When she opened her eyes, she saw a man practically in her face, thrusting a microphone toward her as he asked the question.
Encouraged by him, the other reporters began asking their own questions.
"Do you have any comments on the group members participating in different events while you were in a coma?"
"What do you think about your company distorting such an important piece of information about you, misleading your curious fans with false statements?"
"Are the rumors true that your coma wasn't caused by a simple accident?"
When Evelyn heard the last question, she turned toward the reporter who had asked it. At that moment, all the cameras shifted to capture their exchange.
"What rumors?"
The female reporter's expression brightened, clearly thrilled to have gotten a reaction out of Evelyn.
"It's being said that you caused the accident on purpose and that your real intention was to end your own life."
Evelyn remained silent for a moment after hearing the information the woman delivered with such an excited expression.
The camera flashes around her and the reporters shouting questions all at once had turned into distant noise she could no longer register.
What she had just learned was heavy— so heavy she had no idea how she was supposed to carry it. What do they mean by, 'ending your own' life... Why would the main character do such a thing?
Just then, a voice cut through the chaos, causing the crowd's attention to scatter and cameras to swing in another direction.
"Evelyn!"
When she heard her name, Evelyn turned toward the owner of the voice.
Raven had pushed his way through the crowd and reached her, and before she could react in any way, he grabbed her hand and began running.
As Evelyn ran alongside him, she glanced back and saw her fan —standing apart from the chaotic crowd— waving at her with a bright, overjoyed expression.
That expression alone makes her heart warm again, lifting the weight off her shoulders, even though it was only for a moment.
After turning her attention forward again, Evelyn kept running with Raven for a length of time she couldn't quite gauge.
They had already crossed several streets, leaving the reporters far behind. Still, she could see that some of the people they passed recognized them, whispering to each other or snapping photos as they hurried by.
When they finally turned into a street with fewer people, Evelyn spotted the large black vehicle at the far end. The moment it came into view, Raven picked up his pace.
Within seconds they reached the vehicle, and its doors began to slide open to the sides.
As the doors opened, Evelyn found herself staring directly into the eyes of Ash and Julian inside.
"Come on, get in quickly," Ash said, reaching a hand out toward them.
Just as Evelyn was about to take his hand, she heard the loud voices of reporters and camera men flooding into the street, making her snap her head in their direction.
"Hurry, move! They're getting away!"
The moment Evelyn saw the reporters, she grabbed Ash's hand and climbed into the vehicle, sitting next to him. Raven followed right after her and sat down in the seat across from her.
Just as the car door fully shut, a few reporters appeared in front of the vehicle, but since it started moving the moment Evelyn and Raven got in, they couldn't block the road in time.
The car lurched forward at full speed, and Evelyn nearly lost her balance. Ash, Julian, and Raven all reached out instinctively to catch her. When Ash grabbed her arm, he pulled her closer to him.
"Ah, thank you," Evelyn said, turning to Ash.
Ash tried to give a small smile. But he was obviously tense.
Actually, they were all visibly tense— none of them had expected this many reporters to chase after them.
Evelyn was more shocked than anything. She had no idea they were this popular, especially since they had debuted only a month —actually four month ago if we include her comatose time— ago.
Then she remembered what the reporters had shouted and realized that their attention probably wasn't because of the group's popularity, but for an entirely different reason.
They were interested in the "drama" supposedly caused by the main character.
After speeding through the streets for a while, the car eventually turned into calmer roads.
Evelyn looked over her shoulder, she realized they had finally shaken off the reporters and camera men who had been tailing them with several cars.
She turned back to the front, and she found Raven staring at her with a sharp, angry expression.
When their eyes met, Raven asked, "Why were you waiting at the hospital's front entrance?"
Evelyn frowned at his question. "I went outside to meet Ash and Julian."
Raven let out an irritated sigh. "You could've waited inside the hospital. Going out was pointless."
Evelyn shifted into a more comfortable position, leaning back against the seat and crossing her arms over her chest.
"So what, waiting for you outside makes me guilty of something now?" she asked.
Raven ran a hand through his black hair, the motion highlighting his thick, furrowed eyebrows. When he leaned forward, the silver chain and pendant around his neck rattled softly.
"You know the situation we're in. You should've expected that reporters could show up at the hospital at any moment."
"Actually, no. I don't know what kind of situation we are in. As I said before, I don't even remember what happened before the accident."
Evelyn was starting to get genuinely angry now. She knew Raven had an aggressive, borderline toxic personality, but the fact that he was picking a fight over nothing made it impossible for her to keep her temper in check.
"I don't know anyone except you guys. I don't remember anything. What exactly do you expect me to do? How am I supposed to act?"
She was a stranger in this world, and refusing help from the very few people she could rely on wasn't an option. But Evelyn was not someone who swallowed everything she was told, nor someone who obediently followed orders.
As she watched Raven lean back in irritation, she turned her head away from him and stared out the car window. At that moment, Julian nudged Raven's shoulder.
"You're being rude again, Raven."
Raven turned to Julian and muttered under his breath— quiet, but not quiet enough. Everyone in the car, including Evelyn, heard it.
"We both know you think Evelyn isn't actually suffering from memory loss and that she's just acting. Don't pretend you're any different from me."