Apply Some Pressure

Compared with the original, the music video playing on the TV had naturally changed beyond recognition. There were similarities, though: Song Ya had suggested Old Joe wear a pink suit, the overall mood was lively, and Little Lowry and Old Joe had barely appeared on screen together. Indeed, the rap and chorus sections of "Thrift Shop" were badly disjointed. It seemed the two directors from different timelines had both spotted the problem.

After the music video ended, there was a short interview with Little Lowry.

"Thank you. I've been promoting this song for a long time. Yeah, I've been all over the country. I never thought I'd see the day MTV picked it up. My God, you know what I mean? This is MTV! It all feels so unreal right now, like... like a dream come true. I have to thank MTV, and SBK..."

"Yeah, you know, I'm from the South Side of Chicago. As a poor kid, I used to go to Thrift Shop all the time. I loved that place. It took care of a lot of my practical needs, so I've always had a special connection to it."

"When I got the sheet music, I happened to be in a thrift shop. I hummed a couple of lines to the tune right there. You know, sometimes inspiration just hits in a single moment. I wrote the lyrics on an old T-shirt... Hahaha, yeah, one of those white ones..."

"Smack!"

Song Ya switched off the TV, feeling that the whole thing was way too fucking "real." He knew Little Lowry's words were a publicity stunt, and he understood that when he'd signed away half the song's publishing rights, he and Little Lowry had each gotten what they wanted. But watching that scene still left a bad taste in his mouth. What irritated him most was that Little Lowry should have been a nobody who sold seven thousand copies at best. He'd gotten an incredible deal, yet he still acted like he was too good for Song Ya whenever they met, putting on airs as if he were some big shot.

"I won't let this happen a second time!"

He made up his mind, then turned and met Eric's gaze. Eric had been looking at him.

"Uh... APLUS."

Eric stammered, "Could I... could I work with you from now on? Like Tony and the others work with Little Lowry?"

"Why would you think that? I'm not a singer. I don't need to be out in the spotlight." Song Ya was surprised.

"I thought... I'd have better opportunities working with you. Like this..." Eric nodded toward the advanced mixing console. "And you'll definitely need help. We Black people can't get by in a place this 'white' without backup."

SBK really was a little "white." The managers, staff, and signed artists were white—even the hip-hop artists they were pushing. "All right." Song Ya thought it over calmly and agreed. He did need help right now. If nothing else, he could use a wingman. "But it'll only be temporary. Once I finish this song, I have to go back to school. By the way, can you recommend a few reference books on mixing? It's tough to be a producer without knowing this stuff."

He'd told Hayden he hated not being able to control everything. But if he was a complete novice who didn't understand anything, how could he expect to control everything? Take the music videos he'd watched being filmed. Little Lowry's first video had been simple: a group of people dancing, with Little Lowry and Al singing up front. He'd watched from the side and could easily imagine what the finished video would look like. But he couldn't do that with "Thrift Shop." It was only a low-budget production that took three days to complete, yet watching it being filmed had been like reading a book written in another language. He couldn't figure out what the director was trying to do. Only after seeing the finished video just now had he understood the logic behind the scattered snippets of footage.

He urgently needed to learn. Every difficulty would turn into a reason to study hard and keep improving...

"I understand."

Eric's attitude toward him was completely different now. He spoke softly. "Thank you, APLUS." He rummaged through a cupboard beneath the mixing console, pulled out a thick manual, and tossed it over. "Start with the manual for this mixing console. They usually keep it close to the equipment."

Song Ya flipped through it casually, but the explanations of all the buttons made his head spin. Before long, Lisa knocked and came in. It was time to start the day's auditions.

Generally speaking, the girls who came to audition in the morning had no connections and weren't especially talented. But they were also the most "desperate." By the end of the morning, Song Ya had collected a stack of slips with phone numbers on them. Some had even left their hotel room numbers. His palm was red from all the scratching.

"Any of them good enough to make the second round?" Eric asked as he ate pizza.

Song Ya shook his head.

"...Not even her?" Eric mentioned a name. The girl had made a strong impression on them both. She'd worn a little camisole and boldly taken off her coat as soon as she walked in.

"Don't get any ideas," Song Ya warned him.

"I know, I know." Eric sounded disappointed.

The afternoon was completely different. The sheet music Song Ya had sent out contained only a small section of the song without any swear words. In theory, all the auditioning singers should have received only that sheet. But many of the girls who came in that afternoon had gotten hold of the full song through other channels. They watched his expression, and as soon as they sensed he wasn't satisfied, they would launch into an extra performance, stubbornly singing the rest of the song. They also kept bringing up gender equality to curry favor with him.

Song Ya had only given the complete song to Daniel. Aside from his own connections, Daniel had only brought it up for discussion at an SBK executive meeting. It seemed these girls all had some kind of backing. Some even had middle managers from inside SBK drop by during the auditions to "take a look." As they chatted with Song Ya, they made nothing but suggestive hints.

"After I finish recording this song, I'll probably have pissed off everyone at SBK," Song Ya thought helplessly.

They worked until after five. Song Ya had shortlisted a girl whose voice sounded very close to the original singer's. Then the "real deal" arrived...

Mira wore a baseball cap and oversized Ray-Ban sunglasses that covered half her face. She had no makeup on. As soon as she entered the recording studio, she folded her arms and stood there, expressionless.

"APLUS, right? We've met before." Her mother had come in with her.

"Uh... managers can't..." Song Ya put on a strictly businesslike expression and didn't even look at Mira.

"Sorry..." Lisa gestured to Song Ya from the doorway, then mouthed, "Please."

Song Ya put on a show of sighing, then said nothing.

Lisa closed the door from the outside.

"Hello..."

Mira's mother reached out to shake his hand. Unlike the last time they'd met, she was wearing an impeccably tailored designer suit and a heavy string of large pearls around her neck. She radiated wealth. After introducing herself, she said, "First, I want to apologize for what happened last time." Though she was apologizing, her tone was forceful. "Mira is still young and doesn't know any better."

"Hmph." Mira tossed her long hair and pouted, fuming.

"Last time?" Song Ya played dumb.

"Mira, go inside for a moment."

After sending Mira into the recording booth and closing the door, her mother said, "I know you're still upset about what happened, Mr. Song." She'd changed the way she addressed him. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have insisted on letting my Mira into the first round, would you? Mira was rude, and I apologize for her."

"Mrs. Jovovich, right? You don't really think that a young man who traveled all the way from Chicago to New York to record a single this important to him would go out of his way to cause trouble over such a petty grudge, do you?"

Song Ya smiled at her. "And you're giving me too much credit. I don't have that kind of influence at SBK."

"I..."

Mira's mother was about to say more, but Song Ya didn't give her the chance. He turned to Eric and said, "Let's start the audition." The pressure had to be just right.

"Okay." Eric pressed the talk button and spoke into the microphone. "Miss, the audition is about to begin. The sheet music for this audition is on the stand in front of you. Please get ready."

Mira sulked for another half a minute, but finally took off her sunglasses, picked up the sheet music, and pulled the microphone closer.

Eric started playing the prerecorded accompaniment.

After she sang a short section, Eric gave her a few pointers and played the accompaniment again.

The second take was clearly much better than the first. The girl seemed quick to catch on, and her singing technique was solid, too. Song Ya had gotten the inspiration from her, so it was no surprise that her voice was a match. Especially when she tightened her throat a little, she sounded remarkably like the original singer.

"Make it lighter and more cheerful. Let's do it again."

After the third take, Eric said into the microphone, "That's good enough." Mira put her sunglasses back on and came out of the recording booth.

"All right, Miss Jovovich, ma'am. SBK will let you know the results when they're ready." Song Ya held out his hand.

Mira ignored him, but her mother shook his hand. "Can Mira make it to the second round?"

"Emmmmm... It's hard to say. All I can tell you is that the audition went pretty well, but there's still plenty of room for improvement." Song Ya gave her the standard answer.

"Could you... could you give us some guidance? What do we need to do to..." Mira's mother still wouldn't give up. She knew the business, and Song Ya's performance just now had given her the impression that Mira had little chance.

"Mom!"

Mira suddenly shrieked, "If they don't want me to sing, then I won't! Let's go!" She opened the door and stepped outside.

"Ah." Mira's mother sighed and took her leave.

Not long after the two of them left, Song Ya followed them out of the recording studio and peered downstairs through the hallway window.

Hayden had been lurking around Mira's mother's car for ages. As soon as he saw the mother and daughter walking along and arguing, he hurried over and pretended to run into them by chance.

They talked downstairs for a long time. Then the mother and daughter turned around and went back into the building, with Hayden following behind them. He secretly gave Song Ya a thumbs-up.