Pilot-ALLin

9 boys fighting to debut under the hottest new entertainment system, who will debut? Who will fail?

DRAMA S1E1:                                      “Pilot”                

TEASER

FADE IN:

FADE IN AND OUT TO THE SOUND OF A POUNDING HEARTBEAT

FLASHBACK: FADING CLIPS OF 9 BOYS DANCING AND SINGING ARE SHOWN. GLIMPSES OF THEIR FACES ARE SHOWN, EXPRESSIONS FULL OF DETERMINATION.

6 young boys, perhaps in their late teens or early 20s, are shown backstage. They are close together with their arms around each other, in a team huddle. Now, in the perspective of LEE TAEHWAN, currently staring at the ground, looks up at his groupmates. Camera switches to show him talking.

TAEHWAN

Pay attention, Jisoo.

JISOO giggles.

PARK JISOO

Okay, hyung.

JISOO giggles again and pushes the older boy playfully. TAEHWAN huffs out a laugh and rolls his eyes at his junior.

TAEHWAN

Ya! Minhyuk, look at me, not Jisoo! Stop poking me, Fangwu. Okay. Now, everyone, let’s do our best. We’ve waited so long for this. Let’s not mess it up.

LEE TAEHWAN puts his hand in the center of the circle. Aerial shot of the other five boys putting their hands in the middle, on top of his own. LEE TAEHWAN looks up at the young men, a cheerful but determined look in his eyes.

TAEHWAN

We are CN’U!

Camera flies up from the aerial view to follow the hands into the air. Theme starts immediately by sliding down to the opening credits.

BLACKOUT

SCENE 1

FADE IN:

Camera pans to show a serene view of the Han river sparkling in the sunlight. TAEHWAN is sitting on a park bench in the grass by the boardwalk, looking out towards the water. His clothing style is inspired by elements of hip-hop, matching his rapper persona. A profile shot of him is shown.

VOICEOVER: TAEHWAN

It wasn’t always like this. Us laughing, giddy with excitement, feeling truly happy. Knowing we had made it through the hard times, through the days of emptiness and exhaustion and hard work. Knowing that we finally had a place in this world.

Beat.

No...  Nothing good ever comes easily. Especially when you’re training to become a K-pop idol.

BLACK AND WHITE FLASHBACKS ARE SHOWN IN RAPID SUCCESSION:

The camera pans to TAEHWAN in a studio, teaching the boys a hip-hop dance. JIANG FANGWU is struggling to keep up, and he gets the moves wrong repeatedly.

The scene changes in a flash and TAEHWAN is scolding FANGWU. FANGWU bows his head and staring at the floor.

Later, FANGWU stands alone in the studio, a grim look on his face.

QUICK CHANGE:

YANG HONGSEOK is seen at the back of the studio, a hood pulled over his face, watching as SUNGYEOL gets scolded by their vocal coach. He smirks as he sees how helpless and crestfallen SUNGYEOL is.

BLACKOUT:

SCENE 2

FADE IN:

The scene has changed;  now in full color.

TAEHWAN is now strolling by the river. People pass by, some on bikes, some with friends.

VOICEOVER: TAEHWAN

Training wasn’t easy. Of course it wasn’t. But do you know what was harder? Having all those cameras on you, all the time. Capturing your weaknesses. Showing your flaws to the whole world for the satisfaction of viewers you’v`e never even met before. They find your suffering amusing. This TV show was called ALLin.

Beat.

The CEO of �"어 Entertainment named it ALLin, because they expected us to go all in. We had to complete countless missions to prove we deserved to be idols. It showed how we grew. It showed how we improved. It showed our determination and perseverance.

And it also showed just how far we could fall once we were eliminated from the show.

QUICK CHANGE:

JISOO is performing a solo. CEO G-DRAGON and many other officials are seated at a long table across from him. The ALLin film crew stands a few meters behind them, equipped with huge, expensive cameras.

JISOO’s sweet, high voice echoes throughout the room. He smiles slightly while singing, occasionally closing his eyes as he hits higher notes. It is apparent that he is giving his all.  

However, when he finishes, he is not met by applause. Only blank stares. The other officials look at GD, waiting for him to give his opinion on the performance. GD puts his face in his hands and runs them down his neck, thinking.

G-DRAGON

Jisoo... to put it bluntly, that was the worst performance I’ve ever seen during my time as a CEO.

JISOO’s cheerful, earnest expression fades away. He stands in place, frozen, unable to move with all those stares pinned on him, all those cameras capturing his every weakness.

G-DRAGON

I honestly don’t understand how you’ve been able to come this far. All I’ve seen from you are the same type of songs, the same type of performances, the same type of everything. It’s boring. To me, it seems like you haven’t improved at all. This is a hip-hop company, yeah? What you’ve shown me this far hasn’t proved to me that you belong here. Maybe you should go audition for rainbow sprinkles entertainment instead. That would probably fit you better anyway.

JISOO looks down at the ground. Tears well up in his eyes. All he wanted was to impress G-DRAGON, but this man�"the man he had idolized ever since he was a child�"thought he wasn’t worth it. That he had no talent. That he had no place here.

And as he looked up and stared at the man who had taken his dreams and ground them into dust, he felt completely and utterly lost.

QUICK CHANGE:

JISOO is seen running to his dorm. He slams the door and presses his back against it. He slowly slides down, his fingers grasping the sides of the doorframe. When he reaches the floor, he curls up against the door, his head in his hands. What starts as a few tears eventually becomes uncontrollable, heart-wrenching sobs.

All JISOO can think about is how much of a failure he is. In front of CEO G-DRAGON, in front of all those cameras, he was stripped bare. At this rate he would never debut. He wouldn’t even be able to think about it. He had endured four years of training�"four years of running and never looking back�"for this. For them to pick apart his weaknesses and dismiss him as being talentless.

The view changes to show LEE MINHYUK, about to walk past JISOO’s room. Hearing muted sobs coming from inside, he pauses. He’s never really liked JISOO, but having witnessed the scene between him and the CEO, he decides that even annoying little JISOO deserves some kindness.

MINHYUK knocks softly.

Not wanting him to see him in this state, JISOO jumps up, rushes to his bunk, and buries his face in a pillow. MINHYUK opens the door gently and enters the room.  

MINHYUK

Hey. You okay?

JISOO

(muffled) Go away.

MINHYUK sits on the bed next to JISOO and ruffles his hair awkwardly.

MINHYUK

Uh...everything will be okay. I think. Um, just hang in there.

Despite himself, the corners of JISOO’s mouth quirk up into a watery smile against his pillow. MINHYUK really sucks at comforting people. He rolls over and stares at the ceiling, wiping his damp face with his hands while letting out a long sigh.

The two boys stay like that for a little while, just sitting in silence.

SCENE 3

TAEHWAN and SUNGJOON sit in the cafeteria of �"러 Entertainment. HONGSEOK watches them from afar, casually leaning against a wall. A waiter comes and places fragrant dishes on their table, but neither of them touch the food in front of them. TAEHWAN runs a hand through his dark hair, a pensive look on his face. SUNGJOON merely sighs.

SUNGJOON

God...Jisoo. Poor kid. He looked so miserable when CEO GD said all those harsh words…in front of all those cameras too...

TAEHWAN

That’s nothing. We’ve all gone through that. He’ll get over it eventually. I just want to know what we’re supposed to do with him.

SUNGJOON looks up, shocked.

SUNGJOON

What?

TAEHWAN

You know what I mean. Our CEO obviously doesn’t want him here, so what are we going to do with him?

SUNGJOON

CEO GD’s just saying that. He’s always harsh on us because he wants us to work harder and improve.

TAEHWAN

Yeah, but, what if he's not just hoping that Jisoo improves? What if he's hinting at something else? I've been training for six years. Six years, Sungjoon. I don't want my future to be compromised because of some little kid. Not when I’ve gone through so much just to be able to be here.

A certain darkness takes over SUNGJOON’s face, and suddenly he becomes deathly serious.

SUNGJOON

You’re not the only one who’s gone through tough times. You know what happened to me. You don’t know what kind of crap Jisoo’s been put through. You were by my side then. Why aren’t you trying to help him? Why are you being so selfish?

TAEHWAN

Look�"

HONGSEOK walks by at that moment, balancing a tray of food on his hands. He pauses next to their table and sets his tray down next to TAEHWAN. Having overheard their conversation about JISOO, he decides to add his own opinions to the mix.

HONGSEOK

I think you should just kick him off the team. Can’t you see that he's holding us back? If we let him stay he’ll just mess everything up. It’s better if we just get rid of him now so we don’t have to deal with him later.

SUNGJOON glares at HONGSEOK, his rage apparent. HONGSEOK is slightly taken aback. His blank expression wavers a bit before he forces it back into neutrality.

SUNGJOON

That’s ridiculous. Jisoo’s as much a part of this team as you are. Don’t be heartless because of your ambition.

HONGSEOK shrugs.

HONGSEOK

He hasn’t helped us improve, you know. If anything, he’s dragged us down. Don’t you want to debut?

TAEHWAN (quietly)

There’s no point in arguing. It’s just the truth.

SUNGJOON places a hand on TAEHWAN’s shoulder, turning TAEHWAN towards himself.

SUNGJOON

Are you actually listening to this kid?

TAEHWAN brushes SUNGJOON’s hand off.

TAEHWAN

Why shouldn’t I? Everything he’s saying makes sense. I don’t understand a word that’s coming out of your mouth.

HONGSEOK

See?

SUNGJOON

Hey. Hongseok, you aren’t a part of this conversation. Can you just leave?

HONGSEOK rolls his eyes and walks away, but the damage is already done.

SUNGJOON

Taehwan�"

TAEHWAN stands abruptly.

TAEHWAN

You know what? I don’t wanna hear it.

He walks away, leaving a hurt and angry SUNGJOON left behind, still sitting at the table.

SCENE 4

Sungyeol is shown sneaking glances outside his dorm’s door. He spots a girl casually looking at her phone. He walks behind her and puts his hands over her eyes, a grin on his face.

SUNGYEOL

Guess who?

YANG NAYEON

Sungyeol…

NAYEON removes his hands from her face, a displeased look on her face. SUNGYEOL, clearly oblivious to her bitterness, initiates small talk.

NAYEON

Look Sungyeol, now’s not the time. Just�"not now. I’m not in the mood. There are things going on in my life, you know? I’m having a tough time right now.  

SUNGYEOL

Why? What’s wrong?

NAYEON

I...I can’t tell you.

SUNGYEOL

You know you can tell me anything.

NAYEON

It’s just...it’s too embarrassing.

SUNGYEOL

Nayeon. I won’t see you differently because of this. Just tell me.

NAYEON

Well... one of my friends invited me to go shopping�"you know how much I love shopping, don’t you? Anyways, I can’t go.

She looks away from him, a slight smile on her face, then looks back, tears in her eyes.

I...don't have enough money. Actually, you know what? Nevermind. I shouldn’t have told you. It’s not like it matters, you couldn’t help me anyway.

SUNGYEOL

No, here�"

SUNGYEOL shoves his hand inside his jacket pocket and fumbles 200,000 won from his wallet. He extends his arm to hand her the money. NAYEON snatches the money from his hand, gives him a brisk kiss on the cheek and walks away, leaving SUNGYEOL standing there, bewildered. Nayeon looks over her shoulder as she walks further away.

NAYEON

Sorry, oppa, I gotta go!

A smirk tugs at the corners of  her lips once again as she looks away.

SUNGYEOL watches her as she leaves. He lets out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. NAYEON has changed. She was never like this before. When he first started dating her, he thought she was the most sweet and thoughtful person he knew. The first time she asked for money, he didn’t think anything of it. Now it’s like she’s using him. Technically, they shouldn’t even be dating right now, with the limitations training puts on this kind of stuff.

The more he thinks about it, the more angry he becomes. He exhales sharply and looks up towards the sky.

SCENE 5

MINHYUK walks along the halls of  �"러 Ent.  He hears GD say his name in one of the meeting rooms. He knows if he’s caught snooping he’d be punished, but he’s too curious to care. He pushes his ear against the door and hears GD’s muffled voice.

G-DRAGON (OFF CAMERA)

...Like YG once did to me. All the things he put us through�"all the difficult tasks and sleepless nights and hard work�"it’s what made BIGBANG so successful. We have to catch them off guard. I know I want to keep Taehwan, Sungjoon, and Minhyuk in the group for sure…

Minhyuk’s eyes widen. He presses himself closer against the door.

OFFICIAL (OFF CAMERA)

What about the others? What do we do with them?

G-DRAGON

The others? I don’t know about them. All I know is I want a six member group to debut before next year. We’ll have to eliminate some of them...

MINHYUK slowly backs away from the door. A million questions race through his mind. What are they going to do to the others? Why is he good enough to be kept in the group? What about Jisoo?

SCENE 6

All nine boys are gathered in a spacious dark room.  The logo of ALLin flashes behind them on a giant television screen. At least four cameras surround them, filming their every move. The stand onstage in a straight line, all of them with serious expressions on their faces. Across from them, a judge table. GD and many other officials sit there, painfully quiet.

Slightly exasperated and extremely nervous, FANGWU reverts to his native language. He sighs, murmuring under his breath.

FANGWU

啊...这是什么？

They stand for a few more moments in an uncomfortable silence before CEO G-DRAGON finally speaks.

G-DRAGON

I’ve brought you in here today because I have some news for you. I’ve decided that instead of having a 9-member group debut, I think a group with six members will work better. Also, some of you have not proven yourself worthy of debut. MINHYUK, SUNGJOON and TAEHWAN please step forwards.

The three boys take a step forward. At this point, MINHYUK knows exactly what’s going on. However, the other two boys are very uneasy. The members behind them are shocked and confused. Why are those three getting eliminated? Didn’t the CEO say that he wanted a six member group to debut? How could he eliminate them when they’re the leaders of the group?

G-DRAGON

Congratulations. You guys have shown promise, and I have seen you show improvement. I know you’re loyal to �"러 Ent. You can stay.

GD gives them a brisk nod of the head, addressing them to stand back in the original line. TAEHWAN’s rigid shoulders slump a bit. SUNGJOON breathes in and out deeply. MINHYUK merely falls back in line with the others.

G-DRAGON

SON HYUNWOO and NAM JINHYUNG, please step forward.

HYUNWOO and JINHYUNG step forward. In their minds, both of them are hoping that they will be told that they can stay too.

G-DRAGON

I’ve seen a lot from you guys.

HYUNWOO closes his eyes, relieved. This has to mean that they won’t be eliminated.  

G-DRAGON

A lot I wasn’t impressed with.

HYUNWOO’s eyes fly open. He stares at G-DRAGON, unable to process his words.

G-DRAGON

I’m sorry. Well, no, I’m not sorry. I wanted to see more from the two of you. I don’t think you’re fit to debut this year.

JINHYUNG sniffles next to him. HYUNWOO stares at GD, shocked. No, he can’t be getting eliminated, he tried so hard, he worked so hard, he can’t be getting eliminated, this just can’t happen, what about his future?

Dramatic music suddenly starts to play in the background. The scene freezes on HYUNWOO’s face. Freeze frames of G-DRAGON’s dissatisfied face and JINHYUNG’s tearful look slide in so the three photos are side by side. Credits roll on the side of the screen in small white font as different freeze frames from the episode fade in and out.

PREVIEW OF NEXT EPISODE:

HYUNWOO is shown on the edge of a curb, staring out towards a busy street, eyes watery and red. He takes a slow step forward, staggering a bit. He closes his eyes, a tear sliding down his cheek as he breathes deeply.

TAEHWAN runs frantically along the streets of Seoul, breathing heavily.

TAEHWAN

(muted) SON HYUNWOO!

The scene freezes on the scared and worried expression on TAEHWAN’s face.