"You really don't remember me?"
Sitting in the front corner of the living room, the woman had blown out brown hair that made her already thick strands look even fuller.
Despite being indoors, she was wearing black sunglasses that hid her eyes— and therefore her true expression. Because of that, Evelyn couldn't fully grasp what tone the question carried.
She even felt like she'd get scolded if she repeated that she doesn't remember.
The woman in front of her was Producer Edna, who had shown up at their home at the crack of dawn. A single glance at her clothes and jewelry was enough to tell anyone that they were all high-end brands— and that she was incredibly wealthy.
Neither Evelyn nor the other members had expected Edna to come to their house this quickly. In fact, they hadn't expected her to come here personally at all.
They thought they would go to the company to speak with her, but when their manager William explained that the front of the company had been swarmed by paparazzi for days, Edna had decided to come to the members' home instead.
Evelyn was afraid of the reaction she might get, but she still chose to be honest.
"Yes… I don't remember. The only thing I remember is my group members."
Edna didn't give any reaction for a few seconds. The other members in the room were also waiting eagerly for Edna's reply.
Evelyn was sitting on the couch across from Edna, and the others were sitting in the empty spaces next to her. Since they could barely fit on the couch, Raven and Ash were sitting on the armrests.
After a while —though it felt quite long for the members— Edna crossed her legs and removed her black sunglasses.
When Evelyn saw Edna's thick, furrowed brows and the harsh wrinkles around her eyes, she thought about how striking yet intimidating the woman looked.
But when Edna spoke again, she ended up breaking one of her assumptions.
"Oh my dear, my poor Eve.. I wouldn't be able to bear even a single hair on your head being harmed, but sadly, you got into an accident. I still feel that sorrow when we first learned that you got into an accident… We all waited for you to wake up, every day, we thought about you endlessly. Those nightmareish, terrifying nights… But thankfully, you don't have any physical injuries or illnesses."
Edna spoke so sincerely and with such emotion that, even though she said a lot of exaggerated things, it was obvious she genuinely meant them.
At one point she couldn't help herself— she spread her arms wide, or clasped her hands together and looked up at the sky as if praying.
Faced with her dramatic gestures, Evelyn had no idea what to do, so she slipped her hands between her legs, settling into a more comfortable position like a cat.
"Yes, waiting every day for Evelyn to wake up was like a nightmare. In the last few days, I was almost about to lose my hope..."
When Angelo stepped in to show he agreed with Edna, the others also began sharing their thoughts.
"Thankfully, we're past those days now. I remember the day we first heard you woke up.. I went into Kian's room to wake him. Normally, Kian wouldn't wake up even if you threw a bomb in there, but that day he shot up like a zombie rising from the grave!"
Ivan said, adding a theatrical tone to his voice to make the scene easier to picture.
After that comparison, several people laughed.
Kian, however, hit his twin brother on the shoulder and said, "Stop exaggerating. I could barely sleep properly when Evelyn fell into a coma anyway."
Julian, who had his hand propped against his cheek as he quietly observed Evelyn sitting right beside him, began playing with a strand of her hair with his free hand as he spoke.
"Ah, sleepless nights... I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking Evelyn might wake up."
Evelyn turned to look at Julian, and she saw the sadness in his eyes. But along with that sadness, there were other emotions she couldn't quite name. When Julian smiled at her, she turned her head away again.
Ash, who had been watching these two for a while, stood up from his seat and crossed his arms over his chest.
"We don't need to think about those days anymore. Evelyn is with us, and that's what matters."
The others agreed with Ash. Raven, who hadn't taken part in the conversation until now, also stood up and shifted the focus in another direction.
"Whatever… Edna, are you going to tell us what exactly we're supposed to do about these rumors?"
Edna, answering only after a brief pause, lifted the bag she had placed beside her seat and set it on her lap. But she didn't open it. While Evelyn's eyes remained fixed on the bag, Edna put her sunglasses back on and began to speak.
"Right now, I can personally confirm that you are among the most talked about people in the entire country. Our team has been analyzing everything since last night."
She took out her phone, opened a few apps, and then turned the screen toward the members.
"As you can see, all social media platforms —including the programs and apps where we upload your songs— are talking about this."
As Edna held out her phone, several members leaned in to see the screen.
Angelo couldn't hide his shock. "They're even talking about it on SoundRain?!"
Ivan muttered, "They've started a whole discussion about it on Twinkle…"
After pulling her phone back, Edna pressed a hand to her forehead in a dramatic gesture.
"Yes, as if this is the only problem the country has, they're still talking about it. 'Did Evelyn really try to end her life? What was the reason? Was she being bullied by the members?' There are countless posts like that."
When Evelyn heard the last part, she couldn't hold herself back. The members also felt the urge to say something when they heard it— but Evelyn spoke first.
"Whenever there's any issue with a music group member's mental health, is this really the only thing people think of?"
Her face clearly showed how uncomfortable she felt. Even if the protagonist were in her place, she knew they would feel the same.
"It's like people don't care about the seriousness of the situation— they only think about how they can involve themselves in the drama. What matters here should be a person's mental health. I'm not saying it is, because I don't even remember what happened, but even if this was an intentional accident, what will they gain by investigating why it happened?" she added.
The group members couldn't hide their surprise; they hadn't expected her to speak so much about the matter.
"Yes, my dear. That's right. People don't care about the person who went through the accident— they care about the accident itself. And if something like this happens to someone famous, they enjoy it even more."
Edna said as she slipped her phone back into her jacket pocket.
Then she reached for the untouched coffee on the table. Holding the cup with delicate movements, she took a slow sip before continuing. It felt as if she were buying herself a moment and softening the atmosphere at the same time.
"That is why you, unfortunately… are products that must be marketed in the eyes of both the public and the CEO. And because of everything that has happened, we have made a new decision…'"
Edna paused before finishing her sentence, and Evelyn felt the need to step in.
"What decision?"
Every member stiffened, tension tightening their expressions. Edna seemed almost amused by their anxious stares; she wiped the corner of her lip with her fingertip and then let a sly smile spread across her face.
"The CEO has decided to give you another chance.… You will debut again!"