While Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory continued its scorched-earth run across global box offices, the traditional Hollywood establishment was beginning to crack under the pressure. During a high-profile promotional event for the prestige drama Old Bones, a media outlet cornered the veteran director, Victor S..
"Director Victor, what do you have to say about the meteoric rise of Director Leo Vance? The box office for Hidden Inventory has already surpassed $1 Billion in just one short week, leaving all other seasonal releases in the dust!"
"Is the underwhelming performance of Old Bones due to the high quality of Vance's work taking over your market share?"
The reporter, known for her "vulture-like" questioning, didn't hold back. She was essentially telling the veteran that he was no longer the king of the mountain.
Victor felt a surge of cold fury. This film was his first major project in nearly three years, a comeback attempt intended to re-establish his dominance. He had invited the two top-tier A-List leads of the moment, paying them nearly $50 million combined just to appear. With production and marketing, the cost had bloated to over $800 million.
In the industry, a film needs to make three times its budget to be profitable. He had expected the film to cross the Billion Dollar Mark. A week later, he was sitting at a dismal $600 Million.
"Look," Victor said with a dismissive wave. "Vance is the flavor of the week. He's young, and in this town, luck is a hell of a drug. Let's see if he's still standing in ten years before we call him a peer."
His words were a transparent attempt to diminish Leo Vance's qualifications, framing the success of a masterpiece as a mere roll of the dice.
The reporter pushed harder. "But on the major review aggregates, Old Bones is sitting at a 5.9, while Hidden Inventory has hit a historic 9.2. How do you see those numbers?"
That was the fatal blow. Victor finally broke his composure. "How do I see it? From the rearview mirror as I drive away from this circus". He turned and stormed off-stage, leaving his publicists to deal with the fallout. He had always looked down on the younger generation, believing only he and a handful of other "Titans" could truly direct. That arrogance had prevented him from even watching the movie that was currently burying his career.
Celestial Peak Headquarters. Pre-Production Office.
Just seven days after the movie's release, Leo Vance had already pivoted. He wasn't interested in the bitter words of the "Old Guard." He was focused on the "April" deadline.
With the System's precision and his own obsessive supervision, the props and venues for his next project, Your Lie in April, were being finalized to a perfect standard. But the most crucial step was the casting of Kaori Miyazono.
Leo first held an internal audition. He wanted to keep the success "within the family" if possible. He looked at his roster of talented actresses: Ava, Bella, Jade, and Celine.
Bella had just wrapped up a historical drama that was set to release soon, and Ava was still riding the wave of being the Tragic Character. But after two days of internal auditions, Leo felt a gnawing dissatisfaction. None of them were "Kaori."
Kaori Miyazono was too dreamlike, a girl who was resilient, cheerful, and deeply considerate, yet hiding a secret that would shatter the viewer. She needed to look like she was made of sunshine and glass.
Finally, Leo made a decision. "Expand the search. Nationwide. Global, if we have to."
The next day, Celestial Peak Entertainment officially announced their new project: Your Lie in April.
The news caused a seismic shift in the industry. The Vance Factor was so strong now that any role in one of his projects was seen as a guaranteed ticket to the A-list. Fans and industry insiders had even coined a name for the actresses Leo had successfully launched: "The Vance Maidens." To be a "Vance Maiden" was to be the most sought-after talent in the country.
Two Weeks Later. 6:00 PM. Studio City, Burbank.
"I really don't know who can satisfy our Great Director's requirements," Lydia Chase sighed, sitting beside Leo in a hotel conference room. She looked at the mountain of actor profiles on his desk.
Two days ago, Leo had shown her the script. He had called it a "Healing Drama."
[The Story of a girl who loved a boy for 12 years, yet used an entire April to weave a lie of 'I don't love you'... and a love that ultimately transformed into a thin suicide note.]
After reading it, Lydia, Ava, and Celine had cried until their eyes were swollen. They weren't just sad, they were angry.
"Healing my ass," Lydia thought, blinking back tears. "This is a targeted emotional strike."
But she hadn't dared to say it. Leo was her boss now, and his creative vision was currently undefeated.
"The female lead is everything in this story," Leo explained, his brow furrowed as he scanned another profile. "It's a 'Large Female Lead' drama. If we miss the casting, the whole emotional architecture collapses. We need someone who can play the violin as if she's fighting for her soul."
Leo was fighting a strange obsession. Even if the System said he could train a mid-tier actress to an S-level performance, his heart wasn't in it. He wanted a "Natural" Kaori.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out at the doorway.
"Excuse me, Miss, it's 6:10 PM," a staff member's voice rang out, firm and professional. "The audition window is closed. Being late has consequences. Please leave."
"I'm sorry! I'm really, really sorry!" a girl's voice pleaded, sounding desperate and breathless. "I was delayed because of a flight cancellation! I know it's unreasonable, but please... I just want to try for one minute!"
Leo looked up, his interest piqued by the tone of the girl's voice. Through the frosted glass of the door, he could see the silhouette of a girl with beautiful, long blonde hair, bowing repeatedly.
In that split second, the "Six Eyes" of his intuition flickered.
"Let her in," Leo said quietly.
The door opened, and a girl stepped into the light. She looked a bit disheveled from travel, her eyes teary, but there was a light in her gaze that made the air in the room feel suddenly... like April.
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