"So, when do we start recording?"
Pierre Lemoine looked at Julien Moreau with calm confidence.
Julien replied, still checking the session schedule.
"Tomorrow is booked for instrumental recordings. How about we begin vocal takes two days from now? Would that work for you?"
"Of course. I already know Snowman by heart, and Snowflower has a melody that sticks. Two days is plenty."
"Perfect. I'll coordinate the exact time with the recording team and send you a message. Thanks again for today, really."
"You're the one who did all the heavy lifting, Julien. See you in two days."
With that, Pierre stood up, the meeting settled.
Once he left, Julien stretched, preparing to leave too—when his phone buzzed.
Bzzz—
It was a call from Jacques Chevalier, president of TW.
"Julien speaking."
—"Hey! Are you still at the office? Is Pierre still there?"
"Yes, I'm here. Pierre just left, actually."
—"Ah, darn. I was hoping to catch him. My meeting dragged on. You haven't eaten yet, right? I've got three sushi sets with me. Give me ten minutes."
"Haha, sounds great. I was just thinking about food."
Julien hung up, smiling at the timing.
Then it hit him—he'd forgotten to send Pierre the newly arranged version of Snowman.
No problem, I'll just send it now.
He uploaded the track to the company's shared drive and forwarded the link to Pierre.
Tomorrow marked the real beginning:
Instrumental recordings would take place, then Julien would fine-tune arrangements in a single day.
Two days from now, full-scale vocal recording would begin with Pierre using the completed MR (music recorded).
Time was tight. But Julien believed in Pierre's talent—two days should be enough.
Once the recordings were done, they'd jump straight into mixing and mastering, and then… album release.
For most singers, producing even a single album takes a month or more.
Yet TW had entrusted everything to Julien, a newcomer.
That trust spoke volumes.
I won't let them down.
He smiled to himself, full of purpose.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
It was Jacques, punctual as ever.
"What's with the grin? You look like you're up to something."
"Haha, nothing bad. Just… a good feeling."
Jacques walked in, set the sushi down on the studio table, and peeked at Julien's monitor.
"You weren't watching anything weird, right?"
"Of course not," Julien laughed.
Jacques gave him a skeptical glance before unpacking the sushi neatly across the table.
"This place has great rolls. Let's eat."
"Thanks, I'm starving."
As they ate, Jacques raised the topic he'd been curious about.
"So… how's Pierre? Did you two figure out the recording plan?"
Julien paused, wiping his mouth.
"Actually, I've got something to show you. But let's finish eating first."
He figured Jacques might be too shocked to eat after hearing it.
"Alright, no rush. Want another shrimp?"
Once the sushi was gone, Julien grabbed two cans of coffee from the mini fridge.
"You good with canned coffee?"
"You and your canned coffee... I should've guessed from your fridge. You offered me one the first time we met, too."
"Sweet stuff helps me think."
Julien smiled, then moved to the desk.
"So… I actually finished another song with Pierre earlier. Want to hear it?"
"Wait, what?"
Before Jacques could react, the song started playing.
His eyes widened.
"It's already fully arranged?"
He fell silent, absorbed by the music.
This arrangement… It's so unconventional.
Instead of a standard ballad format, the A part was short, and just when he expected a B part, the chorus hit—hard.
Yet it didn't feel fast like a typical pop song.
It was slightly brisker than a ballad, but the style stayed faithful to the genre.
And somehow, the chorus—though repeated—never felt dull.
Its structure was snowstorm-like, intense yet mesmerizing.
Even after it ended, the hook echoed in Jacques' mind.
"Wait, Julien… This isn't something you had sitting around, is it? You made this with Pierre today?"
"Yep. Pierre brought the melody, I arranged the rest. What do you think?"
Jacques was speechless.
He's only just met Pierre today, and they made this? In two hours?
Unbelievable.
Jacques himself was a former singer-songwriter who had once filled entire albums with his own music.
He knew how long composition and arrangement took—how exhausting it could be.
He stared at Julien, half-dazed.
"Are you telling me this was completely spontaneous?"
"Yes. We just clicked. And Pierre's idea was solid."
"...This is insane."
For a moment, Jacques felt… uneasy.
He should've been thrilled.
And he was—partly.
But beneath that admiration stirred an old, familiar fear.
Because Jacques had seen how the world treats geniuses.
He had witnessed firsthand how brilliant artists are envied, isolated, and eventually crushed.
And those memories—those scars—haunted him.
Looking at Julien, now smiling brightly across the table, Jacques clenched his jaw.
I won't let that happen again.
He had founded TW to protect talents like this—to give them a fighting chance.
He shook off the creeping memories and forced a smile.
"No, it's just… this song is amazing. Caught me off guard. Let's include it in the album alongside Snowman.
Honestly, one track always felt too few."
"I'm glad you think so. This one's called Snowflower. I was worried you didn't like it."
Jacques chuckled and took a long sip of coffee.
"Snowflower, huh? That title fits like a glove."
"I thought you'd like it."
"Only problem… there's just one week left until the release. Are we sure we can handle two tracks?"
"Don't worry. Session recordings begin tomorrow. I'll coordinate the rest with Émile."
"If you say so. Let's get it done. I've got a feeling about this one—it's going to be a hit."
"Thanks. Oh, and…"
Julien hit play again—this time, the newly arranged Snowman.
"I already sent it to Pierre, but I figured you should hear it too."
Jacques leaned in.
This wasn't just a remix—it was a full transformation.
Gone was the cinematic score-like vibe.
Now it felt warm, emotional—perfectly tuned for a mainstream audience.
This could be an OST.
Images danced in Jacques' mind.
Beautiful, vivid scenes—like from a movie.
He said nothing, simply listening with a faint smile growing across his face.
When the track ended, he let out a deep breath and nodded slowly.
"Incredible. When did you even find the time to rework this?"
"The day before I joined TW."
"It's flawless. But are the session players ready? Can they handle this arrangement?"
"It's mostly structural changes. Shouldn't be an issue."
"Alright then. Let's prep Snowflower and Snowman together. This album… it's going to be something special."
"I'll make sure of it."
Jacques stood, clapping Julien lightly on the shoulder.
He has so much ahead of him. I'll make sure nothing stands in his way.
After Jacques left, Julien sat back at his desk.
Time to prepare for tomorrow's recordings.
He organized the sheet music and reviewed mic placements for each instrument.
Most composers left this to the engineers, but Julien had handled recording and mixing himself in his previous life.
Only mastering was usually outsourced.
I should check the studio.
He messaged the A&R team with the scores, then made his way to the in-house studio.
Inside, Michel Rousseau, the lead engineer, looked up from the couch.
"Julien? Recording starts tomorrow morning, no?"
"Just checking the mic setup in advance. Is that alright?"
Michel looked surprised.
"You handle mic settings too? Most composers don't bother."
"Well, a composer should know their tools. I'll also be directing tomorrow's sessions."
"You're directing the instrument sessions too?!"
Usually, composers only direct vocal takes.
But Julien was different.
"If you do it all, what's left for me?" Michel joked with a grin.
"You've still got to clean the multitracks. I'll need your help on the final mix."
"That's fair. Come on, I'll show you the setup."
They walked into the booth.
Julien inspected the layout, nodding with approval.
"Nice. Even the ambient mics are perfect. For the violins, though—I'd like stereo panning. Could we double-mic?"
"Wait, we're doing double violin sessions tomorrow? My bad—I'll adjust."
With that, they discussed the full session plan.
Fortunately, TW's studio used the same DAW Julien was used to: Pro Tools.
Everything was ready.
As Julien stepped out, a quiet thought passed through his mind:
This is it. My first album in this new life. And I'm not alone. Everyone's doing their part to make it shine.