Filipino author Purple Chrystyl S. Romero has turned fictional stories inspired by K-pop idols, which seemed only possible on social networks, into a complete work of literature.
Released in July of this year, “Dito, Sa Purple House” with the English title “Here, At The Purple House” is a novel that revolves around two female characters. Korean Ira Young is an English language student in the Philippines who was disowned by her family after coming out in a viral video. Sade Kanlungan, meanwhile, is a Filipina college student who left home after watching her mother suffer at the hands of her father’s misogyny. Together, the two build a house, where the door is always open to those who are away from home for various reasons. Along the way, they gradually develop feelings for each other.
In an interview, author Purple Chrystyl S. Romero surprised many viewers by revealing the inspiration to write this novel. Although the work focuses on exploiting stories from characters living in the Philippines, in fact, the appearance and personalities of the two female leads are based on the characteristics of two famous Kpop idols, Irene and Seulgi (Red Velvet).
Romero explained that she chose to make the character Ira Young a Korean woman because despite how South Korea is known for “their excellence in entertainment,” Romero also sees how strongly Korean women fight for what’s right in the political sphere. Ira Young, says the author, was inspired by Irene—as was the book’s title. “Irene likes purple. When I was visualizing how the Korean would look like, it’s Irene’s face.” – she said.
Sade Kanlungan, on the other hand, is based on Seulgi’s traits: “Sade’s gentle but very firm when needed. She’s based on Seulgi. She looks gentle but when she’s in the performance or when she’s dancing, she’s strong. I get shocked.”
Interestingly, Irene and Seulgi are both among the top idols loved by the lesbian community in Korea. According to the results of a survey held earlier this year, while Irene was honored to take the top spot, Seulgi took third place. Especially before that, the duo also released the mini-album “Monster” as a sub-unit and received a lot of positive responses.
It is known that the novel “Dito, Sa Purple House” paperback version is currently available from Ukiyoto publisher for 8 USD and the electronic version on Google Play is available for 2.99 USD.
