I was just a weird kid full of imaginations.

I remember how I spent hours reading comics, watching my favorite shows, and dreaming about how it would end up if this scene happened or that scene happened.

I always thought I would outgrow my imaginations, but it didn’t. To express these inclinations of mine, I tried to learn drawing for a while, but I sucked, and it required too much time. I was already in my 20s, and I can’t afford to spend money and energy on something that isn’t profitable from the get-go.

It’s only when I moved to the States for work that I thought writing would be my medium of expression. It’s a pipe dream to have my own anime, so I thought of commissioning artwork and let my imaginations wander a little.

Is it a waste of money and time? I’m not too sure myself. Have I been ridiculed for my poor expressions of English? Yup.

However, my imaginations never dried up because of these discouragements. And that’s why I have a pen name, partly to protect myself from my real life. Hopefully.

My inspirations of Gale generally came from Louis Cha, aka 金庸 or jing yong. The classics are always great and repeated for TV dramas in Asia, and Gale is a blend of many characters with a touch of my inspiration. He’s not the ‘rags-to-riches’ guy, just a person who is underrated by most and slowly he is found valuable to people around him.

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Hideki is the opposite. Hideki is overrated from the get-go, and it feels like me when I was young. I was often overrated, and it was annoying. I wished I was like Gale sometimes, and hopefully, I measure up as I mature in age.

Clere was meant to be a scribe. I wanted her to do most of the narration and see everything through her lens, so her character wasn’t meant to be striking. However, I did think that the [Cursed Ink Technique] has too much potential and not building her up as a decent character isn’t going to cut it.

What about Kasumi? She’s just a dream girl with flaws. She’s pretty flawless now, but she has her flaws. I haven’t had enough time to explore more of her as I needed to explore the other characters first.

Zeel is my personal favorite character. I attended a regular public high school, and there were ‘delinquent-looking’ friends, who would break the rules for their own enjoyment but can score well in studies and be a good friend. Zeel didn’t get to score well though, because he works hard for Sunny to study in a private school, so I was hoping to have a rough-looking character who is kind at heart.

Sunny is meant to look like a ‘delinquent’ and she’s fearless in breaking the rules. Yet, she scores well, has good sense and is street-smart. While Zeel may lack the fundamental academic and regular smarts, Sunny makes up for it, and they are a team.

My illustrator has come up with really good artwork for Gale, Clere, Hideki, and Kasumi, and I’ve been impressed with the recent drafts of Zeel and Sunny. I haven’t had the time to spice up my website yet, but after I clear my work duties, I will definitely get to it soon.

‘My Bodyguard Can’t Fight Girls’ is my first novel. It’s money and time invested in imaginations, and whether it lives up to expectations or it sucks, I still thank God that I get to publish with my lackluster English.

I’m always thankful for comments, be it good or bad. Of course, cynicism is frowned upon, but it’s better than silence since it gives me the opportunity to improve.

Thank you for reading and exploring my imaginations with me.