Choi Siwon looks the part of the evil business man who’s just out to line his own pockets and be damned with the rest of the world. It’s a reputation that’s he’s built up in order to keep people away from his insanely insecure private self. He’s not even sure that the line between his private life and professional life hasn’t started to blend, only that by the time he’s sitting in the conference room of Kwon Modeling Agency, his nerves are getting the best of him and he’s more than surprised at the beauty that Kwon BoA possesses as well as the professionalism that she emits as she stepped into the conference room. The same Kwon BoA who’d started out as a promising dancer in the early 2000’s only to get into a horrible accident on the way home from a gig and spent 3 months in a private hospital, unable to walk, according to the media reports at the time.

No, Siwon is not here to intimidate the petite former dancer turned modeling agency director, who’s kept her small dancer’s frame and seems even more fluid in her walking than she did dancing back in the day. He’s sure she could pass for a model herself it hadn’t been for her height. Siwon is here to offer contacts to the agency, realizing that his own intentions to expand his business away from small boutiques that offered clothing and accessories like makeup, sunglasses and hair pieces, and into the modeling market had been farfetched the moment the models for Kwon had skyrocketed the agency into super agency status.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Choi.” BoA greeted Siwon, who stands quickly at her almost silent entrance into the room.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Kwon.” Siwon replies, formally bowing to her.

BoA gestures for him to sit as she rounds the table to the head, next to where Siwon is sitting. He waits politely for her to reach her chair and sit down before he lowers his tall thin frame into the overly comfortable chair. “So, let’s get straight to the point.” BoA says while shuffling some papers in the folder she’d brought with her. “What are your intentions in proposing this meeting?”

Siwon hadn’t expected her to be so frank, or get straight down to business in a no-nonsense way. “Um,” He’s realized he’s embarrassed now because he’s caught off guard by BoA. “My intentions are probably not what you’d expect them to be.” He said, pulling a sheet out from his own folder. “I’ve been reorganizing things in my business holdings and realized that I no longer have the capacity to keep some of the people on this list, mostly the people who’ve been modeling for my boutiques.” He slide the paper over to BoA. “They are great workers, wonderful people but because of the recent downturn in the economy, my analyst informed me last week that keeping people just to be exclusive models is not practical.”

“And so you want to give my agency a boost in models so they would have a good place to work from?” BoA’s skeptical, and rightly so. Nothing that Choi Siwon gives to other business comes for free. There’s always a catch and BoA’s sure that Siwon thinks she’ll fall for his good businessman act with how polite and forthcoming he seems to be.

Siwon smiles, his face looking impossibly younger and friendlier than BoA’s ever seen. Siwon sat back in his chair, fingers resting lightly on the arm rests. “In a sense yes. I know that you only have 2 female models and most of the people who model for my business are female.” He sighs. “I know I haven’t got the best reputation as a businessman, but I’m not entirely heartless. I don’t want to let these models go without having something lined up for them. Many of them are going through college while modeling.”

BoA’s more than skeptical of this idea as it’s totally not what she’d expected Choi Siwon to give her. “What’s the catch?” She asks, though Siwon’s noted already she hasn’t even glanced at the piece of paper.

“I want a 10% shareholder stake in your company.” Siwon lets the bomb drop, realizing that BoA’s not going to be coerced into the deal easily. “Just for a year, to let my models get a good foothold into the industry before I give the shares back.”

“No.” BoA’s sliding the list back towards him. She can smell his dissatisfaction at her refusal. In fact the entire time, BoA’s sure that Siwon’s hiding something as his scent has seemed, off somehow. ‘Do I need to help?’ Sara’s tone is concerned.

‘Not yet. Let’s see how he reacts to my refusal.’ BoA tells her wolf.

Siwon’s not surprised she’s said no. “It would work out for the both of us. You get female models, I get to see how successful you can make them in a year’s time. Both parties benefit.” He tries to persuade her, even though he knows that she’s probably not going to take his offer. He’s got one more thing up his sleeve though, he’s not a successful businessman by luck.

BoA’s sliding her own papers into her folder. “My refusal still stands Mr. Choi. I will have one of my assistants see you out.”

BoA almost growls in warning as Siwon’s hands enclose around a hand as she’s reaching out to the phone situated on the table. “Please.” Siwon’s scent hasn’t changed, indicating he’s planned the whole thing out. “I’m not so prideful that I won’t beg.” He says.

BoA can feel Sara bristling at the unwanted contact by the human. “You’re dangerously close to breaching protocol.” She warns, attempting to tug her hand out of Siwon’s hands. ‘Ok, need you.’ She mentally tells her wolf. “Please let go of my hand.” She’s got more force behind her words now with the aid of her wolf. “Or I will call security to you out.”

Siwon lets go of her hand, completely surprised by the force of her words. He knows he’s crossed a line he shouldn’t have, but that’s the price he is paying for his reputation as not backing down from something he wants. And suddenly he’s curious as to why BoA’s not jumping at the opportunity to have more female models in her company, even if it comes with Siwon attached.

“Please Mr. Choi politely out.” BoA has anger in her voice, at least, that’s what Siwon assumes he’s hearing is anger. She stands, turning to him. “In the future Mr. Choi, I suggest you send all requests in writing.”

And with that BoA’s walking out of the conference room, an angry stride to her step.

Siwon sighs. He knows that the first attempt always ends in a refusal. Maybe he should have brought his new assistant Min Yeon with him, even though she’s timid, and almost laughably shy when around Siwon. His assistant’s foreign looks has brought more good luck to his business dealings than his previous assistant had. It makes him almost feel sorry for using her in such a way.

Siwon stands, brushing off his annoyance with BoA’s flippant treatment of him as different man from the first came into the room, coughing lightly to announce his presence. The man has a definite Chinese look to his face, and his stance shows more of the tightly controlled discipline that private schools teach. Siwon grabs the folder off the table, a little bit of his annoyance he’s not stuffed down showing. The paper with the names of the models he’s willing to share lays untouched on the table as Siwon stalks from the room, not bothering to give the other male a glance.

**

Zhou Mi had finished his photo shoot for Ha Rae, coming back to the office to see how things were since he had muted the link to the Pack a little during the shoot so he wouldn’t be distracted by things like anger or aggression. The first thing he’s told when he walks into the reception area while Heechul answers the phone, is that Choi Siwon just finished his meeting with BoA and would he be nice enough to the businessman out?

Zhou Mi is dressed in a purple silk shirt that shows off his light brown eyes and a pair of charcoal grey slacks that fit almost perfectly to his long legs. Zhou Mi knows he’s pretty tall for being of Chinese decent, and while he wouldn’t have called himself arrogant about his looks, he’s gotten more than his fair share of comments from people, both Pack and non-shifter. It’s made Niqui feel incredibly happy that they were getting attention.

Zhou Mi murmurs the appropriate response to Seungri’s request, which isn’t an order, thankfully as Zhou Mi is still way more dominate than Seungri. Smoothing an invisible wrinkle on his shirt, he goes to the conference room in time to see BoA walk out, body language showing how tense she was, and her scent all but screaming that she was pissed beyond belief at the businessman.

Zhou Mi doesn’t even want to know what emotions are running through the Pack bonds, opting to keep his connection partially shut down at the moment. He doesn’t realize that BoA’s already clamped down on her anger so that it doesn’t bleed out into the Pack and cause anyone in the office to lash out involuntarily while the human is still in the building.

Instinctively, Zhou Mi does nothing to bring attention to himself as BoA stalks back to her office. Turning the handle of the door, he steels himself for coming face to face with what he’s assumed to be a cold-hearted evil looking man. What he finds when he slips into the room is a tall Korean who’s got a soft angle to his face. Zhou Mi coughed to announce his presence to the other man, not surprised in the least bit that he’s being ignored by Siwon.

The moment Siwon passes by Zhou Mi, every fiber of Zhou Mi’s being screams at him to drag Siwon back into the room, human or not. Niqui is suddenly eager to meet Siwon, begging and pleading to be allowed to smell the other male’s scent more clearly.

Zhou Mi forces Niqui down, his body suddenly tense as he’s scrambling behind Siwon. If he’s being escorted from the room that means BoA doesn’t want him trying to sneak into any of the other offices and getting private information from the company.

Siwon bypasses the front desk silently, Zhou Mi stopping at the threshold, bowing slightly behind Siwon’s back as Heechul and Seungri do the same from behind the front desk area. “Have a good day Mr. Choi!” They all chorused together, the latter of the trio taking great joy in the way Siwon’s step falters as he leaves the office.

Niqui has piped down with the loss of the scent of the other man. Zhou Mi relaxes, then realizes what his feline is saying. “.” Zhou Mi muttered, shoulders slumping.

Donghae’s engrossed in reading some book, only looking up when Zhou Mi enters the room, suddenly too tired to do anything.

“What’s wrong with you?” Donghae had gotten his glimpse of Siwon when the man had come into the office and hadn’t been shocked in the least bit to see that the cold businessman looked nearly identical to his namesake. He gets a good look at the older shifter.

“Siwon.” Zhou Mi mumbles, sinking into a chair, hands going to his face. “Not good.”

Donghae’s confused and polling his wolf if anything had been said or exchanged between pack members. Getting nothing on that end, he squares his shoulders, looking at Zhou Mi. “What about Siwon?”

“Do you think Jungsuk’s going to be mad if my mate turns out to be a non-shifter?” Zhou Mi asks suddenly, ignoring Donghae’s question.

“Depends.” Donghae’s really confused now. “If the person acknowledges you as their mate then I doubt Jungsuk will be mad. Why? Who do you think is your mate?” Donghae asks innocently. “Have you met him or her?”

“Siwon.” Zhou Mi’s eyes are red with unshed tears. “I….I think he might be my mate.”

Donghae’s response brings Seungri, Heechul and BoA running to the room, worry and fear permeating the air.