Reset Life with Infinite Talents - Chapter 183
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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 183
48. Traces
Whirrrr!
LAX International Airport where planes take off and land.
“Congratulations on your victory, Johann.”
“Haha. Thank you.”
Johann looks at Larry and Ada as he passes the immigration officer giving him a thumbs up and heads toward the immigration gate.
“What? What is it?”
“…Nothing.”
Grin.
A smile blooms on Johann’s lips.
‘Something definitely happened on the Queen Elizabeth!’
Larry and Ada, who were extremely awkward with each other the day after winning, then showed a very close relationship during the Tchaikovsky Competition finals.
Though they had been casual friends from the beginning, he could clearly feel they had crossed that friendship barrier.
‘Still, seeing them hide it…’
It seems like only one last step remains. Just one last step to start dating.
‘I should treat my younger sibling well when they’re born.’
Johann looks at Esa-Pekka Salonen, vowing not to fight like the Wolf Brothers, but to care with love like Wolf Mother did.
“Thank you, Teacher.”
Without Esa-Pekka Salonen, he might have started classical music much later.
Though he needed violin to compose WE GO at the time, he probably would have forgotten about classical music afterward and wandered around seeking other experiences.
Esa-Pekka Salonen kept holding onto him, teaching him about classical music and all the classical theories organized in modern times, and broke down genre barriers by letting him hear countless classical pieces and performances.
‘Thanks to that, Josef II’s talent could flourish.’
Because of that, he could fully utilize the talent of ‘Master of Dance Music, Eduard Strauss.’
It also greatly contributed to increasing his capacity limit to enable absorption reading of ‘Devil’s Violin, Niccolò Paganini.’
At Johann’s words, Esa-Pekka Salonen’s lips tremble. He pulls Johann into a tight embrace.
“That day… how fortunate I am that I was the one who discovered you.”
For being able to contribute to this genius’s growth.
For being able to watch this genius grow.
He thanked heaven every single day.
“I mean it.”
“Teacher.”
Johann, whose heart was also trembling, hugs him tightly, and people watch them warmly.
“What will you do now?”
From now on, the whole world will be looking for Johann. From collaboration requests to invitations to VIP events in various European countries. The White House will contact him too.
This is the power of winning one of the world’s three major competitions.
Moreover, Johann is a genius among geniuses who won both Queen Elizabeth and Tchaikovsky. He’ll be overwhelmed.
“Well? For now…”
Whirrrr!
Johann closes his mouth as he crosses the opening immigration gate.
Flash flash flash flash flash!
“Johann! Please look this way!”
“How do you feel about winning both Queen Elizabeth and Tchaikovsky!”
“Kyaaa-! Johann!”
“…Wow.”
Johann grinned as he saw Charlie from California Journal waving his arms enthusiastically and the Paparazzi making tearful faces.
It was already chaotic.
* * *
“You’re going to work right away without resting?”
“It’s not good for a CEO to rest too often.”
Not just Larry, but Ada feels the same way.
“Mm. Alright. See you tonight.”
Hug!
Larry and Ada embrace Johann as he turns around reluctantly.
“Good job. We’re proud of you, our Son.”
Thump!
The word “son” that he hears occasionally strikes his heart especially hard today.
“…Yeah.”
“Rest. Let’s eat something delicious for dinner.”
“In-N-Out. Chick-fil-A.”
“Haha! Yes! I’ll have it delivered when I get off work.”
“Larry. Ada.”
“Yeah?”
Squeeze!
This time Johann embraces them.
“Thank you. For becoming my Father and Mother.”
Thump!
“You, you?”
“Have a good day. I’ll wait at House.”
“Uh, uh…”
Johann turned around and got in a taxi, and Ada sat down covering her face. Tears also flow from Larry’s eyes.
The first time hearing these words since rescuing 11-year-old Johann from the Forest and taking him as their Child.
Father, Mother.
Has he finally completely accepted them?
Larry, with a trembling smile on his lips, pulls Ada into a tight embrace.
Good job. You worked hard too.
“Why are you crying on such a good day.”
On the day they’ve been waiting for 6 years.
“You expected he’d tell us someday.”
Because Johann is kind.
Because he always treated them as parents.
“But… but!”
Even though she expected it, hearing the word “mother” makes her unable to control her emotions. Though it was a moment she’d been waiting for so long, it was even more overwhelming because it was so sudden.
“Let’s do better.”
Until the words Mother and Father come easily from Johann’s mouth someday.
“Yeah…”
The two shared the warmth of memories and promises while holding each other tight.
“…Let’s buy that chicken soup and hamburger for dinner, Larry.”
“The chicken soup Johann first ate when he came down from the Forest and the hamburger he ate at the Department Store?”
“Yeah.”
“Good.”
The chicken soup will be hard to get since they ate it at a restaurant in a different state than California, but they could manage it with effort.
They could also buy the hamburger sold at the Department Store Food Court where they first met Emily and Edward in advance.
Tonight’s dinner will probably be quite meaningful.
“See you tonight.”
“Have a good day.”
“…Haha.”
It was the same greeting as usual, but something felt vastly different.
The two awkwardly smiled, hugged each other once, then climbed into a taxi as if fleeing.
* * *
“I told you to follow me. I said I’d pay for the plane ticket.”
“Ugh.”
“See you next time.”
Johann patted the disappointed paparazzi on the shoulders and entered his house, where the employees greeted him with applause.
After greeting each of them individually, Johann went up to his room and threw himself onto the bed.
Thud!
“Ah, home.”
The familiar scent of home that he always smelled. My room.
The tension that had stiffened his entire body finally relaxed.
“The words did come out suddenly though….”
Words that had always been in his heart but wouldn’t come out easily. He didn’t know why he had kept such simple words hidden for so long.
‘Well, there were many reasons….’
He must have matured a little himself.
Perhaps that’s why he felt excited rather than surprised. Tonight, he would meet with the two who had grown a little closer.
‘So just a little….’
Just rest like this for a bit, then take a shower.
Soon, small snoring sounds came from Johann’s nose as he closed his eyes.
* * *
“That kid came back, right?”
“Yes. He went upstairs a while ago.”
“Thank you. Good work.”
Emily, Flash, and friends who had rushed over as soon as school ended quickly ran up to the 3rd floor and flung open Johann’s room door.
“Hey! If you arrived, you should report immediately….”
Flash started to speak but closed his mouth. The other friends did the same.
‘How exhausted must he have been….’
To fall asleep with only half his body on the bed like that.
“…Help me out.”
“Okay.”
At Emily’s words, the guys moved to lift Johann and lay him properly on the bed, while Emily sat beside him and stroked his head.
“He’s not waking up even with all this.”
Johann, who would normally wake up at the slightest touch.
“Good job.”
For the past month and a half. Including the preparation period before that.
Emily gently stroked Johann’s head, and the Flashes watching her looked around Johann’s room, which they seemed to be entering after a long time.
“Still nothing here.”
A clean space with nothing but a desk, wardrobe, laptop, TV, and a few books on the desk – not even a single poster.
A bedroom that existed almost solely for sleeping.
“What does it matter, the entire 3rd floor is his room.”
All the other things that should be in a bedroom were scattered throughout the entire 3rd floor.
“Geez. This kid fell asleep leaving his trophy and violin out.”
“Was the violin in the third room on the right side of the corridor?”
“The trophy is in the big room on the left.”
“Anyone want snacks?”
“We’ll go get some.”
“Then I’ll find some games to play.”
Board games or something since we can’t be noisy.
They scattered quickly as if it were their own home.
“When did these guys come? And why are they sleeping?”
Johann opened his eyes and looked at his friends sprawled out sleeping here and there in his bedroom.
Board games and snacks scattered among them.
“I must have been really tired.”
It must have been noisy, but seeing that he didn’t wake up, he must have been very tired. Honestly, even now he wasn’t fully awake.
‘Is it because I used up to my limit capacity after so long?’
The egos had been powerful indeed.
Johann looked at Emily sleeping peacefully beside him. Seeing her after two weeks, her face looked even prettier.
‘Well, is this okay?’
Since he didn’t wake her up, it should be fine.
‘Let’s sleep a bit more.’
Johann pulled her into his arms and closed his eyes again.
* * *
“I’m off!”
The next day, Johann greeted everyone, got in the car, and headed to school.
Congratulations to student Johann Jefferson on winning the Queen Elizabeth International Competition and Tchaikovsky International Competition Piano Division!
Fairmont Educational Foundation Chairman, Fairmont High School Faculty and Staff.
“Wow.”
Johann and Emily’s eyes widened at the large banner hanging at the school gate.
“The world’s top 3 competitions really are different.”
Fairmont High School students, with their extensive curriculum, clubs, and support for the arts, often achieved good results in competitions not only in America but throughout Europe.
Even so, related content had only been posted on the lobby bulletin board before – this was the first time a banner had been hung at the main gate.
“Oh, did you hear? That person Thomas Rife who competed with you in the Queen Elizabeth finals is from LA.”
“Oh, really?”
He remembered the face. The white man who had been following around Siyoung Lee, who finished 11th, trying to do something about it.
“Didn’t you exchange greetings?”
“Not really? The Music Chapel has a structure that makes it hard to make friends.”
Since everyone’s a rival.
“If you hadn’t become friends with Norman and Philip during the 3rd preliminary round, it would have been tough, right? Or maybe not?”
Norman probably would have knocked on his door first at the Music Chapel.
“Oh, you mean those guys who look like puppies?”
Norman and Philip, who placed 2nd and 3rd.
“Philip looks like a puppy?”
“A Doberman.”
“…Oh. He does.”
The sleek appearance and always serious expression were similar.
“Hehe. Right? Oh, how was Moscow?”
Moscow, Russia, where the Tchaikovsky International Competition was held.
“Moscow? Red Square was impressive.”
Red Square where the Kremlin Palace, home to the Russian President, is located.
We were pressed for time so we only looked around Red Square, but I could see why it’s famous as a tourist destination.
“It was June so the sky was blue, and though the temperature felt chilly, it was just right.”
Many tourists and Moscow citizens walked around creating pleasant noise, selling accessories and various goods.
The most impressive thing was Saint Basil’s Cathedral that appears in the Tetris game.
Ceiling murals, paintings, and decorations filled with Russia’s unique colors. If you feel familiarity with the exterior and go inside, you’ll find yourself naturally becoming reverent.
“You’re not talking about the food?”
“Ah, there was this food called shashlik…?”
Johann, who was parking in an empty spot in the parking lot, blinked as he looked at the entrance of the main building.
The crowd gathered at the entrance and two people standing in front of them.
“Isn’t that person the Chairman?”
“Next to him is the Principal.”
The two people smiled brightly as they saw Johann’s car.
“They seem to have been waiting for you to come.”
“Let’s get out.”
“Yeah.”
As the two got out of the car and approached, Fairmont’s young Chairman spread both arms wide.
“Hahahaha! Our Fairmont’s pride! Holy Knight! Young fortress! Student Johann Jefferson! Let me hug you!”
‘He’d be upset if I refused, right?’
Johann opened his mouth as he was embraced.
“Thanks to your support, Chairman, I was able to return with the results I wanted. I’m glad I could raise the school’s honor.”
“…Uhahahaha! I knew student Johann would leave such big footprints! That’s why I allowed the pamphlet production during elementary school!”
‘Oh! So that’s what happened.’
“Thanks to that, my girlfriend was able to debut as a model. Thank you.”
“Oh, is that so? Oh my. Please accept this.”
A huge bouquet that could barely be held with both arms.
“We’re planning a separate award ceremony tomorrow for the plaque and scholarship, so don’t be disappointed.”
“How could I be? This bouquet is more than enough.”
“So modest too!”
The Chairman’s mouth stretched wide.
He had won at two of the world’s three major competitions. Johann, who had consistently raised the school’s honor since age 11 through hymn restoration, founding Saint Rock, fundraising activities, and winning two Grammy Awards.
With such a student being this modest too, the Chairman couldn’t help but feel good.
‘I’m glad I didn’t make him skip grades!’
If he had listened to the high school and middle school principals back then and forced him to skip grades, all these achievements would have belonged to the university Johann would have attended.
He could hear it. The sound of parents’ calls pouring in a few months later to transfer their children to Fairmont, to enroll them.
“If you need anything, tell me anytime. I’ll do everything I can!”
“Haha. Thank you.”
“Oh my. I’ve been keeping a busy student for too long. Go on in, go on.”
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Let’s go, Principal.”
“Yes, Chairman!”
As the two left, the gathered students approached with shining eyes.
Johann licked his lips.
“Autograph? Photo?”
“Both!”
“Tell us some stories from your bag!”
What happened in Belgium and Moscow.
Some were even holding out phones with recording apps turned on like reporters. They were student reporters from Fairmont High School’s newspaper club and Wolfie.
* * *
“I thought you wouldn’t be able to concentrate after winning big competitions…”
“Hahahaha!”
“Don’t laugh! You guys don’t even know content that a friend who couldn’t study for a month and a half knows!”
“…”
“Sigh. Johann.”
“Yes, Teacher.”
“Welcome back to school.”
“Thank you?”
Something sounded strange, but the teacher gave a thumbs up and left the classroom.
Murmur murmur.
“Flash! All classes are over today, what do you want to do?”
“Uh… I have to go to the department store with Mother today? I need to buy Father some clothes.”
“Ah? What about Mason?”
“I have academy… After that, another academy… Ugh, life really.”
“Yeah. I’m sorry.”
“I also have extra cheerleader practice today. Mother will come pick me up in the evening.”
“Emily, you too?”
As if they had planned it, all his friends had appointments.
He felt a bit disappointed, but since it was also his fault for running around looking for new experiences, Johann had no choice but to nod.
“Sorry. I should have told you in advance…”
“No.”
‘Thanks to this, I thought of a place to go.’
James Han, presumed to be another owner of the library.
While contacting not only the library but various places, he had finally found traces of him recently. Since he had time like this, he should probably go there.
“See you tomorrow.”
Johann, who kissed Emily’s lips, turned around.
* * *
Screech!
Rick Bottom, stopped in front of the stop line, looked at the sky beyond the windshield.
“It’s been a while.”
Since just the two of them rode in the car like this.
Since he held the steering wheel.
“That’s right. It feels awkward and empty.”
The feeling that the car interior, which was always full, had become empty.
‘Emily’s place is this big.’
Johann, who realized anew that he loved Emily this much, smiled faintly, and Rick Bottom, seeing that, also smiled and started the car.
The place where they stopped was in front of a building on the outskirts of LA.
‘To think I’d come here again.’
A wide lawn and a five-story red brick building.
Johann read the plaque on the open gate pillar.
“Veterans’ Home.”
The LA Veterans’ Home where he had come with 11-year-old Martha Argerich.
‘To think there’s someone here who knows James Han.’
Could there be such a coincidence?
In a situation that felt like destiny, Johann chuckled and headed toward the building.
“Visitor registration is… huh?”
A large Black middle-aged female nurse was surprised to see Johann.
“It’s you, right?”
“It’s been a while, Nurse.”
“Oh, my goodness!”
That’s right. Her memory wasn’t wrong. It was the small boy who had come with pianist Martha Argerich 6 years ago and performed a miracle.
Wolf knight Johann. The founder of Saint Rock.
The reincarnation of Paganini and Rachmaninoff.
“You don’t know how much I’ve wanted to meet you!”
The war veterans who regained their senses after Johann’s performance. Since then, the Veterans Home had changed in many ways.
“Can you see it?”
“My goodness.”
Only then does Johann look around inside the building and make a surprised expression.
“The interior…”
“Ho ho ho! Everything has been changed to the style that was popular between the 40s and 50s.”
-Bam! Ba-ra-ra! Bam! Bam!
“The songs are also from that era.”
Moreover, Professor Richard from Stanford University consistently sends newly developed nutritional supplements.
‘I suppose they’re made from those substances.’
Nutritional supplements that don’t have as strict screening conditions as pharmaceuticals. It seems they want to start with supplements first to collect data.
‘This person knows that too.’
Her eyes are saying just that.
“So that’s why…”
That’s why he can feel strength from the elderly people passing by.
Among the elderly, there are far more people not using canes than those who are. Suddenly, a sense of pride washes over him.
“Oh right. What brings you here today? Perhaps…”
Johann shakes his head at the nurse who is subtly expectant.
“Could I meet Mr. Ethan Burrow?”
“Mr. Ethan?”
Ethan Burrow.
He was the oldest person at the LA Veterans Home.
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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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