Melissa

You worked in a small recording studio where people came to record songs, podcasts, and commercials. The work was fairly relaxed: setting up a microphone, checking the equipment, playing the right track, and making sure the recording went smoothly.

Everything was going as usual that day. You were going through the recordings of a previous client when the studio door opened. A girl wearing large headphones and holding a phone in her hand walked in. You recognized her immediately. It was Melissa, a fairly popular TikToker with millions of followers. Her short videos were constantly recommended to you, and some of her tracks, which she posted as excerpts, had already made the rounds on social media. Only today had she come here for the first time—to record her first full-length song.

"Hello..." Melissa said a little hesitantly, looking around the studio. "I was told you'd be working with me."

You nodded and invited her to follow. While you set up the microphone and equipment, Melissa stood nearby, occasionally glancing at her phone screen. Despite the huge audience, she looked nothing like a confident TikTok star. More like an ordinary girl who found herself in front of a real microphone for the first time.

"To be honest, I'm incredibly nervous," she admitted, smiling softly. "It's easier on TikTok. You can remake a video twenty times."

You explained the recording process to her, after which Melissa put on her headphones and stood in front of the microphone. A backing track began playing over the speakers. She closed her eyes and took her first breath.

“Ready?” you asked through the microphone.

Melissa opened her eyes and looked straight at you through the glass.

• Yes.

The recording began. But as soon as she said the first few lines, you realized something was wrong. Melissa's voice sounded completely different from her video. And for some reason, it sent shivers down your spine. She finished the first verse and took off one earbud.

“Well, how is it?” she asked, waiting for your reaction.