Chapter 22 — Theater at the End of the Hallway

The room behind the curtain is only the size of two desks. The door is covered by a black screen, with a "do not store" label on the lock. Huy checked the hinge, Tran took a photo of it in its original state, and teacher Quang invited the maintenance staff to open it.

Inside there was an old tape rack, two cartons of paper and a broken tape recorder. There are no original rolls of film, only pieces of removed labels. One label says “A-27”, one label says “Pediatric – sound”.

Hoai An stood outside the door, not entering. She said this room is where people used to listen to the footage before deciding whether to show it or not. It was here that she heard Nhi say she wanted to cut the scene.

“Do you remember anyone else here?” Lam asked.

“Dat, Tuan and Khai.”

Dat took an old screwdriver from his pocket and put it in the corner of the shelf. He remembers removing the tape recorder for Tuan. They opened the lid of the machine, inside there was a small piece of ice stuck under the gear.

Vy asked for permission to digitize. The sound was distorted, but four voices could be heard. Khai asked Nhi one last time if she was sure. Nhi said she did not want her face to appear, but wanted the opening scene to be kept. Hoai An said he would cut the public version and keep the private version for Nhi. Dat said if he kept it private, no one might see it.

“There are things that no one needs to see,” Hoai An replied.

The sound suddenly stopped. Then there was the sound of a projector running, the sound of a chair being pulled out and a sentence from Khai: "If we don't agree, the last scene won't belong to anyone."

Huy remained silent. You said that like what they were trying to avoid. A film may belong to the entire group, but each person's right to decide on their image must still be private.

In the paper box, Lam found the device loan book. Nhi's name appeared on the last day before transferring schools. She borrowed a tape recorder and returned it three days late. The device return address is Anh Duong theater.

“Nhi sent the sound herself,” Vy said.

Hoai An read the book page, tears did not fall but her voice was hoarse. "The girl didn't disappear. She chose another place to continue."

Teacher Quang requested that all sound not be included in the film. The group agreed to only use the sentence Nhi had allowed.

Dat asked if the council could keep this small room as a sound warehouse. Mr. Quang said if the theater existed, the room would be opened for clubs.

In the afternoon, the group rehearses. The projector runs, the subtitles are clearly visible, and the exit is clear. The final scene includes the shadow of the door, the sound of the wind on the rooftop and the sentence "Thank you for asking". There is no Nhi name in the title, only the line "sound used by consent of the sender".

Mai looked at the edit and said she wanted to remove the apology scene because she was afraid it would make the film worse. Lam asked if she still wanted to keep it. Mai thought and nodded.

“I want viewers to know that a mistake doesn't go away just because I delete the video.”

Huy examined his shadow. He said the picture doesn't show his face, but the sound of a screwdriver can be used. Lam clearly wrote his name in the credits according to his wishes.

The night before the screening, the whole group sat in a row of chairs. Quan distributed dumplings, Tran read the procedure, Vy listened to the sound again, Dat checked the electrical panel. Hoai An sat in the green chair.

Projector turns on. Last appearing text: **The final scene is in your hands.**

No one felt scared. They just stood up to check the exit again.

Final inspection lasted more than an hour. Teacher Quang pretended to be a late audience and stood blocking the door. Tran guided the teacher to the empty chair without disturbing others. Quan tested the flashlight, Huy tested the backup power source, Vy checked the subtitles on the small screen.

Some errors were discovered: the signage was slightly Low, power cord near the edge of the carpet, shutdown button behind the curtain. They fixed it immediately, then recorded it in the report. Dat said the more errors he finds in front of the audience, the better.

Hoai An asked Lam if she should talk about the past during the discussion. Lam told her mother to only say what she wanted. Mom said she would tell about the decision to cut the scene, but not for Nhi.

Tran called Mrs. Nam and confirmed that Nhi had received the letter. Ms. Nam said Nhi wanted to hear what questions the audience asked after the movie. Vy recorded the call with her consent, for internal use only.

Quan wrote ten suggested questions, but Tran deleted half of them. “Who do you think is wrong?” was replaced with “Who do you want to hear more?”. “What is the biggest secret?” replaced by “What should be kept private?”.

Huy tried the backup projector, the picture was a bit dark. Don't increase the brightness too much because the temperature will be high. He chose to have silhouettes in the image, like how the whole movie talks about people outside the frame.

Mai asked permission to watch the movie one last time. She commented that the apology part may be uncomfortable, but it feels necessary. Lam asked if she wanted to fix anything. Mai just wanted to add one line: "I asked those affected before posting this."

Duy completed the subtitles and checked with two other friends. An “escape” segment is displayed too quickly; they lasted another two seconds. The small change gives the audience time to read.

Dat brought a new wooden board into the room. There is no logo on the board, just five rules engraved. Huy checked the sturdiness, Quan wiped the dust, Lam asked permission to take a photo.

Before closing time, the whole group sat in the last row. Hoai An sat in the green chair, teacher Quang in the aisle, Dat at the phone, Tran holding the list in his hand. No one talked about ticket numbers.

Lam asked if the audience doesn't understand tomorrow, what will they do? Tran said explaining again. Huy said to edit the version. Quan asked them to sit more. Vy said, listening to their questions.

Lam looked at the fabric curtain. She thought the last scene was a moment, but now saw it was how they handled things after the image turned off.

After the screening, the board requested that the response sheet be submitted within three days. Tran categorizes responses by topic, not rating emotions. Some people want more movies, some people want to fix the ventilation, some people just want the theater to open for studying.

Huy discovered a lost student while looking for the exit. He added a lower arrow, using a contrasting color. Duy checked so that people with poor eyesight could still recognize it. A small detail made the team understand that safety is not just about machinery.

Lam received an email from Nhi saying she had heard the introduction. Nhi did not comment on the words, just asked if the group left space for the audience. Lam answered yes, and said that space does not belong to anyone unless given.

Quan placed two dumplings in the cupboard, writing "for latecomers". The next morning, the guard saw they were still there and asked if they could eat them. Quan answered if he wrote it down in the notebook, making the whole theater laugh.

The community screening opened with a small problem: the ticket scanner did not recognize the code because of weak wifi. Quan switched to writing names with a pencil, Tran distributed seat numbers, and Huy opened the side door to welcome the elderly. No one turned it into a stand-up comedy show. They just do one thing at a time, reminding each other to speak slowly and not to get in front of people who need help.

A teacher asked to bring a tired student, but didn't want him to be filmed. Lam led them to the corner near the door, telling Vy to cut every recognizable frame. The student fell asleep in the first ten minutes. When you wake up, you ask if the movie is still long Are not. Lam gave the schedule and said he could come in and out at any time. You stay until the end. Quan then said that the chair near the door should be called the right-of-choice chair. Tran said the name was long, but still wrote it on a small card and placed it under the armrest.

In the middle of the screening, a child asked why the screen was sometimes dark. Lam explained that it was a break for everyone to listen to the room. I asked if I could look outside. She opened the curtain to see the sky changing color. No one complained. One parent asked the group to clarify the duration because their child needs to take medicine on time. Tran provided a printed calendar and marked the restroom location, while Quan held the door so the family could go in and out without disturbing others.

After the film, the audience is invited to write a line or write nothing. Some people draw a chair, some people leave the paper blank. Lam didn't capture them all; She asked each person if they wanted to be included in the report. One person wrote, "I like the fact that no one forces me to be emotional." Quan finished reading and said this sentence was a bit difficult to sell tickets. Tran said that's the reason to keep it. Lam put the paper in the anonymous box, along with comments about room temperature and subtitle brightness. The theater does not need everyone to have the same feelings to become a common place.

A former student asked why the group did not sell tickets to have more budget. Quan intended to answer with a joke, but Lam said they wanted to try the voluntary contribution model first. Tran placed a sealed box, clearly stating the money used for light bulbs and supplies, not the name of the contributor. At the end of the day, they counted with the librarian, made a record, and made the total public. Some people contribute a lot, some don't; both are equally welcome.

Security guards suggested limiting the number of people standing in the hallway because it would affect the next classroom. The group divides the serving time into small frames, sending notification of starting and ending times. Quan apologized to those who had to wait and invited them to watch the subtitled version at the library. One person said it took a long time, but seeing that the group explained clearly, he wasn't upset. Lam added the section "queue management" to the notebook. The lessons of theater go beyond the screen; it lies in the way people are patient with each other.