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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#201: K-popular

South Korean girl group Blackpink recently made history by becoming the first Asian act to headline Coachella, performing in front of over 125,000 people (and millions more tuning in via live stream). This isn’t the first “Korean Wave” (or Hallyu) to reach foreign shores; before Blackpink and BTS there was PSY with “Gangnam Style” and groups like BIGBANG and SHINee, to name just a few. Now we’re on to a 4th generation of idols taking over social media with dance challenges and catchy tunes.

K-pop is a fascinating universe with some of the most dedicated (and at times overbearing) fans in the world. Like all things, it comes with the good and the bad. Behind the uplifting messages, the discipline, and the talent also lies a high-pressure industry, one which has sparked debates about artist exploitation and the price people are willing to pay for fame. This week's prompts are inspired by K-pop, its fans, and the dizzying highs and lows of megastardom.

This week's prompts

Set your story at a large entertainment venue, after the show has ended, amongst the discarded plastic cups and confetti.

Adults – 53 stories

Write a story from the point of view of a “sasaeng” (an obsessive fan).

Character – 34 stories

Write a story about someone who has put “Blood Sweat & Tears” into getting where they are — only to question whether it was worth it.

Angst – 47 stories

Write a story inspired by SHINee’s “Ring Ding Dong”, where someone can’t get a song out of their head no matter how hard they try.

Funny – 16 stories

Write about someone who has always done something as part of a group, and is now starting to set out solo, or vice versa.

Character – 20 stories

Stories

“The Detritus of Utopia” by Delbert Griffith

Submitted to Contest #201

“It’s official. Lesbians are filthy,” Tetchy Tommy said, shaking his head. He bent down and picked up an empty plastic cup, filled with cigarette butts and a slightly pink liquid substance. He shuddered at what that might be.“Wear some gloves, mate. Safety first,” Oliver said, surveying the massive amount of discarded Dixie cups, food wrappers, and gum that littered the arena.“Butterfly Boudoir. Wha kind uv name is that?” Tetchy Tommy scoffed.“A sexy name for a bunch of sexy women,” Oliver answered.“Bollocks. Nothin’ sexy about a bunch of ca...

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“Face The Music And Dance” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #201

BZZZT! BZZZT! She picked the phone up in one fluid and automatic motion. She barely checked the screen, never recognised the numbers anyway. “Hello?” she asked the inanimate object. “Lila.” A single world came back at her from a world away. From another life. A word she had never heard here. That voice. Him. Then the music played and she danced a dance that she knew only too well. A dance that only she knew. The dance of death. The music played and not only was it an earworm, the worm burro...

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“Earwig and the Angry Itch: A Mike Dodge Mystery” by Martin Ross

Submitted to Contest #201

Disclaimer: No relationship to the off-Broadway extravaganza.“I got a song, I ain’t got no melody…!” I belted, pivoting for my next lap. The sputtering roar of the neglected Cub Cadet drowned both Nature and the relatively sparse human activity in our outdated patch of suburban Millington on a Tuesday afternoon.Mowing was one of those few times I could give myself wholly unto song, and I clung to the view that Billy Preston was too cool to permit heatstroke. Thanks to Al Gore, it was 91 degrees this fine May Tuesday with rain and high winds ...

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“Dreaming to Distraction” by Robin Butterworth

Submitted to Contest #201

The morning sun of September's fourth day came bright through the classroom window. Its light held a promise, but I knew it would only deliver the ghost of summer warmth. I stood at the front of my empty classroom, inspecting the product of my summer toils. I had complete confidence in my seating plan; the desk layout carefully planned to avoid bottlenecks; the children I knew to be disruptive artfully insulated from one another. Each desk tidy held precisely the correct number of supplies: just enough to prevent wandering trips to neighb...

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“The Show Must Go On” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #201

Cold. It’s so cold. I awake shivering, wondering how I got so cold. It is a wonder that I have slept in this state. How is that even possible? I sit up and I wrap my arms around me, holding some semblance of warmth in my beleaguered frame. This is wrong. This is all so very wrong. What happened to me? Did someone spike my drink? I don’t remember being here. I don’t even know where here is. How can I not know this place? I look around at the mess. The discarded paper cups and grease stained burger wrappings. Plastic cups t...

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“Shave Big Monkey in the Yard” by 𝔊𝔲𝔞𝔡𝔞𝔩𝔲𝔭𝔢 𝔗𝔢𝔩𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔱𝔞𝔯

Submitted to Contest #201

“One, two, fisherman’s stew, boiled on timber and stirred with a broom.” Dad’s in the shower, singing. “Three, four, pour it on the floor, feed all the beasties, cook up some more.” He’s sung this one so many times, I know almost the whole thing by heart. “Five, six, mortar and bricks, weaker than iron but stronger than sticks.” Isn’t it odd how we say a song is stuck in our head, but then say we learned it by heart? I saw a comic once where two characters were debating about that: a song stuck inside, playing on a loop...

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“Once upon a stage” by David Drake

Submitted to Contest #201

Why are the lights on? Under my feet, I crunch cups, drug paraphernalia, discarded programs. I see the road crew start shouting orders at the newbies. The venue workers start gathering the chairs, both still usable and the ones no longer able to hold butts. It’s just disgraceful that the Band will be charged for damages because some of us that show them the respect they deserve showed our devotion in a different way. This is nuts. They always do “My almost grand kiss” for the encore before they left. What the hell is going on?!? I stomped ...

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“After the Final Curtain” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #201

After the Final Curtain“The best thing to hold on to in life is each other.” - Audrey HepburnThere’s an interesting thing about magnets. (Aside from how the heck they work in the first place.) Held one way, they repel. Flip one, and they cling together. That’s odd.----------Unless you happen to be destined to grow to be 6’8” tall and run and jump like a gazelle, the odds are you won’t like your job, as in it’s a fun thing to do. It might be tolerable, pay the bills, give you a sense of pride in your work, a...

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“I Think; Therefore, I Matter” by Peter Wyatt

Submitted to Contest #201

In the year 1650, Rene Descarte lay on his deathbed, winding down the final hours of his mortal coil. The pre-dawn daily tutoring of Queen Christina had proven too taxing for his weak and feeble body. He had succumbed to pneumonia and had been bedridden for the last week. Queen Christina had missed a full week of tutoring, but Descartes hardly cared. His mind was focused on what he believed, until today, to be his most important philosophical discovery. He had proven that the foundations of knowledge could be trusted by the simple but p...

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“And You Have to Pay for the Elephant Too” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #201

London Langtree continues to twist the tuning pegs on his guitar, a task he began over an hour ago. As if to excuse his obsession, the frail, blonde-haired musical genius smiles boyishly at his bandmates. Axel Welch, Rails Rainsford, and Steady Eddie Evans glance nervously at each other as the rumble from the impatient crowd thunders in the background. “Gimme that!” Axel, Mystic Touch’s husky, short-tempered rhythm guitarist yells, yanking the instrument from London’s hands. Frustrated, Axel twists the tuning pegs until two of the strings...

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“The Immortal Impaler” by Allan Bernal

Submitted to Contest #201

I address this letter to you, Helena, though you may have succumbed to the wrath of Valache, the Immortal Impaler. This letter may just be my thoughts screaming out into the void, but I pray someone hears my message of hope. I’m escaping from the jaws of the beast itself, the crown castle of Vallia, where Valache himself dwells, and despite the horrors I’ve seen, I have also witnessed one unthinkable moment. Valache the Immortal Impaler has been dealt a mortal wound before my eyes. As you know, Valache has spent the last two decades unitin...

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“My Dumb Phone” by Joe Smallwood

Submitted to Contest #201

“You know, I was at church the other day and something weird happened.”“What?”“No one’s phone went off.”“Who is No-one?” my friend asked.“Nobody’s phone went off! There was no disturbance!”And that was the start of it. The new me. The next day my smartphone fell down my apartment garbage chute. Ker-plunk! Accidentally or was it on purpose? Only my subconscious knows! It didn’t cost much anyway. Super small squinty-eyed-cracked-dim-screen, and five years old. Android had already given up on it. No more updates. So, no big loss. I sauntered in...

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“Discarded Dreams ” by Kimberly Walker

Submitted to Contest #201

Discarded Dreams “Hey Betty, another night in the books; Patti was on fire, huh?” “Sadly, I don’t know: I’m just getting here. Economies 321 may hinder my early graduation. If I don’t pass it, I won’t be able to get into Julliard next semester.” “There you go, Julliard or bust. Don’t you know God gave you that voice, your determination, and a praying grandma for a reason? Julliard or not, you’re going to make it, girl! But these cups, candy wrappers, and programs need our help before 8 AM.” “I know; see you at the time clock.”I put on my hea...

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“The Secrets We Covet” by Asia Moore

Submitted to Contest #201

Chapter 1: The Awakening I have always been captivated by the glimmering lights of the stage, the euphoria that permeates through the air when the music begins, and the sheer brilliance of those who grace it. They call me a "sasaeng," a label draped in judgment and disdain. But do they truly understand me? Do they see the passion that burns within me or the yearning for connection that drives my every move? My name is Minji, a name that has faded into obscurity as my obsession consumed me. It started innocently enough, a deep admiration fo...

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“K-Popped: Murder in the Mosh Pit” by Ellen Neuborne

Submitted to Contest #201

“ ‘Morning Diane. The time sheets are on your desk. There’re bagels in the break room. And there’s a dead body in Orchestra F.” Diane dropped her purse on her desk. “Really? A dead body” Her voice rose, like she’d just won a prize. Patricia shrugged off her uniform jacket and grabbed her car keys as she headed for the door. “Thought you’d be more excited about the bagels,” she said. “They’re not New York bagels.” “You New Yorkers are snobs.” “About bagels? Guilty.” Diane was on Year Three of living in Las Vegas. She’d adjusted to...

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$250

Prize money

170

Contest entries

94

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jun 09, 2023 EST

Won by Chris Miller 🏆

Title: The Bequest

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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