Nian and Xuanye immediately stood up and bowed deeply.
In perfect sync, they said, "The group that made us happy—we're so grateful to see you!"
Then, lifting their heads, they added, "I'm Nian!" — "I'm Xuanye!"
The SEVENTEEN members burst into laughter, delighted by their energy.
In return, they introduced themselves the way they would on stage — full of smiles, hand waves, and signature lines. Nian and Xuanye stood frozen, eyes wide, soaking in every second.
When they finished, Woozi asked, "Nian, Xuanye — why are you here? What's this project about?"
Xuanye looked at Nian with wide eyes. Nian's voice trembled slightly as she replied, "We're from Seoul National University. Journalism students. Our professor assigned us to observe your daily lives for a project. Xuanye is the project leader, and I'm her assistant."
DK stepped forward, clapped his hands, and said cheerfully, "Nian and Xuanye, we're excited to work with you!"
He gave a playful, dramatic prince bow.
Scoups sighed, clearly used to DK's antics.
Meanwhile, Xuanye's eyes hadn't left Hoshi since they walked in. DK slowly lifted his head mid-bow and caught her staring. He cleared his throat and called out, "Hoshi, please present the gifts to our guests."
Nian and Xuanye immediately waved their hands.
"No no! That's not necessary!" Xuanye protested.
"We're just college students doing our project, not celebrities! Please don't waste money on us."
Nian gulped and gave Xuanye a discreet smack.
She leaned in and whispered, "Ye! Keep in mind that our professor will be checking in. And that bulk guy can report us directly — behave!"
Xuanye's eyes flashed with memories of Professor Xi's lectures. She straightened up instantly and nodded silently.
The members were murmuring amongst themselves.
Dino asked, "Why are they whispering like that? Did we scare them?"
Vernon replied, "Let's just be calm and take good care of them."
Boo nodded in agreement.
Mingyu leaned over. "Boo, it's your fault they're scared."
Boo shot him a playful side-eye.
Scoups clapped his hands. "Alright, let's make sure to take care of them—and don't slack on your chores."
Immediately, all eyes turned to Mingyu.
"Yah! I'm not doing it today!" Mingyu protested. "You always make me do everything. I refuse!"
He gave Scoups his best puppy eyes.
Scoups chuckled. "Fine. We'll split the work and make dinner together."
Hoshi turned to Scoups. "Wait—you're going to cook?"
Boo gasped dramatically.
Scoups raised a brow. "What? I can't cook?"
Everyone answered in unison, "You can... but..."
Before Scoups could respond, Nian and Xuanye stood up.
"Then we'll leave for today. We'll return tomorrow morning," Nian said politely.
The members all looked surprised.
Jeonghan stepped forward. "Nian, Xuanye, stay for dinner. Scoups is cooking, after all."
DK laughed. "Yes! You have to try it."
Nian and Xuanye looked at each other, tilted their heads, and then nodded.
"Okay."
Scoups headed to the kitchen, where Minghao, Wonwon, Jeonghan, Joshua, and Woozi joined him. Though instead of cooking, they were hilariously smashing vegetables and arguing over how to cut onions.
Meanwhile, Nian and Xuanye sat stiffly in a corner, facing the wall like statues.
Behind them, Dino, Mingyu, Hoshi, DK, Vernon, and Boo watched them with concern.
Dino whispered, "What should we do? They haven't spoken to us at all."
Hoshi responded, "Let's go talk to them."
They nodded and approached slowly, sitting down in a circle around the girls.
Hoshi asked gently, "Are you two Carats?"
The question broke the silence.
Nian responded in a single breath, her voice high-pitched, "I love SEVENTEEN! It's been my dream to meet you! We didn't get the chance before, but now God created this miracle for us!"
The members were stunned but smiling.
Xuanye chimed in, "We love SEVENTEEN. You're our happy pills! We even came to your last concert — it was amazing. I can't believe we're actually here. Our professor finally did something right!"
The room erupted in soft laughter.
Dino smiled warmly. "Then it's our pleasure to meet you. Don't be nervous — just talk to us like friends."