Chapter 40: Uninvited Guests

Evan Bell only had to pay a symbolic rent of one dollar per month for the basement rented by Eleven Music Studio. This was a huge relief for Evan, who was short on funds.

The property owner, an old man in his sixties, agreed to this arrangement after confirming that Evan was a student at Harvard University and had intended to use the basement as a music studio.

The old man claimed he wanted to support the independent music scene, so he charged Evan only a dollar.

After spending a few hours in the studio, Evan was working on his graduation project while Eden Hudson was absorbed in a book.

The room felt timeless until Evan's stomach growled, breaking the stillness. Suddenly, he realized it was already evening.

Evan and Eden walked back to campus side by side. They had planned to order takeout but realized they'd left all the menus in their dorm room.

The studio had just started being used, so it was pretty bare. They had no choice but to return to the dorm.

In Boston in December, dusk settles in by 4 PM. It was now almost 8 PM, and the night had fully enveloped Cambridge.

Evan and Eden strolled toward the dorm, chatting and laughing—or more accurately, Evan was doing most of the talking and laughing, while Eden, despite his frosty expression, contributed with his dry wit.

Evan alone seemed to appreciate the irony in Eden's stoic demeanor.

The dormitory was bustling, just the right time in the evening when students returned from studying, prepared for dates, or started their nocturnal activities.

The building buzzed with an energy that was different from the daytime.

As they passed noisy rooms in the hallway, Eden suddenly stopped about ten meters from their dorm.

Evan, in the middle of gesturing while talking to Eden, noticed his friend had halted and followed Eden's gaze. Three people stood by the dorm entrance.

One was leaning against the wall, expressionless, with his head down; another was pacing anxiously; and the third stood by the door, hands in pockets, his long hair obscuring his face, looking deep in thought.

These three were Gillen Haas, Jacob Tibo, and Bruce Stewart—members of Melancholy Mood, who had recently signed with Universal Music.

Evan was taken aback. He hadn't expected to see them here. How long had it been since their last argument? Nearly two months, with no contact in between.

And now, here they were, waiting at his dorm. What did they want? Evan frowned slightly.

Just then, Jacob Tibo noticed Evan and Eden approaching.

He took a step towards them but hesitated, seemingly aware of the rift between them. After a brief pause, he continued walking toward them.

Unexpectedly, Evan didn't acknowledge him and instead continued talking to Eden. "So, what about you? Any plans for the winter break?" he asked, as if he hadn't noticed the three figures at the dorm entrance, or as if they were complete strangers.

Eden glanced back at Evan. His expression was calm, his frown easing.

He wasn't angry or upset; he simply ignored the situation. Eden couldn't help but find it amusing.

Evan's personality was just what he admired—someone who never acted according to others' expectations, following only his own heart.

Evan's character could be described as rebellious, free-spirited, even stubborn, but also as someone who was cheerful and lived life to the fullest.

After all, life on earth is short, and living it according to others' wishes, feeling constantly aggrieved isn't living at all.

Many people desire to live happily, freely, and comfortably, but society often demands compromise.

How many truly manage to live freely?

But Evan did, and so did Eden. It was this shared defiance of societal norms that made them such good friends.

Jacob Tibo's face flushed with embarrassment. Being ignored by Evan made him feel humiliated.

But if Evan walked away, they would have waited here all afternoon for nothing. Evan had turned off his phone while working in the studio, making him unreachable.

Seeing that Evan didn't seem to hear him and was heading directly to the dorm entrance, Jacob couldn't contain his frustration any longer.

"Evan Bell, what do you mean by secretly registering the copyrights for 'Last' and 'Boundless Sky'?" Jacob's fists clenched, the muscles he'd honed in the gym tensing with the urge to act. But a shred of reason told him that the band's future was more important.

"Those songs obviously belong to our band. Who do you think you are, hiding them behind our backs?" His voice rose with anger as he added,

"If you're trying to sabotage our band's future, just say it. First, you refused to sign the contract, and now you're registering our songs' copyrights behind our backs. Do you have it out for us?"

As Jacob's outburst echoed through the corridor, Gillen Haas cursed under his breath. Anyone who knew Evan knew that he didn't respond well to aggression.

If they'd approached him calmly, there might have been room for negotiation. But Jacob's previous falling out with Evan had only fueled his anger, and now he'd blown their chances of reconciliation.

The corridor had been lively, but now everyone fell silent, listening to Jacob's rant. Those familiar with Melancholy Mood were surprised by the discord within the band.

They hadn't expected a band that prided itself on unity to have such internal strife. Those who knew the situation were even more shocked.

They understood that without Evan, there would be no Melancholy Mood, so why was Jacob accusing him of sabotage? Was Evan planning to go solo and deliberately hinder the band's progress?

Gossip always had a way of exciting people.

Jacob's voice carried through the corridor, and though Evan wasn't deaf, he found it hard to believe what he was hearing.

A surge of anger rushed through him. Even though he'd lived two lives and was no longer an impulsive young man, he still found the situation ridiculous.

Evan stepped forward, startling Jacob, who instinctively stepped back. "What a fcking joke. Did you help me write those songs? Did you hand me a pen or clean up after me while I worked?"

The onlookers expected a fight, but when they heard Evan's sharp words, mocking Jacob, some couldn't help but chuckle. "Figure out what copyright even means before you start accusing me. Don't make Harvard students look so ignorant." Evan's words, though devoid of any swearing, completely deflated Jacob's bravado.

Evan was both angry and amused. Jacob had hurled plenty of insults last time, and it seemed he still had unresolved grievances.

In Jacob's eyes—or perhaps Bruce Stewart's as well—Evan was nothing more than a self-serving, selfish villain who couldn't stand his teammates. Evan found this perspective fascinating.

The same event could be seen so differently depending on one's interests and position.

"You're nothing but a hack, thinking you're something special," Jacob muttered, stunned by Evan's retort.

As his anger resurfaced, he blurted out something nonsensical. Gillen Haas immediately grabbed Jacob, covering his mouth to stifle any further outbursts.

In less than ten seconds, the situation had spiraled out of control, leaving Gillen panicking.

Gillen quickly stepped back to avoid any physical confrontation and to keep things from escalating further. He glanced at Bruce Stewart, signaling him to restrain Jacob.

Bruce's expressionless face showed a flicker of annoyance. He hadn't expected Jacob to be so impulsive. Evan had barely looked at him, and he'd exploded like a volcano, making things awkward with no room for negotiation.

Now, seeing Evan's calm demeanor, it was clear that the three of them looked like clowns. This made Bruce feel a bit embarrassed—both angry and ashamed.

When Gillen looked back at Evan, he knew things had gone south. The anger on Evan's face had been replaced by a scoundrel's smile, with disdain in his eyes.

Eden Hudson remained expressionless beside him, his cold gaze sending a shiver down Gillen's spine.

Gillen suddenly had a sense that while their previous conflicts had been intense, they were still manageable.

But after today, he and Evan were completely at odds, and someday they might even become enemies.

Originally, they were in the same band with no significant conflicts of interest, but in just a few months, things had deteriorated to this point, leaving Gillen feeling powerless.

"Evan, here's what happened," Gillen began, trying to explain the situation to Evan, even though he knew it was probably too late to salvage things. He still hoped to clear the air.