Episode 1: Introductions
ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ✖ DO OR DIE — Fringe Entertainment's new survival show
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EPISODE 1
The camera pans over what looks like a studio space, the stark black and red logo of Do or Die plastered on the doors. It switches to a large, dark room inside where a stage has been prepared, facing which is a fancy desk seating 5 people. Behind the table are three square spaces marked on the floor.
"Here we are, finally," the woman sitting in the middle says with a charming smile. "Oh it's so exciting I can't wait to see the boys and what they have in store for us!" The image freezes and text on-screen identifies her as Nam Yeonhee, listing several of the high profile dramas she has starred in and identifying her as the MC for the show. "Tell me, what are each of you looking for when it comes to the contestants?"
"I'm in charge of the dancers," The man on her left says. He's identified as Jeon Kango, high profile choreographer who has created the dances for several popular artists such as VIXX, Gfriend, AOA, and BlockB. "I'll be looking for both technique and feeling. To be a good dancer both must be present."
"Dancing has never been more important for boy groups," Yeonhee says appreciatively. She turns toward the man on the end of the table. "What about you Carver?"
"I'm in charge of the vocalists," Carver says with an awkward smile which is immortalized as the image freezes for his introduction, letting the viewers know that Carver has been a vocal trainer attached to various companies in the industry and has recently released his first album. "I'm mostly looking for potential," he explains. "Anyone can sing with the proper technique, but not everyone can be a singer. Potential and musicality and the ability to work well in a group. That's what I will be looking for."
"Ahh I can't wait to hear all the beautiful vocals we're about to hear!" Yeonhee turns to the last man at the table. "Cipher, why don't you let us know what you're looking for?"
Cipher grins and leans back in his chair, every bit the image of casual confidence. He's the only one present who's under 30 and looks sorely out of place. "I'm in charge of rap of course," he says, the screen freezing on his confident smirk, identifying him as the up and coming rapper he is. "What I would like to see is excellent flow and self-made raps," he shrugs. "Don't think I will go easy on them just because they're idols! I will see this group have an excellent rap-line if it's up to me."
"Each of the contestants will be sorted into either the vocalist, dance, or rap team, each headed by their respective expert. Not only that, but each group will be ranked from most to least skilled contestant in their specialty. Now of course there is only one person left." Yeonhee turns towards the only woman at the table. "Yang Seona, as the CEO of Fringe Entertainment, what will you be looking for?"
Seona is the picture of cool professionalism as she meets Yeonhee's gaze. "I will look for excellence, Yeonhee," Seona says. "Do or Die is a show that will not be content with mediocrity. I will look for stage presence and charms as essential skills of an idol and make sure the contestants have the qualities that Fringe Entertainment represents."
"Aaah well said." Yeonhee smiles. "Now as you know, for most of these contestants this show will be their last chance at debuting as an idol. True to the name, for them it is do or die. I, for one, am really looking forward to what they have in store for us and the stories they have to tell." The judges all nod along with Yeonhee's speech. "Now I don't think we should keep the contestants waiting, should we? Please send in our first tribute!"
Two boys come on stage, one of them is tiny and the other quite tall. The short one has a big smile on his face, rocking on his heels with energy and nerves. The taller one is more restrained, taking everything in at his own pace.
"Hello! I'm forever gummy smile vocalist Jang Geomi!" the first boy greets with the aforementioned broad smile. Yeonhee mouths 'cute!' to Seona.
The show cuts to Geomi being interviewed in front of the Do or Die backdrop. "My friends say I'm not handsome enough to make it onto the show," he says cheerfully. "I showed them wrong didn't I? I will show you all that my voice is charming enough to make up for anything."
"I remember you," Carver starts. "You were on Mix and Match weren't you?"
Geomi grimaces. "Yeah I was."
"That was a while ago, have you been keeping up with your training?"
"I have," Geomi says, determination in his voice. "I stayed with YG and continued my training after Mix and Match but when I heard about Do or Die I decided to take my chances."
"Aaaah so this must really be a last chance for you, if you left training for this," Yeonhee says.
Geomi nods. "It is. I've done a survival show before and I will not be eliminated again."
The other boy steps forward when it becomes apparant that Geomi's seconds are done. He looks a little unsure and bows. "Hello I'm Ted Lim," he says."I'm from New York and I'm a rapper."
Cipher raises his eyebrows at that. "A rapper from New York huh?"
"Yes, sir," Ted says.
"Alright Geomi, you're up first, show us what you've got," Yeonhee says.
Ted retreats backstage while Geomi half-skips to the wings, quickly grabbing a stool and setting it in the middle of the stage as the backing track starts playing. Yeonhee and Kangho both gasp as he starts singing, and Carver leans forward with interest while Cipher leans back smiling. Only Seona remains unphased, watching him with her hawk eyes. As his last note dies out the judges give him a short applause.
Kangho picks up his mic first. "That was very moving, thank you," he says.
Next up is Carver, the actual vocalist expert. "You have good technique. There are things to work on, but they are small and I'm pleased the vocalist team is taking such a strong start."
Geomi is beaming at this point. "Thank you," he remembers to say into the mic, smiling from ear to ear.
"You're a very good singer," Seona starts. "But do you have any other skills? Can you dance?"
Geomi nods. "I can dance fairly well, and I can play guitar, bass, and piano."
Seona doesn't look convinced, but Yeonhee takes over smoothly. "Thank you Geomi."
The scene shifts to Ted walking onto the stage. Ted takes a deep breath and starts to rap. At the end he bows, "thank you."
Cipher his head. "That was alright but a little forgettable. Lots of posturing but I didn't really feel anything sincere behind it."
"Wow, from the start the rappers have high expectations to uphold," Yeonhee says as she checks the cue cards. "It says here that you can also bboy. Could you show us?"
A generic beat starts playing as Ted shows off some of his freestyle bboying, finishing it off with an impressive spin that had the judges gasping dramatically. "I might have to borrow him from you Cipher," Kangho says in jest. "Rapping like that, he's all yours," Cipher returns with a cheeky grin.
Next Geomi is brought back and both boys wait for the judgement of the experts. "Geomi," Carver starts. "You're the first vocalist to perform so you're automatically ranked first. I think you said high bar for the other vocalists with your emotional performance. We shall see if the bar is reached."
Geomi nods with a proud smile. "Thank you." A staff member walks up to attach a pin saying #1 to his chest while the judges focus on Ted.
"Ted Lim," Cipher starts. "You showed a decent feeling for flow and rhythm, but your delivery left much to be desired. With a lack of competition you're first place right now."
Ted nods seriously, accepting the criticism and the #1 pin he receives.
"Was that our first two contestants already?" Yeonhee asks. "Thank you and please take a seat in your designated areas."
Ted and Geomi both move towards the floor space marked with red tape behind Cipher and Carver respectively. Geomi is glowing with pride at his #1 pin but Ted shrugs and just sits down on the floor as if none of this phases him.
The scene shifts to the next contestants. Two boys come out and take their place center stage. One of them's on the short side, a little hesitant. He doesn't make much on impression next to the other boy who is positively buzzing with energy. The taller one is sporting an excited smile as he surveys the judges, a little nervous and unsure.
"Go on-" Yeonhee starts, but before she can finish the tall boy takes a breath and interrupts her.
"HelloI'meveryone'snumberonefavouritebeagleboyJegalInshik," he rattles at once.
Yeonhee blinked and glances at Seona. "Slow down Jegalinshik," she says gentle. "Try that again."
The kid clears his throat. "I'm everyone's number one favourite beagle boy Jegal Inshik," he repeats more slowly. He fishes into his coat and shoots a finger heart at Yeonhee. She laughs and shoots him one back.
The scene switches to another contestant sitting in front of a screen with the Do or Die logo on it, being interviewed by someone off camera. "Inshik is... very energetic," the contestant indentified as Kwang Inho says with a grimace.
The other boy glances at Inshik, when he's sure Inshik's stopped talking he bows to the judges. "Hello-" he starts in English before catching himself and quickly switching to Korean. "I mean hello, sorry, ehm- hi. I'm Hyuk- ah Lee Hyuk." He bows again. "I like to dance, but I can also rap and sing a little."
Yeonhee smiles gently at him. "Hel
The camera pans over what looks like a studio space, the stark black and red logo of Do or Die plastered on the doors. It switches to a large, dark room inside where a stage has been prepared, facing which is a fancy desk seating 5 people. Behind the table are three square spaces marked on the floor.
"Here we are, finally," the woman sitting in the middle says with a charming smile. "Oh it's so exciting I can't wait to see the boys and what they have in store for us!" The image freezes and text on-screen identifies her as Nam Yeonhee, listing several of the high profile dramas she has starred in and identifying her as the MC for the show. "Tell me, what are each of you looking for when it comes to the contestants?"
"I'm in charge of the dancers," The man on her left says. He's identified as Jeon Kango, high profile choreographer who has created the dances for several popular artists such as VIXX, Gfriend, AOA, and BlockB. "I'll be looking for both technique and feeling. To be a good dancer both must be present."
"Dancing has never been more important for boy groups," Yeonhee says appreciatively. She turns toward the man on the end of the table. "What about you Carver?"
"I'm in charge of the vocalists," Carver says with an awkward smile which is immortalized as the image freezes for his introduction, letting the viewers know that Carver has been a vocal trainer attached to various companies in the industry and has recently released his first album. "I'm mostly looking for potential," he explains. "Anyone can sing with the proper technique, but not everyone can be a singer. Potential and musicality and the ability to work well in a group. That's what I will be looking for."
"Ahh I can't wait to hear all the beautiful vocals we're about to hear!" Yeonhee turns to the last man at the table. "Cipher, why don't you let us know what you're looking for?"
Cipher grins and leans back in his chair, every bit the image of casual confidence. He's the only one present who's under 30 and looks sorely out of place. "I'm in charge of rap of course," he says, the screen freezing on his confident smirk, identifying him as the up and coming rapper he is. "What I would like to see is excellent flow and self-made raps," he shrugs. "Don't think I will go easy on them just because they're idols! I will see this group have an excellent rap-line if it's up to me."
"Each of the contestants will be sorted into either the vocalist, dance, or rap team, each headed by their respective expert. Not only that, but each group will be ranked from most to least skilled contestant in their specialty. Now of course there is only one person left." Yeonhee turns towards the only woman at the table. "Yang Seona, as the CEO of Fringe Entertainment, what will you be looking for?"
Seona is the picture of cool professionalism as she meets Yeonhee's gaze. "I will look for excellence, Yeonhee," Seona says. "Do or Die is a show that will not be content with mediocrity. I will look for stage presence and charms as essential skills of an idol and make sure the contestants have the qualities that Fringe Entertainment represents."
"Aaah well said." Yeonhee smiles. "Now as you know, for most of these contestants this show will be their last chance at debuting as an idol. True to the name, for them it is do or die. I, for one, am really looking forward to what they have in store for us and the stories they have to tell." The judges all nod along with Yeonhee's speech. "Now I don't think we should keep the contestants waiting, should we? Please send in our first tribute!"
Two boys come on stage, one of them is tiny and the other quite tall. The short one has a big smile on his face, rocking on his heels with energy and nerves. The taller one is more restrained, taking everything in at his own pace.
"Hello! I'm forever gummy smile vocalist Jang Geomi!" the first boy greets with the aforementioned broad smile. Yeonhee mouths 'cute!' to Seona.
The show cuts to Geomi being interviewed in front of the Do or Die backdrop. "My friends say I'm not handsome enough to make it onto the show," he says cheerfully. "I showed them wrong didn't I? I will show you all that my voice is charming enough to make up for anything."
"I remember you," Carver starts. "You were on Mix and Match weren't you?"
Geomi grimaces. "Yeah I was."
"That was a while ago, have you been keeping up with your training?"
"I have," Geomi says, determination in his voice. "I stayed with YG and continued my training after Mix and Match but when I heard about Do or Die I decided to take my chances."
"Aaaah so this must really be a last chance for you, if you left training for this," Yeonhee says.
Geomi nods. "It is. I've done a survival show before and I will not be eliminated again."
The other boy steps forward when it becomes apparant that Geomi's seconds are done. He looks a little unsure and bows. "Hello I'm Ted Lim," he says."I'm from New York and I'm a rapper."
Cipher raises his eyebrows at that. "A rapper from New York huh?"
"Yes, sir," Ted says.
"Alright Geomi, you're up first, show us what you've got," Yeonhee says.
Ted retreats backstage while Geomi half-skips to the wings, quickly grabbing a stool and setting it in the middle of the stage as the backing track starts playing. Yeonhee and Kangho both gasp as he starts singing, and Carver leans forward with interest while Cipher leans back smiling. Only Seona remains unphased, watching him with her hawk eyes. As his last note dies out the judges give him a short applause.
Kangho picks up his mic first. "That was very moving, thank you," he says.
Next up is Carver, the actual vocalist expert. "You have good technique. There are things to work on, but they are small and I'm pleased the vocalist team is taking such a strong start."
Geomi is beaming at this point. "Thank you," he remembers to say into the mic, smiling from ear to ear.
"You're a very good singer," Seona starts. "But do you have any other skills? Can you dance?"
Geomi nods. "I can dance fairly well, and I can play guitar, bass, and piano."
Seona doesn't look convinced, but Yeonhee takes over smoothly. "Thank you Geomi."
The scene shifts to Ted walking onto the stage. Ted takes a deep breath and starts to rap. At the end he bows, "thank you."
Cipher his head. "That was alright but a little forgettable. Lots of posturing but I didn't really feel anything sincere behind it."
"Wow, from the start the rappers have high expectations to uphold," Yeonhee says as she checks the cue cards. "It says here that you can also bboy. Could you show us?"
A generic beat starts playing as Ted shows off some of his freestyle bboying, finishing it off with an impressive spin that had the judges gasping dramatically. "I might have to borrow him from you Cipher," Kangho says in jest. "Rapping like that, he's all yours," Cipher returns with a cheeky grin.
Next Geomi is brought back and both boys wait for the judgement of the experts. "Geomi," Carver starts. "You're the first vocalist to perform so you're automatically ranked first. I think you said high bar for the other vocalists with your emotional performance. We shall see if the bar is reached."
Geomi nods with a proud smile. "Thank you." A staff member walks up to attach a pin saying #1 to his chest while the judges focus on Ted.
"Ted Lim," Cipher starts. "You showed a decent feeling for flow and rhythm, but your delivery left much to be desired. With a lack of competition you're first place right now."
Ted nods seriously, accepting the criticism and the #1 pin he receives.
"Was that our first two contestants already?" Yeonhee asks. "Thank you and please take a seat in your designated areas."
Ted and Geomi both move towards the floor space marked with red tape behind Cipher and Carver respectively. Geomi is glowing with pride at his #1 pin but Ted shrugs and just sits down on the floor as if none of this phases him.
The scene shifts to the next contestants. Two boys come out and take their place center stage. One of them's on the short side, a little hesitant. He doesn't make much on impression next to the other boy who is positively buzzing with energy. The taller one is sporting an excited smile as he surveys the judges, a little nervous and unsure.
"Go on-" Yeonhee starts, but before she can finish the tall boy takes a breath and interrupts her.
"HelloI'meveryone'snumberonefavouritebeagleboyJegalInshik," he rattles at once.
Yeonhee blinked and glances at Seona. "Slow down Jegalinshik," she says gentle. "Try that again."
The kid clears his throat. "I'm everyone's number one favourite beagle boy Jegal Inshik," he repeats more slowly. He fishes into his coat and shoots a finger heart at Yeonhee. She laughs and shoots him one back.
The scene switches to another contestant sitting in front of a screen with the Do or Die logo on it, being interviewed by someone off camera. "Inshik is... very energetic," the contestant indentified as Kwang Inho says with a grimace.
The other boy glances at Inshik, when he's sure Inshik's stopped talking he bows to the judges. "Hello-" he starts in English before catching himself and quickly switching to Korean. "I mean hello, sorry, ehm- hi. I'm Hyuk- ah Lee Hyuk." He bows again. "I like to dance, but I can also rap and sing a little."
Yeonhee smiles gently at him. "Hel
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