@PenelopeLewis Thank you so much for asking. ❤️
I'm from Thailand, so naturally I chose Thailand as one of the settings because I know the country and its culture better. At the same time, I wanted to pair it with Bangladesh—a country that's rarely represented in BL stories and has never really been explored in this context. But when I studied Bangladesh more closely, I realized it's a multiracial and incredibly diverse country.
We mostly see Korean, Thai, Japanese, Filipino, or other countries where the protagonists seem beautiful and fair-skinned. So I asked myself: If you're not white, if you don't belong to that world, will they still love you?
For me, the definition of love is simple: it doesn't matter how far apart two soulmates are—eventually, they will end up together. It's destiny. People fall for the ones they're destined to be with. Lava did everything for Kao—she's beautiful, intelligent, but Kao's heart beats for Nil.
And most importantly, I thought it would be interesting to bring together two people from different cultures and backgrounds and explore how they navigate those differences. In many parts of my story, Kao appreciates Nil's language and his food, while Nil also learns Thai and prepares Thai dishes.
Because I wanted to show that even if two people come from completely different worlds, their emotions, struggles, and hopes can still be understood by each other.
I'm really happy you were curious enough to ask. Thank you for reading my story. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.