in the pending action. See 2 Wilson on Civil Procedure § 55-6, at 263 (“[I]t would appear that a motion to extend time in conjunction with one to set aside an intervening default entry should not be required because the action of the court in setting aside [entry of] default would be meaningless if the defending party could not thereafter plead in the cause and pursue a defense on the merits.”). Where the action is no longer pending because it has been resolved by an order of the court, in order to obtain relief the defaulting party must seek not only an order setting aside entry of default pursuant to Rule 55(d), but also must seek to have the default judgment set aside. See N.C.G.S. § 1A-1, Rule 55(d); cf. Farm Lines, Inc. v. McBrayer, 35 N.C. App. 34, 40, 241 S.E.2d 74, 78 (1978) (<HOLDING>). Furthermore, merely because a trial court
recognizing that a trial court can set aside verdict recognizing default judgment must generally be set aside without further showing if defendant never received service of process holding that the trial court was without authority to set aside entry of default on motion to set aside default judgment holding that trial court must make entry of default prior to entry of default judgment and court may not make entry of default when there is no default in law or in fact holding that district court did not abuse its discretion in determining that motion to set aside default made at least seven months after defendant learned of entry of default was not made within a reasonable time