Reset Life with Infinite Talents - Chapter 104

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Infinite Talent Reset Life Episode 104

 

 

Murmur murmur.

The next day, Fairmont High School.

‘Acting. Hmm….’

Thud!

“What are you doing?”

Flash taps Johann’s shoulder as he sits there in a daze.

“It’s fascinating.”

“What is?”

“Now that we’re in high school, things are clearly divided.”

Johann points to the children in the same class.

“Nerds wearing sweater vests even though it’s still September.”

They’re either fat or skinny with hunched shoulders.

They all commonly wear big glasses.

“Geeks who look like they haven’t washed in days.”

Even though they’re wearing their uniforms most properly, they somehow look shabby. They commonly hold figures and comic books while having passionate conversations with each other.

“Goths wearing smoky makeup and black knee socks.”

Their long black straight hair is impressive.

“Preps wearing their uniforms neatly with ties slightly loosened.”

Impressions that anyone would call lively model students.

Even with narrowed pant legs, sleeves rolled up to their elbows, and skirts raised above their knees, they don’t feel delinquent. Rather, they feel cheerful.

“And bullies who’ve thrown their uniforms to the dogs. You.”

Problem child, delinquent. Flash sitting arrogantly with all his front buttons undone looks exactly like that.

“Hey, I’m a jock!”

“Anyway, isn’t it fascinating?”

“This bastard….”

Even in middle school, it wasn’t this prominent.

But now that they’re in high school, as if they planned it, everyone is revealing their individuality without reservation.

“Why is that?”

Nerds, geeks, goths.

They have a high probability of becoming targets of bullying.

Because they look like weaklings to anyone.

Yet they have no hesitation in showing their individuality.

“Well….”

He doesn’t know since he’s never thought about such things.

“I guess they just like it.”

“Is that so.”

‘Just liking it….’

It feels like he understands yet doesn’t.

“It’s not just liking it, they don’t know because they’re chasing what they love, you idiot Flash.”

Flinch!

“Emily.”

Emily with her bangs damply wet sits in the seat next to them.

“They don’t know because they’re chasing what they love?”

“They might be ignoring or giving up on it. Like me.”

The cheerleader club gathers in the morning to run for 20 minutes to build stamina. Naturally they sweat, and since they can’t smell of sweat, they wash up but then have to go to class without properly drying their bangs.

For Emily, who must show a perfect appearance in every aspect as queen, this is a fatal situation.

Nevertheless, to continue the cheerleading she loves, she gives up on that part.

“Those kids are probably the same.”

For what they love, they abandon the parts they can abandon.

“You did that too.”

“…Me?”

“Yeah. You abandoned your name.”

For freedom.

For composition, he inserted Bruno Mars, and for the mural, he inserted Robert Burton and Jamie Valin.

Countless drawings at a level comparable to ‘The Story of the World Watched by Stars’ sleep in Johann’s space on the 3rd floor, and as a photographer, he uses a different name rather than his real name.

If he had announced that he accomplished all of this entirely on his own, he would have become as famous as the current Bruno Mars, as famous as Justin Bieber.

“But you gave up all of that for freedom.”

Right. He did.

“So what’s going on?”

Flinch!

“Does it show?”

“How could it not?”

As expected of Emily. He can’t fool her.

“Um. Well….”

Johann recalled yesterday’s events.

 

* * *

 

“Pfft!”

A restaurant near the busking spot.

Johann, who almost spat out his cola, looks up in bewilderment.

“You wrote the scenario after being inspired by seeing that mural ‘Fire Always Watches Over Us’?”

“That’s right.”

The shock of that day is still vividly remembered.

Even knowing it was a mural, the terror of a massive fire seeming to engulf him.

It went beyond shaking awake his head that had become so stupid he couldn’t even write a few pages of scenario in several years, giving him a shock that seemed to tear him apart.

Scenes that came to mind intensely.

Dialogue between characters.

When he got stuck, he would go in front of the mural and stare at it blankly.

Then dialogue and scenes would come to mind again, and after 4 years of effort, he was finally able to complete the scenario recently.

“This is a work I wrote while looking at your work and thinking of you.”

People are mistaken, but he knows.

The mural ‘Fire Always Watches Over Us’ was drawn not by Robert Burton but by the marvelous genius named Johann Jefferson.

But….

“How could someone like me, who only made B-grade and C-grade movies, dare to present a scenario to a singer who made it onto the Billboard Chart.”

Even though he’s hardly done any external activities for the past 4 years, Johann is a singer and composer who made it onto the Billboard Chart.

So if he had sent the scenario to Rocky Management, which has grown tremendously over the past 4 years, it would have been rejected midway without even reaching Johann.

No, to be precise, Rocky Management would have rejected it because Johann has no intention of doing external activities.

That’s why he came here.

“To meet you!”

To meet and persuade him directly.

The acting genius who perfectly played Jackson, the liver cirrhosis patient who made countless American citizens cry in Grey’s Anatomy 4 years ago.

“…Wow.”

Johann’s face turns red at this persistent and passionate courtship.

‘He wrote a scenario for me?’

What words should he say, how, and where should he start.

This is a situation he’s experiencing for the first time in his life.

Until now, even though he had been the first to start trouble, apart from Larry and Ada, the man before him, Matthew Payton, was the first person to want him this desperately.

His heart swells, and his nose tingles.

Johann scratches his cheek and extends his hand.

“Could I see the script?”

“H-here it is!”

‘Wow…’

How long had he been carrying it around just to meet him?

And how tightly had he been gripping it?

From the script that was rolled up so much it had turned yellow, Johann could feel Matthew Payton’s desperation again.

Johann swallowed and opened the script.

 

“The smell of burning…”

Eric stops his hands and looks toward the mountain.

 

A single line of dialogue and stage direction pierced Johann’s trembling heart.

 

* * *

 

“L-lead role?”

“Yeah.”

Words that pleased him as much as Matthew Payton’s earnest courtship.

Lead role.

The words asking him to become one of the three protagonists in a disaster movie set in LA shook his heart.

The thirst he had felt after finishing all his acting in Grey’s Anatomy.

The thirst to continue acting seemed to be quenched.

“He said he came to see me first.”

He said the production company, investment attraction, and actor casting would all start from the moment he accepted.

It meant everything would be tailored to Johann himself.

However, Johann couldn’t give an answer on the spot.

“It’s a movie.”

He would have to show his face.

He couldn’t deceive like he did four years ago, and if that happened, he would lose his freedom.

Even though he had decided to move forward seeking new experiences again, he couldn’t help but hesitate.

“Are you stupid?”

“Huh?”

“Why are you already convinced you’ll succeed?”

“…Huh?”

Flash’s snort and Emily’s nod hit him like a blow to the head.

“Hey, Johann. I know you’re talented… but thinking you can make a movie successful too isn’t that a bit arrogant?”

Like the drama filming set Johann had followed, movies are also made by countless people.

It’s not something that can succeed just because Johann does well alone like four years ago.

“No matter how much money you pour into it, movies can still flop.”

“Stupid Flash is right about this.”

In Hollywood alone, hundreds or thousands of movies are made each year, but less than 10 percent of them leave an impression on the public.

“And let’s say it becomes a mega hit.”

If it’s Johann, there’s a high probability he’ll succeed this time too.

Because her friend Johann is that kind of person.

Someone who doesn’t know failure.

“So you won’t do it?”

Acting.

The lead role.

The money-making opportunity Johann always wants.

“No, a new experience.”

Emily still remembers the day she first met Johann.

Johann, who appeared like a prince from a novel and said he wanted to make money in every possible way since he didn’t know how much he could do.

To Emily, who looked down on all boys her age, those words were truly shocking.

But watching him afterward, that wasn’t it.

Money didn’t mean much to Johann.

Rather, he valued new experiences, different experiences, and new fun more.

“And attention too.”

Johann, who despite pretending otherwise, always looked forward to people’s praise and internet reactions.

This was an opportunity to gain that kind of fun and attention.

“Are you really not going to do it? Like a coward trying to avoid fame?”

He’s 15 now.

He’s too old to cower like a coward.

“Even if you become famous, do what you want. You’re that kind of guy.”

Flash’s jab hurt his heart too much.

“…This is driving me crazy.”

The kids who used to play on the slide in the swimming pool had grown up too much.

“You rode it too!”

“You had the most fun riding it!”

“Haha!”

Johann burst into laughter and picked up his phone.

His mind was made up.

“Yes, General Manager Andrew. I’m thinking of starting activities again, what do you think about movies?”

-…?!

 

* * *

 

Thud!

Working title – Fire Always Watches Over Us.

Andrew Pearson, who had closed the script Johann brought, snapped his fingers.

Snap!

The 1,300 square foot planning headquarters office suddenly became quiet.

The planning team had increased its staff to 70 people over the past four years, and among them, the planning headquarters was a department that managed Planning Team 1 for singers, Planning Team 2 for actors, and Planning Team 3 for models, as well as a department that intensively managed stars who had contracted and succeeded before Rocky Management grew this big, such as Johann, Bruno Mars, Joe Walsh, Jimmy Page, Robin Joel, and Jessica Chastain.

“Yes!”

Several people who answered stood up and gathered in front of Andrew Pearson.

“Name: Matthew Payton. A director who has produced one B-grade movie and three C-grade movies including ‘Dawn of the Dead’ and ‘Vampire Rock and Roll’, with no particular scandals and decent reviews from actors and staff he’s worked with.”

“Although he mainly shot low-grade movies, he’s a director with decent skills.”

The proof of this was his representative success, ‘Dawn of the Dead’.

The audience count was an impressive 2.5 million.

He produced B-grade quality with C-grade capital.

“Even now, it’s still considered one of the must-see masterpieces among zombie enthusiasts.”

Andrew Pearson was surprised by the words of an employee who had worked at CAA (Creative Artists Agency), a mega-sized agency.

“Hollywood operates on the logic that money doesn’t lie, right?”

What determines the quality of a work is money, which is why Hollywood also grades movies based on the amount of money that goes into production.

Under 3 million dollars is C-grade.

Under 20 million dollars is B-grade.

Above that is A-grade.

There are also S-grade movies with production budgets of over 100 million dollars, but that’s beside the point for now.

The quality of the work comes after that.

Using this kind of logic-transcending magic means it goes beyond simply having good skills.

“What are your thoughts after reading the scenario?”

“…We absolutely must do this.”

Even those who had worked at major record labels and major production companies could evaluate the scale, emotional flow, and dialogue as sufficiently masterful.

All the arrogant attitude seen in ‘Vampire Rock’n’Roll’ had been completely shed.

“Moreover, this is a scenario written directly by the manager himself.”

There’s no one in this world who understands this scenario better than Matthew Payton.

In that case, when B-grade capital was raised, one could expect A-grade quality to be produced.

“Plus, it’s not a minor role or supporting role, but the lead.”

It was perfect as a signal flare to announce Johann’s comeback.

Just considering these points, it was a scenario they absolutely had to secure.

“The problem is…”

“Whether there’s a production company willing to make a movie with an Asian, specifically an Asian teenager, as the protagonist.”

“…That’s right.”

Although Johann’s appearance far transcended the level of distinguishing between Asian and Western features, he was still Asian.

“Honestly, the best thing would be for Johann to make a comeback as a singer…”

“I understand.”

Andrew Pearson waves his hand and picks up the internal phone.

“Yes, CEO. How much spare capital do we have? It seems we need to acquire a production company.”

If they couldn’t find a production company, they could create or acquire one.

The great genius acknowledged by Andrew Pearson was trying to spread his folded wings again.

Johann, who could be said to have created the current Rocky Management.

They had to do at least this much.

The staff members’ jaws dropped open.

 

* * *

 

“No! No! No!”

Matthew Payton, coming to his senses, frantically waves his hands.

Johann clicks his tongue.

‘Wow, why didn’t I think of this?’

If production seems difficult, just establish a production company and produce it yourself.

It’s such a refreshing idea that his eyes might pop out.

That’s why he’s puzzled.

Is this really the Andrew Pearson he knows?

Could it be that a reptilian has put on Andrew Pearson’s skin?

Johann seriously considers entering the library to investigate.

“Our Rocky also needs this acquisition, so please don’t feel too burdened.”

With a slight exaggeration, 20 percent of commercial models active in California belong to Rocky Management.

This is all an effect that occurred after Johann became an exclusive photographer.

Singers go without saying.

The problem is the actor division.

Except for Jessica Chastain, who appears in movies produced by manager Christopher Nolan, there are no notable stars.

That doesn’t mean the number of affiliated actors is small.

They’re contracted with many actors who are evaluated as having good acting skills in Hollywood.

“But this is the limit.”

Although hundreds or thousands of movies are made in Hollywood each year, surprisingly few works are suitable for featuring their affiliated actors.

There are issues ranging from differences in taste to problems with managers and staff, and work quality, but the biggest problem is competition.

There are hundreds of thousands of actors drifting in the massive movie market called Hollywood.

Including extras, this number multiplies several times.

Competition is fierce for works that seem decent, and despite all the lobbying from this side, cases of rejection are countless.

“That’s why our Rocky…”

“Plans to acquire or establish a production company to secure excellent content and produce it independently?”

Like Netflix, the OTT platform currently causing a sensation.

“That’s the ultimate goal, Johann.”

They hope Matthew Payton will become the first manager for that.

At those words, Johann breathes a sigh of relief.

‘Right. This is how Andrew should be!’

The embodiment of thoroughness.

A strategist who hides another meaning within a single word.

He thought the person had suddenly changed.

On the other hand, Matthew Payton couldn’t come to his senses.

‘Netflix!’

Netflix, currently providing services in Canada and several other countries. They’re asking him to become the first manager of a production company that would be the predecessor to such an OTT (Over-the-top) platform.

The fact that it’s not simply a rich person’s crazy antics shakes his heart.

“That’s…”

“And if you know someone you could recommend as the production company’s CEO, we’d appreciate the recommendation.”

Someone who knows this industry very well.

Flinch!

‘CEO?’

As soon as he hears the words, one person’s face comes to mind.

“Th-there is one person…”

New Line Pictures.

The benefactor who produced all the movies he made, including ‘Dawn of the Dead’ and ‘Vampire Rock’n’Roll’, or rather, who opened the path of directing for him.

“Due to the economic recession in 2009, they couldn’t overcome the financial difficulties that arose as the film industry entered a downturn and eventually went out of business.”

New Line Pictures. A small-scale production company that mainly specialized in C-grade movies.

The kind of production company that disappears and gets rebuilt several times a day.

“H-how do you know that?”

“Please think of it as us seriously planning the platform business to that extent.”

No. While investigating Matthew Payton, they also learned about New Line Pictures.

‘Not bad.’

The C-grade movie market, which in some ways is more fierce than the B-grade and A-grade movie markets.

The CEO of New Line Pictures is a perceptive person who managed a company in such a place for as long as 30 years.

“Johann, could you wait just one month?”

He’ll finish all the setup within that time.

So…

“Please don’t cause any trouble.”

“What would I…”

To deny it, there’s too much he did four years ago.

Johann silently nodded, and Andrew Pearson looked at Matthew Payton.

“Gulp!”

 

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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