"Isn't that a bit too much?!"
The silence that filled the living room after the news anchor's words was broken by Angelo, his face twisted in anger as he spoke.
After that, everyone's eyes turned to Evelyn.
But Evelyn's gaze was still fixed on the words running across the screen.
If what the news anchor and the headlines were implying was really what she thought, Evelyn couldn't understand how they could be so cruel.
Still, hoping for a different answer, she asked, "What do they mean by that headline?"
Her question brought another wave of silence to the room. When Evelyn looked around and met everyone's expressions one by one, she realized that her guess had been right.
"They're saying that what put you in a coma wasn't actually an accident— that you tried to end your life."
Raven said this as he threw the TV remote onto the glass table in front of the couch. The remote hit the surface with a sharp, high-pitched clatter before falling to the floor.
The sound, combined with what she had just learned, made Evelyn flinch.
The meaning behind the group's name, Eden, was "heaven."
At one point, her sister had suggested naming the main character Eve for that very reason, but Evelyn had refused. Because in a way, main character represented the first woman, surrounded by six men who symbolized the angels of paradise.
The group's concept had been built around her from the very beginning.
Yet, it seemed her sister hadn't listened to her after all. So it was "purely coincidental" that Evelyn's nickname and stage name was currently Eve.
What the reporters actually meant with that headline was that Eve wanted to reach paradise sooner— implying she had tried to take her own life.
As Raven's words sank in, Julian suddenly stood up, pushed Raven aside with one hand, and picked up the remote to turn off the TV.
Then he turned back to Raven, his expression tense with anger.
"You didn't have to say it out loud."
When Raven started to walk toward Julian, who had just pushed him, Kian stood up and quickly stepped between them.
"She was going to find out sooner or later! And you think she is acting like she doesn't have any memories, so she already knows what it means, doesn't she? Also, it's not just these stupid gossip shows talking about it— the whole social media is on fire right now!" Raven shouted furiously at Julian.
Julian's anger only deepened; he tried to push past Kian.
"Who cares what they're talking about?! Whether Evelyn's okay or not matters more than anyone's damn gossip!"
Raven let out a bitter, mocking laugh at that, and before things could escalate further, Angelo stepped in.
"Don't fight... No matter what we do, they'll talk anyway. But Julian's right. If it were any of us they were saying this about… the only thing that would matter is that if we're okay at the end of the day."
Raven's expression softened a little at Angelo's words, but he still kept his sarcastic tone.
"If these fucking rumors and shows keep going like this, we won't have any peaceful or happy days left— and EDEN7 will be done for. Am I seriously the only one here thinking about the group's future?"
"You're not the only one."
Ash spoke without even lifting his eyes from his phone, yet his words were enough to draw everyone's attention to him.
When he noticed the eyes on him, he lifted his head and looked at Raven and Julian.
"I told our manager about the situation. He also mentioned it to Producer Edna. But they already know everything. Edna said she wants to talk to us as soon as possible."
Ivan slipped past the chaos caused by Raven and Julian, came over to Ash, and leaned against the armrest of the single chair he was sitting in.
"Did you text them? Let me see what she said…"
As Ash handed his phone to Ivan, Raven shot Julian a mocking look before stepping closer to Ash.
"Did she give any date?"
"No, she just asked us to let her know when we're available."
"I don't mind. I don't have anything going on anyway— but I can't say the same for the others," said Ivan as he handed the phone back to Ash.
"I've got that photoshoot for the perfume brand I mentioned the other day. After that, I'm free," said Julian, letting out a deep sigh as he sat down on the couch.
Angelo, drawing everyone's attention with his quick steps, walked over to Evelyn, who had been silent for a while.
"Eve…? Are you crying?"
Evelyn didn't have an answer to that question either.
Ever since she had grasped the meaning behind the words on the screen, her eyes had welled up— and a few minutes later, tears had begun to stream down her cheeks.
Yet she wasn't even sure if they were truly her own tears. Even without the original main character's memories, was she still carrying her emotions?
Or was she mourning for the girl whose life she had inherited? She couldn't tell.
She hadn't even realized she was crying until Angelo pointed it out.
As she wiped her tears away with the back of her hands and lifted her head to say something, she froze— because everyone was looking at her with concern.
Julian stood up from the couch he had just sat on, walked over, and knelt down beside her, gently resting a hand on her leg.
Ash also leaned forward from his seat, his voice soft and worried.
"Oh no, Eve… Are you okay?"
When Evelyn turned to Ash, she realized she didn't have an answer to give. The young man's greyish eyes were filled with a kind of worry she had never seen before.
Then she shifted her gaze to Julian, who was still kneeling on the floor. A faint, comforting smile rested on his face— as if he were trying to console her just by being there.
Her eyes then moved to Angelo, and one by one to the others. When they finally met Raven's, she noticed something she hadn't before— no trace of mockery in his expression this time.
They must really care about her, she thought.
"These tears… I don't even know if they're mine," she murmured.
No one knew what to say to that. After a moment, she managed to steady her breathing and wipe away the remaining tears before speaking again.
"I'll do whatever I have to. I don't want the group to fall apart because of me."
"That's not going to happen," Ash said immediately.
He wasn't just saying it to reassure her— he genuinely believed it. The others, encouraged by his tone, joined in.
"Yeah! As long as I say we're not over, we're not over!" Ivan declared with his usual energy.
Julian leaned a little closer to Evelyn, his voice gentle. "Why would our group ever fall apart over something like this? Producer Edna will definitely find a way to settle it all."
"If they'd disband our group over something like this, then they're just idiots. They should know how to handle this kind of attention. Honestly, I bet the CEO's enjoying all the buzz we're getting." Kian gestured animatedly as he spoke, trying to bring some energy back into the room.
Angelo moved to lean lightly against the armrest beside Evelyn's seat.
"What journalists are doing is not humane... They shouldn't be talking about someone's mental state like that just for more clicks and views."
Everyone had something to say— not just to comfort Evelyn, but to reassure themselves as well. After each of them spoke, the only one who hadn't said a word was Raven. When all eyes finally turned to him, he furrowed his brows and exhaled deeply.
"I actually didn't me—"
His sentence was cut short by the sound of the doorbell. Ivan pointed toward the door.
"That must be the burgers Kian ordered. I'll get it," he said quickly, heading toward the door.
Raven bit his inner lip, his words left unfinished, and finally looked away from Evelyn, who had been quietly watching him the whole time.