As Xuanye and Minghao reached the restaurant, they noticed it was bustling with people enjoying their meals. After placing their order, the waiter guided them to a table. They sat opposite each other, but Xuanye noticed the waitress staring at Minghao a little too dreamily.
She coughed.
Minghao looked at her and asked, "Xuanye, do you have a sore throat or something?"
Xuanye smirked, her eyes shifting toward the waitress. Minghao followed her gaze, only to realize the waitress was indeed eyeing him. He turned back to Xuanye awkwardly, just in time to catch the jealous spark in her eyes.
He chuckled and took a sip of water.
Xuanye leaned forward and asked the waitress casually, "Miss, do you have a crush on him?"
Blushing, the waitress giggled. "Yeah~ he looks like Minghao from SEVENTEEN."
Minghao choked on his water, coughing hard. Xuanye barely held back her smile and gently grabbed his hand.
"Yeah, he does look like Minghao," she said coolly. "But he's not. So maybe don't stare too hard."
Minghao hid his face in his arms, blushing furiously. Why is she like this? he wondered—but deep down, her jealousy made his heart flutter.
The waitress nodded awkwardly and walked away. Xuanye flipped her hair and whispered, "No one grabs my man."
Minghao looked at her, completely stunned. "Ye~ why are you this jealous?"
"Who's jealous?" she scoffed. "She was staring like she was about to ask for your autograph! What if she found out?"
Minghao chuckled. "Even if she thinks I'm Minghao, I'm wearing a mask. She can't know."
Xuanye leaned forward and said seriously, "Hao, do you idols even look in the mirror when you wear a mask?"
He blinked. "Why would we?"
She pointed at his eyes. "Even with the mask, your eyes scream 'Minghao.' I could find you in the middle of a crowd."
Minghao turned red. "Do you love me that much, Ye?"
With no hesitation, she nodded. "More and more every day. It won't decrease, only grow."
He inhaled deeply, heart full. I must've done something good in my past life, he thought. Loving a girl like Xuanye is my luck.
Their food arrived, and the waitress took another lingering glance. Xuanye, not missing a beat, picked up her chopsticks and started feeding Minghao.
"Hao~ you should eat more. Look at your skinny hands."
He blushed as he ate. The waitress left, and Xuanye set her chopsticks down with a smirk.
Minghao laughed and returned the favor, feeding her. "Okay, okay, jealous tiger, eat before you set the room on fire."
Xuanye munched quietly, looking up at him with soft eyes.
After their meal, they picked up the takeaway and walked down the road hand in hand. Minghao said, "It's been so long since I walked like this."
Xuanye asked, "What do you usually do in your free time?"
"I don't go out much. I like staying home and resting," he said honestly.
"You should go out more. Explore."
He shrugged. "I've seen the world, Ye."
She shook her head. "It's different when you explore it with someone you love. Even if it's a place you've been a hundred times, it feels new when you see it through their eyes."
Minghao stopped walking and looked at her. Holding her hands tightly, he asked, "Ye… when I return from the world tour, will you go on a date with me?"
Xuanye's eyes widened. Her lips trembled with surprise. "H-Hao…"
He smiled gently. "Will you?"
With emotion swelling in her chest, she nodded eagerly. "Yes… Hao and Xuanye will go on a date when Hao returns."
They pinky promised and walked back, smiling.
As they entered the hospital ward, they were stunned to find the boys sitting in a circle, spinning Nian's empty glucose bottle.
Xuanye blinked. "What's happening here? Why are they sitting like old men?"
Nian sighed. "After you left, they were bored and hungry. Boo started complaining, and then Wonwoo said you two were probably on a date. Then Vernon picked up the glucose bottle and said, 'Let's play spin-the-bottle—but the loser has to clean the dorm and studio for a month.' And now…"
Xuanye laughed, watching them spin the bottle.
"Hard managing these man-children, huh?" she teased.
Nian groaned. "If any doctor sees this chaos, we'll be kicked out of the hospital."
"They're kids in grown men's bodies," Xuanye said, shaking her head with a smile.
The girls watched as the boys argued and laughed like middle schoolers, their hearts full—because despite the craziness, it was moments like this that made everything feel okay.