Chapter 15 — Music Sent After School

On the day of the test recording, room 3C was so cramped that Lam had to sit on a cardboard cable box. Each person has a sound that represents themselves. Khang brought the sound of a screwdriver hitting the case, Ms. Mai brought the sound of chalk on a blackboard, and Duy placed an old train ticket in front of the microphone. Nhien asked what sound the ticket made. Duy gently taps on the table, saying it doesn't make a sound, but reminds people of places they've been to.

They recorded each part, listened again, then abandoned more than half because of the sound of fans and sandals in the hallway. Lam laments that this program will never have enough performances if it continues to be so demanding. Nhien said a clean silence is also a performance. To demonstrate, she played a part with only a very faint sound of rain. No one laughs anymore. During those twenty seconds, the room suddenly looked like a box holding the memories of the whole school.

At the end of the session, Duy asked her if she was afraid that the listener wouldn't understand. Nhien admitted that she was most afraid that they would misunderstand. When Duy says that, he needs to tell it more clearly, not louder. The saying became the principle for the next recording.

Before the listening session, Duy checked the chair for the narrator. He wanted every witness to sit on equal footing, not be placed under the spotlight as a character in the trial. Nhien turned down the lights so her face could still be seen clearly but did not turn the story into a performance.

Lam counted the number of copies, Khang checked his headphones, and Ms. Mai read back the right to withdraw. Each person does a small thing, but those small things make the listening session not dependent on luck.

Song of the absent

The suburban warehouse is located behind a row of factories, with corrugated iron walls and faded cameras outside. Ms. Mai went with the school's lawyers, Nhien, Duy, Lam and Khang. Aunt Huong couldn't go because she was needed at the counter; She gave Duy a new key and told her not to separate from the group.

Vu Tan did not appear. A man named Dat opened the warehouse door and identified himself as the transporter. The blue motorbike was parked inside, the license plate covered in mud.

“Where is the original?” the lawyer asked.

“Are you here to receive or to investigate?”

"Both."

Dat laughed. “I only kept things as ordered.”

The warehouse is full of boxes of old equipment. Nhien recognized the way the shelves were arranged similar to the photo of Moss Records. Duy looked at the car, but did not approach.

Dat gave a box of tape. The label says 03, the corner has a tear. “This is the final version.”

The lawyer requested to make a record. Khang took pictures of every side of the box. Lam records time, delivery person, and condition. Duy did not click on the tape.

“Do you want to hear it?” Dat asked.

“Not here,” Ms. Mai replied.

Dat looked at Nhien. “Do you remember, little girl?”

“You know me?”

"I once saw you in the studio. You cried because you didn't want to sign the rain sound record."

Nhien saw a memory flash: a man put a piece of paper in front of her, telling her to sign so that "your voice belongs to the project". Her father stood behind the door, and Duy's father pulled her out. The sound of the door locking in file 04 is the sound of the studio door.

“You were there.”

"I transport equipment. I don't decide."

“But you took the tape.”

“I kept it so it wouldn't be erased.”

Duy's voice was cold: "You use it to force others."

Dat did not deny it. "I need money. Moss Records owes me. Ha Audio owes more people."

The lawyer requested the transfer. Dat gave the original, but warned: "The copy has been scheduled to be broadcast live on Friday night. If it's not made public, people will still hear it from others."

Nhien asked: "Who organizes the livestream?"

“Vu Tan.”

“What does he want?”

“I want Minh Quang to accept the credit company took over the recording.”

Duy picked up the tape box. “The truth does not need to be forced.”

On the way home, Ms. Mai asked everyone to hand over the tape to the lawyer for safekeeping. Duy objected but agreed to record a controlled copy. Nhien suggested that the school organize a public listening session, with the consent of all relevant people.

“What if the livestream is broadcast first?” Lam asked.

“We have to prepare an explanation,” Ms. Mai said.

“And don't turn pain into a program,” Duy reminded.

They returned to room 3C. Nhien listened to the original version in the presence of a lawyer. The last part begins with the sound of the little girl crying, then Huy says: "No one forces me to sign." Minh Quang appeared, his voice panicked: "Don't touch her." One man — Vu Tan — said: “If you don't hand over the authority, the project will end.”

Huy replied: “If it ends, it ends. But the music belongs to those who contribute.”

The sound of tugging and falling metal objects. Door closed. Then, Minh Quang's voice whispered to Nhien: "Dad will protect you."

The tape ends.

There is no sentence saying that Minh Quang took the cards. He did not have the courage to make it public, but also did not agree to sell it. The person who took over the recording was Vu Tan, the person who tried to use it as leverage was Dat.

Duy sat still for a long time. “My father planned to return the bandages to everyone.”

Nhien said: "My dad also said he would do it."

“But they both left it too long.”

"Correct."

Lam handed over the tissue, this time not joking. Khang closed all the windows so no one in the hallway could hear.

Minh Quang went to school after listening to the tape. He stood in front of Duy, not dodging.

“I'm sorry,” he said.

Duy looked at him. “What are you sorry for?”

“Because I signed, then kept quiet. For letting your father's name be removed from the release. Because I think it can be fixed internally.”

“Did you get the song?”

"Are not."

“Do you have the right to make decisions for my father?”

"Are not."

Duy tightened the tape box. “So from now on, you don't make decisions for us.”

Minh Quang nodded. “I agree.”

He asked Ha Audio to withdraw SoundSeed from ownership, unconditionally sponsor the room renovation, and make the 2014 project public. Ms. Mai requested that everything be put in writing, without verbal promises.

Thursday night, the club prepared a public listening session. Lam wrote the introduction, Khang checked the copy, Nhien made a list of distribution rights. Duy sat outside in the yard, tuning his guitar.

“Are you going to play dad's cards?” Nhien asked.

“No. I will play the part I wrote after listening to it all.”

“Is it relevant?”

“Yes, but don't copy.”

Nhien sat down next to him. “I want to make a new version from field sound.”

“After school?”

“After everything is made clear.”

Duy gave her a pick. “So start with three notes.”

Try tapping on the body of the guitar. Three notes did not form a melody, but Lam shouted from afar: "Don't name the song Three Notes!"

Everyone laughed. The tension in the room eased a little.

Right before the listening session, a new account posted an announcement: **Vu Tan's livestream will start at 5:10 p.m.**

Be on time for their program.

Duy looked at his watch. “They want to have a say first.”

Nhien opened the microphone. “So we have to talk more clearly.”

To prepare, Ms. Mai invited an independent lawyer to read the original copy with Duy. The lawyer explained that the rights do not belong to just one person; the other voices on the tape still have their own rights. Duy understands why he cannot arbitrarily distribute even though he is Huy's heir.

Nhien made a list of people contributed in 2014. Some have changed schools, some cannot be contacted. Ms. Lan found two former students, both of whom agreed to let their audio play during the listening session, but not download it.

Blue design the color card: green means it can be played, yellow means only listen on the spot, red means not used. Khang configured the self-labeling system. Duy checked each passage, not ignoring the small voices in the background.

Minh Quang announced the draft appendix publicly before the hearing date. Some people commented that he only did it to save his image. Nhien did not respond. She told her father that right things don't become wrong just because others doubt them, but you also shouldn't use right things to demand their gratitude.

Duy called from the studio and said he had recorded the sound of a train. Nhien heard the sound of the door closing, the sound of the station speakers and the sound of people apologizing for cutting in line. She suggested keeping the noise level, Duy agreed.

“What did you learn there?”

“Learn that noise doesn't always need to be filtered.”

“Same at Dawn.”

"I know."

Before the listening session, they received an email from Vu Tan asking to play the entire original. The school's lawyer replied that only the portion approved by those involved would be distributed. Vu threatened to release the cut version first.

Read, then close the email. “We don't run at his pace.”

Duy replied from the call: "I will be back before 5:10 p.m."

“Is the car in time?”

“If not, I'll send the train sound.”

“Don't let the sound of the train replace you.”

“I will try.”

At exactly 4:50 p.m., Duy's car was stuck on the road near the bridge. He sent the train sound as a promise, but Nhien did not broadcast it immediately. She told Lam that the narrator must be present when his story is introduced.

Duy arrived at 5:08 p.m. and ran into the room with a wet coat. No one blames. He placed the recorder on the table, breathed for a few seconds, then signed the confirmation to use the train section.

The listening session begins. Ms. Lan appeared on the screen, Bao and Ngoc sat behind. Minh Quang stood outside the hall and did not interfere. Nhien clearly introduces which parts are original and which parts are new sounds.

When it came to the last clause, Duy said: "I'm not handing out Dad's cards today. I'm just reading what he wrote." The audience listened to three lines, then fell silent. The silence was long enough for everyone to understand that this was not a shocking performance.

Vu Tan sent the cut version to another account, but the listening session already had a record. The listener is not forced to choose between two noisy versions; They have the data and the testing time.

After the program, Duy put Chinese sounds into the new music. Nhien brought the sound of the school gate before. The two sounds meet in a space, not overwhelming.

Lam looked at the nameplate: “After Listening.”

“This name is fine,” she said. “It's not too dramatic, but once you hear it, you'll understand.”

Lam looked at the nameplate: “After Listening.”

“This name is fine,” she said. “It's not too dramatic, but once you hear it, you'll understand.”