K-pop Romance Series

Arc Reads for the ‘Mochi Promise‘ and ‘The Comeback‘ are books in a K-pop romance series by RJ Greyta – a UK indie author fascinated by Korean culture. I have never read anything like these books before, and it was an honour to read both books in the ‘Mochi Promise Series.’

I first connected with RJ Greyta on TikTok, and not long after we followed each other, he posted on his story that he was looking for Arc readers. I messaged him, gave my email address, and very soon I received both Ebooks in the series.

Mochi Promise (Book 1)

Meet Ted, living in a flat in Putney, London (I think). I know he lives in an English city where his parents struggle to make ends meet. When his Dad arrives home one evening, he mentions that he has applied for a job in Korea. I assume it’s South Korea, since the book mentions the capital city, Seoul, a lot.

Before emigrating, Ted had his own struggles dealing with ADHD and dyslexia. His focus in class back in London causes Ted to have low self-esteem and confidence. Considering that his parents enrolled him in a local Korean school rather than an international school, Ted now faces the challenge of learning the country’s language. The whispers and gossip don’t stop in England because Ted is English, and the teasing about his knowledge of Korean. Things change when he meets Soo-ah.

Soo-ah offers to help Ted with his Korean, and those lessons, so to speak, begin turning into a close friendship. When Soo-ah and Ted discover their love for music, Ted encourages Soo-ah to follow her dream of becoming a K-pop artist.

I know nothing about K-Pop, let alone Korea in general, so Greyta’s insight into the music industry is incredibly valuable. Seven years ago, CBBC’s newsround interviewed students at a K-Pop school in South Korea. At the time, roughly 1,000 pupils attended the school, and “only around 40 to 50 students will manage to make careers in the industry” (Newsround, CBBC, 2019). What I found interesting was the full-on process of becoming a K-pop trainee, let alone an actual part of a K-pop band. Soo-ah has held this dream and ambition since childhood, and it is heightened upon meeting Ted, who accompanies her to the audition, giving her the confidence to make her case to her father (or Appa, short for Annyeonghaseyo).

Once Soo-ah gets accepted as a trainee, Ted becomes a regular at her family’s coffee shop. His Korean improves, and he begins tutoring fellow students in English to earn money. He spends evenings thinking of how hard Soo-ah is working towards her dream, so he buys a cheap keyboard and begins to develop his skills as a songwriter.

During the hard times, both Ted and Soo-ah flash back to a park bench where they shared mochi. Ted, affectionately nicknaming Soo-ah as chimpunk. The two chase their dreams, even risking everything to meet under the stars, looking over Seoul. Things happen; it seems rather rapid for the two of them.

Having just realised they have feelings for one another, Soo-ah’s career as a K-Pop star progresses, and Ted’s family moves back to England. In his pocket, travelling back to England, Ted keeps a Mochi wrapper that he shared with Soo-ah in that park in Korea.

Time flies, and the two take more risks as their feelings for one another grow.

What exactly does that do to their careers?

What exactly does that do to their futures?

Read Book 2

The Comeback

The following book comes out on the 4th April 2026. I was fortunate to have an ARC of the Ebook. Avoiding any spoilers for the reader, I’m going to try to keep the review brief.

Compared to book 1, the one thing that kept me from giving a 5-star rating was that there wasn’t enough tension in the plot. I messaged Greyta about that via TikTok. Well, no problem with that. Readers get multiple perspectives, not just Ted and Soo-ah, but with other members of the K-Pop band. All of them, including Soo-ah, are now struggling with the balance (if any) between their family/friends and their careers, firmly in the media’s spotlight.

Both Ted and Soo-ah, and now, the rest of the K-Pop band, are fighting for the truth about the K-Pop culture to be known to the world. All management, networks, and the sponsors of the group are for everything to be kept under wraps and for Soo-ah, Ari, and the rest of the group to continue touring and recording. In short, keep the network and sponsors happy.

With complex relationships between the band members and with Ted, now involved too, I wouldn’t say everyone is close friends, yet everyone bonds over an understanding of the truth.

Is there tension between everyone? Oh, yeah.

Is there perhaps jealousy and rivalry between the band members? Maybe.

Do they have each other’s backs? It certainly seems so.

Reference

newsround (2019). BBC. CBBC. K-pop: How do you become a K-pop star? Available at: bbc.co.uk/newsround [Accessed 1st April 2026].