The DBSK Conspiracy Theory Hypothesis Part I

This have been on my mind way even before I started this blog. Not that I have had this blog for very long, only about 1 month and a bit. But I just never put it down to writing, not sure why, perhaps because it is all just my own random thoughts. But recently, the last weekend to be exact, we have HoMin having their fan meeting in Shanghai on 9th Dec. Then we have Jaejoong having his fan meeting on 10th in Shanghai as well. The 6Theory forum is noisy like a year end countdown. Yes, I go go 6Theory, but I don't have an account there, so I never posted there ^.^

So, yes, in 6Theory, there were post of updates and fanaccounts of the 2 events. Probably the most famous one was YunJaeMin met. And then there was the book Yunho was reading at the airport; the book was apparently recommended by Jaejoong, via Twitter last year. Also, it seems there were hints of Jaejoong watching Changmin's Paradise Ranch and also of Jaejoong's hints on there being meaning behind the Cartier rings he wears, i.e. the rings weren't merely accessories. And all this gave DBSK5 fans happiness, myself included. Yes, simple things like this. Call me/us delusional if you want. I am past caring.

So somehow, I got inspired to finally write this post. The contents were long in my head, I just had to put it down coherently. So, here goes nothing...

All 5 have planned to negotiate for better contract, and they probably did. But it never worked out, because SM refused to budge. So when the diplomatic approach did not work, they figured they need to come up with something else. And I still think it is an all-5 decision. They probably had long discussions on how to do this. Since SM wouldn't budge, the only way is to end the contract. However contract will last till 2015/2016, by that time, everything is too late. The only alternative now is to nullify the contract. That would mean taking the legal route. I remember reading that the lawyer at Sejong mentioned he was supposed to meet all (or was it 4 of them) and he was worried of mixing up Changmin & Jaejoong. Of course, I have no proof if this really happened, but since this whole post is just my hypothesis, I think we can leave it as it is, without proof. Somehow, during all the legal consultations, discussions among member and perhaps even talking to others, they realized it would be too big a risk for all 5 to get-up-and-go and sue SM. Why do I say its too big a risk? Because:
1. If all 5 leave together and gets stuck with a lawsuit, what will happen to the DBSK name? As long as they, as 5, remain in a legal tussle with SM, the name DBSK will never see the stage again, will never grace another album. The name would be frozen. I am sure many of you will say, "we will wait". But really, how many could wait. Just look at the fandom now. Some left. Some have decided to choose one side and bash the other. The fact that these very fans who once loved all 5 boys, could now choose one side and bash the other side, shows us that, not every fan is able to wait.
What good is it having some members stay behind?
Knowing how business savvy SM is (I am being nice for using business savvy instead of other words), I am sure they will take every opportunity to make money out of the Dong Bang Shin Ki fame. So in this way, we know the name would never be frozen.
2. You see, not everyone knows legal stuff, but what everyone knows enough is that, lawsuits are never quick. It would take years. Even 2-3 years is being optimistic. Look at it now, still going strong. Are the boys financially independent enough to hang around for a few years not working? Finances aside, singing and performing is their dream, you can't expect them to halt their dreams for a few years can you? One may say, "Hey, just form a group using another name, take the name Cassiopeia if you want. No matter what name you use, we support all 5 of you". Oh really? I don't think so. Just because now 3 of them is JYJ and 2 of them is TVXQ Act II, we already have fans going ballistic and attacking the side that they didn't choose. So it is hard to convince me that ALL fans can really be "we'll support you no matter what name you use." Another point is, Dong Bang Shin Ki, is not just a group name. To these 5 boys, these 4 words holds a very very deep meaning, and I am sure they are not willing to let it go. And if they were 5, I can't imagine any entertainment company who dares sign them on or manage them. Just look at how SM wanted to sue CJes.
What good is it having some members stay behind?
Like what I mentioned in point 1, SM will continue to make money out of the DBSK fame, and indirectly, it means that members who stayed will be able to continue pursuing their dreams. And members who leave and do the suing, will somehow have to think of ways to continue their singing and performing.
3. What if they lose the lawsuit? They would have 2 options, either pay the compensation, which is an astronomical figure, or, get back to SM. I don't think the boys could afford paying the compensation. And, honestly, no one would want to go back to the company that they tried suing.
What good is it having some members stay behind?
Continue making money as separate units, they need the money. This way, even if they lose, they will have the option of paying the compensation and walking out. Paying compensation for members who left is better than paying compensation for all members. As for the staying members, who knows, perhaps by the time the lawsuit ends, their contract ends as well. Or they could also just pay the compensation and walk. And their amount will be lesser, because there would be less years left in the contract duration.
4. They have mentioned wanting to be Dong Bang Shin Ki for a very long time. If they mean it, why would they do this? It just makes it even worse, if it is really their plan to divide and sue and later get back together.
Well, how do you know they don't mean it. To this day, all 5 of them still say they are Dong Bang Shin Ki and this is a fact that no one can change. Not even SM, not even the law. To our eyes, if they really hatched this plan and cause so much heartbreak in the fandom, they may seem greedy and didn't care about their fans. But hey, they are human too and they have to plan for their life too. They have family too. Yoochun's family story breaks my heart the most. His parents are divorced. He, his mother and his brother were staying in the States. In 2003, he came back to Korea. Can you imagine how his mother and brother felt, during the times Yoochun worked like a robot? Who is to lend support to Yoochun's mother? Who is to be the father figure for Yoohwan? Can you imagine how Yoochun felt? Not being around for his mother? He is the eldest, I am sure he felt a need to protect his mother. But he couldn't, because of his work. It is bad enough that he can't be there for them. Yet, after working so hard and being away, he couldn't even bring home a decent amount of money to relieve their financial strain, I can't even put imagine how I would feel if I am in his shoes. Long story short, idols do not have a very long career span. They need to either make enough for them to retire from entertainment business for good or branch out to other areas of entertainment before its too late. Neither seems very possible while being under SM.

So yes, those long paragraphs are hypothesis why they decided, they couldn't or shouldn't sue all together. So what next? They need to decide who is to leave and who is to stay. And no, as much as they love Jan-ken-pon, I don't think that is how they decided.
Let's first address the question of, why 3 and 2?
Well, ideally it would have been, half to go and half to stay. But this is a 5-member group, and there is no such thing as 2.5 member, so it had to be 3 and 2.
Why must it be 3 who leave and 2 to stay?
SM, as 'evil' as they might be, if you stay with them, they will consider you as one of them and will not harm you. So its enough for 2 to stay. SM will take care of the 2. To fight SM, you need more people, so 3 shall leave.
Why not 4 leave and 1 stay then?
Errr...if only 1 were to stay, how can 1 use the name DBSK which is obviously a group name. Besides, for 1 to stay behind, the whole fandom may just unite and call him a traitor. It will never ever work. Never. No matter who is the one that stayed.

With that done, let us look at the "arrangement":
1. Yunho 
Whoever stays will have the duty of continuing the DBSK name. Leader obviously takes it upon himself to do it. Besides, although the name belongs to all 5 members, it seem more legitimate to have the leader on the side who is going to use the name. DBSK is known for their powerful dance performance, Yunho will be able to continue this legacy. Despite Yunho being the least recognized for his vocal (among the 5 members), he actually have a very nice ballad voice. Think of songs like Love in the Ice. Also, not sure how correct this is, but I have heard that Yunho is popular in Korea. Well, popularity is subjective, not like anyone did a survey. Or someone did? Another thing is that, although Yunho himself may agree with him members about the contract & profit division being unfair, and that SM is oppressing them, his family may not think so, especially his father. And we have heard how Yunho really respects him. So it may been tougher for Yunho to be the one to "rebel" and sue.
2. Jaejoong
Jaejoong have a very versatile singing voice. He composes and writes lyrics as well. Both qualities are needed when you don't have SM's big umbrella over your head. Also, because they were suing, there is no guarantee if they could continue singing, and may have to resort to doing other things to bring in money to bail themselves out. Does anyone recall, Jaejoong have the best MC abilities. He is the MC for both AADBSK 2 (Variety Show) and AADBSK 3 (Saipan Vacation). Also, when DBSK went on variety shows, Jaejoong is the one who is always praised for being funny and the MC always ask him if he could stay for a few more episodes. One also need to consider, suing SM may mean game over in Korea. Jaejoong have a huge fan base in Japan and China, enough said.
3. Yoochun
May not have the best voice or dance the best among all 5 members. But, he is also a composer and a lyricist. This, I stress again, is very important once you don't have SM's army of composers and lyricists. Yoochun also seems to be hugely popular in Korea. If SM really wants to destroy him, his and Junsu's popularity may be able to keep them afloat in Korea. This may be a bit off, but like I said, it could be game over in Korea, so they need to expand else where. Yoochun's English speaking ability is definitely valuable.
4. Junsu
To me, he is the born-to-sing one. He definitely needs to be on the team that have to fight it out with SM. His dancing is on par with Yunho as well. This way, we have the 2 best dancers equally split in both sub groups. Popular in Korea, who can forget Angel Xiah. All members also once said, DBSK's success is due to Junsu's charisma. They may be ganging up and trolling on him, but hey, Junsu IS charismatic. When he sings, you just go die and go to heaven. When he dance, you open your mouth and stare (think Mirotic). Then when he appears on variety shows, his Oyaji gag and his duck butt side comes out and you just want to squish him and ask him "why are you so adorable?"
5. Changmin
Powerful singer. And his epic screams are synonymous with Dong Bang Shin Ki, think Rising Sun & Mirotic. Having him stay around to continue the DBSK name is definitely the right choice. With his powerful singing and Yunho's powerful dancing, they have a very good chance of continuing the legacy. Another thing is, all the hyungs probably couldn't bear to let their maknae go out and weather the storm. I know I sound sappy. But if I am one of them, I would want to protect Changmin too. When they debut, in Dec 2003, Changmin was 15! (16 if you consider Korean age). That's not counting into his trainee days. How could you bear to let him suffer anymore?

So, there you have it. Stress again. MY hypothesis. Not saying it is truth.

I don't mean to be trolling by ending abruptly here. But you see, I write really long essays. Even after writing this much, I am not sure if I even covered 20% of the theory. I work, and its night now. Really tired. Besides, I have been emoshinki the whole day, with emotions going up and down and up and down again today. So, please excuse me. Will try to write part II tomorrow. Not too sure how many parts I have. Don't kill me ^.^