Hello, it’s Maisie! Here’s the outline for my project following the story of Rika, a K-pop trainee at JYP Entertainment. I tried to add a lot of detail, and I tried to add bits of what the story will look like into the outline. I hope you look forward to reading my post:)
Prologue:
The story will follow the perspective of a Japanese-Korean girl named Rika Seo-jin Fujimoto through her trainee life in hopes of becoming a K-pop idol. Having grown up in a small town in Japan, 15-year-old Rika had only recently gotten used to the bustling streets of Seoul when she came to live with her dad in his tiny apartment. It was purely for her own entertainment when she decided to join her friend for an audition at JYP Entertainment, a highly esteemed company known for its many successful K-pop groups. It’s not like she would have gotten in anyway, right? Her Korean was so poor, and she could barely dance to save her life…
Exposition:
The story will start in a dance practice room. Rika’s stomach screams at her to eat, something- anything- to ease the pain, as she stumbles to the ground, exhausted. Feeling lightheaded as a wave of nausea hits, she collapses to the cold dance-practice room floor, shivering although she’s been dancing hard as ever for the past two hours. She blinks slowly as the faces of her fellow trainees fade in and out of focus, fading into a fuzzy darkness. That’s weird, Rika thinks as a slight laugh bubbles through her. Where did the little black fuzz come from? I’m so tired…
Squinting as her blurred vision adjusts to to the harsh overhead lighting, Rika slowly sits up, rubbing her aching head. Lifting her hoodie, which was draped over her like a blanket, she surveys the room. Rika can vaguely make out the form of Jooa, her closest friend, who shoots her a concerned look before refocusing on the dance instructor’s directions. The dance instructor? Why was there a staff member… Shoot! I’ve missed so much practice. Rika scurries onto her feet and brushes off any dirt from her pants, sighing with frustration. Did she just have to faint right now, as they were learning a new choreo? Why couldn’t she have just fallen ten minutes later-
“Good, you’re up,” A harsh female voice says; Cha Yuna. “Hurry up, you’re missing practice.”
Rising Action 1:
As the cycle of sleep deprivation and lack of nutrition repeats, the toll on both the body and the mind becomes increasingly evident as Rika struggles to keep up with her peers. She faces a huge mental block as she compares herself to the rest of the trainees, who all seem to be quickly moving up in ranking, leaving her in the dust. Trying to find motivation proves difficult, as the judges and staff all seem to have no trouble picking apart every single one of her flaws. Rika’s worry heightens with every day, as more and more trainees, many of whom she considered idol-material, are sent home, deemed unfit for debut. How in the world could she possibly expect to debut? It’s really only a matter of time before she’ll join the others, deemed unfit and sent home for good…
Rising Action 2:
A struggle to navigate training occurs when Rika’s closest friend – her support, the one person she knew she could always rely on – gets sent home. After barely being permitted a good-bye, Rika sets her mind on one goal: debut. Through sheer force of will, Jooa’s elimination will not go unnoticed, another name on another list; Jooa’s support got Rika to where she is today, and her aid was NOT going to be wasted on another pity party. Days turn to weeks, and weeks turn to months as Rika trains, harder than ever, her skills and confidence sky-rocketing. At last, everything has paid off. Singing is now stable, controlling dance movements now seems much less daunting, and a newfound composure leads to a powerful stage presence. Everything is finally going as planned! Maybe there is a sliver of a chance – however small – that Rika can debut. The odds have changed, Rika Seo-jin Fujimoto will be debuting, whether everyone likes that or not!
Climax:
As the thought of debut draws nearer, the remaining 19 trainees are called into a meeting room, where a large screen is pressed into the wall. A video of JYP, the CEO of JYP Entertainment, flashes onto the screen. The video plays as all trainees watch in anticipation while JYP delivers the news that all contestants will debut through a survival show.
K-pop survival shows are a type of reality television program that features aspiring K-pop idols who compete against each other through an intense series of challenges, including singing, dancing, and performing, to debut. Members of the group are decided through a process of elimination, (hence the term ‘survival’ show) including fan- and judge-voting, based on contestants’ talents, charisma, and teamwork skills.
Unfortunately, the trainees learn that there will only be 9 spots available in the group, meaning that Rika’s closest friends, the girls they’ve all been living with for years, will not all be lucky enough to stay together. Competition overcomes friendship as all the girls become weary of one another, knowing that every person poses a risk at their spot in the debut lineup. For this particular survival show, there would be three rounds of judging, each time eliminating three contestants until only ten remain for the finale. Rika will have to persevere through the stages, through the harsh rounds of judging and elimination, to achieve her dream of becoming an idol, which, as it turns out, is not so far away.
As Rika makes it through the first two rounds, her faults show as she falters onstage, causing the judges to tear into her every mistake. Unfortunately, the spot for elimination is between Rika and another contestant as they perform a duet, battling for the last spot in the finale lineup… And Rika makes it! As the excitement wears down after the finale, Rika stands in anticipation as the rankings for the top seven contestants are called… none of which bearing Rika’s name.
Falling Action:
Over the next few weeks, Rika’s life is uprooted. She is immediately removed from the JYP dorms, with all her belongings- the past few years of her life- packed away in a suitcase as if it was all a blurry dream. She spent three years training, working to the bone, putting her health on the line, and for what? A lame ‘You have been eliminated, sorry…’?! Her friends are all in university by now, receiving stable paychecks from their jobs, as she sits on her bed, pondering where it all went wrong, the endless rabbit hole of what-ifs.
Resolution:
Numbly adjusting to the life of a regular person, Rika reunites with Jooa, as the two of them become roommates in a quaint apartment in Seoul. Rika will slowly learn to move on, to know that her elimination was for the better, as she can now enjoy a simple, less stress-inducing life. Now free of the strict company regulations, Rika savors her newfound freedom, and, after some time to adjust, comes to enjoy her free time, making new hobbies, meeting old friends, and visiting her family for the first time in years. In the end, she’s grateful for the memories – good and bad – that she made along the way. Walking down the pathway, the shadows of leaves dancing along the path, listening to birds hum morning melodies from the trees, Rika tilts her head back. As the warm sunlight reaches her face, she thinks, Maybe this isn’t so bad after all.
Thank you for reading! I hope you will find my story interesting, as I had a lot of fun writing this! ^_^
