and what can be my new favorite tea.”
    Soo Jin grinned in delight. She nodded, both grateful that he didn’t delve into that embarrassing topic and grateful that he wanted her to do this tasting with him. She had never drank tea before and doubted she would like it, but who cared? She had never hid underneath a table during a rainstorm with a cute boy before either!
    “Okay.”
    Soo Jin began to take each tea flavor out of its respective can. Beside her, the hunky one carefully poured hot water from the teapot into one of the many cups they looted. Once each flavor of the chosen tea leaves was placed into its own cup, Soo Jin and the boy pressed their backs closer against the wall, stared admiringly at Ju Won’s rain-soaked garden, and enjoyed their taste-testing.
    “Why are you hiding?” Soo Jin asked him after they sipped three different flavors that they didn’t like. Her face twitched in aversion after tasting the most recent tea. She quickly handed the cup to the boy to taste-test.
    Although the drumming of the rain had picked up in intensity during their time outside, the rhythmic drumming became something like a lullaby to their ears. It did well to drown out the crowd within the palatial mansion and the existence of the lively world around them. All that existed in their serene world was the rain, the breathtaking view of the vista before them, the teas, and each other.
    Grabbing the cup she handed him, the boy brought the teacup to his lips, tasted the tea, and scrunched up his face in immediate distaste. He dumped the tea out of the cup before answering her. “Because my dad is going to be looking for me soon.”
    Soo Jin slanted her head in curiosity. “Do you not like your dad?”
    “No, I like him. I like him a lot,” he assured, handing her another flavor to try out. “It’s just . . . it’s just that I’m going to miss my family.”
    A part of her heart ached at the depression in his voice. Grabbing the cup, but not yet drinking from it, she probed him for more information. “What do you mean?”
    There was a brief expression of despondency on his face. He took a second to bite his lips before answering her.
    “Tonight is my last night here,” he told her while motioning for her to drink from the teacup. “In a bit, I’ll be leaving.”
    Aware that drinking quickly from the cup would merit the conversation to flow faster, Soo Jin swiftly taste-tested the new flavor. She handed the cup back to him while asking, “Where are you going?”
    It was silly, but she could feel a sinking sensation manifest inside her at the thought of him leaving her.
    He grabbed the teacup from her and sighed. His voice became the melody that harmonized with the rain. “My dad said that because I’m growing up, I have to be trained to be a man. He’s going to send me to visit his friends from all over the world. He said that they will teach me the ways of the world, turn me into a man, and that when I’m ready, I’ll come back and become trained on how to be better than a man. Then I’ll be able to rule over this world as a God amongst men.”
    Soo Jin raised her brows. Astonishment heaved through her when she registered that he had been given the same pep talk that Uncle Ju Won had given her. Though the words differed, the meaning was the same. It amazed her to discover that there was someone else going through the exact same thing. Along with that astonishment came jealousy. She was envious that he would