The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

Chapter 763: AN UNEXPECTED PROBLEM

”OKAY. Don’t worry. Just stay calm. We still have time. I will handle it.”

That was what Astrid overheard as he approached Ellis, just before she ended her call and closed her Terminal.

”What’s wrong Sister Ellis?” he asked.

Ellis looked at him, clearly startled. Her surprise did not seem to be from his sudden appearance, but rather because she had been so focused on her call that she had not noticed him approaching.

She let out a sigh. ”It was Jimmy. He called because there’s a problem with the movie’s original soundtrack.”

Jimmy was Director McCann. They had become friends during the filming of [The Shadow Within]. This happened mostly because Ellis worked closely with the production staff, even though it wasn’t really part of her job. When Astrid told her she didn’t need to do that, she said he had invested a lot of money in the project and she couldn’t let it fail. Astrid really appreciated that. Because of her efforts, Ellis and the director had become friends.

So it made sense for Director McCann to call her if there was an issue. But a problem with the original soundtrack? That sounded serious. The movie was set for release in just two weeks. By this point, the editing should have been completely finished. A last-minute issue with the music could cause major delays or even force them to push back the release date.

”What’s the problem with the soundtrack?” Astrid asked, his brow furrowed with concern.

Ellis let out another long sigh. ”One of the sound engineers was doing a final quality check and thought one of the background scores sounded familiar. He ran it through an audio recognition database and found a 90% match with an obscure instrumental track released 30 years ago. The composer we hired swears it’s original work, but the similarity is undeniable. We’re a small production without the legal muscle of a major studio. Even a minor copyright claim could tie us up in court for years and stop the release. That’s why Jimmy is panicking. We have two weeks to either prove it’s a coincidence, get permission from the original artist, or replace the entire score.”

Astrid’s frown deepened. This was a serious issue. Why had they only discovered it now? They should have done these checks at the very start of the editing process. Because of this delay, there was a real risk their release schedule would have to change. A delay would cause a lot of problems with marketing and theater bookings. So, what should they do now?

”Is there any way to fix this?” he asked.

”If we can find a composer who can work under a tight deadline, someone who can either rewrite the questionable sections or create a whole new score that fits the existing scenes, then yes, there’s a chance,” Ellis explained, her voice tense.

Astrid fell silent, his mind working quickly as he considered the problem. Then, a specific idea suddenly came to him.

”I have an idea, Sister Ellis.”

***

Kiran heard the doorbell to his apartment ring and immediately got up to answer the door. He had just finished eating his dinner when he received a message from Astrid, asking him if he and Ellis could visit to discuss an important matter. Even though Kiran knew they would probably arrive quite late in the evening, he did not hesitate to tell them yes. And now, it seemed that they had arrived.

He opened the door and saw Astrid and Ellis standing in the hallway. Astrid offered a small, apologetic smile, most likely for the late visit. Ellis stood beside him, her expression all business as usual. They were both dressed in casual clothes, but they looked a little tired.

”Good evening, Kiran,” Astrid said, sounding genuinely sorry. ”I’m really sorry for showing up so late like this.”

”Please, it’s no problem at all,” Kiran said, stepping aside and holding the door open wider. ”Come on in.”

Kiran held the door open. Astrid stepped inside first, and Ellis followed right after him. As she passed Kiran, she offered him a small, apologetic smile. Once they were both in, Kiran closed the door behind them.

”Please, have a seat,” Kiran said, gesturing toward the living room sofa. Astrid and Ellis both sat down on the couch. ”Can I get either of you something to drink?”

”No, we’re fine, thank you,” Astrid said with a smile. ”Please, sit down with us, Kiran.”

Kiran nodded and sat down in the chair across from them. As he did, he studied the two. They appeared composed, but he could still detect a hint of nervous tension in the way they sat. This made him even more curious about the reason for their late-night visit.

”I know you must be very curious, and maybe confused, about why we’re here. Please believe me, we wouldn’t be bothering you this late if it wasn’t important,” Astrid began. ”You know I filmed an independent film a while ago, right? Well, our visit has something to do with that project.”

Kiran knew about the film. But hearing that their visit was connected to it only made him more confused. He could not understand what the film had to do with him, or why they needed to see him about it so late at night.

Fortunately, Astrid did not wait for him to voice his confusion and continued speaking.

”We’ve run into a serious problem with the film’s soundtrack,” Astrid explained. ”It seems one of the compositions is too close to an existing copyrighted song. With our release date just two weeks away, we need to replace it immediately. We need a composer who can not only work quickly but also capture the specific emotional tone of the scenes. Someone who I think can deliver professional, cinematic quality under this condition. And I immediately thought of you.”

Kiran stared at Astrid, completely taken aback by the request. This was the last thing he had expected to hear. Them asking for his help and needing it to be done in just two weeks. The sheer scale and urgency of the situation left him momentarily speechless.