Rewind With A Superstar System

Chapter 175: Acting Talents

<🎧 Song Recommendation: Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne>

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"Sofie..."

Von was more than surprised to see her standing there. He quickly swallowed the bite of his burger, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

He remembered her clearly from her quarter-final exit in Project: Star. Since that elimination, they hadn’t remained in contact at all.

It was completely normal. Von barely knew her, aside from the one time they had performed together as a team, and the fact that she had been close friends with Aura.

So, seeing her standing in the doorway of a billionaire’s private jet was a big surprise. He had no idea she had made the jump into the Hollywood industry.

"I can’t believe you’re here! Oh my god, I might go crazy!" Sofie screamed again, her hands flying up to cover her mouth. Her eyes were wide behind her round glasses.

The bearded man standing next to her patted her shoulder. He leaned down and whispered through his teeth, though Von could hear him clearly in the quiet cabin.

"Stop being a fangirl, Miss Taylor. You’re embarrassing me."

He looked back at Von and walked closer. Instead of reaching out his hand, he extended his elbow for a greeting, keeping with the protocols everyone was getting used to.

"The myth himself, Von Varley. The humble one greets you," the bearded man said with a slight, dramatic bow. "The name’s Harry Potter."

"Cool meeting you, Harry," Von replied. He found the guy’s formality a bit hilarious, but he leaned forward and connected elbows respectfully.

Von then turned his gaze to the girl still standing by the door.

"What a surprise to see you too, Sofie. How’ve you been doing?"

"A surprise?!" Sofie finally stepped fully into the cabin, shaking her head.

"No, Von, it’s way more shocking that you’re starring in a movie after all the crazy stunts you’ve been pulling out with your music lately. You’ve been breaking the internet every other week."

"She makes a good point," Harry added from the side, nodding his head in agreement.

Von laughed at the situation, leaning back into his leather chair. He raised his hand in denial.

"You guys are jumping to conclusions way too fast. I’m not starring in anything yet. I’m simply going to audition."

"An audition via Leviathan’s personal jet?" Sofie raised her eyebrow in shock. She clearly wasn’t buying a single word of his excuse. She pointed a finger at him.

"My audition was over a Zoom call in my bedroom, Von."

Von just shrugged his shoulders, picking up his drink. "It’s not that way. I’m auditioning for the Male Lead. Zoom won’t cut it for the chemistry read."

Sofie and Harry immediately turned to look at each other upon hearing Von’s words.

Sofie dramatically rubbed her eyes behind her glasses, acting as if she were holding back tears. Her voice cracked perfectly.

"It took me over a year of toiling in terrible commercials and standing in the background as an extra just to finally get my first main cast role. Meanwhile, there you are, on course to conquer the music charts and Hollywood at the exact same time."

Harry pulled her into a sudden side hug, giving her gentle pats on the shoulder. He spoke in a somber, comforting tone.

"There, there. Life is deeply unfair to the talented, Miss Taylor. We just have to survive the injustice."

Von found the two of them highly entertaining. They were already showing off their acting prowess right there in the cabin, effortlessly slipping into a dramatic scene just for a joke.

"You two are quite a handful, huh?" Von said, matching their energy with a grin. He set his drink down. "What are your roles, anyways?"

"Camila’s bad friend, Bella!" Sofie was the first one to announce it. Her playful, dramatic pout instantly morphed into a sharp, bad-girl smirk that made Von chuckle.

Von nodded. Thanks to his reading session earlier, he knew exactly who Bella was. She was the best friend who ended up sleeping with Camila’s mafia boyfriend, setting off the main conflict of the story.

"And I’m your best friend," Harry responded, throwing a playful wink at Von.

Von blinked, a genuinely confused expression crossing his face. He looked at the massive, thick beard covering Harry’s face. He knew the script. Aiden’s best friend was a younger student from his old neighborhood.

"You’re playing Gary? Man, that’s unexpected."

"No need to worry!" Harry laughed heartily, stepping back. His laugh was much different from earlier, this time it had a more childish and annoying tone. Almost like how Max would laugh.

I"Once me beard is gone, you gon’ see a completely different me!"

Von found the sudden shift in his tone amusing and incredibly impressive. He was a truly experienced actor to be this capable of changing his entire personality in a split second.

Curious, Von decided to test out his System. He focused his eyes on the two actors standing in front of him and mentally activated his skill.

[Inspect]

[Name: Sofie Taylor]

[Acting: B]

[Name: Harry Potter]

[Acting: B+]

"Wow," Von muttered outwardly, his eyes slightly widened. He didn’t know why his instincts had told him to try the skill in this situation, but the results were something he had never seen before.

The System didn’t just grade music and stats; it was now grading acting talent, too. Seeing a solid B and B+ made him realize that the competition in Hollywood was going to be tough.

Harry coughed politely to break the brief silence, assuming Von was just impressed by his voice change.

"I’m glad you admire my skill," Harry said, dropping the childish voice and returning to his normal, deeper tone.

"Don’t be offended, but is this your first movie project? I’m a big fan of your songs, but I never heard you were into acting until we met now. I did see your recent music video, though. That’s also why I’m asking."

"Nope, no offense taken. This is my first real shot at it," Von said honestly. "But it’s cool hearing you’re a fan of the music. What’s your favorite track?"

At that moment, the flight attendant walked past. Sofie and Harry moved down the aisle and took their respective seats, which were a few feet apart from each other across the cabin.

Once he was buckled in, Harry looked back over his seat. "I really love Masquerade. It’s a classic. But I’m honestly starting to love Far Away more. The music video completely captivated me. The acting in it was intense. I’ll say it’s a solid number two on my playlist."

"Aww, man. That’s so sweet to hear," Von said with a tearful gaze that looked out of place with his persona.

"Huh? Are you really crying?" Sofie quickly stood up, grabbing the back of her seat. She looked at him closely, her eyes squinting in scrutiny.

Von reached up and casually wiped off the single tear he had easily drawn out by activating his [Emote] skill. He dropped the emotional face instantly, returning to his usual lazy smirk.

"Hell nah. Of course not," Von laughed.

On the other side of the aisle, Harry leaned back in his seat. He nodded his head slowly, a look of genuine approval on his face.

’He’s really good,’ Harry thought to himself.

Before they could continue their conversation, the overhead speakers chimed with a sharp beep. The pilot’s voice filled the cabin.

"Welcome aboard, Miss Taylor and Mr. Potter. Cabin crew, please prepare the cabin for departure. Passengers, please ensure your seatbelts are securely fastened. We are now cleared for takeoff to Los Angeles. There will be no more stops on this flight, so brace yourselves for the final leg of the trip."

Like the others, Von did as instructed. It was almost time to finally get to the City of Angels.