Nae Chingu (My Friends)

Nae Chingu (My Friends)

This is merely a story I am writing for fun. It is not mean to be taken as an actual piece of literature in any way. I just sat down and started writing and this is what came up on the page...

I will continue to add chapters as I write them and any comments are, of course, welcome but no criticisms please as I've already warned you that this is merely for fun. Thank you! 

Nae Chingu is a story about friendship. Lily Smith is an eighteen-almost nineteen--year old girl who has been moved several times throughout her life and she just wants to be able to settle down and make roots in any singular place--have a place she calls home. She finally finds solace in the last place she ever expected: South Korea. It's been three years since her last move and she has settled into her new life and even made some friends along the way. So needless to say it's devastating when her father announces he will once again move her just as she enters her senior year at Seoul Foreign Language High School. With the help of her friends, will Lily be able to stop this move from happening and if so, what price will she have to pay?

1. Chapter One
2. Chapter Two
3. Chapter Three
4. Chapter Four
5. Chapter Five
6. Chapter Six
7. Chapter Seven
8. Chapter Eight
9. Chapter Nine
10. Chapter Ten
11. Chapter Eleven
12. Chapter Twelve
13. Chapter Thirteen
14. Chapter Fourteen
15. Chapter Fifteen
16. Chapter Sixteen
17. Chapter Seventeen
18. Chapter Eighteen
19. Chapter Nineteen
20. Chapter Twenty
21. Chapter Twenty-One

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Meet the Characters

Usually when I write a story, I create character profiles but this time I didn't. I'm free-writing my characters as I go. This process makes my characters less consistent but also more malleable. In Nae Chingu, my characters surprise even me sometimes...which makes writing Mae Ri fairly entertaining even to myself. So, in lieu of posting their character profiles, I'll simple post pictures with a short description of the general idea of who my characters are. (F.Y.I. All the pictures of the Korean characters are real people but does NOT in any way reflect their actual personalities)

Our main girl is Lily Smith...sometimes known as Ril-Li. Although she likes to consider herself as open as a book, her life experiences have taught her to be cautious and therefore she is much quieter than she believes herself to truly be. She doesn't have any future ambitions mostly because her only dream is to stay in one place; after traveling to several different countries in her short 18 years, she has found a home in Korea and is willing to sacrifice everything--her relationship with her family, her education and most especially her pride--to stay in Korea. It's with the help of her friends, Mae Ri, Jong Hwa and Ji Soo that Lily is able to find the strength to stand her ground and find her place...but at what cost?

Mae Ri, Lily Jasmine's best girlfriend, is everything Lily isn't. She's loud, she's straightforward and most importantly, she isn't afraid to fight for what her best friend wants. Mae Ri is the girl who stands out in the crowd and she's perfectly fine with that. She became attached to Lily almost immediately because she was drawn to Lily's steadfast nature and in Mae Ri's experience, having friends that never turn their backs on each other is more important than money. Lily can always count on Mae Ri to back her up as well as a shoulder to cry on if things get too hard and Mae Ri is only too happy to beat the people around Lily into submission to make her friend happy--sometimes, even their closest friends.

For Mae Ri, I picture Kim Ga Eun in my head....

Jong Hwa doesn't say much but he rarely needs too. Lily's geeky best friend uses his actions more than his words and without Jong Hwa, Lily wouldn't have lasted a day at Seoul Foreign Language High School--literally. Jong Hwa has shown time and time again just how attuned he is to his three best friends and most especially Lily herself. Lily often refers to Jong Hwa has her savior and personal miracle and although she'd never admit it, she's completely head over heels in love with him. Although Jong Hwa spends most of his time keeping Mae Ri, Ji Soo and Lily in line and on track, he harbors a secret he's kept guarded for three years...but when is the right time to tell the others?

For Jong Hwa, I picture Kang Min Hyuk (of CNBlue) in my head...

Ji Soo can't be described in a few words; he's the goofy one of the group and always looking for a laugh but he can be surprisingly serious when the moment calls for it. Ji Soo often knows what each of his friends need before they realize it themselves, it's only himself that he's clueless about. Whereas Mae Ri wants to stand out and be noticed for her uniqueness, Ji Soo is happy just being himself which often gets himself noticed by others but never intentionally. If his friends are happy, then he's happy and that's exactly how he likes it. He often avoids outright confrontation but is never the last to offer to help clean up the aftermath--which is often the case where ever Mae Ri can be found. 

For Ji Soo, I picture "Jeremy" from the "You're Beautiful" Kdrama which is played by Lee Hong Ki (Just picture him with black hair)

Chan Min is just a low level recruiter at the Educational Student Exchange but he likes his job because he helps students achieve their dreams which is to come to Korea. He remembers what it was like for him when he went to study abroad in America and how much his host family helped him adjust to American Society and he wants to give a little back. But when Lily comes to see him, he's thrown for a loop. She's someone who's already lived in Korea and wants to desperately stay despite all the odds being against her. He sees her dedication and decides that he'll do all he can to help her, even if that means putting in a good word to someone very important....his father.
For Chan Min, I see Lee Sun Kyun in my head.

Lee Kang Bo,  or Dr. Lee as he is mostly known in this series, is Ji Soo's father. He is a general practitioner at a local clinic but is known to take referred cases from the hospital he used to work at. Although his wife passed way when Ji Soo was very little,  he feels that despite that he has raised Ji Soo to be a good person and is able to find solace in that fact. Due to his calm and steady nature, he finds it easy to get along with people no matter their differences and rarely casts judgment upon others. Because Ji Soo is an only child, Kang Bo often appreciates when Ji Soo brings his friends over because it helps keep their home from being too quiet and most especially like's Mae Ri's theatrical nature. He finds her entertaining to be around and knows about his son's fondness for Mae Ri herself. He just wishes Ji Soo would get off his bum and snatch her up before someone else does! 

For Lee Kang Bo, I see Kwon Hae Hyo in my head.