CHAPTER 73: Golden Ocean and Burning Hearts

As the boys stood in their position, Scoups told, "Carats, it's time—shall we begin?" Jeonghan said, "Raise your Carat Bongs and wave them as a sign."

The Carats took their bongs and made a wave. It was awesome—because in a dark arena, only the Carat Bongs with their golden light were waving. It felt like in an ocean, instead of fish, these golden lights were swimming.

The members took a deep breath, held each other's hands, and gave motivation to each other. As the lights turned on, the boys looked at the crowd with their serious faces. The Carats started to scream and yell, "Seventeen! Seventeen!"

As the song started to play, the members started to sing. The Carats literally jumped from their seats and even Nian and Xuanye were kicking their legs. The song was "Left & Right." The members started to dance.

The lights dimmed. A hush fell over the crowd.

And then—boom. "Left & Right" hit the stage like a jolt of youth. The boys jumped, spun, and laughed as if they were dancing through freedom itself. Spontaneous joy filled the air. We screamed the lyrics back, hands waving wildly, already breathless. The members were enjoying it and even their visuals matched their energy. The Carats were singing along with them. Nian and Xuanye raised their Carat Bongs, sang the lyrics with them, and danced.

Without a pause, the melody softened—

"Adore U" played, and just like that, we were transported to the beginning. The debut days. Their boyish charm, pure smiles, and that first spark of sincerity. "I adore you." My heart whispered it back.

When the Carats were enjoying it, Nian and Xuanye thought, when we were listening to them as new Carats, we were giggling when we saw the members still like children—their faces and their dance moves—whoa~ The boys were young when they sang this song~ Xuanye leaned to Nian and said, "Hey, when I saw this song for the first time, I was cringing over Boo~" and she laughed. Nian giggled and they looked at them performing.

Then came the swagger—"Cheers." The lights were dim, the boys hid except Scoups, Hoshi, and Woozi. The crowd went silent for a second. When the lights came on, it was surrounded by smoke and the stage was covered with white and red lights. Scoups and Woozi leaned on each other's backs, and Hoshi stood in front of them and they smirked. The Carats looked at them and screamed, and the arena echoed. Nian and Xuanye waved their bongs and the song started to play. As Scoups sang his verse, they united and danced the hook step. When Hoshi stood and shook his hips, the Carats went crazy, and Nian and Xuanye were giggling and started to do that hip step while sitting.

Unit synergy on full display, full of smirks and shoulder bumps. It wasn't just a song—it was them telling us: "We made it, and we're proud."

The stage darkened for a beat.

A blinding blue flickered.

"God of Light Music." The boys ran towards them and stood in pairs. When the music started, Wonwoo's verse came. As Wonwoo walked, the members parted like dandelions. He sang his verse with a bright smile, then Jeonghan came and sang. The Carats were laughing while Nian elbowed Xuanye and said, "Ye~ do you remember when we heard this song and compared it to 'God of Music'? I was in disbelief that they created it by changing the lyrics~" Xuanye chuckled and said, "Yeah Nian, when the verse of 'shoobidupa... shoobidupa' came, I laughed at the behind-the-scenes." Nian continued, "Yaa~ then when DK sang 'hitman bang~' I laughed out." Xuanye looked at her and laughed.

The bass dropped—hard. The crowd turned electric. Then came "God of Music," smooth and healing, a message wrapped in funk and warmth. They weren't just idols now—they were instruments of joy.

And just when we thought we had a second to breathe—

"Lalali" burst in like chaos. Vernon tied a scarf around his head and looked like a baby as he rapped. Nian and Xuanye were jumping in their seats, while the Carats screamed and sang the lines with the members. Complete nonsense. Chaotic good energy. They jumped, goofed, and I couldn't stop laughing. Only SEVENTEEN could make a mess look that perfect.

The lights dimmed again. A single spotlight. A snare.

"Monster." Fierce, seductive, unapologetically dark. The way they moved—confident, sharp, untouchable. I was completely hypnotized.

Then, everything softened.

"Rock With You." Their voices melted into each other. I sang every word with tears pricking my eyes. The passion. The promise. The emotion. It was like hearing someone confess, "I'll stay… even in your storm."

The beat picked up.

The crowd was already screaming before it started.

"Aju Nice." The lights were sparkling. The members ran toward the door and picked up their caps and tied loose shirts around their waists, then the song started. The members were singing happily, and the whole crowd stood up and danced to their hook step. Seeing the Carats dancing happily, the members' faces lit up like bright lights. DK came to the front, called all the members, and told them to do the hook step until the song ends. They nodded happily, placed their hands on their heads, and did it. Nian chuckled and imitated him.

Confetti. Lights. Chaos. Pure SEVENTEEN magic. No one was sitting. No one was still. It was a party where our hearts danced more than our feet.

Then came the heat—HOT

The lights changed and it was like fire. As the hook steps came, Scoups did his wave with his hands and the Carats went crazy. He looked at the camera and smirked playfully. Nian and Xuanye were controlling their emotions and kicking their legs. The Carats stood up again and did the hook step when Minghao came. The concert was bustling with their hook steps~ When Xuanye saw him, she smiled proudly. As the members said through the mic to do the hook step again, the Carats were ready, and when the song played, the whole crowd did it. At the same time, the confetti burst and fire blew up.

"Hot" slammed into the room. Explosive and confident. The stage was fire—literally and emotionally. The way they owned it? Iconic.

Then: "Holiday."

The breeze of laughter. That warmth between friends. The kind of song that feels like a hug after a long day. I turned to the stranger next to me, and we smiled like old friends.

And finally… "April Shower."

The lights changed to cotton pink. The members stood in a triangle and sang it. The background music felt like it was healing wounds in our hearts. Nian, Xuanye, and the Carats got goosebumps and waved their Carat Bongs. The members were in tears. As Hoshi's part came, Boo ran toward him like a happy puppy and did his step. Hoshi chuckled, and the members looked like blooming flowers.

Rain sounds. A gentle start. A soft ache in every lyric. They stood close together, like brothers. And when the final note hit, it felt like both an ending and a beginning. Like they were telling us—spring always comes after the storm.

CBZ (Prime Time)

It was Hip-Hop Team's time to dominate. The stage turned into their battlefield. The bass hit, and boo,hoshi and dk stood like they owned time itself.

> The crowd turned electric — every line, every gesture was laced with raw power. "This is our prime. Watch us take it."

And we did. Eyes wide, hearts pounding. It was sexy, confident, untouchable.

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Then the lights dimmed to blue.

And a soft voice began the intro—

Fighting

As DK, Hoshi, and Boo stood in the middle of the stage, the rest of the members became back dancers.

The Carats didn't expect this—they were giggling. As they started to sing, Nian and Xuanye stood up and danced. As the camera moved around the crowd, it focused on the girls. The Carats turned their heads toward them like the members were talking to them. As DK, Boo, Hoshi, and the rest of the members saw the girls, they were happy and danced joyfully. DK chuckled while singing. The girls saw themselves on the screen, got embarrassed, and sat silently. The Carats encouraged them, and the performance felt like eating cotton candy.

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And then—chaos. Unfiltered SEVENTEEN chaos.

Stupid Idiot

The lights turned violet mixed with white. Hoshi and Woozi came out, did a wrist shake, and turned their heads with playful smirks. They looked at the camera. The Carats screamed and sang their lyrics.

If memes had a sound, this was it. They jumped, goofed off, teased each other like middle schoolers with microphones.

> "Stupid idiot~" they sang, throwing exaggerated looks at each other and even us.

The whole crowd screamed-laughed. Was this a concert or a variety show? Who cared — it was peak SEVENTEEN behavior. My cheeks hurt from laughing, but my heart felt so full.

As both of them sang, the members walked toward them with smiles and stood in front of them. Scoups stood in front and continued, "Carats, we are truly grateful for you guys. Shall we say our chant together?"

The Carats sat and held their bongs while the members held hands and chanted together with the Carats.

Then the members said in a high voice: "Say the name—SEVENTEEN." — The Carats repeated.

"Be the pride of SEVENTEEN. Not just for us… but for the ones who believed in us since day one."

Then Minghao took the mic and said, "Carats, now as we are united, I shall perform my solo~" and he moved his mic slowly and the lights turned off. The members patted him and ran. The back dancers and Minghao changed their outfits in seconds and stood in their spots. As the lights turned on, the Carats were amazed—the stage looked like an ocean sparkling with blue lights. As the music started slowly, the Carats screamed and tapped each other's hands. Nian was jumping on her seat and told, "Look Xuanye, he is performing Orbit~~" Xuanye crossed her arms and said, "I know this." Nian chuckled and said, "Huh~ your BF is saying everything to you~~" She chuckled and they watched the performance.

As Minghao danced and sang, the Carats sang with him. When she saw Hao's hands on the screen, Xuanye became pale and was in tears. She was shaking. Nian turned to her with a happy face and saw her crying. Nian leaned to her and asked, "Why are you crying Ye~?" She looked at her and said in teary eyes, "Nian~ look at Minghao's hands. They're so thin~" and she burst into tears, hugged her, and said, "He must have been practicing so hard~" and she sobbed.

Nian worried and said, "Look here Xuanye~ being an idol is tough. To become where they are now, they must have practiced days and nights. But they chose it and now they're happy. Even they don't regret it."

She looked at Nian. Nian said, "See, after going to the dorm, cook for him and make him chubby, okay~" and she smiled.

Xuanye laughed through her tears and gave a playful slap. Xuanye said, "Nian, if he finishes his performance, the concert will be over. Look at the time—it's 8 p.m. Shall we order them some flowers and desserts?" Nian nodded happily. The girls looked at the performance. As it ended, they stood up slowly, without disturbing the Carats, and went out.