Although his income is somewhat unstable, fluctuating up and down, Jun works as a freelance Japanese teacher, enjoying a degree of freedom in life, but as he approaches middle age, the realization hits him: he lives alone in a small studio apartment, not even in Bangkok but in Rangsit, Pathum Thani, a municipality bordering but outside of the capital city. He has certainly not accomplished much of anything in life. He has not achieved success in life in the conventional sense: money, fame and whatnot. Nor has he in the traditional understanding of life: getting married, having a child, sending the child to college, etc. Amidst this, the COVID-19 pandemic engulfs the world. Thailand, too, plunges into a dark time. “Can I survive through this?” he wonders. A thought flashes across his mind. “Should I perhaps put an end to the life of a mediocre adventure, compromise and settle into mundane life, that is, to get a full-time job that at least enables me to pay my bills, that is, to become a cog of the wheel called the modern-day society at this late stage in life? Or just jump from the balcony of my studio apartment and end it all?” (→ More on the main character and his conflict.)

Has a traditional idea of life: getting married, having a child, sending the child to college, etc. She is about to get married to her fiancé to embark upon such a life but upon finding out his philandering behaviors, she calls off the engagement. She also comes to conclude that there is nothing for her to live for in Thailand, the country of her birth. Soon afterward she meets Brody, an American man twenty years older than her and she agrees to marry him. She then plans to move to the U.S. to start over, which is when she meets Jun and starts a scandalous relationship.

Hannah’s husband, originally from the U.S. As a married couple, he and his wife responsibly raise their child – their son also graduates from university while Brody only finishes high school. However, by the time he reaches middle age, he finds his life too prosaic and frankly too boring. He divorces his wife. He looks for an adventure. He arrives in Thailand, among other things, the prospect of enjoying a great sex life reminiscent of that of porn stars igniting a spark in him, which is when he meets Hannah.

Jun’s colleague at the language school in Prachinburi, Thailand. Originally from South Africa. Jun’s first romantic interest in Thailand, though she turns out to be his unrequited love. She is a typical expat foreign language teacher. Young, energetic and full of life. She would eventually leave Thailand looking for a new adventure elsewhere.

Jun’s friend and colleague, first at Pathum Kallayanee Secondary School and then at the language school ‘Speak in Style’. He is still in his thirties when he arrives in Thailand. Although he has a university degree, he has never held a real job. Partly because of that, he believes he belongs in Thailand where he can at least live an okay life as an expat English teacher. His view on Thailand becomes increasingly negative, however, over the years.

Pure animals who are being trained to become professional assholes (and thus Pathum Kallayanee Secondary School is referred to as the Professional Asshole Training School).