A Meeting of the Minds [Maia, Closed]

[Kwon Jin]

Ah, Chicago. The Windy City, situated in the beautiful, green state of Illinois, a major central tourist attraction and the third most populated city in the U.S.A. 

Well, by humans. They tended to gather there like it was one of the last refuges for them on Earth. Jin had hardly seen this many humans crammed into one place since his last visit through the U.K., and he almost forgot how much he disliked mingling among them. Maybe it was just something shapeshifters had inherited, but humans made his innards twitch in mild disgust. Or maybe it was just how horrendous the style in this city was: everyone had started the "winter is coming" line of fashion, and it was all about scarves. Scarves were just so. . . tacky. Jin had only waited at O'Hare for half an hour, but that half hour had been just awful.

Now, sitting in the back of a limousine (courtesy of Jeong Entertainment Inc.), Jin pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket, dialed the number he was given before he was left, and then waited. When he heard the two-tone sound, he entered the second set of numbers, and waited again. His father enjoyed his security measures a little too much, but Jin couldn't complain. Better safe than sorry, he supposed. [Abehoji, dab. . .] He had decided to swear off Korean as much as he could while in the States, but he couldn't help the little outbursts. After another minute of waiting, Jin was met with muffled sounds on the other end, before he heard his father's familiar, gruff voice come through.

[Neuj-eoss janh-a .]
(You're late.)

[Neujge , hyudae jeonhwa aidieo ga neomu olae geollyeoseo doeji anh-assseubnida. na yeogiiss-eo .]
(I wasn't late, your stupid phone security took too long. I'm here, anyway.]

[Ajig yeonlag-eul haessseubnikka? Jeonghwaghi eodi ibnikka?]
(Have you made contact yet? Where exactly are you?)

[Naneun geuleonde, gwaenchanh-a. bihaeng eun keossda . naneun geunyeo eganeun gil e cha eiss-eo. naneun myeoch bun e iss-eulgeoya.]
(I'm fine, by the way. Flight was great. I'm in the car now, on my way to her. Should be there in a few minutes.)

[Dangsin-i jeobchog-eul hal ttae jeonhwa hae . uli moduneun dangsin-eul midgo iss-eo , geu gieog. Aus.]
(Call me again when you've made contact. We're all counting on you, remember that. Out.)

Jin had to restrain the urge to throw his phone out of the window. Really, the only thing that stopped him was the prospect of losing his only lifeline back home, and the fleeting glance he caught of himself in the window's reflection. His face had been distorting itself in his anger, and he quickly gained his composure when he saw. The new moon was two days away, and his mood had been flaring like this for longer than that. It was always hardest to keep his appearance up during these days, but he would power through. Like his dad said, they were counting on him to make this work, and maybe when he got back, they'd give him a little more respect. Jin's eyes catch the rearview mirror, and he counts the black sedans following the limo, trying to peer through the tinting to see just who was following him to the job. They were all his father's men, here to aid him when the time came, but he saw them for what they really were. This was Jin's first solo job, and they were here to babysit him through it. 

When the car slowed into a stop, Jin helped himself out, silencing the driver with a 50-dollar bill before leaving. He checked himself with a hand mirror, making sure all his little defects were tucked away before he re-creased the lining of his jacket, walking off towards the main entrance of the building where he was going to spend months impersonating a girl. It was almost enough to make him smile. 

[Maia Jeong]

    Maia hated Korean businessmen. They reminded her of her father. Brisk, boring, and overly self important. But Maia planned to do what any respectful Korean daughter was supposed to, whatever her father told her to. Maybe if she batted her lashes and threw in an over eager smile, she could get out of here in time to meet some friends for a quick round of karaoke. With that thought in mind, Maia closed her eyes and willed herself to put off an air of innocence. Men seemed find that sort of thing easier to deal with. Who wants a confident women?

     Maia opened her eyes and looked out the 3rd floor window, down at the car coming up the drive. Today's meeting was with Jin Kwon. The son of the Daewoo Group, a large trust company based in Korea. The father was rumored to be criminal. Maia had done her homework. The older Kwon had a reputation for his ruthless business techniques. Companies that invested through him tend to make a turn for the worst not long after. Her father had asked her to look after the son while he was visiting. Supposedly they were interested in doing some kind of business deal. Maia and her father were both reluctant to even consider but had decided to hear them out first.


Down below Maia could see the door open and out stepped a man who she knew was about her age. He seemed tall, making her glad she chose flats. Men hated women who stood above them. Just from the way he carried himself, Maia knew that he was going to be a bit high maintenance. Sure enough, he removed a comb from his breast pocket and, using the window, began to style his hair. Seemingly satisfied he began to look around the grounds that the building sat on. Maia moved from the window and began to make her way to the lobby. All the time hoping that this wouldn't take long.   


 

[Kwon Jin]

Stepping into the building's lobby, Jin took a moment to familiarize himself with the ground floor layout. Front desk, waiting area, vending machines, nothing really special. As the door behind him opens, he turns and locks eyes with the two men who walk in, memorizing their faces as best as he could behind the shades they wear. The babysitters had finally arrived, it seemed, here to make sure little Jin didn't make a mess of his dinner. He looks back outside, watching the second black sedan speed off down the road. Probably off to the apartment, he thought, planting bugs and cameras. So sick of being treated like a child. I can handle this.

Walking towards the vending machines, Jin stops short when he catches his partial reflection in the machine's glass. His form was fluctuating again, dammit. He hated when this happened, when he got too emotional and his whole body just started to kind of . . . wobble. Like he was made of gelatin or something. With a little focus, he reforms himself, and shakes his head. [Hamkke jin eul bogwanhasibsio.] Yeah, telling himself to keep it together was really gonna help him get a grip here. He reaches into his jacket's inside pocket, retrieving the envelope his father had handed him before he left. He opens it up, counting the bills for the third time.

Five thousand dollars in cash seemed a bit excessive to carry on his person, but his dad insisted. He had to wait for the bank card to be delivered, so this would have to do.

He slides two dollars out of the envelope, stuffs it back into his jacket, then buys some generic candy bar and unwraps it. He pauses before he takes a bite, looking back into the machine's glass, focusing his eyes on the elevator on the opposite side of the lobby. When the form of a woman steps out, his mind gives off a little woah hold up, the tell-tale sign that whoever it is isn't quite normal. Not like he was, but that wasn't the point. He looks back over his shoulder at the stranger, and almost immediately drops his candy. It wasn't just him: all the eyes in the building seemed like they fell on her. Some of the men in the waiting area stood up, greeting her by name. 

[Jeong Maia. Majimag-eulo dangsin-eul balgyeon , dangsin-eun bimil ttoneun i iss-eo geos gatseubnida.]

[Maia Jeong. Finally found you, and it looks like you've got a secret or two.]

Straightening his appearance out once more, he pulls the wrapper back over his candy, shoving it into his jacket pocket. Looking to his bodyguards one more time, he makes a slow bee-line to Maia, making sure she can see him as he walks over. It's the strangest thing, though: the closer he gets to her, the more he can't seem to focus on anything else. Her hair, long waves of light brown silk, curled around her head. Deep brown eyes, pulling him like some kind of vortex, sucking his soul out through his own eyes.

Something was wrong here, and Jin knew it. Maia wasn't just any kind of special, she was a Plus. His mind told him so.

This was gonna be fun.