Reset Life with Infinite Talents - Chapter 158

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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 158

 

Click! Click!

 

At the end of the corridor lined with plush velvet.

 

Johann purses his lips as he enters after unlocking two locks.

 

Brown and white modern interior.

 

Thanks to the large windows overlooking the Hudson River with warm sunset light pouring in, the space of about 40 pyeong feels cozy.

 

“Mr. Wood really put a lot of care into this….”

 

It seems the cleaning is finished too, not a speck of dust anywhere.

 

Johann tries sitting on the sofa and pressing the bed in the main room, then looks at Rick Bottom.

 

“Rick can use that room… What are you doing?”

 

Rick Bottom is holding a small device up to various spots around the house.

 

“Even if I trust Branch Manager Ben Wood, I can’t trust the cleaning company.”

 

Johann is a star now.

 

It would be a disaster if nude photos were taken.

 

‘Ah.’

 

Johann also scans the surroundings.

 

He sharpens all five senses – eyes, ears, nose.

 

“Where are wiretapping devices usually installed?”

 

“They’re installed in blind spots of recognition. For example, inside the base of this bedside lamp.”

 

They’re hidden in extraordinary places like inside the pillar of a standing lamp, inside a TV cable box, behind bathroom mirrors or inside showerheads, inside electrical outlets.

 

“What about places like under the sofa?”

 

“Places that are easily discovered have to be avoided.”

 

“Ah.”

 

‘That’s true.’

 

As easy as they are to install, they’re just as easy to get caught.

 

‘What happens in movies should be considered cinematic license.’

 

“Anyway, as technology advances and such devices become increasingly miniaturized, there are countless places to hide them. …But weren’t you displeased?”

 

Rick Bottom mentions the skill verification that just happened.

 

“Not particularly.”

 

It was a natural question for the designers to have, and it was natural for Ben Wood, who’s responsible for the huge company that is the New York branch, to verify.

 

If Ben Wood and Andy Murray hadn’t brought it up first, Johann would have requested it himself.

 

“This is business, after all.”

 

Even when dealing with people you know, you have to be thorough, and this involves millions, maybe tens of millions of dollars in sales.

 

If you get upset over something like this, you’re not qualified to do business or invest.

 

“That’s why Mr. Wood only offered a slight apology.”

 

Cold business couldn’t be conducted haphazardly.

 

Thanks to that, he also gained the benefit of securing a distribution network for scar-covering stickers.

 

“…It’s safe.”

 

“Thank you for your hard work. What should we do about dinner?”

 

Unfortunately, Ben Wood had a schedule afterward, so they parted ways in the conference room.

 

“Since New York is called a melting pot of races, there are foods from various countries like Korean, Japanese, Chinese, but I’d like to recommend Chinese food.”

 

There’s a place in Chinatown that sells various types of dim sum.

 

“It’s a place I used to visit when I occasionally came to New York.”

 

“Oh, Chinatown?”

 

Chinatown, different from LA’s – the dark streets of Chinese occult and gangs.

 

A place he couldn’t visit when he came to New York last time.

 

“Well… it’s better not to have high expectations….”

 

“I’ll call Larry first.”

 

Not for permission, but to inform him of the results regarding today’s collaboration.

 

“Yeah. Larry. The results? Fortunately….”

 

Rick Bottom watched Johann making the call and quietly closed the door.

 

* * *

 

Vrooom! Honk! Honk!

 

“I felt this back then too, but….”

 

New York’s rush hour is beyond imagination.

 

Where on earth did all these people come from – people filling the roads and sidewalks.

 

As if that wasn’t enough, seeing bicycles and motorcycles weaving between cars, you naturally understand why so many movies are set in New York.

 

‘All those people must be inspiration.’

 

What’s that person’s job?

 

What circumstances do they have?

 

A society where it’s hard to even care about your surroundings, the bleak and harsh metropolitan forest of buildings and melting pot of races had to be a source that provides new inspiration every time.

 

“Compared to LA, there’s definitely no leisure on their faces.”

 

“It can’t be helped.”

 

High housing prices and the fear of not knowing when you might get fired from work, dangerous back alleys and poor security.

 

On top of that, with fewer media like movies that talk about hope, happiness levels have to be lower.

 

‘Even so, New York is America’s central city and the center of music, fashion, and industry.’

 

It feels somewhat ironic.

 

“This is Chinatown.”

 

“…Wow.”

 

Johann’s eyes sparkle as he looks out the car window.

 

This is it.

 

Dark-toned streets lined with red brick buildings.

 

Asian people walking the streets and dim neon signs beginning to glow.

 

Johann moves his eyes searching for places the protagonists visited in movies set in Chinatown.

 

‘It’s completely different from LA’s Chinatown.’

 

First, the floating population is more than 10 times different.

 

After parking in a nearby paid parking lot and pushing through the dense crowd, Johann arrives at the dim sum restaurant Rick Bottom recommended.

 

Murmur murmur.

 

“Wow.”

 

A vast hall in red and gold colors, unmistakably Chinese in feel.

 

With people filling all 200 table seats, Johann couldn’t help but stick out his tongue.

 

“Wow.”

 

You can take dim sum from carts moving between tables and eat it.

 

“Or you can order separately, but it takes a long time.”

 

It’s quite a fresh ordering method.

 

‘Even the prices are cheap!’

 

New York is famous for high prices, but it’s so cheap you can’t feel that at all.

 

“Shall we try it?”

 

Johann nods, picks up a check sheet, stands up, and approaches a nearby cart.

 

“Hello.”

 

Fluent Cantonese flows from Johann’s mouth.

 

“This is my first time here, is there anything you’d recommend as a first dish?”

 

“If that’s the case… for first-timers, these har siu mai and har gow are good to start light. They’re shrimp dim sum. But are your parents from Guangdong?”

 

“Not really, but I studied hard.”

 

“…Thank you for liking Guangdong. Oh, it’s better to try the food little by little in variety. There are over a hundred types.”

 

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

‘Must be an illegal immigrant.’

 

His body was strangely hunched over.

 

When he returned to the table carrying four plates of dim sum, two plates each, Rick Bottom made an approving expression.

 

“Perfect menu to start with.”

 

“He seemed to recognize me.”

 

The server who had been startled when he saw his face.

 

So he must have asked about his parents’ origins, not Johann’s. He could feel the server’s desperation at not being able to act friendly as a customer.

 

“The power of major shows is certainly significant.”

 

“That’s how it should be seen.”

 

There’s a reason everyone tries so hard to appear on major shows.

 

“It’s best to eat the har gow first. Even if it cools down a little, it sticks together.”

 

“Ah!”

 

Johann quickly picked up his chopsticks, and Rick Bottom also stabbed a har gow with his fork and brought it to his mouth.

 

“Oh?”

 

The chewy skin and sweet, bouncy shrimp meat.

 

‘If I ate this with beer… Ah.’

 

He suddenly wanted to become an adult.

 

* * *

 

“I… really like dim sum.”

 

Steamer baskets stacked in several towers.

 

People at nearby tables stuck out their tongues.

 

But it didn’t bother him.

 

Not only was he the type who didn’t really care about others’ gazes to begin with, but he was extremely satisfied.

 

But the surprising thing was that even after eating this much, he still hadn’t tried all the food on the menu.

 

“Next time I come to New York, I’ll have to start with the remaining menu items. Definitely.”

 

“I’m glad you liked it.”

 

At Rick Bottom’s warm smile—what others would see as barely lifting the corners of his lips—Johann stood up.

 

“I’ll go to the restroom for a moment.”

 

Even after wiping with tissue, his mouth felt sticky.

 

“Should I order a dessert drink?”

 

“Tea, please.”

 

If he finished with a warm cup of tea, he felt like he’d sleep well tonight.

 

‘I want to eat just one more thing, but…’

 

“No.”

 

If he did that, his body would become sluggish.

 

Only eat enough that it wouldn’t interfere with moving his body, no matter how much he ate.

 

That was the first law of survival.

 

Johann, who had deliberately shaken his head, crossed between the tables.

 

‘Ah, but that other thing tastes better. Ah, that’s not how you eat that.’

 

Regret filled his twitching lips.

 

“Hm?”

 

Johann, who had discovered something and stopped walking, thought for a moment then headed in that direction.

 

At the corner behind the column next to the restroom, a sullen-faced teenage boy and a smiling old man in his 60s were eating.

 

What was unusual was that when the boy ate 3 dim sum, the old man barely ate 1.

 

On top of that, they kept glancing at the carts that didn’t even come to their corner spot.

 

‘…Even if the food prices here are cheap, eating out is still eating out.’

 

It had to be more expensive than eating at home.

 

This might be why Johann wanted to come to their table.

 

Tap tap!

 

The old man looked up in surprise.

 

Johann looked away from the military unit insignia tattooed on the old man’s forearm and extended his hand.

 

“Thank you for your service.”

 

“Oh…”

 

“May I shake hands with an American hero?”

 

“Me, you’re talking to me?”

 

The old man’s eyes showed disbelief.

 

Johann felt the surprised gaze of the teenager and spoke.

 

“Even though the Vietnam War ended in defeat, that doesn’t mean you’re not heroes.”

 

“…”

 

The old man’s eyes reddened with emotion at Johann’s sincere words.

 

‘You must have received a lot of harsh looks.’

 

Vietnam War veterans who received poor treatment and looks because it ended in defeat.

 

“Thank you… for saying that.”

 

“Not at all. Is this your grandson?”

 

“Ah, yes. Ronnie?”

 

“You must be proud of your grandfather.”

 

“…He’s the second person I respect most.”

 

First were his father and mother.

 

At those words, the old man was surprised again, and his grandson Ronnie looked at Johann and shifted in his seat.

 

“Are you by any chance Johann Jefferson? The Wolf Knight!”

 

“…You know me?”

 

“Wow! Of course! To meet you in a place like this! My friends won’t believe me when I tell them!”

 

“Autograph? Photo? Or both?”

 

“Both! Grandfather!”

 

“Uh, yes.”

 

After taking a photo with his arm around Johann’s shoulder, Ronnie checked his phone and his eyes welled up with tears.

 

“My goodness… P-please sign here!”

 

Johann blinked as he took the book and pen that Ronnie pulled from his bag on the floor.

 

‘What a coincidence…’

 

It was a book about fashion.

 

A book that focused specifically on accessories.

 

“You must be very interested in accessories.”

 

“Yes, yes!”

 

“Heh. I’m not just saying this because he’s my grandson, but Ronnie has real talent in that area.”

 

He’s only 19 now, but he’s already opened an accessory shop.

 

“Since high school, he saved money by selling little by little on the street, and as soon as he graduated, he opened it without even asking his parents for help.”

 

“G-Grandfather! I-I just opened it, so I have a lot of loans, and the store is small too!”

 

“Oh…”

 

Definitely not an easy thing to do.

 

Respect filled Johann’s eyes.

 

“Could I possibly see some finished products?”

 

“J-just a moment!”

 

Ronnie, frantically searching through his bag, let out a scream.

 

“Ah! If I had known this would happen, I would have brought as many as possible! Sorry, Johann. This is all I have right now. B-but everything I sell at the store is in this design notebook!”

 

“…Wow.”

 

‘I expected something since he opened it right after graduating high school, but…’

 

The level was high.

 

Both ‘Blacksmith’ and ‘Andre Kim, Kim Bong-nam’ that he had just absorption read agreed.

 

A ‘Blacksmith’ who once made accessories for ancient royalty and nobility.

 

He is praising Ronnie’s skills.

 

‘There are also pieces that would go well with the designs I gave to H&M.’

 

If coordinated together, they would highlight the clothes more, or rather, highlight the person wearing those clothes even more.

 

“…What’s the store name? What time do you open tomorrow?”

 

“My goodness.”

 

Ronnie decided to make today his Christmas.

 

“Hehe. Thank you.”

 

“Not at all. You must feel reassured having such a grandson. I’ll see you tomorrow, Ronnie.”

 

Johann shakes hands once more and turns around, then grabs a server while heading to the restroom.

 

“I’ll pay for that War Veterans’ table over there. Keep the rest as a tip.”

 

Johann held out a thousand dollars, and the surprised server nodded heavily at the mention of War Veterans.

 

“Thank you for your kindness.”

 

“Don’t mention it.”

 

‘I need to quickly rinse my mouth and get out.’

 

If they realized he had paid for them, it might cause a commotion.

 

Johann quickens his pace.

 

“‘Yes, this is Sun. There are no changes in the Governor’s schedule for tomorrow…'”

 

‘Hm?’

 

Mandarin Chinese that catches his ear.

 

But what draws his attention even more is catching the exact same fragrance that Emily uses from this woman.

 

A perfume that Emily treasures because only a limited number are sold each year, making competition fierce.

 

‘Her outfit is modest though…’

 

Mid-to-low price brand clothes that any working professional would commonly wear.

 

‘But her handbag is expensive.’

 

A Chanel 2014 limited edition bag.

 

Not something you can get just by having money – the very design that made Emily cry because she couldn’t obtain it.

 

“Reporting to someone means having a low social position…”

 

But it’s about some Governor’s schedule, whoever that owner might be.

 

Yet the name doesn’t sound unfamiliar.

 

‘Sun…’

 

A name Johann remembers seeing several times in the memories of another star from a foreign country, not from ‘The One Who Became a Star’ that he usually absorbs from.

 

Johann accesses the Library and soon opens his eyes with a hollow laugh.

 

“America really is a big country.”

 

Of course it would be, being the world’s greatest superpower.

 

Johann picks up his mobile phone.

 

“Yes, Lynch. I just heard something strange…”

 

He came to eat dinner and ended up discovering a spy.

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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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