Chapter 42: Stirring Desires

After a night had passed, while everyone was sound asleep, the video department administrator of Straw Hat Network was up all night.

"Wind Cloud Executioner," an ID that hadn't uploaded videos for a long time, suddenly caught the attention of many people, and they were all big shots. Names like HOT,神话 (Myth), Super Junior, Girls' Generation, BoA, and others. The number of clicks also increased dramatically. These abnormalities caught the administrator's attention. Last night at 8 PM, a video with a sudden surge in clicks appeared on his screen, and he couldn't sleep all night.

This administrator, who had been working for two years, could swear to the heavens that he had never seen a video with such a rapid increase in clicks. Perhaps on YouTube, it might happen, given that YouTube is a global platform. But Straw Hat Network is not; it mainly operates in South Korea and is virtually unknown abroad. Naver is a domestic industry, supported by the people.

For the website, any video with originality and high click rates can be featured on the homepage. Moreover, this "Wind Cloud Executioner" ID had the attention of many big stars. So the administrator, without hesitation, placed the video in the most prominent position on the homepage. From then on, things got out of control.

At 9 AM, the video was officially placed on the homepage, and the click rate soared to 80,000 in just one hour. Another hour later, the clicks not only didn't decrease but continued to increase, doubling to 160,000.

The administrator was so excited that he couldn't sleep. This wasn't some explosive news; it was just a self-shot video. Curious, he put on his headphones and started listening, only to be gradually drawn in.

What a great song! Truly a great song! The administrator sincerely praised it. After refreshing the page, he saw that the click rate had increased by another 1,200 in just eight minutes. This upward trend was terrifying.

The administrator decided to keep an eye on the click rate. He wanted to see how high it would go by the end of the night and how much it would increase each hour.

He had never seen such a rapid increase in clicks. Perhaps, he would witness a miracle.

By midnight, the click rate had reached 200,000. By 3 AM, with most people asleep, the click rate slowed but still rose to 300,000. By 6 AM, it had climbed to 400,000. The administrator also noticed a new name, "Lee Yunjae," on the real-time search list.

Lee Yunjae's name was in eighth place on the real-time search list.

The administrator, curious, searched for Lee Yunjae on Straw Hat Network but found very little information—only brief mentions of him being an S.M. trainee, the former leader of TVXQ before their debut, and his disappearance for four years. The lack of information puzzled him.

This was understandable. In 2003, Straw Hat Network was far from the comprehensive platform it is today, and Lee Yunjae had only been active online for a short period in 2002-2003. It was not surprising that there was little recorded information about him.

The administrator stopped dwelling on the search results, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and, with dark circles under them, put on his headphones to play "Elimination," continuing to monitor the click rate. The click rate, which had been on a downward trend, started to rise again.

By 8 AM, after twelve hours, the click rate had reached 470,000 and was still increasing. Perhaps because the video was uploaded by Lee Yunjae last night, many people had yet to see it. With more people online during the day, the click rate naturally increased. A new peak in clicks was approaching, and the administrator, unable to resist the drowsiness, fell asleep at his desk, the melody of "Elimination" playing in his headphones, becoming his lullaby...

By noon the next day, the click rate for the video "Elimination" had exceeded 600,000, but the administrator was already fast asleep at his desk.

Of the 600,000 clicks, half of the people had initially clicked out of curiosity, but they were gradually captivated by the song "Elimination." Word of mouth spread, and more and more people discovered the video and the song.

...

While to the general public, this was just a video that they found enjoyable and listened to multiple times, for certain entertainment agencies, it was a different story.

At YG Entertainment, Yang Hyun-suk was sitting in his office, watching the video on his computer. He had seen it this morning when he overheard staff members discussing it in the break room. Out of curiosity, he watched it, but it quickly drew him in. It wasn't just the song; it was more about Lee Yunjae himself.

He had known about Lee Yunjae for a decade, having seen his performance at the S.M. audition. He had once tried to buy Lee Yunjae from S.M. Entertainment, specifically requesting him, but was firmly rejected by Lee Soo-man. This had been a source of frustration for him for a while.

Later, when Lee Yunjae became active online for a year, he occasionally observed him. When he learned that Lee Yunjae had been selected as the leader of S.M.'s third-generation boy group, TVXQ, he gave up on the idea. At the same time, he found another talented trainee, G-Dragon, who, though not as accomplished as Lee Yunjae, had great potential. With YG's resources, he believed they could nurture G-Dragon. G-Dragon did not disappoint, and with the help of the company's top producer, Teddy, he successfully created "Lies," elevating BIGBANG to the status of a top-tier boy group.

However, now Yang Hyun-suk's interest was rekindled. After four years, Lee Yunjae was a free agent, and the idea of bringing him to YG was tempting.

In the 21st century, the most important thing is undoubtedly talent, and the most lacking is also talent. YG's current lineup included only BIGBANG, Se7en, and the fading Psy. Although they had a few promising trainees, they needed another one to two years of training to match the standards set by Lee Soo-man, who emphasized excellence in YG's productions.

Lee Yunjae, on the other hand, was already popular before his debut and required no additional training, just some packaging before he could debut. With his talent, Yang Hyun-suk couldn't help but be intrigued. His gaze toward Lee Yunjae changed, as if he were looking at a delicious steak.

At JYP Entertainment, Park Jin-young was also intrigued. With his hands clasped under his chin, he stared intently at the computer screen. The year 2007 had been tumultuous, and the sudden rise of Lee Yunjae, an unknown non-debuting artist, piqued his interest.

2007 was a year of many challenges for JYP. Rain's departure and the formation of his own company dealt a significant blow to JYP. Since 2002, Park Jin-young had focused on nurturing Rain as a secret weapon. Rain's success had brought him immense pride, but now, with Rain gone, JYP's overall strength had dropped by at least 15%, a gap that no one could fill.

The situation worsened when JYP's vice president, Hong Seong-cheng, left with a group of trainees, forming his own company. This was a severe blow to JYP, which was already struggling after Rain's departure. The fifteen trainees taken by Hong Seong-cheng were all elite, including former Wonder Girls member HyunA. This was a significant loss.

Rain's departure and Hong Seong-cheng's betrayal significantly weakened JYP, and the burden on Park Jin-young's shoulders grew heavier. He had built JYP into one of the top entertainment agencies and was unwilling to see it fall apart. However, the remaining trainees still needed training. They were all promising talents, and rushing their debut to meet the company's needs would only harm them and JYP. The appearance of Lee Yunjae, however, brought a glimmer of hope.

Park Jin-young, a creative artist himself, still insisted on creating music even after transitioning to running an entertainment company. He earned millions in annual copyright fees. He had a particular fondness for Lee Yunjae, who had created "Like Being Shot," "No Longer in Love," and now "Elimination." This mutual respect as fellow creators made him even more interested in bringing Lee Yunjae to JYP.

In another office in Gangnam, a man watched the video of Lee Yunjae with a fiery determination, determined to secure him.

Of course, the interest in Lee Yunjae was not limited to these few agencies. In Gangnam, where numerous entertainment agencies were located, there were at least a hundred small and large companies. However, the smaller agencies could only watch, knowing their limited resources made it impossible to compete with the larger ones...