Chapter 26 — Music Sent After School

The message from the studio came around midnight, but it wasn't an invitation to collaborate. An editor asked to listen to Duy's recording to make a movie, promising to write the club's name at the end. Nhien carefully read the terms and discovered that they wanted to retain the right to edit indefinitely. She sent back a list of questions, prompting Lam to say she could turn any invitation into a law test.

Duy is not upset. He said the first time someone asked to buy his voice, he wanted to nod right away because he thought it was an opportunity. Now you understand that the opportunity should not start by signing something you have not read. The two of them edited the reply: allowing the recording to be used in a specific film, stating the deadline, not changing the content, and having to submit the edit before release.

The studio partially agreed, offering to pay the fee. Duy wanted to divide the money into the club's fund, but Nhien reminded him that he still needed to keep a part for his own efforts. He was silent for a long time then agreed. Aunt Huong heard the story and said money doesn't make the sound less clear; Only using money can do that.

To prepare, Duy recorded the music in his aunt's small room. The sound of a motorbike outside the alley entered twice, a dog barked once, and Lam's laughter came from outside the door. You keep all three. Nhien asked why. Duy said the song is about after school, which is never completely quiet after school.

When the final version was sent, Duy named it "the version with people on your side". Read it without asking who that person is. She just reminded me to save the original copy. The two of them pressed the backup button, then sat and listened to the machine running steadily in the darkness.

Khang placed an error box next to the console. Whoever finds an error during the day will put a piece of paper in there, no need to write their name. At the end of the week, the group opens the box and chooses the errors that need to be fixed first.

Nhien said this way helps shy people have a voice. Duy added that error correction is not a contest of who makes fewer mistakes, but a way to protect listeners in the future.

Khang's fault

Tuan Khang admitted that he edited part of the promotional clip for the open mic night. He did not create fake content, but used a part of Nhien's laughter from the demo recording to make the show more fun, even though he had not recorded a license.

“I just think laughter makes the clip easier to watch,” Khang said.

Look at the log. The laughter clip is not in the viral cut clip, but an error is still an error.

Lam asked: "Did you tell anyone?"

“No. I'm afraid people will think I'm the same person who edited the file.”

Duy was silent. He did not get angry, just asked to remove the advertisement and make a clear announcement. Khang panicked: "If I say anything, the club will lose its reputation."

Ms. Mai replied: "Reputation does not mean not making mistakes. Reputation is knowing how to fix it without forcing someone else to do it for you."

Khang posted a correction on the club's page, apologizing to Nhien and clearly stating the corrected part. Nhien agreed to reuse it if there was a license, but requested that the laughter not be cut into an amusing effect.

“My laughter is not a prop,” she said.

Khang nodded. "I know."

This small error caused them to review the entire warehouse. There are four files missing licenses, two files have the wrong name, and one file is duplicated. No one was fired. They set up a cross-checking group, with two people reviewing each recording.

Duy said: "We cannot ask others to respect our rights if we ourselves act negligently."

While checking, they discovered a strange link accessing tape folder 03 on the day of the public listening session. Arrival address from the board room computer. The principal allowed the inspection, and the results showed that an administrative staff member opened the file out of curiosity and did not distribute it. That person apologized and signed a statement.

Nhien realizes that the line between error and malice sometimes lies in whether people will stop or not.

Duy received a call from the studio: the internship schedule starts in a week. You need to choose a date to go. Nhien suggested that the club hold a farewell ceremony, Lam prepared a new jingle, and Khang promised not to use unauthorized laughter.

“Will you call back?” Nhien asked.

“After school.”

“I'm not sure there's a bell over there.”

“I will record.”

The first version of “After Listening” is completed. Duy sent it to Nhien to listen privately. The first part is the sound of the gate, the middle part is the current rain, the last part is the guitar and the laughter has been asked for permission. There is no original song, but there is a silence that resembles breathing.

“Are you afraid that people will say this song is similar to your father's tape?” Nhien asked.

"Yes. But like a memory doesn't mean stealing. I write down the inspiration."

Nhien added the description: “Inspired by school sounds, without using After School Frequency recordings.”

Lam read and said: "This sentence is not romantic."

“Copyright doesn't need romance,” Khang replied.

“But you two can be romantic after hours.”

At that moment, the hallway speaker played a strange file. The man's voice said: "Trhong is not the one who opens the door. The person who opens the door is the one who is trusted by the whole school."

The log shows the file playing from the old controller, not connected to the network. Nhien and Duy ran to the rooftop, where the speaker wire was pulled through the technical box. In the box there is an old magnetic card, printed with the name **Tran Minh** - the retired vice principal.

The principal called Mr. Tran. He admitted that the card was still in the box because it had not been recovered. He didn't know who took it, but said the person the whole school believed could be him or a former teacher.

Ms. Mai doesn't want all suspicion to fall on her. She said: "If you need to check, check by process. Don't use trust as evidence."

They delivered the card to the school. No separate investigation. A few days later, the school confirmed that a cleaning staff once picked up the card and gave it to an outsider to receive money. That person is Dat.

Dat was offered a job. Vu Tan has not yet appeared, but the line is gradually becoming clear: Dat transported, outsiders inserted the card, Vu Tan threatened, Ngoc and Bao were silent out of fear.

Khang breathed a sigh of relief, then said: "It's easier to know I'm wrong than not knowing who's wrong."

Nhien replied: "Don't turn finding someone else into a reason to forget to correct yourself."

Khang nodded.

Duy's internship day is approaching. He gave Lam a coil of wire, Khang a converter, and Ms. Mai a signed copy of the procedure. To Nhien, he gave his old headphones.

"This is not a gift. It's a loan."

“For how long?”

“Until I get home.”

“If long?”

“Then keep it.”

Lam said from behind: "Can you two say a normal sentence?"

Nhien and Duy laughed together.

The night before the departure, Duy sent a new file. File name: **26 — Don't delete laughter.**

In the file is the sound of the whole group laughing because the jingle was out of tune. No one said anything, but everyone agreed to save.

Khang wrote a separate report about his error. He didn't blame it on pressure, didn't say "everyone does it". He describes when editing the clip, what files were used, who was affected, and how to fix it. Ms. Mai requested that the report be saved with the advertisement, so that future people would know where they learned the process from.

Read and suggest add a line about asking the person whose voice is in the file. Khang added. Duy signed to confirm, Lam stamped the image of a speaker.

“Is this type of signature valid?” Khang asked.

“It's valuable to us,” Lam said. “Documents are not magic, but they remind us what we promised.”

Room 3C held a public error correction session. Each group brings a file with problems and tells how to check it. One friend admitted that he once used someone else's music as a background, then removed it himself. Another student discovered that the class video leaked school information.

Nhien instructs how to ask for permission without scolding. She understands that a mistake told early will be less harmful than a mistake hidden until it becomes a big deal.

Duy from the studio sent the new version of "After Listening" recording. He added the knock three times, twice, three times. Nhien asked if that was a greeting. Duy said yes, but only if she agreed to keep it.

“I agree,” she said.

“Write in log.”

Write it down, then add a small icon next to it. Duy sent back a similar symbol.

Minh Quang transfers money to the maintenance fund according to the correct public number. There is no company name on the board, just “sponsor A”. He said he wanted people to not think of the device as a gift in return for loyalty.

At the end of the month, the school evaluates the room. The data table shows that not only has listening increased, but the number of students who know how to ask permission when recording also increased. The principal extended the operation for one year.

File 26 is in the archive with the note: “Error fixed, history not deleted.”

Khang looked at the note for a long time. He said if one day someone reuses the old clip, they will see both the apology and the club's way of fixing it. Nhien said that is the reason why history should not be deleted when it can help future people avoid repeating it.

Lam made some broadcasts about “correctable errors”. She read Khang's name after he agreed. Khang does not want to turn himself into a hero of a small mistake; he just wants listeners to know that an apology needs to be accompanied by action.

“I agree,” she said.

“Write in log.”

Write it down, then add a small icon next to it. Duy sent back a similar symbol.

Khang looked at the report and signed it himself. This time he did not use a picture of a speaker instead of his signature.

“I agree,” she said.

“Write in log.”

Write it down, then add a small icon next to it. Duy sent back a similar symbol.

Khang looked at the report and signed it himself. This time he did not use a picture of a speaker instead of his signature.