Rewind With A Superstar System-Chapter 58: Secret Meeting

<🎧 Song Recommendation: After Hours by charlieonnafriday>

...

(Friday, 26th April, 2019)

Von sat at his small desk with headphones clamped over his ears, his phone propped up against a stack of books. On the screen, a YouTube video titled "Songwriting 101: Structure and Hook" played, a cheerful instructor explaining the difference between a pre-chorus and a bridge.

Von scribbled notes furiously, his brow furrowed in concentration. He had the drive, but the technical know-how was still something he had to claw for.

"Von."

The voice cut through the headphones. Von pulled one ear cup back and turned around. Zack was sitting on his bed, looking up from his laptop with a bright smile.

"You busy?" Zack asked.

"Always," Von muttered, tapping his pencil on the desk. "Trying to figure out how to make a certain song. What’s up?"

"Check your email," Zack said, leaning back against the wall with a satisfied sigh. "Or I can just tell you the good news. Mr. Finch just sent over a formal withdrawal of the claim. The lawsuit is dead... Officially."

Von froze. The pencil stopped tapping. He spun his chair around fully. "Wait, seriously? Just like that?"

"Just like that," Zack confirmed. "I assume their sponsor got cold feet after Leo refused to cooperate. Without the client’s signature, Finch had nothing. He folded."

Von let out a breath. The weight on his chest vanished instantly. "Wow. Thank you, Zack. Seriously. I owe you my a lot."

Zack waved it aside. "But honestly, you have more than me to thank. Midnight Pulse are real ones for not dragging this out. Leo could have made this messy if he wanted to be petty. He chose the music over the money."

Von rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You’re right. He admitted he liked my version. He admitted he never finished his."

A thought struck him then, a bold, slightly reckless idea that felt right.

"You know what?" Von said, standing up. "When I record the studio version of Coming Home... I’m going to involve them. I’ll credit Leo as a co-writer, and maybe even feature the band on the track."

Zack’s mouth dropped open in genuine awe. "Wow, Von... Is this really you? Sharing credit on your breakout hit?"

Von shrugged it away, feeling a little embarrassed by the praise. "It’s not a big deal. Leo also had an original spark. It feels fair. Plus, their indie sound might be the secret ingredient to making the song a hit. It’s good karma, right?"

"It’s smart business," Zack agreed, nodding with respect. "Keeps them happy, makes you look like a saint, and avoids any future legal trouble. I like it."

Von smiled, but his mind was already drifting back to the task at hand. The lawsuit was gone, but the Finale was still looming. He turned back to his desk, the blank pages mocking him.

"I need to get back to this," Von said. "I have a million-dollar song to write."

As Zack went back to his studies, Von took a deep breath and summoned the blue holographic screen that only he could see.

[SUPERSTAR SYSTEM — STATUS PANEL]

[BIO]

● Name: Von Varley

● Age: 18

● Class: Student

● Title: Street Performer

● System Level: 1

[STATS]

● Vocals: B- (145/300)

● Composition: F (0/10)

● Charm: C (0/300)

● Willpower: C- (0/300)

[PROGRESSION]

● Skills: Basic Instrument Mastery, Resonance (D), Emote (D-), Advanced Choreography Mastery (B)]

● EXP: 310

● Current Fans: 6121

● Quests: 2 available.

● Star Shop: 20 Vouchers, 1x Zone State (A)

Von sighed, staring at the numbers. His EXP was painfully low after buying the Chef skill, and seeing his fan count stagnate was disheartening. In fact, he noticed it had dipped slightly, losing three followers since yesterday. It was minimal, but it stung. The hype of the show was fading in the break week, and people were moving on.

"I need to level up," Von muttered. "Let’s see what this does."

He focused on the Composition stat. It was sitting at a pathetic F. He had relied on plagiarism for so long that he had neglected the actual craft of making music.

He mentally dumped all 310 of his EXP into Composition.

● Composition: D (90/100)

"Damn," Von hissed. "So close to a D+."

Still, the change was immediate. A subtle warmth spread through his mind, like a fog lifting.

Suddenly, words that had felt disconnected before started to form bridges. Rhyming schemes that had eluded him now seemed obvious. Musical notes didn’t just look like dots on a page; they felt like emotions waiting to be unlocked.

"This is... better," Von whispered, flexing his fingers.

He sat there for a moment, waiting for a divine bolt of inspiration to strike. He expected a full symphony to download into his brain.

But nothing happened.

The blank page remained blank.

Von realized with a sinking feeling that the stat boost didn’t give him ideas; it just gave him the tools. It was like buying a better hammer, it didn’t build the house for you. He still had to be the architect.

"Okay," Von said, cracking his knuckles. "I can do this. I have to do this."

He picked up his pencil. He didn’t have the genius-level connection of a pro songwriter yet, and he certainly couldn’t weave complex metaphors. But he had feelings. He had memories of a past life wasted, of regret, of losing everything.

He decided to lean into that. A sad ballad. Something about losing hope and finding it again.

He started writing.

The body’s gone from the floor,

I don’t know who I am anymore...

He paused. It was simple. Maybe too simple. He knew, deep down, that this song wouldn’t be a masterpiece. And when coupled with the fact Julian had better Vocals than him, it was a given this was as far as he could. And while it was sad, Von couldn’t do anything about that.

Unless a miracle happened, he was walking into the Finale with a knife to a gunfight.

"But I have to try," Von whispered to the empty room. "I’m not giving up this time."

***

(Tuesday, April 30th, 2019)

The days blurred together in a haze of writing, erasing, and rewriting. Von barely left the room, his obsession with the song consuming him.

He was jolted awake on Tuesday morning not by his alarm, but by a loud POP!

Von sat up, heart racing, only to be hit in the face by a shower of colorful paper confetti.

"Happy Birthday, bro!" Zack yelled, blowing a party horn that sounded like a dying goose.

Von blinked, wiping a piece of blue paper from his lip. "What the..."

"Get up, old man!" Zack laughed, tossing a small wrapped box onto Von’s lap. "You’re nineteen today! The big One-Nine! We decided that since you’re practically famous now, we aren’t doing a lame dorm party. We’re going out."

Von looked at the box, then at Zack. A slow smile spread across his face as the date registered. "Right. My birthday."

"And not just yours," Zack added, pointing to himself with a grin. "Mine too, remember?"

Von froze. "Wait. Today is your birthday too?"

Zack rolled his eyes playfully. "Yes, April 30th. We’re birthday twins. You really didn’t know?"

Von felt a pang of guilt. In his previous life, he had been so rude with Zack, he’d never bothered to learn his roommate’s birthday.

"I... I’m sorry, Zack," Von said genuinely. "I honestly didn’t remember. Happy Birthday, man."

"Don’t sweat it," Zack waved it off. "You’ve had a busy year. Now get dressed. Naomi is meeting us downtown in an hour. We’re going to the pier."

***

The day turned out to be exactly what Von needed.

They met Naomi near the Bayside Marketplace. She was beaming, holding a small cake box and wearing a sundress that looked bright and cheerful against the Miami backdrop. When she saw them, she hugged Von first, then gave Zack a surprisingly warm hug too. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"Happy Birthday to both of you!" she cheered.

"You knew?" Von asked, looking at his sister.

"Of course I knew!" Naomi laughed. "Zack told me when he called to plan this."

They spent the entire afternoon acting like kids. They ate overpriced ice cream, played arcade games where Von used his [Advanced Choreography Mastery] to absolutely destroy Zack on the Dance Dance Revolution machine, and walked along the pier watching the boats.

For a few hours, there was no pressure. Just three young people celebrating life.

As the sun began to set, painting the sky in hues of orange and purple, they sat on a bench overlooking the water.

"Thank you, guys," Von said softly, looking at the horizon. "I really mean it. This is the best birthday I’ve ever had."

"You deserve it, Von," Naomi said, resting her head on his shoulder. "Nineteen looks good on you."

"Yeah, well, don’t get used to the relaxation," Zack joked, though his tone was warm. "Tomorrow, it’s back to the grind. You have a finale to win in six days."

They said their goodbyes to Naomi, who had to catch a bus back to her apartment. Von and Zack headed back to the dorm, the adrenaline of the day slowly fading into a comfortable exhaustion.

Back in the room, Von went straight to the bathroom to wash up. He splashed cold water on his face, staring at his reflection in the mirror. He looked different than he did from the first day he went back, and it wasn’t just his body size. He was stronger and more determined, but above all, his violet eyes held a certain calm he always wished for. ’Beautiful...’

He dried his face and walked back into the bedroom, picking up his phone to check the time.

There was a new notification on the lock screen. A text message.

Von frowned. He didn’t recognize the number, but the preview text made him interested.

[Hey. It’s Julian. I just landed in Miami. If you’re free tonight... we need to talk. Meet me at the old lighthouse on Key Biscayne in an hour. Alone.]