The next day, Nian and Xuanye walked along the road. Their phones buzzed with a message — Professor Xi had sent the address and a card for the project.
They looked at it and sighed.
Xuanye blinked in confusion. "Why did the professor send us some random unknown address? Where even is this?"
Nian smirked. "Xuanye, you talk like you know every place on Earth."
Xuanye shot her an annoyed look. Nian just laughed, clearly excited to meet the mystery group they were assigned to.
She quickly booked a cab.
Five minutes later, they reached a quiet neighborhood and stopped in front of a small building.
Nian stepped out and looked up at the building. Her jaw dropped.
"Xuanye… look at this."
Xuanye stepped out and froze. "This is it? He showed his true colors. First a weird address, now a tiny building — does he want us to construct a building or something?!"
Nian laughed, tapped her arm, and dragged her toward the door.
"Should I knock?" Nian asked.
Xuanye grinned playfully. "Or should we just wait here till someone magically comes out?"
Nian pouted and knocked.
A man opened the door. Nian looked up — and gasped.
"It's you!"
Xuanye stepped up, confused. "Who is he?"
Nian pointed. "That's the bulky guy who stopped me from entering the restaurant!"
Xuanye immediately stood in front of Nian, hands on her hips. "So you're the one who made her mad?!"
The man frowned. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Xuanye took a step back at his deep voice.
Nian, not missing a beat, dramatically flashed the project card like a CBI officer.
The man squinted, took the card, and looked at it.
"Oh, it's you. You may come in."
Xuanye leaned over to Nian. "Nice move." She gave her a thumbs up.
They entered, removed their shoes, and stepped inside. The place seemed quiet.
The man gestured to the living area. "Wait here. I'll bring you breakfast."
Then he disappeared.
Nian and Xuanye looked at each other, surprised.
Nian walked to the door — it was closed.
When she turned around, she found Xuanye already opening the breakfast containers.
"What are you doing?!" Nian asked.
"Eating! I didn't have breakfast. And it smells amazing. Come on, try it."
Nian sat beside her. Xuanye fed her a bite — it was delicious.
They both started eating, unaware of what was about to happen.
---
Meanwhile, SEVENTEEN was on the way back to their dorm after practice.
Mingyu turned to Wonwoo. "Wonwoo, I'm curious. Who are these people? It's the first time someone's been assigned to take care of us."
Wonwoo smiled calmly. "Let's find out soon."
Dino piped up. "Hyung, do you know anything? Why are they coming?"
Scoups replied, "The company said they're college students doing a project. That's all I know."
They reached the dorm, laughing and chatting.
As they stepped in, they noticed two pairs of shoes at the entrance.
The members shared glances.
"Should we prank them?" Boo suggested mischievously.
Everyone nodded, and Boo took the lead, directing them like a true mischief master.
They crept toward the room.
Inside, Nian and Xuanye were still eating happily, completely unaware.
Suddenly — "BOOM!"
The members screamed at full volume.
Nian and Xuanye jumped. Their heads snapped up. And then they froze.
It was SEVENTEEN.
Their eyes widened. Food dropped from their hands. Their mouths trembled.
They stared in disbelief.
SEVENTEEN, on the other hand, stared back.
Boo looked shocked. "They're girls?!"
Minghao raised a brow. "What the hell…"
Hoshi peeked from behind with a mischievous smile. "Horanghae~"
DK burst into laughter.
Scoups stepped forward. "Are you guys from the college?"
Nian and Xuanye nodded, eyes still wide, mouths full.
Jeonghan, Woozi, Mingyu, Dino, Joshua, Jun, and Wonwoo smiled and waved.
Nian's voice trembled. Xuanye was visibly shaking.
Jun laughed. "I think we really scared them, guys."