A heavy silence filled the car after Raven's words.
Julian's expression visibly darkened, his brows furrowing. He met Evelyn's eyes, he parted his lips as if to say something— but Evelyn gave neither of them any reaction, turning her gaze toward the car window.
She even turned her back to Ash and began watching the outside.
I don't know what happened between the main character and the members. So I'm in no position to stop them from thinking this way, she thought.
She had no idea whether the main character's relationship with the members had been good or bad. But clearly, they didn't trust her.
Looking at it from another angle, it was kinda strange that they suspected the main character of pretending to have lost her memory. But if it was really how they suspected, then she must have had some reason to act that way.
So they think there was something that would make her act that way?
As Evelyn watched the city lights brightening the darkening sky, she heard Julian and Raven whispering to each other— but she didn't bother focusing on what they were saying.
The one who broke the deep silence among the four was the voice of the man sitting in the driver's seat.
"If you kids want to listen to some music, I can put something on."
Evelyn turned her head and looked at the man in the driver's seat. From what she could see through the rearview mirror, he was a slightly chubby man wearing glasses.
The reason she hadn't paid attention to him until now was because she assumed he was just the chauffeur.
While Julian began talking to the driver, Evelyn slowly turned toward Ash. The moment she looked at him, she realized Ash had already been watching her. When their eyes met, Ash offered a smile that softened the worried expression on his face.
"Our driver… Is he someone I should know?" Evelyn asked quietly.
As she spoke, she leaned a little closer to Ash so the driver wouldn't hear. Ash widened his smile and leaned toward Evelyn's ear.
"That's William— our manager."
Evelyn shivered slightly when she felt Ash's breath on her ear and neck. His deep yet gentle voice made the tips of her fingers tingle.
Pulling back a little and avoiding his gaze, she said, "Oh… I see. Thank you."
When Evelyn pulled herself away from Ash, she immediately met Raven's eyes. Raven was still looking at her with that irritated expression on his face. Evelyn, however, didn't react to him at all.
"Evelyn, we didn't get the chance to talk. I hope you're feeling better."
Evelyn turned toward the manager when he spoke. Trying to force a smile, she replied, "Thank you. I'm feeling better."
Since she didn't know how close the main character had been with the manager, she hesitated about whether she should say anything more.
But the manager didn't say anything else, so she simply turned back and resumed watching the scenery outside.
After several minutes of silence, the car finally entered a garage and came to a stop.
Before getting out, Evelyn bent down to grab her bag, only to realize it wasn't where she had left it. Just as she was about to panic, she spotted her bag in Julian's hand.
"I'll carry it."
"There is no need."
Evelyn answered immediately, snatching the bag from Julian's hand. She tugged it away a bit too forcefully, and although she regretted it afterward, she tried not to show her regret.
"They may have followed us, but they still can't get past security. So don't panic— just head inside," their manager said after parking the car.
Once the manager stepped out, everyone followed him and got out of the car as well.
After getting out of the car, Evelyn began following the others. She could see Julian occasionally turning back to look at her, but she avoided making eye contact.
In truth, she had no reason to be angry with him— after all, she had no knowledge of what the main character had experienced with them before, and Julian might very well have had a valid reason not to trust her.
But for some reason, the fact that he didn't believe her dampened her spirits a little.
As Evelyn followed the members and their manager from behind, she realized just how luxurious the building they were in actually was. Even getting from the parking lot to the lobby took a long time.
The floor was so polished it looked as if it was cleaned daily without fail, and the ceiling was so high that tilting her head back to look at it made her neck ache.
After greeting the security guards, the manager and the members walked quickly toward the elevator. Evelyn stepped in last, which forced her to turn her back to all of them.
The inside of the elevator remained quiet for a while. Evelyn pursed her lips against the awkward atmosphere, and when she saw Ash reach past her to press the elevator button, she realized just how tall the building was.
Her eyes widened when Ash pressed the top floor— the seventeenth.
"Are we living on the top floor?" she asked quietly.
"Yes. We live in the building's triplex penthouse. Most groups in the company are given similar apartments."
It was Julian who answered instead of Ash. Evelyn could clearly hear the hint of delight in his voice. He must really enjoy their luxurious lifestyle, she thought. And… well, he wasn't wrong. Who wouldn't?
I should thank my sister for this, I guess…
When they reached the seventeenth floor, Evelyn stepped out the moment the doors opened. But she stopped beside the elevator, waiting for the others to exit as well.
She immediately noticed that this floor looked different from the ones below. They still had to walk down a long hallway before reaching the entrance to the penthouse. Following the others, she watched as Ash pulled a card from his pocket and unlocked the door.
"You didn't have to escort us all the way here, William," Julian said, turning to their manager. Their manager adjusted his black glasses while scrolling on his phone.
"It's better to be cautious, just in case. I trust the building's security, but you never know what those demon reporters might try."
"Calling them demons is a bit too mild," Raven muttered with a deep sigh. "Those fuckers just won't leave us alone..."
Before stepping inside, Ash turned sharply when Raven cursed, brows furrowing. "Save the swearing for after we're all inside."
Raven gave him a mocking grin. "You're being paranoid…"
But their manager cut in, "Ash is right. We don't know what methods they'll use. They could've even planted a device somewhere."
Raven rolled his eyes at the two of them. Then everyone said their goodbyes to the manager, and they all went inside after Ash.