it's always been you | minqi

interview

"So I'm assuming you knew Minnie's other friends, right? Soojin, Miyeon, and Soyeon?" Mark asked, as Yuqi nodded, already feeling slightly uncomfortable with the entire endeavor.

The things she does just to keep her job; is it even worth it at this point?

"Yes, the six of us were all close in high school." Yuqi responded politely, as Mark titled his head, clearly confused on the mention of six when all he imagined was 5.

"Ah, sorry. My best friend, Yeh Shuhua, is the other reporter, who also used to be part of our group." Yuqi clarified, as Mark nodded, sighing in understanding, as his gaze turned towards Minnie, who's light smile remained intact, the result of staring at Yuqi for longer than she should've.

"Baekhyun had told me about your work, it's absolutely brilliant! I know it may not mean much coming from me, but I can totally see where your head position comes from." Mark smiled, as Yuqi mirrored his smile; as much as she didn't like him, she could see that he was a nice guy, which evidently annoyed her more.

"He's rich, friendly, and a nice person? I can't even find any reason to dislike him." Yuqi huffed silently, as the fiancés conversed amongst themselves for a moment, allowing Yuqi to flip through her journal that she stored all of her notes in, thanking Shuhua for ripping that page out before Mark could see the last bullet.

That would be difficult to get out of, she was sure of it.

"Ah, Minnie, are you ready for the interview? It shouldn't take that long." Yuqi asked, as Minnie nodded, flashing her infamous bright smile as Yuqi tried her best not to succumb to her knees, regardless of the situation, the blonde still had some everlasting effects on her.

+++

"How has life been like for you, being the CEO of your own company and all?" Yuqi asked first, as Minnie looked up with surprise, blaming herself for even feeling that way in the first place.

To be honest, she was assuming that all the interview would be about was her marriage, so when Yuqi asked about her solo endeavors, she was slightly taken aback; nevertheless, this was Yuqi she was talking about, the girl was always considerate and asked the right questions.

Minnie could see why she was such a great reporter.

"It's been tough, work wise. I'm constantly having to run over files, corporation meetings, etc, although it's a blessing to carry on something that holds meaning, something that I can turn into something I'm proud of." She answered, as Yuqi hummed, writing down the summaries quickly, her mind racing with words to fill the pages, as Minnie marveled at her.

Looking down towards her hand, she noticed the ring; it was still shining brightly on Yuqi's finger, and Minnie would be lying if she said that her heart didn't do a somersault.

It made her happy to know that Yuqi still cared for her, even if it was platonic. She wondered what they could have been like in another life, where they could truly be happy. No fathers, no distance, to get in the way of that.

"If you could wish one thing for your future, both for your future in the business world, and after your marriage, what would you hope for?" The second question left Yuqi's mouth, as the younger girl looked up intently at Minnie, who was working on an answer.

"Well, for my business, I would want it to be an establishment that represents wholesomeness, a place that shows and encourages the saying that you can get anywhere if you truly believe in yourself. As far as my marriage, I would just want to be happy, nothing more, nothing less." Yuqi locked eyes with her lover as Minnie trailed off at the last sentence, a slight awkwardness looming over them.

It was funny, that the two of them needed each other to truly be happy.

"Now, I'll move on to the marriage portion of this interview, as this is the main point here." Yuqi laughed, readjusting her mic so that it would still pick up nicely; she needed to hear everything to edit this later.

"Going back to the beginning, how did you and Mark meet each other?" Yuqi asked, as Minnie cleared her throat, her eyes stinging slightly as she prepared yet another lie for the woman she always used to confide in.

"Mark and I went to college together, where we both majored in Business. My father knew his father, and they set us up together, and the rest is history." Minnie answered simply, as Yuqi felt a bitter taste in her mouth at the mention of such a horrible man.

"Quite obviously, the two of you dated before he proposed. Speaking of the proposal, can you break down how it actually all happened?" Questions rolled off of Yuqi's tongue, things she herself were interested in knowing, sort of thankful that she had a cover story to base it all on.

"For our anniversary, Mark took me to a beach, where we had a simple picnic. After, we watched the sunset, and he proposed to me in the sand, with such an amazing view." Countering Yuqi's questions, Minnie let lies roll off of her tongue, each figment of reality wincing as she kept herself together, for the sake of Yuqi's safety.

Everything was always about the Bejing native, even if Minnie didn't know it.

"That sounds nice, I could go for a sunset right now." Yuqi joked, as Minnie laughed softly, the benefit being that Yuqi's eyes crinkled up into crescents, Minnie's favorite sight in the entire universe.

"One more question, and I can spare you from this boredom. If you could say anything to your younger self, what would you say?" Silence enveloped them, as Yuqi's last question threw her through quite a loop.

She gazed down at the microphone, placed simply in the middle of the table, as she reminisced on what she's been through, trying to find words that would keep her image intact, as well as that would still be true to herself.

"Everything happens for reason, and protecting the ones you love is always worth it, even if it costs you in the end." Minnie sighed, letting out a breath she held as Yuqi sat there, stunned.

Minnie's mentally maturity was immaculate, and she blamed herself for not being around to witness her growth.

"Woah, maybe you should be the writer, and not me! Thanks for all of your time, Ms. Yontararak!" Yuqi shut the mic off, as Minnie unplugged her headphones, offering Yuqi a small smile, as the younger girl did the same.

"Of course, anything for my Qi." Minnie responded, as Yuqi felt her heart soften at the nickname.

It's been so long since she heard that from Minnie; who knew she missed it so much?

"Ah, Shuhua texted me, told me she's on the way back." Yuqi informed, as Minnie felt her heart pang; all she wanted was for the smaller girl to jump back into her arms.

"Ah, okay. Thanks for coming, it was nice to hang out again, just like the old times." Minnie offered her a genuine grin, to which Yuqi returned.

"Thank you for agreeing to do the interview. Maybe now I can buy a giraffe with the money I'll get from the article." Yuqi laughed, making Minnie laugh as well.

"It was nice to see you, Qi. Without the others." Minnie whispered, as she felt Yuqi's eyes bore into her soul.

"I've missed you, Min." Yuqi whispered back, opening the door as she shut it lightly, stepping on the doorstep.

Both girls stood on opposite sides, but were both feeling the same, beating heartbeat.