Minseok's POV
I closed the door behind me quietly, my heart still racing. Evelyn's condition had me worried. She had woken up from what I assumed was a long rest, but the look in her eyes — the confusion, the hesitation — had set something off in me. Something wasn't right, and I didn't know how to fix it.
The others were waiting for me in the living room, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed about her. She wasn't the same.
When I walked in, they all turned to me, their expressions expectant. I took a deep breath and gave them the news.
"She's awake," I said, my voice a little strained. "But she's not okay."
Taejun immediately stood, his usual playful demeanor gone. "What do you mean? How is she?"
I ran a hand through my hair, trying to find the right words. "She doesn't remember things. I went in to check on her, and she didn't even recognize the room. She… didn't remember being here with us."
The room fell silent as everyone exchanged uneasy glances.
"That doesn't make sense," Hyunsoo said, his voice low. "She's been with us for years now. How could she suddenly forget everything? That's not like her."
Seungjae was the next to speak, his face full of concern. "She was fine yesterday. The performance went well, she was smiling. There's no way this is just some phase."
I shifted uncomfortably, looking down at the floor for a moment. "I don't think it is. She told me she felt like she's been living this life for longer than she actually has. Like she doesn't belong here."
Jungkai crossed his arms, his brow furrowed. "So, she remembers the performance, but she doesn't remember us? Or the fact that she's been living with us this whole time?"
I nodded. "Yeah, that's the thing. She remembers the stage, the performance, but the rest of it is all blurry for her. And she says it doesn't feel real."
The group shifted uncomfortably. Jiwook cleared his throat, looking around at the others. "This isn't like her at all. Evelyn's always been so grounded. She's not one to act like this."
"That's what worries me," I said quietly. "She's been acting distant for a while now. At first, I thought maybe it was just the stress getting to her, but now…" I trailed off, not knowing what to say next.
"What do we do?" Jiwon asked, his voice gentle but full of uncertainty. "She's obviously struggling. But we can't force her to tell us what's going on."
I leaned against the wall, sighing. "I'm not sure. I tried talking to her, but she's not opening up. She says she doesn't understand what's happening to her, but she doesn't want to explain it either."
Hyunsoo frowned. "Do you think this is something serious? Something we should be worried about?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "She's not the same Evelyn. She's withdrawn, unsure, and I can see the fear in her eyes. It's like she's lost in her own mind. But she won't let us help her."
Seungjae's expression softened. "We can't just leave her like this. We need to figure out what's going on. She's one of us, Minseok."
I nodded, feeling the weight of the words settle heavily in my chest. "I know. I know. But right now, I'm not sure how to reach her. If we push too hard, she'll just pull away even more. But if we don't do something…" I let the thought hang in the air. She might slip further away from us.
There was a long silence as the weight of the situation hung over us. The boys all exchanged looks, none of us sure how to approach the problem.
Finally, Jungkai broke the silence. "Maybe we just need to give her space, but also make sure she knows we're here when she's ready. No pressure, no force."
I ran a hand over my face. "I think you're right. I don't know what's going on with her, but we can't leave her alone with this. She's going through something, and we have to be there for her, whether she asks for it or not."
The boys nodded in agreement. They didn't have all the answers, but none of us could sit by and do nothing.
"I'll check on her again in a little while," I said, my voice steadying. "But for now, we need to act normal. Don't treat her like something's wrong."
"But she knows something is wrong," Jiwook pointed out quietly. "We can't just pretend like everything is fine."
"I know," I said, my voice heavy with frustration. "But we don't have any answers. We can't just make her talk if she's not ready."
As I turned to leave the room, I looked back at the group, each of their faces a mix of concern and confusion. We were all in the dark about what was happening to Evelyn. And none of us knew how long we'd stay there.