It was the last week of the second month. At 1 p.m., Nian and Xuanye were still glued to their desks, working. Xuanye's stomach let out a loud growl, making her glance down and pout.
"Nian, let's go eat. I'm starving~" she whined.
"You go ahead," Nian replied, eyes still focused on her screen. "I have a few more things to finish. I'll join you soon."
Xuanye shot her a bombastic side-eye. "We've been working since 7 a.m. without a single break! Come with me, or I'll drag you."
She reached over and tugged at Nian's arm. Nian chuckled. "Okay, okay, I'll come! But don't pull so hard—you might tear my arm off."
Laughing, the girls grabbed their phones and headed to the cafeteria.
While eating, Nian was scrolling through her phone, her expression slowly darkening. She began tapping her chopsticks on her bowl rhythmically.
Xuanye noticed. "Why are you glaring at your phone like that?"
Nian sighed. "It's almost the end of the second month, and the boys still haven't messaged us about when they're returning. Even Loudie hasn't sent me anything."
Xuanye placed a reassuring hand on hers. "They must be exhausted, Nian. They've been doing interviews, performances, and concerts non-stop. Let's give them a little space. I'm sure once they're back, they'll message us first."
Nian let out a sigh and nodded.
After eating, the girls returned to their desks and resumed reviewing files from the previous year. A few minutes later, their department head called them.
"Nian, Xuanye—come to the meeting room."
They placed their files down and walked over, exchanging confused glances. Their coworkers whispered among themselves as they passed.
In the meeting room, their chief and head were waiting.
The chief began, "Girls, the day after tomorrow, we're interviewing a K-pop group."
The girls blinked.
"But the company hasn't told us which group," he continued. "They'll reveal it just before the interview starts. We've also been told not to prepare a script—we have to ask spontaneous questions on the spot."
Their head nodded while Nian and Xuanye stared in disbelief.
Xuanye asked, "Chief… how can we do that without knowing who it is?"
"The higher-ups want it this way," their head said. "We just have to do our best."
The chief added, "I believe in you both. You've proven yourselves. Just do some light prep on various groups for now."
The girls nodded slowly.
"We'll give it our best and make it a hit, Chief," Nian said confidently.
He smiled and dismissed them. The moment he left, the girls and their head collapsed into their chairs with exhausted sighs.
"Mam," Nian groaned, "how are we supposed to study all the K-pop groups in a day? There are way too many."
Xuanye added, "We only know Seventeen properly!"
Nian gave her a mischievous smile. "If they're the ones coming… I won't need prep. I'll shoot questions one after another~"
She giggled.
Xuanye slid her chair next to Nian. "Nian, if Hao shows up, my first question is going to be: Did you miss me?"
The girls started kicking their feet under the table, laughing.
Their head shook her head, smiling.
"Mam," Nian said, "Do you like any K-pop group?"
Xuanye leaned forward eagerly. "Yes, mam—tell us!"
Their head hesitated, blushing. "I… I like BTS."
The girls gasped. "WHAT?! Mam! You're a BTS fan?!"
Their head grinned shyly and tried to cover her face. "I like V…"
"V?! Mam~ we never knew you were a fangirl too!" Nian teased.
"I even joined this company hoping I'd get to see idols like him someday…" their head admitted quietly.
The girls squealed and fangirled over her.
Flustered, their head stood up. "Okay, back to work! I'm leaving now!"
"Mam~ you're blushing!" the girls teased as she hurried out, and they burst into laughter.
---
Meanwhile, the boys had just returned to the hotel around midnight, exhausted. Their manager Zheng walked into their suite and announced:
"Boys, we're flying back home tonight. Pack your bags—we're leaving at 8 p.m."
The boys, bleary-eyed and worn out, nodded.
They all slept until 6 p.m., too drained to do anything else. Woozi was the first to wake up. Yawning, he checked his watch and slowly got out of bed. He peeked around—everyone was still asleep, scattered across the room like sleepy kittens.
He stepped outside for some fresh air and strolled down the hallway. Passing Zheng's room, he noticed the door was ajar and heard chewing sounds.
Curious, Woozi knocked and peeked inside.
Zheng turned around, cheeks puffed out with food. "Oh—hey!"
Woozi laughed. "Zheng, eating peacefully all by yourself?"
Zheng gave a sheepish smile, his mouth still full. Woozi shook his head, amused.
"Eat slowly. No one's stealing your food," Woozi teased.
Zheng quickly swallowed and replied, "I need to finish fast so I can make sure you all eat and get to the airport on time."
Woozi leaned against the doorframe, his expression softening. "Zheng… you've been with us since our debut. You really do take care of us like family."
Zheng looked up, caught off guard. "Why are you being sentimental all of a sudden?"
Woozi chuckled. "I was just thinking about how young we were when you first joined. You've been here for everything."
Zheng smiled. "Honestly… when I started managing Seventeen, I felt like I had a bunch of sons. Watching you grow into the men you are now—I feel like a proud dad. That's why I never take your chaos seriously. It makes me happy."
Woozi's eyes sparkled. "You've dealt with all our moods, pranks, and madness for over ten years—and you still smile like that. We're lucky to have you."
Zheng raised an eyebrow playfully. "Don't say such touching things—you'll make me cry."
Woozi laughed, and Zheng grabbed a spoonful of food and offered it to him.
"Eat, Woozi," he said like a doting uncle.
Woozi blinked, startled, then giggled and took a bite. "Yah, you're feeding me now?"
Zheng grinned. "Always have, always will."
And just like that, a quiet, tender moment passed between them—an unspoken reminder that even in the noise of fame, love like family still held everything together.