Déjà vu

"Have you ever experienced an illusion—a trick of memory? Everything before your eyes seems familiar. The sensations, perceptions, and sounds feel like a replay of the past. You might take it as memories from a previous life surfacing, or even proof that the soul exists..."

"Déjà vu was first proposed by the French philosopher Emile Boirac in 1876. Carl Jung saw it as a concrete manifestation of the collective unconscious, believing that some memories were passed down through generations like genes. Medical research suggests that cryptomnesia and temporal lobe epilepsy can trigger frequent episodes of this phenomenon..."

Maybe it had something to do with time travel, too, Ryan Shaw Rivers thought.

Ever since he'd transmigrated into this "Music City" a week ago, he'd been plagued by this persistent feeling that he'd experienced everything before.

As a college student, he couldn't say he knew much about America. He'd only occasionally watched some bizarre news clips from across the ocean, let alone followed the Western music scene. That left him feeling lost about the future, especially after he'd been eliminated from a talent show.

The original Ryan had become a laughingstock during the first round of the Nashville Season 6 finale. The judge's words still rang in his ears: Billy Ray Cyrus—the famous country singer and Miley Cyrus's father—had told him, "Maybe you can sing pretty well for an underwear model, but as a country singer, you can't rely on a handsome face and abs. Sorry, I can't put you through."

The car radio's explanation of déjà vu continued. Ryan turned his head and looked out the window. A poster for The Other Boleyn Girl flashed past beside the red, curved lettering of an AMC theater sign. Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson, dressed in period costumes and showing off their décolletage, were pictured above the release date: February 29.

"What a boring mystery show." The middle-aged woman at the wheel reached over and turned the dial. The radio's tone instantly brightened.

"Good afternoon, Nashville! The cold winter is finally behind us. Are you ready to shed those heavy coats and change into something light for spring? It's sunny in Nashville today, with an average temperature of 61 degrees Fahrenheit..."

"Relax, Ryan. I contacted them last night. You'll audition like usual, but it's just a formality. She's already agreed that you'll be the male lead in the music video," Trey Fanjoy reiterated.

"Got it." Ryan nodded, watching the row of music bars that had just opened along the street.

"...Let's see what's new with country artists this month. Kenny Chesney was struck in the foot by a hydraulic lift onstage during his tour in Columbia, South Carolina, yesterday. It took him thirty seconds to free himself, and he continued performing with a limp. X-rays afterward showed several crushed bones in his right foot, but he hasn't canceled a single show."

"Keith Urban, currently on a world tour with Carrie Underwood called the 'Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Carnival Ride,' has officially announced that the lead single from his fifth studio album will be called 'Sweet Thing.' We'll have to see whether it can become his tenth hit on the Billboard Country Chart. The new artists are certainly hungry for a shot."

"Exactly—and I'm talking about Taylor Swift, who won the CMA's Best New Artist award last year. As the youngest country singer ever to top the Country Music Chart, she released the final single from her self-titled album to country radio last week: 'Should've Said No.'"

"She says she wrote the chorus in just five minutes, and many of the lyrics were based on things she actually said to her ex-boyfriend. Like her previous single, 'Picture to Burn,' it's a song calling out an ex. But compared with the simple anger of burning his picture, this one has a little more bitterness toward an old flame."

"Counting Drew from her debut single, 'Tim McGraw,' the other boy she had a crush on in 'Teardrops on My Guitar,' Jordan from 'Picture to Burn,' and Sam in her new song, 'Should've Said No,' that makes four men on this newcomer's debut album. It turns out that marketing herself through her ex-boyfriends has clearly paid off: this week, the new song hit number one on the Billboard Country Chart and broke into the HOT100. It's her second number-one hit..."

"Better think twice before dating her," Ryan scoffed.

"Don't say that to her face. She might turn out to be a benefactor in your career," Trey warned. The person she'd contacted last night was Taylor.

"This teenage girl?" Ryan asked.

"A teenage girl with two number-one country hits. I remember you're the same age as her. Have your 'original songs' on YouTube even gotten five thousand views yet, big shot?" Trey started bringing up his failures.

As a music-video director who'd worked her way up in the industry, she showed no mercy when scolding her friend's son.

"Why do I have to be a country singer?" Ryan said, leaning back until his head rested against the headrest.

According to the plots of novels, transmigrators used their new bodies' good looks and physiques to find some rich, gentle older woman. He'd soothe her weary spirit, and in return, she'd support his impoverished lifestyle. It would be even better if she looked like Elizabeth Hurley in her prime or Sofia Vergara...

"Exactly. You shouldn't bet all your chips on one thing. Your re-enrollment paperwork will be ready soon. Hendersonville High School is only a ten-minute drive from my house." Aunt Trey interrupted Ryan's daydream.

"Do I have to start over in ninth grade?" Ryan's face twisted as if he'd just had a nightmare.

"I can't afford to put you through four more years of high school! You've only got a little over a year, at most." Trey pulled over to the side of the road.

As he got out of the car, Ryan watched Trey put on a coat over her thin white tank top and thought that her name suited her: Trey—especially big.

Ryan followed Aunt Trey through the yard. Before them stood an ordinary gray-and-white wooden house. He noticed the words "Big Machine Records" on a wooden sign nearby, with a logo of a monster truck whose wheels were on fire.

Trey went up and knocked. A moment later, the door opened, and a girl with curly blond hair poked her head out.

"Welcome! Trey, congratulations on winning CMT's Video of the Year!" The girl smiled with the formal politeness typical of Westerners, then opened her arms and hugged Trey.

The CMT Music Awards were country music's equivalent of the VMA, honoring country music videos.

"My camera can only capture one percent of your beauty, darling. I should be the one thanking you," Trey replied at once with a smile.

Ryan listened as the two women exchanged compliments and pleasantries. Trey had won the award thanks to the "Our Song" music video she'd directed for Taylor Swift.

Trey and Taylor had worked together since Taylor's first music video. All four of Taylor's videos so far had been directed by Trey. It was thanks to that connection that Ryan had managed to get a foot in the door with Taylor.

Then it was Ryan's turn. As he stepped forward, before he could even introduce himself, the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end. A powerful tingling sensation spread across his scalp.

An intense feeling of déjà vu unlike anything he'd ever experienced washed over him.