K-Pop Double LifeA Have Body, Will Guard romantic suspense novel About the BookHis fans know the star. His lover knows the man. But danger knows where to find him. When international bodyguards Aidan Greene and Liam McCullough are hired to protect the members of the K-pop group PRYZM on their world tour, they expect demanding schedules, screaming fans, and intense security. They don’t expect a series of threats that follows the group from city to city—or a romance developing between PRYZM’s charismatic front man and the stylist who knows him better than anyone. |
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How I Came to Write K-Pop Double Life
When I was at the 20Books conference in Las Vegas a few years ago, a romance author I believe was Romy Sommer gave a presentation on how writers could learn from the conventions of K-drama. She used a lot of clips from a television drama called Crash Landing on You.
It follows wealthy South Korean businesswoman Yoon Se-ri, whose paragliding accident carries her across the border into North Korea, where army captain Ri Jeong-hyeok hides and protects her; they fall in love. Sommer used images from the show, like soap and candles, to demonstrate the growing affection between the characters.
For example, Se-ri wants to take a bath, but she’s accustomed to fancy soaps and shampoos and elegant candles lighting the bathroom. The soap and the candles become motifs, and eventually Jeong-hyeok goes searching for Se-ri after she disappears—using the candle he bought for her.
I was really intrigued by the structure that Sommer presented, and kept that in the back of my mind. Then like many Westerners, I was first exposed to K-Pop music through KPop Demon Hunters. I loved the movie and the music. I kept thinking about how I could write a book that would combine these two worlds.
Eventually I realized that I could bring my bodyguards, Aidan and Liam, into this world. I could introduce my readers to it, and perhaps bring K-drama and K-Pop fans into my series.
It required a lot of research, understanding how K-drama is structured, for example. Fortunately each scene or chapter ends with a pull forward—just like a bodyguard book. As I wrote, I kept analyzing my chapter endings to be sure they were working.
I needed a romance plot, not just a bodyguard one. In my research I discovered that there are clauses in idol contracts preventing them from fraternizing with staff. That became my forbidden love plot. In a final tip of the hat to Sommer and her presentation, I decided that the movie theme song, My Lover from the North, would echo the love in Crash Landing on You. It also echoes nicely with the forbidden love between idol and stylist, and the themes of “no one can tell us who to love.”
More M/M K-Pop Romances to Explore
While researching K-Pop Double Life, I discovered other authors exploring romance, identity, celebrity, and life behind the scenes of the K-pop industry. Readers who enjoy this world may also want to investigate these books.
Hamartia by Scarlett Drake
An M/M rock star and K-pop idol romance.
First Aid by Hope Zane
An M/M K-pop novel.
Idol Minds by KT Salvo
A romance shaped by fame, ambition, and the pressures surrounding K-pop idols.
Idol Pursuits by Robert Rioux
Not MM but a fun look at a Kpop girl group.
Teach Me K-Pop by Kaenyn King
A tutor and a K-pop singer.
Discover These K-Pop Romances
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