Chapter 31: The New Century's Wishes

S.E.S and Shinhwa debuted one after another, quickly becoming the talk of the town, and S.M. Entertainment was hailed as a star-making company. However, other companies, especially DSP, could not let S.M. grow unchecked.

Currently, S.M. Entertainment's performance was on the rise, with a strong momentum to claim the throne of the top talent agency. In contrast, DSP, which had long held the top spot, was relatively weaker.

Although DSP's overall strength was significantly higher than S.M.'s, given that DSP was founded in 1991 and S.M. in 1996, the five-year gap was a significant obstacle. In terms of overall strength, S.M. was far behind DSP, but in terms of new artists and groups, S.M. had gradually surpassed DSP.

When HOT debuted, DSP quickly countered with Sechs Kies, a well-trained and powerful group, to compete for the male group market. However, just a year later, Lee Soo-man launched S.E.S., and a few months after that, Shinhwa. More importantly, the quality of these two groups was on par with HOT, and from a male group perspective, Shinhwa was even more outstanding than HOT. Meanwhile, DSP's female group was still in the planning stages, and their second male group had not even begun to take shape.

Pressure breeds motivation. Perhaps feeling the pressure from S.M., two days after Shinhwa's debut, the long-silent DSP finally began to counter, launching its first female group, FIN.K.L.

FIN.K.L had one more member than S.E.S, consisting of Lee Hyori, Yoo Ji-hyun, Lee Jin, and Sung Yu-ri. Whether in terms of their fresh and beautiful appearance or their solid skills, they were on par with S.E.S. Within a few days of their debut, they overshadowed Shinhwa, and as the second female group after S.E.S, they received significant attention.

Perhaps because S.E.S had only debuted a few months earlier and had not yet established a strong fan base, the sudden emergence of FIN.K.L made them a formidable rival, becoming the most popular idol group at the beginning of 1998.

Competition drives motivation. Although FIN.K.L's debut put some pressure on S.M., it was not overwhelming. After all, S.E.S had debuted first and had a certain advantage. Thus, the two groups were in a state of mutual competition, neither able to overpower the other.

Lee Soo-man knew that success could not be achieved overnight. To claim the top spot, he needed to proceed step by step. His opponent was the former top agency, DSP, and to compete with them, he needed a meticulous plan. Lee Soo-man was already satisfied that S.E.S could hold its own against FIN.K.L. Moreover, as the first female group to enter the market, S.E.S had an advantage that would allow it to compete with FIN.K.L for a long time. During this period, Lee Soo-man had already planned a "secret weapon" to deal a blow to DSP—Shinhwa.

Although the first album did not perform well, it did not mean that Shinhwa would sink. Lee Soo-man mobilized all his connections, spent a lot of money, and hired top producers to create a unique style for Shinhwa, different from HOT, and to reposition the group.

S.E.S was just the first step in Lee Soo-man's plan to enter the female group market. Although it proved to be a deep pool, it was not a problem for the future. Shinhwa, however, was his most important group, and it would eventually replace HOT and become the top group in the company.

...

Despite the turmoil in the music industry, it did not affect the trainees who were diligently practicing in the basement. Lee Yun-jae continued to sweat it out in the basement and successfully advanced from Class C to Class B by the end of March.

Although he appeared twice in the debut documentary, it did not bring him any special benefits. No one at school recognized him, and even if someone had suspicions, they would dismiss them, thinking it impossible. The only person who knew this secret was Seo Ju-hyun.

Seo Ju-hyun did not know this secret at first, but one day, Lee Yun-jae gave her two autographed albums of S.E.S and Shinhwa. Although young, Seo Ju-hyun was a fan and had watched the debut documentary. When she received the albums, she quickly connected the dots and realized that the young boy in the documentary was Lee Yun-jae. Thus, Seo Ju-hyun "shared" Lee Yun-jae's secret.

However, this secret did not last long. Three months later, Lee Yun-jae passed the sixth-grade graduation exam and became a middle school student. From then on, his relationship with Seo Ju-hyun came to a temporary end.

When they met again, things had changed. One was a member of a supergroup, and the other was a forgotten former idol.

...

The 1998 financial crisis swept through Southeast Asia, including South Korea, causing significant economic losses. Many companies closed down, and workers were laid off. The crisis also affected the music industry, which had been booming but began to show signs of decline in 1998. 1998 was a turning point; before 1998, the music industry was in its golden age, but after 1998, it faced dark times.

For 12-year-old Lee Yun-jae, these issues were still distant. Compared to a year ago, he had grown taller, and the baby fat on his face had gradually disappeared. He still had his signature fringe, which had become his mark at S.M. Entertainment. The current trend was a middle part, but Lee Yun-jae always went his own way, not following the trend.

The debuts of Shinhwa and S.E.S did not significantly affect the trainees, but for Lee Yun-jae, it was a bit of an adjustment. After the debuts, he rarely saw the familiar seniors at the company, and after Shinhwa's debut, they moved to a new dormitory, leaving Lee Yun-jae to live alone in a spacious four-bedroom apartment.

...

Days passed, and Lee Yun-jae's skills improved through rigorous training. After entering Class B in late March, he successfully became the top student in Class B by the end of November, after seven months of hard work.

The trainees in Class B were significantly more skilled than those in Class A. During this period, Lee Yun-jae had achieved third place three times and second place twice but had never been first. Finally, after seven months of hard training, he defeated the other Class B trainees and became the top student. If he could achieve first place twice in a row, he would advance to Class A.

By the end of 1998, S.M. Entertainment did not recruit new trainees, only occasionally adding a few promising children to Class C to replace those who left or advanced to Class B. Overall, the number of trainees did not increase.

This decision was made after careful consideration by Lee Soo-man. Although S.E.S, Shinhwa, and HOT had become the pillars of S.M., S.E.S and Shinhwa were still immature and needed a year of stable development. The entertainment industry is complex, and a year in the industry is equivalent to four years outside. Lee Soo-man wanted to use this year to mature and grow S.E.S and Shinhwa. Especially S.E.S, with FIN.K.L as a rival, they had to work hard to compete.

Although Shinhwa's first album did not perform well, they remained active throughout the year, gaining a large fan base known as "Oranges." By the end of the year, after being crafted by top producers, Shinhwa's second album, featuring 13 songs with a focus on rap and dance, was completed and ready for recording. The recording process would take two months, and the album was expected to be released in early April 1999. For Shinhwa, the period from the end of 1998 to early 1999 was the most challenging, as they had to attend various events and record the album, keeping them extremely busy.

...

As 1998 came to an end, DR Entertainment entered the female group market, launching the four-member group BabyV.O.X in January 1999 (Note: There are conflicting reports about BabyV.O.X's debut year, either 1997 or January 1999, so I have chosen January 1999).

BabyV.O.X was DR Entertainment's first female group, and seeing S.M. and DSP dominate the market, DR ambitiously wanted a piece of the pie. However, it proved to be a tough market to enter.

Although BabyV.O.X's debut caused a stir, their album sales were not impressive, selling only 30,000 copies in the first 24 hours, far behind S.E.S's 100,000 and FIN.K.L's 80,000.

Nevertheless, the female group market entered a new era, no longer dominated by S.M. and DSP.

On April 4, 1999, fans eagerly awaited the release of Shinhwa's new album, "Millennium of Innocent Love," which was officially released, and the same day, Shinhwa appeared on KBS's new live music show, "Music Bank."

"Music Bank" was launched by KBS in 1998, similar to SBS's "Inkigayo," ending the monopoly of music shows by SBS.

On that day, Shinhwa performed their new album's lead single, "T.O.P," with a unique style of rap and dance, which became their highlight. The show achieved the highest ratings for "Music Bank" since its launch, with a 6.6% viewership.

That day, Shinhwa turned the tables. After a year of poor album sales, the second album sold 120,000 copies in a single day, double the total sales of their first album, washing away the shame of the previous year.

After a year of hard work, Shinhwa matured, transforming from a second-tier dance group to a top-tier group in the Korean music industry with the hit singles "T.O.P" and "YO!" from "Millennium of Innocent Love."

Shinhwa's success proved that Lee Soo-man's elite training program, as he had envisioned, would eventually lead S.M. Entertainment to become the top talent agency in Korea.

...

With Shinhwa on the path to stardom, Lee Soo-man began preparing to recruit more trainees.

On August 1, 1999, S.M. Entertainment held its first Starlight Casting System. Due to S.M.'s influence, the event attracted many aspiring stars, with over 5,000 participants, but Lee Soo-man planned to select only ten. The selection rate was 1 in 500, meaning only one person would be chosen from 500.

The event did not affect Lee Yun-jae, who continued his rigorous training. However, he did not know that his "single" life was about to end, and his first roommate would be among the participants.

Lee Yun-jae's first roommate was Kim Jun-su, who was selected as the top trainee in the first Starlight Casting System. Although Kim Jun-su was skilled, he was still far behind Lee Yun-jae. Despite the two-year age gap, they quickly became good friends, addressing each other informally.

Kim Jun-su was placed in Class C, while Lee Yun-jae had already advanced to Class A a month earlier. Lee Yun-jae often helped Kim Jun-su with singing and dancing, and time passed quickly.

On the night of December 31, 1999, at 11:50 PM.

"Yun-jae, when do you think we will debut?" On the last day of 1999, Lee Yun-jae and Kim Jun-su were on the balcony, welcoming the new century.

Lee Yun-jae looked at the city lights and shrugged, "I don't know... But I still have a lot to learn. Today, Mr. Yoo Young-jin said I can start learning songwriting and composing from tomorrow. It took me nearly three years to learn dance, singing, and instruments, and I finally reached the level to enter Class A and learn from Mr. Yoo... It wasn't easy!"

"You're lucky to learn from Mr. Yoo... I'm still in Class C, and it will take years to reach Class A... Debuting... It seems so far away!" Kim Jun-su sighed.

"With our skills, we will succeed one day... It's just a matter of time! Keep working hard... I hope we can debut together and form a group, that would be great!" Lee Yun-jae laughed.

His laughter echoed from the seventh-floor balcony, growing fainter.

Tick... The next second, the clock struck midnight, and the new century began, 2000 had finally arrived...

(PS: Today's update is 15,000 words, equivalent to five chapters. I need your support, please follow and recommend! I can't stand the lack of enthusiasm anymore!

2000 is a turning point. The first part introduces Lee Yun-jae's early relationship with S.M. and his background.

The development of relationships with groups like Girls' Generation and TVXQ will be woven into the story later. The next chapter will jump to the evening of December 13, 2007, marking the end of the tedious trainee era, and the story will become more exciting! The protagonist will finally take center stage!

From now on, I will aim for 3,000 words per day, with three updates, and each chapter will be 5,000 words, making it increasingly challenging to write.)

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