Shine (Jessica Jung novel)

17-year-old Rachel Kim is a trainee at DB Entertainment, a prominent K-pop company. The atmosphere at DB is extremely competitive due to the instructors' high standards and the knowledge that only a minority of trainees will ever get chosen to become DB performers. Rachel is bullied by other trainees for her Korean-American background and for living with her family rather than in the trainee dormitory. Chief among the bullies is Choo Mina[lower-alpha 1], a queen bee whom Rachel accidentally insulted with several etiquette violations when the latter first joined DB. Rachel also faces opposition from her mother, Umma[lower-alpha 2], who was initially supportive of K-pop training but now fears it's distracting Rachel from other career prospects.

After a chance encounter with DB boy-band singer Jason Lee, Rachel develops a crush on him. Rachel is drugged by Mina at a party and arrives late to a trainee evaluation the next morning. DB CEO Mr. Noh announces that the best female trainee will be chosen to release a duet song with Jason, but Rachel flubs the evaluation and vomits on Jason, who reacts with amusement. Mina is chosen for the duet.

Rachel meets with her mentor, DB executive Chung Yujin, and concocts a plan to restore face by recording her singing with Jason and then anonymously leaking it to the public. Yujin takes Rachel to an underground café for celebrities, where she meets DB superstar Kang Jina and sings with Jason. The "leaked" video goes viral and Rachel begs Mr. Noh for a second chance; he declares that both she and Mina will sing with Jason.

Rachel goes on several secretive dates with Jason, despite DB forbidding performers from dating, and the two fall in love. When Umma is sent a video by Mina of Rachel drugged at the party, she upbraids Rachel and threatens to pull her from training. Rachel retorts that Umma has never supported her enough despite the huge pressures in her life. Umma tells Rachel that if she is not chosen to debut before the next company tour in a few months, she will not be allowed to stay in DB.

Kang Jina announces that she will not renew her contract with DB, and the press portrays her as a diva who had become spoiled by luxury. While on a date with Jason, Rachel runs into a drunken Jina, who reveals that she was actually fired for violating the no-dating rule and then subjected to a smear campaign that prevents her from joining another company. Shaken, Rachel breaks off her relationship with Jason.

The song recorded by Mina, Rachel and Jason is extremely popular and the three are sent on a promotional tour. Rachel and Mina bond during the tour, but when Mina falls and injures herself while wearing shoes borrowed from Rachel, she accuses the latter of sabotaging her and they return to enmity. Meanwhile, Rachel still loves Jason, and rekindles their romance.

After the tour, images of Rachel and Jason dating are leaked to the press, but so are images of Mina and Jason dating. Rachel learns that both relationships were orchestrated by DB as a publicity stunt for Jason, who plans to start a solo career. Mina and Jason were aware of the entire setup, but the secret was kept from Rachel due to her poor acting skills. Jason is portrayed by the media as a heartbroken innocent caught between two loves, and his solo debut is a great success. Jason tells Rachel he genuinely loves her, but she tearfully breaks up with him. Rachel almost leaves DB, but decides to stay after being encouraged by Umma, who reveals that she was a competitive athlete in her youth and struggled with disapproval from her own mother.

Rachel is chosen as the lead singer of Girls Forever, DB's next girl-group. Mina, chosen as lead dancer, reveals that she has a video of Rachel and Jason kissing outside of the DB-arranged dates, and holds it over Rachel's head as blackmail. Rachel endures further bullying from Mina and the rest of Girls Forever during group training, but manages to destroy Mina's phone in a glass of water before their debut performance.[2]

The book was a New York Times Bestseller, debuting at #5 on the Young Adult Hardcover list.[3] The Tempest rated it 6.5/10, criticizing its writing quality and "largely predictable" plot, but commending its depiction of unsavory elements in the K-pop industry and calling it "an entertaining read".[4] Kirkus Reviews called Shine a "fast-paced, entertaining romp" and praised its use of Korean words and cultural references.[5]