Yui Kikuchi was originally based on this K-pop idol

Which K-pop idol did I think of when Yui Kikuchi first walked into my mind? Here’s your hint: It’s not who you think it is.

If you know me well, you’re probably going to say Yuqi, because, you know, she’s perfect. But no, it wasn’t Yuqi, despite the similar names. Like I’ve said before, I named Yui after Yuimetal and Moametal. And it definitely wasn’t Gyubin (who I barely consider an idol), even if I would “character cast” the girl for the role.

The first K-pop idol who came to mind was Yena. Don’t ask me why. But when I wrote the first draft of Beyond the Lost Horizon, I had Yena stuck in my head. Yui has some Yena in her, but I didn’t need a carbon copy.

Maybe it was because I fused in a punk/emo look for Yui, and Yena dabbled into the genre. Something she needs to do more of.

Then Mina walked in and hijacked the whole concept

Mina Myoi of Twice walked into my head after I forced Yena out. Why? Maybe because I made Yui Japanese instead of Korean because of Mina. Like I said an eon ago:

Mina was ultimately the reason I rolled with Yui being from Japan when she was initially going to be Korean. Mina was also born in the U.S., and while that wasn’t the case for Yui, she’s pretty well-versed in random American uniqueness, like measurements.

But I also didn’t want too much Mina in my work, especially since I named Mina Hirai (Chronicles of Rondure) after her (and Momo, also of Twice). In my Terrian Chronicles series, I also thought of Mina when I penned Kira’s last name, Myoi, and nationality.

That’s a lot of Mina, so we didn’t need more. Plus, since I’m a fan of a wide range of idols and bands, basing Yui off seven of my favorites was the definite way to go. That’s when Yuqi, Lisa, Moametal, Jeon Somi, and later, Gyubin, came into the fold.

Yui’s her own unique K-pop idol

I’m glad I didn’t use just one or even a couple of idols. Yui is better as a mixture. A girl who’s fluent in English, experienced a culture shock since she’s Japanese, and has a sick character arc in Beyond the Lost Horizon, even if she’s a headcase.

And no, the girls mentioned above aren’t headcases. But the entire Yui being a headcase thing worked since my main character, Quinn Cozens, is also one. So you have two bullheads going at it early in the book after the worst terrorist attack in American history.

Now they need to learn how to tolerate each other and survive. Will they? Find out how far they get in Beyond the Lost Horizon. But if they don’t survive to see Book II in the trilogy, don’t worry. I got more characters on deck.