Become A Music Monster Overnight! [EN]: Chapter 139

The Music Monster Overnight! Episode 130

Chapter 40. Bell

As expected, this event created a bigger stir than anyone imagined.

You could tell just by looking at the accolades attached to YC’s name.

-Voted Sexiest Star in the World for 3 Years Running!

-The Musician Most Universally Recognized by Pop Music Critics Worldwide!

-The Most Famous Star in the World!

Innumerable other accolades followed his name.

Every product he wore, ate, or used sold out, making YC the most valuable celebrity in the world, surpassing even top sports stars.

Some even said that YC Revolution grew so rapidly because he was endorsing it.

Yet, getting YC to film an advertisement was extremely difficult.

He is the wealthiest musician in the world.

This was the case even excluding the YC Entertainment headquarters, which was about to go public, so it was impossible to entice him with ordinary amounts of money or conditions.

That’s why so many Hollywood productions were sending him offers.

Putting everything else aside, just using his immense fame alone would guarantee a movie’s success.

And now, he was set to appear as the villain in a superhero movie that was causing much controversy and a huge ripple in the film industry.

This was a topic no reporter could ignore, and an event that even non-fans couldn’t help but watch with great interest.

This was because the risk of playing a villain, who could potentially damage his image, was significant, unlike playing a hero.

Of course, it wasn’t all high risk.

Considering that the actor who played the Joker in the Dark Knight series, leaving it as his final work, was recognized as the best actor for that one role, the potential for high reward was significant.

The fans of D Comics were the most excited about the news of the film production of the new Dark Knight series, ‘King of Arrogance’.

-I don’t know who the director will be, but according to insiders, there’s a high chance it will be Director Bell.-

└Director Bell? Are you talking about the director who filmed the ‘Dark Knight’ series? Are you kidding me?

└You must have heard some nonsense. Director Bell’s status is worlds apart from what it was back then. How could the struggling D company bring him in?

└You never know. Did anyone even predict that YC would appear in ‘King of Arrogance’?

-If Director Bell really comes back, D Comics might be revived. I was so tired of M Comics’ childish tear-jerking shows lately.-

└Unbelievably, ‘Tan’ is already out! ‘Tan’ is supposed to be the ultimate villain among cosmic villains. Releasing him already is no different from selling the future to make money.

└Yeah. If they can’t fix the world they’ve created after this phase ends, they’re 100% doomed.

└Power inflation should be moderate.

└LOL. Have you seen Iron Mask’s transformation scene these days? They just end it with CG [Computer-Generated Imagery].

└Iron Mask should have a realistic metallic element even in its unique high-tech design. It’s just not the same.

-M company is done for. I heard they can’t afford the salaries of major characters like Iron Mask, so they’re just cutting them out. LOL.

└The era of D Comics is coming.

└YC, who has never failed in business or music, joining is a sign of potential.

-Did you hear? YC Film, a subsidiary of YC Revolution, was created this time? You can watch all the works from D Comics for just $5 a month.

└Oh! Really? I have to check it out.

Furthermore, the number of subscribers to YC Film, which opened in March 2017, was rapidly increasing.

This was because it included not only D company’s works but also content from all over the world, making it quite a spectacle.

In addition, YC Film was offering a 50% discount to Star Live members of YC Live, where you could listen to live chats with all the affiliated stars related to YC Entertainment.

Besides this, the ad-supported model was only $2, so those who knew about it readily subscribed.

The product itself was good, and when YC himself became the face of the service and started advertising in numerous media outlets around the world, he succeeded in securing nearly 100 million members in less than a month.

That being said, it was still an investment phase, so they were still seeing huge losses, but securing this many paying members in such a short time was a huge achievement.

As the world buzzed about YC’s moves, D company was working hard to bring in Director Bell.

* * *

Director Bell, a British-born American film director and screenwriter, owed much of his current status as a master to his father’s influence.

His father, Brenden, was a fairly well-known advertising executive, and he grew up traveling between England and the United States.

Thanks to this, he was among the first of his friends to see Star Wars, which captivated audiences worldwide.

Starting with that film, he developed an interest in film by watching the works of the master Steven Spielberg.

When his father, Brenden, realized that Bell had a great interest in film, he gave him a Super 8 camera for his 8th birthday, which allowed Bell to start making movies and playing with his friends from a young age.

Thanks to this experience, he worked as a camera operator after graduating from college, and then entered the film industry by releasing his first feature film, ‘Scorcher,’ which was filmed in a guerrilla style [low-budget, independent filmmaking].

His works were recognized for their mass appeal and professionalism, with a perfect combination of ingenious ideas, unique material, and tremendous directing skills.

Of course, even before filming the Dark Knight series, the conditions that D company offered to bring him in were extremely unconventional.

They gave him full creative control in the process of making a large-scale blockbuster film.

The reason they offered such conditions, which could be considered excessive, was that the prospects for the superhero movie business were different from what they are now.

Although it had faded compared to the past, there was still a strong perception that it was something for otaku [a Japanese term for people with obsessive interests, particularly in anime and manga] or children rather than for the general public.

So, in order to bring in Director Bell, who was also excellent in artistry, they had no choice but to offer such conditions.

As a result of shouldering such unconventional high risks, D company received a tremendous high return reward.

It was even said that if the actor who played the main villain in the Dark Knight series had not died, D company would have enjoyed a golden age no less than the current M company.

In any case, after filming the Dark Knight series, each of the works he released showed tremendous box office success, leading him to his current peak as a master.

Bringing him, who was being criticized for being too commercial, back into the superhero movie industry was not an easy task.

In reality, contrary to the rumors, experts were skeptical about Director Bell’s return to D Comics.

They believed that the probability of him, who was recognized as an excellent screenwriter, returning to the seemingly inferior superhero comics was extremely low.

But there were always unexpected things.

“Jones. You win.”

“Hahaha.”

At Director Bell’s declaration of surrender, essentially accepting the director’s position, Jones burst into laughter as if he knew it would happen.

Even though his laughter was annoying, Director Bell stared at the video being played on the tablet again with his characteristic stoic face.

The video he was watching was none other than scenes of YC in a music video that Jones had personally edited.

In fact, Director Bell was not going to accept this work, regardless of how good the ‘King of Arrogance’ project was.

As Jeff and Jones had feared, there was no actor suitable to play the role of ‘Jin’ in ‘King of Arrogance’.

The issues of race and age could be resolved by modifying the settings to some extent, but apart from that, he believed that it was impossible to convincingly convey the absurd ability of that noble lineage.

So, when he expressed his intention to refuse to his old friend Jones, Jones came to him as if he knew it would happen.

“Perhaps the problem is the role of ‘Jin’. You don’t have to worry about that. We’ve already found someone to take on the role.”

“You’ve found an actor to play ‘Jin’?”

“He’s also an investor who has invested as much as $300 million in this series.”

“Hmm.”

Bell frowned at the word investor.

He assumed that D company, which had not been doing well recently, was ultimately doing the one thing that should never be done in commercial films: letting money dictate casting.

So, just as he was about to firmly express his intention to refuse again without thinking any further, Jones handed him the tablet first and said.

“Let’s talk after you see him.”

Bell nodded because he sensed something unusual in his friend’s demeanor, who couldn’t hide his smile as if he was greatly amused.

And after watching the first video, he looked at Jones with surprised eyes.

“YC?”

“I was hoping you’d recognize him, and fortunately, it seems you do.”

Jones, who had been worried because Director Bell was surprisingly ignorant of anything outside of his specific areas of interest, was relieved.

Director Bell noticed his friend’s thoughts from his expression and showed an attitude of disbelief.

“For the past three years, I’ve been listening to mostly his music, except for film scores. If possible, I wanted to ask him to do the film score…”

But he gave up on that idea when he realized that the cost would be astronomical.

But if he ever had the chance, he wanted to entrust him with the production of film music.

The music he released each had a unique and innovative feel that was different from anything else out there.

“But has YC ever acted before?”

“LOL. Just watch it quickly.”

Jones chuckled at his friend’s sudden strange words.

Bell, feeling dumbfounded by his playful friend, silently turned his gaze to the tablet.

He didn’t know much, but he knew that the presence YC exuded was captivating.

“…”

The video that Jones had edited was a long video of over 30 minutes.

But after seeing it, Director Bell felt like he had watched 3 minutes, no, 30 seconds.

This was partly because Jones had edited only the highlights to constantly stimulate his interest, but more than that, the aura that YC exuded was too overwhelming.

After the video ended, Director Bell silently rewound it again.

Jones, as if he knew he would, took out his laptop that he had brought separately and started working on his pending tasks with a bored face.

How many times had he replayed it?

It was only when the sun was setting that Director Bell was finally able to take his eyes off the tablet, and Jones smiled at him.

Jones, who was happy that Director Bell had returned to D company, heard an unexpected request from him.

“There’s a condition. I want to work with the director who filmed this music video.”

“…You want to work with Director Hong?”

“As you can see, he has an incredible eye for visual storytelling. The fact that someone with such talent has been working alongside YC for so long means that there is no one else who can utilize YC as effectively. He will definitely be a great help in bringing ‘Jin’ to life. Bring him here. I need him.”

“…”

Jones was speechless.

This was because he never expected Director Bell to echo the condition that YC had set.

Director Bell, unaware of the situation, urged him again, and Jones then told him the story.

“Hahahaha!”

Director Bell laughed loudly when he heard the story.

He judged that if YC had said such a thing, Director Hong Euichan would have a more detailed understanding of YC’s aesthetic elements than he had expected.

“I have a good feeling about this project!”

Jones also had a good feeling about Director Bell’s energetic voice, so he gave a big smile.

After that, the two spent the whole night discussing the King of Arrogance project.