As the girls entered their department, they sat at their desks and quickly got into work mode. Meanwhile, the boys were on their way back to the dorm.
Minghao leaned toward DK and sighed, "Loudie, how are we even going to see the girls tomorrow? There will be media and paparazzi everywhere—we won't even get to talk to them."
DK rested his chin on his hand, smiling softly. "I know… I was thinking about that too. But Nian said she's coming to send us off. I just need to see her, wave at her—and I'll be fine." He giggled like a boy in love.
Minghao chuckled and turned to the window, his smile fading into thought. I'm really going to miss Xuanye, he thought.
Once the boys reached the dorm, they walked in to find the others lounging on the couch.
DK raised a brow. "Guys, why haven't you prepared breakfast?"
Hoshi replied without hesitation, "Today, we're ordering in. If we cook, we'll have to wash dishes—and no one has the energy for that."
DK nodded as if Hoshi had just spoken gospel truth.
Scoups added, "We also need to pack. That'll take at least a whole day."
DK and Minghao agreed, joining the group as Vernon, Wonwoo, and Joshua opened a food delivery app.
"I've already ordered," Joshua said, looking up.
The rest blinked in confusion.
Mingyu asked, "Wait, we just discussed this. When did you order?"
Joshua chuckled. "Right when Hoshi opened his mouth."
DK burst out laughing. "Joshua, you're really something."
Joshua scratched the back of his neck and smiled modestly. The rest headed off to freshen up.
---
Back at the office, Nian stared blankly at her screen.
Xuanye waved a hand in front of her face. "Hellooo~ Earth to Nian!"
No reaction.
With a mischievous smirk, she teased, "Look, DK is here."
Nian jumped out of her chair and looked around. "Where?!"
Xuanye doubled over laughing. Nian narrowed her eyes, gave her a light smack on the forehead, and pouted. "Xuanye~ Why are you like this?"
Laughing, Xuanye replied, "You were totally zoned out in the middle of work!"
Nian sighed, her expression soft. "Tomorrow, they're leaving for the world tour… We won't see them for two whole months. I've been trying to convince myself it's okay, but my heart just can't accept it."
Xuanye reached over and held her hand. "Nian, I get it. I'll miss Hao too. I already promised him I'd message whenever I can. We'll go to the airport tomorrow, okay?"
Nian smiled sadly. "You know… before, when I'd see updates about their world tours, I thought it was cool. But now... just the thought of not seeing Loudie's smile makes my heart ache."
Xuanye gave her a reassuring squeeze. "I know. But we'll support them from here, and we'll keep ourselves busy. Then, when we get the time, we'll call them."
Nian took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. Let's do that."
---
Back at the dorm, the boys were packing.
Hoshi looked at his beloved tiger pillow and dramatically declared, "I'll miss you for the next two months. Take care of yourself."
Scoups snorted. "Hoshi, we're not leaving forever. It's two months."
"You don't understand!" Hoshi replied passionately. "This pillow is very special to me."
Mingyu rolled his eyes. "You don't even use that pillow. You always sleep clinging to Dino or one of us."
Boo nodded. "Yeah, I've never seen him use it once."
Hoshi blushed. "That's because you all have such good muscles! Even Mingyu clings to Scoups!"
Mingyu covered his mouth, laughing. Scoups threw a shirt at him. "You cling to Woozi too, Hoshi! We don't say anything!"
Woozi, calmly folding clothes, paused. "Why am I being dragged into this?"
He turned to Scoups. "Then what about you and Wonwoo, huh? Clinging like cats every night."
Wonwoo gasped. "Woozi! I was just quietly packing—what did I do?"
The room exploded with laughter while Dino sneakily slid a photo of the whole group into his luggage, brushing it off with a smile.
DK opened a drawer and found the bracelet Nian had gifted him. He stared at it, chuckling softly. "When did this get in here?" He slipped it onto his wrist and whispered, "Nian~ from today, you're coming with me on this world tour."
Minghao, watching him, asked gently, "Are you… feeling down?"
DK gave him a soft smile. "Of course. I'm going to miss her. Especially when she calls me 'Loudie'."
Minghao nodded with understanding. "Let's just get through the two months. Once we're on stage, it'll go fast. And we'll call the girls when we can. Just don't make them worry—or they'll show up with their suitcases and fly with us."
DK laughed. "You might not be wrong."
He looked back at the bracelet and whispered again, "Let this time apart make our love even stronger."
---
Meanwhile, at the office, the girls were getting ready to leave when their department head rushed in.
"Wait! I have an important announcement!"
Everyone paused.
"Tomorrow, K-pop group SEVENTEEN will be arriving at the airport at 7 a.m. There'll be heavy media coverage. Our chief said that two people from our department should go and photograph the event."
The entire department gasped in disbelief.
Xuanye leaned over and whispered, "Nian… is this luck or fate?"
Nian smiled brightly. "It's both. This tour is giving us one last chance to see them before they leave. And we're going to slay it."
Their head looked around. "Any volunteers?"
Their colleagues glanced away or pretended they didn't hear.
The girls smirked and raised their hands proudly. "We'll go."
Their department head sighed in relief. "Great! Be there as early as possible, okay? This is your first external assignment. Do not mess it up."
Nian gave a thumbs-up.
Later, Xuanye turned to her. "But Nian… what time are we going?"
Nian smirked. "5 a.m."
Xuanye's jaw dropped. "Five?! That's basically midnight for me!"
Nian grinned. "Well, if you want to see your Hao, you better come. Or just stay home and text him."
Then she spun around and happily skipped away.
Xuanye sighed, picked up her bag, and chased after her. "Wait for me, Nian! I'm coming too!"