Chapter 7 — Theater at the End of the Hallway

Strange account using avatar as an old ticket. Checked the history, couldn't find any posts. Tran said not to answer; Quan wants to send a smiley face; Vy asked to listen to the background sound in the message recording, but the message only contained text.

Teacher Quang looked at the screen and said it could be a former student. He did not ask the group to stop the project, just reminded them to clearly write in the script that Nhi had agreed to film and the story could not be used to hunt for views.

Lam edited the opening statement. She removed sentences like "shocking secrets", replacing them with a short sentence: "There are places that are remembered because people once told the truth there."

Bao Tran found a list of former club members through the alumni association. Most have changed phone numbers. A person named Pham Tuan works at a sound studio, a person named Nguyen Khai lost contact after going abroad, and Do Hoai An is Lam's mother.

“Can you ask mom about Tuan?” Tran asked.

Lam nodded. Mom said Tuan used to be the recorder, and after the show was canceled, he left school before everyone could talk. She has an old email, but she's not sure if she still uses it.

Lam wrote a letter, introducing herself as Hoai An's daughter and asking about the film. She did not attach photos or use attention-grabbing titles. A day passed with no reply.

Meanwhile, the team filmed scenes for the movie. Quan was in charge of asking questions to the interviewee, but every time he held the microphone he forgot the question. He asked Uncle Sau: "Why do you think theater is important?" then answered for himself, making him laugh.

Tran forced Quan to come back. This time he just said: "Just say what you remember."

Uncle Sau said a student once fell asleep in the theater after a screening and woke up to find the whole class had gone home. He sat and waited until the parents arrived, and the student who grew up to become a doctor often sent letters of thanks. Quan is no longer joking.

Huy discovered that the projector only works when the red light on the ceiling is on. He measured the current and found an old battery pack hidden behind the screen. The battery is connected to the control box with a green wire. Someone installed this system after the theater was locked.

“Maybe the person sending the message is on,” Lam said.

“Or so they want us to think.”

Huy removed the battery pack and wrote down the model number. The serial number matches the battery batch of the lab in 2004. Mr. Quang remembers a student who worked on a project to control lights using a light sensor: Vu Thanh Dat.

Dat is currently the communications director of the commercial project. His name appeared on the drawing of area B. Quan called it a "villain with a car", but Tran reminded him not to draw conclusions in advance.

The group found him at the project introduction. Dat wore a bright shirt and talked to a council representative. He recognized Mr. Quang, then looked at Lam for a second longer.

“Are you Hoai An?”

"Yes."

“Is your mother still filming?”

"Still. And you still destroy theaters?"

Quan coughed. Dat wasn't angry, just smiled faintly.

"I didn't destroy it. I made the land more useful."

“The theater also helps.”

“A room of sixty seats does not pay the maintenance costs.”

“A commercial area cannot bring back memories.”

Dat looked at the camera in Lam's hand. “Are you going to use your memories to win the drawing?”

“I plan to show everyone both.”

Dat did not answer. Before leaving, he gave Lam a business card and said: "If you want to ask about old things, don't ask in front of a crowd."

That night, Pham Tuan's email arrived. Just one line: **I don't keep the film, but I do keep the recording of the final scene. Meet at the repair shop clock next to the station on Saturday.**

Lam read the letter three times. Huy asked her if she believed it. She said she didn't know, but at least this time the person from the past chose to step out.

Lam replied confirming the time and asked Tuan if he wanted a teacher to go with him. He replied that Mr. Quang could come, because he did not want the meeting to turn into a new secret. Tran added this to the plan, and Quan prepared a bag of cakes for the trip.

Huy checked the recorder, replaced the battery and labeled each wire. He said they could not arbitrarily copy the original without Tuan's consent. Lam nodded, even though inside he wanted to keep everything right away. She has learned that keeping data without keeping the narrator's word is just another form of possession.

In class, a friend asked why the group didn't post a teaser. Lam said they will post a section of the hallway without people, with a clear viewing schedule. She said that's less attractive. Lam replied: "If it's less attractive but right, I'll still choose it."

Teacher Quang sent the consent form to Tuan. He signed before the meeting, clearly stating which parts were to be listened to and which parts were only stored. The paper version made the trip look like a business appointment, but Lam felt more secure.

On Saturday, the group arrived at the station early. Quan brought dumplings, but Mr. Quang made him divide them into bags so as not to get oil on the documents. Huy checked the recorder twice. Lam read the questions again, saw that they sounded like a formal interview, then wrote another sentence: "What do you want us to remember after leaving?"

Tuan opened the shop on time. He did not ask about the anonymous account or the text on the screen. He only looked at Hoai An through the video call, because she was not with him. The two were silent for so long that the alarm clock rang.

“An, I'm sorry,” Tuan said.

Lam's mother replied: "Me too."

Tuan said that after the show was canceled, he kept the recording because he thought that one day everyone would come back. But when no one came, he took it with him. He worked at the station, then repaired watches. Every place he heard the ticking sound to remember not to rush.

Lam asked why he sent the invitation now. Tuan said he saw the news about the commercial area and realized the theater could disappear before the old people could say anything. He did not want the story to live on the guilt of his generation.

He let them listen to the full recording, but asked them to stop before the parts containing Nhi's personal information. Vy marked the time, did not copy that part. Huy asked Tuan if he wanted to make his name public. Tuan said he doesn't need to be praised, he just needs the sound source to be recorded correctly.

While waiting for the machine to digitize, Quan looked at the watches. One runs two minutes fast, one runs seven minutes slow, but all have a second hand. He asked Tuan what time was right.

“Time is the time when people are willing to look back,” Tuan replied.

Lam wrote this sentence down in his notebook, then asked if it could be used. Tuan laughed and said that sentence was his and could be used if he wrote his name.

The transcript shows that after Nhi said she wanted to cut the scene, Hoai An asked to film a separate version. Dat objected because he was afraid that his private version would be understood as hidden. Khai said they needed one more witness. No one could find the fourth person.

Tuan gave Lam a copy and kept the original. He signed a consent form to use the three marked audio clips. Before they left, he pointed out a small watch with the letter A engraved on the back.

“Nhi used to fix it,” he said. “She said the letter A was the name of a friend, but didn't say who it was.”

In the car Back home, Lam received an email from Ha: she remembered Nhi had a friend named An, but that person was not her classmate. It was possible that a station attendant helped her leave on a rainy day.

Huy asked if they needed to find that person. Lam answers only with reason and consent. They had enough material for the film; Finding more does not mean doing better.

Before leaving, Mr. Quang reminded the group not to ask Tuan about his private life, not to arbitrarily record audio outside the allowed range, and not to post photos of the shop. Quan read it three times and then put his phone away. Huy brings an empty storage drive to receive a copy if Tuan agrees.

Lam asked his mother if she wanted to send a message to Tuan. Hoai An said he just wanted him to be healthy, and didn't want to use his daughter as a messenger. Lam respects, even though he sees that the adults in the story need more time than a car ride.

Quan asked Lam if he wanted to bring a camera to the station. Lam said he would only bring the recorder if Tuan agreed. Quan nodded and put his phone in his pocket before getting into the car. Huy saw it, didn't say anything, but gave him a shockproof bag.

The bus station is located behind the market, where the sound of car brakes mixes with the sound of selling vegetables. Tuan directed the group to a brick wall with blue paint marks. He said he once saw a toy train running on the theater floor, but no one knew why the tracks disappeared. Lam asked if he could record. Tuan thought about it and said he would only use his voice and not turn his face. She put the phone down on the steps, letting Tuan choose his own distance.

When the recording ended, Tuan asked to listen again. There was a part where the salesman's voice mixed in, making the story difficult to hear. Lam offered to record it, but Tuan shook his head. He said the sound of the market is also part of his memory. Huy adjusted the sound level, reducing the sound of the car without removing the advertising sound. Quan wanted to add suspenseful music, but Tran stopped him because there was no need to make everyday scenes mysterious. Lam notes: “Do not force the audience to be in suspense at every second.” That note later became a sentence she reminded the group every time they edited a film.