Become A Music Monster Overnight! [EN]: Chapter 137

Music Monster Overnight! Episode 128

Jeff, the president of D Corporation, knew the moment he saw the work ‘King of Arrogance’:

“This work will be the spark that revives our collapsing D Corporation.”

Jeff wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Everyone who saw ‘King of Arrogance’ thought the same thing.

“Jeff, this shouldn’t just be released as a comic book.”

Jeff nodded at the words of Jones, the head of DC Films. He’d been thinking the same thing, which was why he had delayed the publication for over two months since its completion.

The character of the King of Arrogance, the villain, was uniquely compelling.

Knowing this, he worried and eventually showed the work to Jones.

Jones immediately recognized the work’s value and became unusually enthusiastic.

He was eager to film it right away.

However, there was a problem.

“If we make this into a movie, can you actually film it properly?”

At Jeff’s question, Jones started to say he definitely could, but paused, speaking with some hesitation.

“It will be very expensive.”

“That’s right. Most of the battle scenes are in the city.”

“The CG work will be extensive.”

“It’s about recreating a forgotten ancient country, so we’ll have to bring in the best in the industry.”

“We need a big-name director. It would be best to get Bell, who directed the Dark Knight series.”

“I already looked into it. Director Bell doesn’t have any current projects. I think he’d definitely accept if he saw this.”

“And…”

When it came to the last piece of the puzzle for filming, Jones hesitated. Understanding his feelings, Jeff continued.

“And we need to find someone to play ‘Jin,’ the King of Arrogance.”

“Hoo~”

When Jeff mentioned the last, most troubling piece, Jones couldn’t help but sigh.

This would be the biggest obstacle to making the movie.

The noble lineage, which is essentially Jin’s power, couldn’t be achieved with modern CG technology that embodies all sorts of superpowers.

Noble lineage isn’t just about brainwashing people through indoctrination.

The innate dignity it provides inspires both terror and fervent support.

It was like dealing with a transcendent being, a god or a demon.

This was the core problem.

If there were concrete phenomena to depict, they could mix in flashy CG, but the key was conveying the dignity that gave off that transcendent feeling.

Even with the best actors, could they really convey that through acting alone?

Jones shook his head.

No way. Even with music and CG, they wouldn’t be able to let the audience experience the tremendous aura of the King of Arrogance.

‘If we change it to a hallucinogenic drug or something that causes pheromones…’

He even considered such elements, but quickly dismissed them.

The moment external factors are introduced, the King of Arrogance is no longer a king.

He’d just be a common villain caught up in delusions, and there’d be no reason to spend so much money to produce the King of Arrogance.

“…I’ll think about it for now.”

Jeff smiled wryly and nodded at Jones, who reluctantly agreed to keep considering it.

He understood Jones’s feelings better than anyone.

Less than a month into the new year, Jeff received a call from Jones.

“I found him!”

Jones’s sudden words lacked a subject, but Jeff knew what he meant.

“Is that true? You really found ‘Jin.’”

“Yes. He’s even Asian.”

“!!!”

The King of Arrogance ‘Jin’ was the king of a super-giant country that dominated vast Asia. Of course, ‘Jin’ had to be Asian.

“Who is it? Why didn’t I know such a person existed?”

“…I don’t think you wouldn’t know him, Jeff.”

“Really? I know him too?”

“Yes. There’s no way you wouldn’t. He is one of the most watched people in the world.”

“…Could it be YC?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“…Hmm.”

YC, the vocalist of Black Tiger, the most influential band in the world right now.

He also achieved an unprecedented 18 weeks at number one with Painkiller, a collaboration with Marvin, the leader of the legendary band Painkiller.

Jeff, who wasn’t very interested in music, was aware of Painkiller’s influence on modern popular music.

Rock was reviving, just like in his younger days.

Some even said that if Mozart were reincarnated and made modern music, this is what it would be like. His musical genius had been proven countless times.

His bewitching charm, which effortlessly overcame the limitations often placed on Asian artists, had also been verified.

It was only natural that he had become the most watched artist in the world.

Even if you only consider his talent as an artist, it was amazing, but the empire that YC had built was even greater.

Every project he touched was a huge success.

It was common to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on marketing and still struggle to get on the Billboard Hot 100, but most of the artists produced by YC effortlessly made it onto the chart.

Considering that Jamie, the most beloved female singer in the United States, was among them, his talent for designing the entertainment side was incredible.

However, what Jeff found truly amazing about YC was the unexpected project he started last year.

That was the YC Revolution [a social media campaign or movement].

The strategy to grow the YC Revolution to the point where it was currently ranked 10th in SNS [Social Networking Service] rankings in 2017 was chilling.

The strategy of being blatantly commercial while not making the public feel that way was beyond amazing.

Even if he didn’t know the details, it was obvious that if YC’s headquarters, which had been talked about since the end of last year, went public, the world’s corporate rankings would change.

The listed YC U.S. branch alone was doing so well that it exceeded the total value of M Corporation.

Jones was saying that he wanted to bring the head of such a company and make him a villain, not a superhero.

‘My head is already throbbing.’

Jeff realized once again that Jones was an artist, not a businessman.

Knowing or not knowing his thoughts, Jones continued in an excited voice.

“It will be difficult, but there is a chance. According to sources, YC is a fan of the Dark Knight.”

“I don’t know how you found that out, but this is not possible. Even if we put everything else aside, he has been saying for a long time that he has no connection with Hollywood. Do you think he will change his mind?”

Any movie director would be thrilled by someone as inspiring as YC.

However, YC had consistently rejected all offers, including those from world-renowned masters.

Jones immediately became depressed at Jeff’s words, but finally continued.

“But… we can’t film this King of Arrogance without YC.”

It was a gloomy tone, but Jones spoke with more conviction than ever before.

Jones had watched all of YC’s works over the past ten days.

He must have watched the music video scenes he appeared in more than a thousand times.

He felt chills every time he watched the brilliant struggle music video he took when he made his Billboard debut.

He knew that the transcendent being that the King of Arrogance was meant to be actually existed.

“You didn’t use any CG or filters?”

What was really scary was this fact. He made it possible only with his presence, which was something even Jones, who had been in the film industry for a long time, couldn’t understand.

“He is ‘Jin’ himself!”

Jones finally came to that conclusion.

So he called Jeff with an excited heart, but the answer he received was a cold dose of reality.

“Jeff, please. I need YC. If you want, I’ll even sign a lifetime contract. Please make this happen.”

At his earnest request, Jeff couldn’t refuse, even though he knew it wasn’t possible.

After that, Jeff heard the news that YC was on a break after the end of his European tour and mobilized all his connections to meet with President Taylor [likely YC’s manager or head of his company].

He hoped that this project would be conveyed through him.

If YC was a fan of the Dark Knight as Jones said, he thought that he could at least start with that.

‘May God help me…’

Fortunately, the being called the god of music answered him as he earnestly sought divine help.

“I want to meet him.”

Jeff and even Jones were in an uproar at YC’s answer, which came sooner than expected.

* * *

“Ah!”

“…Umm.”

Jeff and Jones, who faced YC’s real appearance for the first time, not through the media, momentarily stopped thinking.

YC showed an aura that was more tremendous than they had imagined. They unintentionally showed rudeness and hurriedly apologized, but YC accepted their apology as if it were nothing.

The more he showed such an attitude, the more impatient Jeff and Jones became.

The existence that effortlessly revealed that arrogant yet generous dual nature was truly the King of Arrogance ‘Jin’ himself.

In fact, Youngchan was deliberately projecting his aura at the meeting with Jeff and Jones.

It wasn’t a sudden personality change.

Rather, the more he learned about D Corporation, the more attractive their works became.

He was even considering acquiring the company as a whole if possible, a thought that resurfaced.

However, after learning that D Corporation’s governance structure was complicated, he regretfully gave up.

It would require an investment of over $6 billion to make the acquisition possible, and even that was the minimum.

So, the best deal he could make now was to contract their content, including the King of Arrogance series, with YC Films.

Knowing that even N Corporation, a global conglomerate, was aiming for it, he had to make this contract happen no matter what.

Youngchan pressured them by showing his aura to gain the upper hand.

Of course, he only found out later what kind of results that would bring.

After their initial surprise, Jeff and Jones calmed down and refocused on the conversation.

Youngchan spoke first.

“I enjoyed the King of Arrogance. It was really amazing. If these works are made into movies, it seems that they could threaten M Corporation’s dominance.”

“Thank you.”

Jeff and Jones were excited that Youngchan valued the King of Arrogance so highly, but their excitement faded as Youngchan continued.

He only expressed interest in YC Films using the King of Arrogance series and D Corporation’s future works.

As expected, Youngchan wasn’t considering appearing in the movie at all.

In the end, Jeff and Jones had to reveal their true intentions.

“You may know this, but the actor who plays ‘Jin’ is crucial to the success of the King of Arrogance. The problem is that there is no way to properly portray this ‘Jin’ right now.”

“??”

Youngchan was confused by the statement that it was difficult to produce the King of Arrogance while mentioning ‘Jin,’ but he was even more surprised by what followed.

As they said in the letter, they wanted him to play the role of ‘Jin.’

“To be honest, this work cannot be released to the world unless it is you, YC.”

“……”

Finally, when they said that the production of the King of Arrogance itself might be canceled if he didn’t participate, Youngchan couldn’t simply refuse as he had in the past.

This was not only because it was attractive as a business opportunity, but also because of his fanboy love for the Dark Knight.