Capítulo 2: Shape of you

In an upscale neighborhood in Manchester, UK, a young girl sat scrolling through her phone. One of the long-term members of her K-drama fan group had posted a link, writing: "My brother created a YouTube channel. The song makes sense. You should check it out when you're free."

Out of curiosity or boredom, Cynthia clicked on the link. It directed her to YouTube, where she saw a video titled Shape of You. The video had already amassed 4.9 million views and 200 k likes within hours of being posted. Cynthia couldn't help but be shocked. She clicked the video to watch.

The video opened, and she was immediately captivated by the sight of one of the most handsome guys she'd ever seen. With curly blond hair, dashing blue eyes, and the cutest dimples, he spoke into the camera.

"Hello, guys. My name is Ethan. Sorry if this is a little rough—I'm new at this. But I'd like to sing a song I wrote. It's called 'Shape of You.'"

Aww, she cooed to herself. He looks like a nerd. A cute, lovely nerd. Then the music started.

"The club isn't the best place to find a lover…"

Cynthia was immediately blown away by his voice. It was smooth, rich, and heartfelt. Before she knew it, she had watched the video three times, giving it a like each time. Excited, she quickly sent the link to all her group chats.

Meanwhile, in a lavish mansion in LA, Lucian Grainge, the CEO of Universal Music Group, was on a call with his board members.

"So, as I was saying to Lucas earlier, Mariah's new album is dropping soon. We need the necessary hype to get it going. Also, how's the new album coming from Justin? When will it be ready?" Lucian asked.

One of the board members responded, "Sir, it's still a while off. He's gathering inspiration. We expect it to be ready by March at the latest."

"March? That's too far. What about Taylor? Is Evermore ready to go?" Lucian asked.

"It's ready, sir," came the reply.

"Good. Let's aim for a January release."

As the meeting continued, Julia, the newly promoted head of A&R, sat in her home, listening to her colleagues. She couldn't stop thinking about a song her son had played earlier.

"Sir, I have to talk to you," Julia interjected.

"Oh, Julia, what's on your mind?" Lucian replied.

"There's this new kid on YouTube," Julia said, her voice filled with excitement. "His name is Ethan. His voice, his song—it's insanely good. I think we should sign him. He could be the next Justin, possibly even bigger."

"A YouTuber?" Jack, the CFO, scoffed. "Julia, I know you just got here, but we have a process. We can't just sign every YouTuber who has a one-hit wonder."

"I think I know who she's talking about," Lucas, the COO, chimed in. "If it's the guy I think it is, he's definitely worth exploring."

"Hmm, very well," Lucian said, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "If Julia and Lucas are both vouching for him, I'll trust you. Send the link to the group chat so all the board members can hear it. We'll decide from there."

"Are you sure, sir? All the board members for a YouTuber?" Jack responded sarcastically.

"The reason I'm saying this," Lucian replied, "is because both Julia and Lucas mentioned this kid. We need to give him special attention. If he's as good as they say, he could be on the level of someone like Justin."

"Thank you, sir. I'll send over the link," Julia replied.

After the call ended, Lucian sat back in his chair, glancing at his phone. He saw the link in the group chat and clicked on it. The video had racked up 6.4 million views in a matter of hours and had 390 k likes. Intrigued, he clicked play.

The video began, and Lucian saw a young man holding a guitar. At least he's good-looking, Lucian thought. Then the song began.

"The club isn't the best place to find a lover…"

Meanwhile, in LA, Ethan had no idea that his song was blowing up. He was peacefully sleeping after staying up late the night before working on his release. Suddenly, he was startled by a loud scream.

"Are you still sleeping? OMG, Ethan, wake up!"

Ethan shot up in bed, panicking. "What's going on? Is the house on fire?"

"No, you idiot," his sister Precious laughed. "Your song is blowing up online! It's got 7 million views and counting! I can't believe this, my own brother is a star!"

Ethan quickly jumped out of bed, rushing to his workstation. He checked his YouTube account: 7.2 million views, 407 k likes, and the numbers were still climbing. He couldn't believe it.

"Read the comments!" his sister urged.

Ethan hesitated but then scrolled to the comment section. There were hundreds of messages.

ThatOneNigga: Mahn, this song slaps. Bro's gonna go places.

Belinda: OMG, his voice is to die for. Please drop this as a proper song!

ThotQueen: This boy is so handsome. I'm ready to give you a free link to my OF. Just message me, boo.

Greg (replying to ThotQueen): If he doesn't want it, I'm down for it tho.

Bilford: The song is good, damn, boy's got a nice voice.

Bella T: I just found my new favorite artist. Swifties, please forgive me.

The comments kept coming in, and Ethan was in awe. "OMG, Ethan, what are you gonna do? You're huge right now, trending everywhere! Even on Twitter!" his sister exclaimed.

Ethan, still reading comments, took his phone and checked Twitter. The trending list was full of his name.

COVID-19Ethan JonesYouTubeBidenHandsome

Ethan was blown away. "Mom! Mom, come quickly! Ethan's blowing up!"

His mother rushed into the room, concerned. "What? Ethan, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Mom," Ethan said, trying to downplay it. "Precious is just being silly."

"No, Mom, Ethan's got 7.3 million views on his song. He's huge right now!" Precious said, showing their mother his phone.

"What? Seven million? That's a lot!" his mother exclaimed. She quickly played the video.

"Aww, my baby! Your voice sounds so beautiful. You deserve all the praise you're getting!" she said, giving him a big hug before rushing out to tell his dad.

Ethan sat in shock, still reading the comments, when his phone rang. It was Paul, his lawyer friend. Ethan picked up, eager to hear what was next.