As the girls reached the boys' dorm at 5 p.m., they stepped out of the car and walked to the door. Nian glanced at Xuanye and said, "I think the boys are still out."
Xuanye tilted her head in curiosity, and they entered — only to be greeted by a disaster zone. Nian coughed, crossed her arms, and said in disbelief, "Ye~ look at this! They're not even home, but the house is a complete mess." She walked over to the table. "They didn't even finish their breakfast!"
Xuanye opened the boys' room and exclaimed, "Yay Nian! The room's even messier than the hall!" She leaned back with wide eyes.
Nian sighed. "They're not even eating properly. How are they supposed to have the energy to practice?"
Xuanye shook her head. "Yeah. If they keep this up, they'll burn out before the concert."
"Let's clean up the dorm," Nian suggested. "And we'll make dinner for them, something light."
Xuanye nodded, and they began tidying up — first the hall, then the boys' room. As Xuanye was making the bed, she found a photo tucked under Dino's pillow. Giggling, she called Nian over. "Look at this!"
Nian leaned in. It was a photo from the boys' pre-debut days.
"Yay~ look at Vernon! Total rapper vibes," Nian laughed.
"And Boo looks so innocent!" Xuanye chuckled.
"Minghao here looks like the lead singer of a rock band," Nian added.
They burst into laughter, eyes landing on Woozi.
Xuanye gasped. "Woozi… he looks cuter than us!"
"I swear, in that one video when Jeonghan had long hair, I thought he was a girl," Nian laughed. "Only when I saw him with short hair did I realize he's a guy!"
They shared a look and laughed harder.
"Dino is so affectionate, huh? He even keeps a photo of the members under his pillow," Xuanye said softly.
Nian smiled and tapped her shoulder. "Come on, let's finish this."
After cleaning, they checked the fridge — fully stocked.
Xuanye squinted. "So many ingredients, but I bet they never cook."
"You know how they are. Lazy boys," Nian smirked.
"Let's make something light — yogurt, fruit, and curd-based dishes?" Xuanye suggested.
"Perfect. They have a concert tomorrow, so nothing heavy."
They got to work, and by 8 p.m., the food was ready and laid out on the table. Xuanye drooled at the sight. "Nian… can I eat now?"
Nian laughed. "Let's wait until 9. If they don't show up, we dig in."
At 8:30 p.m., Nian's stomach growled.
Xuanye raised an eyebrow. "Huh~ even I'm hungry now."
"I'll message Dk," Nian said, typing:
> Loudie~ when are you guys coming home? We made food for you.
She looked at Xuanye. "I messaged him. Let's eat."
The girls started eating, giggling with every bite.
"This is so chill," Nian smiled. "The fruit mixes perfectly."
"If the boys were here, they'd eat this ice cold," Xuanye said.
After dinner, they packed up the leftovers neatly and sat scrolling on the sofa.
---
Meanwhile...
The boys were practicing hard. At 10:30 p.m., exhausted, they climbed into the van.
Hoshi fell asleep on Woozi's shoulder. Dk, with music in his ears, opened his phone and saw Nian's message. Smiling, he typed:
> We're coming to the dorm. Don't wait — eat and rest.
He smiled softly and closed his eyes.
---
By 12 a.m., they returned, half-asleep and leaning on each other. As they entered the dorm and saw the lights on, Scoups narrowed his eyes.
"Guys… I think there's a thief in here."
The members stiffened.
"But we locked the door, right?" Wonwoo asked.
"Yeah, but Hoshi was the one who locked it," Vernon replied.
Scoups shot a bombastic side-eye at Hoshi, who was now clinging to Woozi in sleep.
"Weapons," Scoups ordered. "Grab your bags."
Half-asleep, the boys obediently raised their arms or held their bags limply. Boo mumbled, "Carats~ are you ready… we're gonna catch you…"
Jun just laughed and shook his head.
Scoups readied his backpack and led the stealth mission forward.