It’s cold outside, the ground filled with compacted snow from people walking on top of it, people gliding on it in their slalom skis and little sledges and scooters. Everyone at the ski resort is wearing warm clothes with thick jacket, gloves and ski trousers. Children are running around, some are laughing and others are crying and their parents or siblings are keeping an eye on them, and the ski slopes at the resort looks refreshing that from a distance has small dark dots gliding down. Among the visitors in the slope, a blonde haired foreigner wearing a black jacket and beige ski trousers stops her skiing almost at the top to look above her. She is smiling under the white mask that is covering her face from nose down, watching her friends following her down from the top.

The moment Hannah put on the outfit with slalom skis it came to her: the childhood memories of spending winter vacation in the slope with family. It is like riding a bike; if you learn it once, it sticks to you for your whole life. Hannah hasn’t been skiing for years already but when putting on the skis she was ready and excited to head up the lift and start heading down the slope. As a child she loved skiing every winter and she got so excited every time they mentioned you can go skiing on the outdoor recreation day at school, and she went there even if her closest classmates weren’t going – all because she wanted to go skiing.

Now too she is eagerly waiting for the others in the slope, excited even if they have been there for a while already. Carolina is dressed in a gray jacket and pink ski trousers, easily spotted coming over to Hannah with wide-spread legs and skis pointed in as a V with the ski goggles in pink too covering half her face, and slowly coming after her is the female manager Kim Sung Young who though said she is really good at skiing she is the slowest so far. But it isn’t about the speed – Hannah’s excitement makes her want to go fast – and they are really having a good time.

“Hi-hi-hi-hi-hi,” Hannah giggles when the two stops next to her, making their manager laugh over how Hannah’s excitement doesn’t seem to cool down.

“Let’s take a picture,” Carolina happily suggests, trying to step closer to Hannah and wave Manager Kim to join them. When struggling to get next to each other, both Hannah and Carolina are taking out their cell phones to both take a picture. Hannah had taken a picture of the view when they went to the top the first time and when seeing Carolina take out hers now, Hannah does it too. Hannah just takes one good picture before slinking away, letting Carolina take several more pictures that are about the same together with their manager while Hannah is uploading the picture on twitter.

Among the five members in the group, Hannah is the most active member on the social network twitter. Maria just recently got instagram and she is randomly uploading pictures of their pets, her magnificent personal nail-work, a picture of herself and more while all 5 Pieces together share a blog where they write things, answer fan-mails and uploads pictures from time to time. Hannah has days she is more active on twitter than other days, and she knows what to upload and what to avoid. With over two million followers, she definitely has a lot of people watching what she tweets though she can’t seem to know that as she just tweets mostly what she feels for. Like now, a picture where her face is hidden under a mask and ski goggles, standing next to the other two.a

{Twitter, 5P_HANNAH: We are skiing!!! I can take any cold for this fun ^^, (picture)}

When Carolina gets hungry, the three of them go to another slope nearby where all the kids – mostly kids – are having fun playing, gliding down the small slope in their sledges and among them all, a small group of grown-up kids are playing with two puppies. Emelia, Julia and Maria looks like they have the most fun in that slope, beside from the two puppies that are either running down the slope next to their sledge or sitting in the sledge with one of the ladies. Standing at the bottom of the slope where Hannah and the others slides up to is Manager Lim Chun Ho, the “Appa” manager who is over 40 years old and the main manager for 5 Pieces who takes care of them as if they are his own daughters. He has a father figure for the ladies, which is why they call him “Appa”. He was the first person in Korea to embrace the girls daily during their first struggling time in Korea and he has kept embracing them through work and personal issues, and he has loved the closeness between him and each member in the group. Even his wife likes the girls, and today she has even packed lunch and snacks for their trip.

“HI!” Hannah waves her hand happily when getting recognized by Julia who is walking down the slope, holding on the leash to the running Ryo.

“Are you having fun?” Manager Lim asks with a fatherly smile at the newly arrived three.

“I have no idea of where these kids get their energy from,” Manager Kim breathes out. “I’m tired but these two wants to continue after eating.”

“I guess it’s the age,” Carolina kindly answers, and behind her words and smile it is a joke that makes her laugh and this time Hannah actually smiles with her.

They take off their skis to run around in the slope with the others, playing with their puppies in the uncomfortable ski boots and even challenging to head up the slope, looking hilarious and causing laughter from the nearby children too that later also comes to play with their puppies. 5 Pieces get recognized even at the ski resort, though they are covered in winter clothes. But maybe the children ask all foreigners travelling in five if they are 5 Pieces, but the children seem very excited when the ladies are asking them if they know any songs of 5 Pieces. One of the boys is suddenly shaking his head so he falls; he was apparently dancing to [Daze], throwing his head instead of his hair. The children are really entertaining, so Carolina on her own is quietly asking if they can eat now while everyone else is enjoying the time playing by the slope.

The day at the ski resort is just like it was back in school. A lot of playing and fun, yummy lunchboxes with homemade food that they have to eat in a resting-cabin where visitors can sit down and rest from the slope and cold and also eat and a really great day that made them all exhausted in a good way because they have been playing so much. It relaxes their minds in preparations for their following activities, and Manager Lim keeps smiling when heading home because the almost one hour ride back home makes the girls fall asleep.

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5 Pieces arrival in New York causes attention and noise already from the moment the group steps on the airport after landing in the country. American security meets up with them and thanks to the extra manager who is there to help communicating for the international activities; everything seems to go pretty well. Sponsors have asked 5 Pieces to wear their clothes at the airports, since airport fashion is huge, and that means Hannah is wearing high heels, black leggings and a black/white dolman-sleeve top under a nice winter jacket and red scarf, finishing her outfit with a pair of sunglasses and a shoulder-bag. Her hair is loose to hide some of her face and when they start to walk she lowers her head automatically and holds on in habit to the arm of the person next to her, preparing herself for what she can hear out at the airport. She is walking with Julia, the two girls walking tight together after Maria and Manager Lim with the other members and managers behind them and security sticking close around them while also preparing for what will come.

It’s not like when 5 Pieces have gone to other Asian countries, where the security have been talking in languages the girls can’t understand, so now Hannah can hear most things the huge American man is saying right next to her and what the others are saying to him. It’s crowded out there, she hears them say, surprisingly a lot of people and though Hannah thinks she can hear them, she hasn’t even heard 1/5 of the people that she hears when the group is getting visible. All from light alarming yowls from girls to dark thundering screaming from boys fills out the airport by the first sight of 5 Pieces and though security has done really well in making some kind of wide road through the fans and media, the security walking around the group has to several of times keep fans that slinks through away. It’s amazing, making Hannah’s heart race by seeing so many faces. Last time they went to New York it was for SM Town’s concert and they arrived with other SM artists, so of course there were a lot of fans, but this amount of people and just the reaction is really making her think that coming for promotions will be fun. Voices are calling out their names and words like “hello” and “welcome” said in different languages – English, Korean and even Swedish – are called out after them in hope for a reaction. When glancing to her sides Hannah can see all kind of people trying to get their attention, fans of different ages and colours and it’s both boys and girls cheering over their arrival that she is almost getting weak in her knees.

“Please walk here,” the security man on her left says and shows with his whole arm for Hannah and Julia to head a little on the side to avoid crashing in the pushing crowd of fans. Hannah holds on tighter to Julia to not loose her friend in the chaos.

The noise doesn’t loose its glow. Fans keep cheering and screaming and calling things throughout the airport and even when managing it through the doors to come outside the crowd just follows them and it’s more outside. A big bus is surrounded by fans and media, and the bus has 5 Pieces’ single promotion on it. 5 Pieces’ [Daze] single cover is on the bus and though the girls don’t really see it now when being surrounded by people, they had seen pictures off it before heading to New York so they know how it looks like. While heading towards the bus-door, Hannah gets behind Julia to go after her and she can hear a dark man’s voice saying without really screaming like everyone else but because he has such a bass voice he is still heard clearly.

“Welcome to New York, ladies! Looking y as always! Have a good time, ladies!”

Because his voice is really out of the ordinary, Hannah smiles and gives a simple wave before getting on the bus.

The bus is huge. It is not just there to promote their single but it is for all the staff from Korea to fit at the same place during these few days of promotions; without loosing each other it is easy to move around in the bus together. Beside from 5 Pieces it will be managers and stylists, two of their choreographers, dancers for [Black & White], and then a photographer and small film crew from SM Entertainment that will journal their trip. Not all of them are there now, some will come with a later flight and others have already taken a cab or something to the hotel. Hannah follows her two members to the back, hurrying her steps a little when seeing Maria take a window seat and look out to wave at the crazy fans outside and Hannah decides to sit with Julia at the seat behind Maria – and as it was planned on the plane, Hannah gets the window seat because she loves to sit there – and the youngest is fast to follow Maria’s example to wave at their fans.

“I signed our Korean album out there!” Carolina laughs when joining them on the bus. “She must have brought it in Korea!”

“There are a lot of people,” Hannah mentions, open in awe while trying to see where the crowd ends. She laughs and waves when someone out there is jumping and waving with a sign saying “I’m in Hannah’s DAZE” in really nice letters (parody of their song [Daze]) and the girl struggling to hold the sign with her friend looks to go insane when seeing Hannah wave at her.

“Did anyone hear that bass voice talking?” Emelia asks, being the last member to take a seat. “He was like ‘ladies, enjoy New York’ and ‘hope you get some good shopping here, ladies’, he really stood out.”

They laugh at her bass voice imitation and Hannah reaches her hand up, saying she thinks she heard him. Maria laughs and says she heard him too, reaching over the seat to get a high five.

It’s unbelievable that they receive such a greeting at their arrival. So many fans and even media have showed up. The tiredness of being on the plane for so long doesn’t really hit them as they are too surprised and impressed with the crowded airport. Even when arriving at the hotel, fans have followed them and some seems to even have been waiting there for a while. How could they know 5 Pieces will stay there? They are definitely 5 Pieces’ fans; you can see and hear it by the bus’ arrival, and the girls are really wondering how their stay is going to be like while getting ready to get inside.

“Before we go in, who is sharing room with whom?” Manager Lim asks the girls, standing up before they can.

“Decide through rock-paper-scissor,” Emelia says and turns to the ladies, all five of them reaching out a hand over and between the seats. Like Maria would say; “it is basic knowledge for 5 Pieces to do rock-paper-scissor when making decisions”. They do it when deciding orders for a music video solo shooting, they do it to decide rooms, when deciding who will sit where in the van, they do it to decide who will pay if they eat out and they simply do it for everything. It is quickly decided that Julia and Carolina will share room, Hannah and Emelia will share one and then Maria will share with their only female manager who came along – Manager Kim.

Carolina gives some weird laugh when looking at Julia after the rooms have been decided and Julia out of nowhere asks if she can shift with anyone; making fun of Carolina’s weird behaviour. They are all in good moods, being escorted from the bus to the hotel – and though it is just a few meters distance, the amount of fans standing between makes it feel twice the length. Personal bodyguards for the group are at the hotel and they have already made sure that no fans are inside, which is probably why so many are outside, and once getting indoors the girls can relax a little.

They check-in and heads to their rooms, having about two-three hours to get ready for their schedule and their managers keep mentioning it when first checking-in, then when being in the elevator and then again when heading through the corridors to their rooms. Hannah starts laughing the moment she falls down on the cosy bed. Their room is really spacious with two beds widely apart from each other, a big bathroom, furniture that makes you want to stay forever and a big TV-screen, a cosy looking sofa and windows with a pretty view. Emelia is like always looking through every inch of the room, making Hannah impressed by pointing out different things. Hotels are usually about the same and though the girls have stayed at so many hotels, they are still amazed by it. Or maybe it is just because they are happy over the many fans greeting them in New York that they need to let it out somehow.

“I actually can’t wait for our performance,” Emelia confesses. “It will be awesome if people are like this there. Did you hear when we have to go get ready?”

“Have no idea~” Hannah sings and gets out of the bed. “Did you check the schedule for today? I thought we would have like one performance and then go look for a watch to Ji Young Oppa, but apparently we are doing a radio appearance too?”

Emelia turns around from looking at the view, grimacing. “What radio? They want us on American radio? What for?”

“How would I know… All I know is that Tiffany told Carolina that it is a really popular radio that also is filmed for TV.”

“I guess it is in the papers Appa gave us. He was on me the whole flight to read that bunch of papers,” Emelia sighs, squatting down to open her bag. Hannah looks clueless though, not having a clue of what bunch of papers she is talking about.

But the girls doesn’t stay in their room for long, deciding to get in comfortable clothes and run over to the hotel room that stylist Yong Hyun is in, the place where clothes are being unpacked for their schedules – not just today’s clothes but the clothes and accessories for their whole stay. Everything is a mess, but Yong Hyun assures the ladies that as long as they do not touch ANYTHING he will know where everything is.

5 Pieces rests a little in the room while getting ready for the day’s promotions. Hair, make-up, clothes and accessories are all being fixed in the same room and at the same time also talking about the schedule. Hannah, who has been confused about the bunch of papers Emelia mentioned, whines when finding out that Carolina was supposed to share with her. Apparently those papers include the prepared questions and answers from the agency that they are allowed to answer and say and the group ends up going through it. All English talking in the room makes their stylists get headache they say, and the girls have fun by talking even more in English.

That radio/TV appearance is the only thing 5 Pieces have on their schedule before dinner. Today’s dinner will be late because the radio is at that time. It is a live show, so the girls are nervous when first coming there, being introduced to the MC/DJ and though the girls do say they are really nervous, she tells them it will go well. The woman says she has seen their video, and she says that their song is always requested to be played. She says she really like it, and because she is so kind and friendly, going through the questions together before the show is comfortable and the girls are able to soften up. By the time the show starts, 5 Pieces are already calm, though they are nervous and the music video for [Daze] is showed for the viewers on TV while just the song is heard for the listeners on radio before 5 Pieces is introduced.

“All the way from South Korea’s pop music craze, today’s main guests are the famous ladies of the girl-group 5 Pieces that most of you probably are familiar hearing from the song we just looked at and that is heard daily all around the world – [Daze]. Please welcome 5 Pieces everyone!”

“Pieces of one,” Emelia says in her low voice, followed by the group greeting together as prepared in English; “hello, we are 5 Pieces!”

“Hi everyone, I am the leader of 5 Pieces, Maria. Let’s have fun together,” Maria kindly greets and waves to the camera. Her voice is softer than what it usually, and hearing the nervous leader, Hannah gets more nervous too, feeling her nerves getting crazier while her time is closing in.

“I’m Emelia.”

“Wassup New York, I’m 5 Pieces’ Carolina!”

“Hello, I’m Julia of 5 Pieces.”

“And I’m Hannah,” she finishes off the introductions in a low voice, nervously clearing afterwards when noticing how low her voice was.

“I am an honest person,” the DJ starts off saying, “and I admit that I didn’t know who 5 Pieces was until just recently. But everyone seems to know about you all of a sudden, and the song [Daze] is so popular that the whole US is going in to this craze that 5 Pieces already have created in Asia. It seems like the whole world is starting to get in this craze! Now I don’t know if all our listeners and viewers are aware of this, but 5 Pieces have been performing together for the past five years already, isn’t that right?”

“Yes. We made our debut back in 2008 but we have been sticking to promote in Korea and Asia most of this time,” Maria is nodding while answering the question.

“Why did you debut there and not somewhere else? If you had come here with your talent I bet you could have gotten really famous,” the DJ mentions.

“Korea had out interest at that time,” Maria answers, being honest too, “and Korea still has our main interest but since we are getting fans all around the world we thought we had to step out of our comfortable zone that we have gotten in Korea and we just want to reach out to more fans.”

“But where are you originally from?”

“We are all from Sweden,” Julia answers.

“And you live in Korea?”

“Yes.”

It gets a second’s silence after that, as if the DJ expects more explanation so Emelia says that they are five Swedish girls that debuted in Korea because they was captivated by the Korean music. Without anything more on that, the DJ continues:

“On today’s show I will actually ask questions in hope to let all the fans here get to know more about 5 Pieces, both about the girls we will get to see on stage and also about the members when they aren’t on the stage. Please look forward to that. But before that, we are going to talk about other things. My first question, I want to ask how your time here in New York has been so far.”

“So far … it was been really great. I mean, we have been here for a couple of hours only but we have seen countless of fans welcoming us already, so I think all of us are really looking forward to these few days here,” Maria answers again with a glance at the other ladies.

“Fans were even crying after you right outside our studio,” the DJ laughs, mentioning it to show how popular they are and the girls laughs too. Emelia says that she felt like crying out to them too. “Then to bring up the reason you actually are here today: your upcoming single [Daze], which by the way is already a success with the music video and just the song is making whoever listening to it dance. Could you maybe introduce the single and also describe the song for us?”

Hannah sees Maria looking over at Carolina, who has been leaning a little back in her seat while listening and their mascot now leans forward while probably trying to remember the English answer on the question she just received. “5 Pieces’ single [Daze] is first of all being released worldwide on January 18, and the song is now available on most online music stores, so if you can’t wait for the single, go check out the song online – but don’t forget to get the single later because it contains remixes and beautiful pictures of 5 Pieces. The song is actually written and produced by Melissa Allen and it is a catchy pop synch song that is very easy to just randomly dance along to as well as sing, but behind all that fun it has a really good meaning too. It is a really good song with both cool dancing and lyrics; so don’t miss it everyone.”

The interview continues; their English coming out fluently when answering the questions and not many questions later, Hannah is smiling widely, resting her elbow on the table to be able to hide her smile behind her hand. They are coming in on the questions to get to know 5 Pieces’ members better, and the DJ asks if they have known each other their whole lives – what is the story that created 5 Pieces at the very beginning?

“Not all of us have known each other for our whole lives, but we have lived in the same small town so it was mostly predicted that we would go to the same school,” Maria answers. “But… Emelia and I went to kindergarten together, though we weren’t really hanging out in the same group of friends and then Julia and Carolina also went to same school since kindergarten.”

“Maria and I were neighbours since birth too,” Hannah adds too and Maria fills that in. She has been pointing over at the members she has mentioned, in a clear voice speaking to not mess up.

“And the three of us – me, Emelia and Hannah – went to the same class from 3rd grade when we were just … 9-10 years old, and then all five of us connected like a storm during 7th and 8th grade when these two – Julia and Carolina – changed to go to the same school as us. How we connected, we still have absolutely no idea and at times we seem to question it too, but just clicked between us at that time and we haven’t… Well, we have fun together,” Maria answers.

“Does all five of you get along well? Was it like that since the beginning?”

“Actually, Hannah and I have been best friends since we got to know each other,” Emelia answers, “which is for over eleven years now. And I don’t think Maria and I really spoke much to each other before 7th grade or something, otherwise… …”

“I do think at first, not all of us were that comfortable or close to each other individually but when we were together it was just… a group of friends, you know, we did everything together then and we do it now too. And then now after several years together we are almost like sisters, and since we have lived together too for the past five years – away from our families in Sweden – we have gotten super close and we lean on each other as sisters too,” Maria tries to explain.

“So what is 5 Pieces’ dream? You are family, like sisters, and you are becoming famous all around the world and you have already a top star recognition in Asia; what do you want to do in the future?”

“I think we want to do pretty much the same was we do now,” Carolina answers and the others are nodding in agreement.

“Performing and making music,” Maria adds while nodding.

“Since it is something we love to do and we still feel like … we get so excited for each performance that there is no way we can see our lives being different in five or ten years, so probably we will continue to do this for as long as we can,” Carolina continues. “We love to perform and meet the fans, so, yeah…”

“But most groups don’t lasts for that long. Even the legendary groups like Destiny’s Child and more all disband or go different ways, don’t you worry that you will do the same?”

“I think…” Maria starts but she then motions for Julia to answer as she sees she wanted to say something.

“We don’t try to think too much of what will happen way in to the future and instead tries to focus on what is now, but sure there are times when we worry about ‘for how long will we go on?’ and such.”

When she is done, Maria continues; “I think we have gone through a lot of things to reach where we are now and if we in the future maybe want to go separate ways, it will be our own decision and no matter what we will still be 5 Pieces. For now we will just keep performing and having a blast each day.”

The DJ breathes out, making Hannah having to lean back when holding back her giggling.

“I swear that I am falling in love with you girls,” the DJ reveals, laughing along with them. “I bet all our viewers and listeners are feeling the same as me right now and I can clearly understand why your fans are crying outside our studio. You girls are pure love when I talk to you, and then when I look at your music video you are so charismatic and cool with tattoos on your bodies and strong dance moves… Wow, I’m simply said impressed.”

“Thank you so much,” Hannah’s low voice is heard and Julia follows her example to thank the DJ for the amazing words.

“5 PIECES! MARIA! EMELIA!” fans start to shout the moment 5 Pieces steps out from the studio after finishing some random interviews after the broadcast.

Guards keep sticking close to 5 Pieces along with their managers, the mix of tall, buff Americans to the little Asians surrounding the five Swedish girls seem to annoy the fans because Hannah can hear some disliking cry from some fans right after she has heard one of the guards ask the fans to not step closer, to keep a distance. Some fans asks where they are going now, others asking if they are enjoying the stay and some are just shouting out in hope to get a good picture or at least meet eyes with them. The girls are told to just head in the bus, but on the way the girls wave and smile and look at the fans that must really be going wild following them around – Hannah knows some of them follow them around, where the rest comes from she has no idea.

The girls are getting a small break in the middle of the schedule; to get something to eat and also to get some time for shopping. Not really shopping since they can’t get out of their stage outfits, but the girls only need window shopping because they are planning to buy a watch for their manager. So before dinner, they go to buy that watch. Manager Lee isn’t with them now, but he is going to eat dinner with them so the gift will be a surprise.

With jackets over their stage outfits, Maria, Hannah and Julia are the three chosen to buy the watch while Emelia and Carolina are too lazy for it. It is just a quick visit at an expensive brand; Maria’s choice because the whole group pays for it so they can give him something really nice. And somehow, fans are there too. The bus stopped a bit away from the store, but with guiding from the guards the girls finds the brand name store without problem. Hannah looks again clueless when being in there, not knowing anything about watches. She only wears watches when being sponsored or if it is for an outfit, otherwise the only clock she has is on her cell phone.

“Which one is the best?” Maria asks the woman working there.

Hannah glances over her friend’s shoulder when seeing the woman showing off the three best watches they have. Outside the store, fans are crowding up by the windows and Hannah smiles when seeing Julia wandering off by herself in the store, looking for a watch to herself. Maria leans back to look behind Hannah, asking Manager Lim which he thinks is the best.

“Take the cheapest,” he suggests and Hannah laughs at their cheap manager. “Don’t waste money on a too expensive watch; I think he would like all of them in here.”

“I think so too,” Hannah nods in agreement. “Ji Young Oppa doesn’t care much about the brands. He probably won’t even know how big it is anyway.”

“But I want it to be special,” Maria stubbornly says. “I won’t even remember his birthday next year so I should give something extra for him this year.”

The way Maria thinks makes Hannah unable to give a reaction. Their leader is a diva and she is aware of it, and she doesn’t want to buy something expensive to show off that she has money for it but because she doesn’t know if she will remember his birthday next year. It’s crazy. Hannah thought she would say something about that she felt bad for treating the new manager so badly at the beginning of last year (Manager Lee has been with 5 Pieces for almost a year) but Maria can’t seem to remember that. In the end they buy the fourth best watch, having it wrapped up as a present and Hannah gets the honour to carry it in a bag. The moment they step out of the store, the noise from fans surrounds them. Hannah had apparently been on her way to walk the wrong way because Manager Lim suddenly grabs her arm to pull her the other direction and the moment he does that, fans around them starts to complain.

“Hey, don’t do that!” someone bursts out evilly in English to their manager and Hannah thinks someone even curses at him.

“Ladies, ladies! What did you buy?” someone clearly calls out.

“A birthday gift,” Maria brightly answers in English and she receives cheers for it. They are being followed, guided by guards and managers and followed by fans. Hannah’s smile disappears when a guy tells in English for the manager to step away from Hannah, and he says it really rudely that Hannah just can’t stay quiet.

“Be nice to him,” she kindly says, meaning they should be nice to their manager.

“Oh! Hannah, I can protect you!” that same guy answers and she smiles to not be rude.

Fans are heard complaining again when they can’t get an autograph from Julia and Maria – Hannah has Manager Lim next to her so no one really reaches out to her – but before anything can be fixed about it they reaches the bus and struggles to get on it.

Carolina and Emelia have been enjoying the time resting on the bus but they get disappointed when they can’t take a sneak-peak at the present prepared for their manager and they head to the restaurant where they will gather to eat. Even there, fans are. Not as many though but they are outside the restaurant while they are eating – the restaurant puts them all so they can’t be seen from outside, which leaves them with some privacy.

It is a Korean restaurant, because their Korean friends are so picky about food. Maria makes up a plan to eat on McDonalds at least once during their stay in New York; when Emelia hard that she says she has started to make out the plan already. But the dinner goes really well. Manager Lee had no idea he would actually get a watch in birthday present and he had mostly expected the ladies to put some prank on him in New York or something so he gets a huge surprise to get the present. But he is impressed with it too, laughing when hearing how they had run off to buy it right before coming to the dinner.

But what he doesn’t know is that his birthday isn’t over in America yet and the ladies aren’t satisfied with just making him super happy with a brand named watch.

They continue with their schedules, doing their absolutely first studio performance that will air tomorrow in the evening and they do several small interviews for online sites and music channels and some TV news, briefly introducing themselves and their song.

When heading out from that schedule, the street is crowded by fans and thanks to the security, there is an open space right outside the door with a small road between the crowds leading to the bus, but the ladies have other plans. They have gotten the chance to finally write some autographs and take pictures with the crowding and shouting fans. The girls are happy to receive such welcome everywhere, and now they step up to the fans that are reaching out their cell phones for a picture or a paper/album/picture to get an autograph.

“Who was the present for?” a familiar voice asks in the crowd. The fan had been there when the ladies bought the watch, asking about the present at that time too. “Ladies, who did you buy the birthday present to?”

Hannah is the closest to him, having him standing a bit in the crowd while she is signing a picture of herself that the girl in front of her is reaching out. When hearing him ask that, and then he says how beautiful they are followed by him asking the question again, she glances over her shoulder to see if Manager Lee is there – he is standing by Carolina, making sure fans aren’t too close.

“It’s our manager’s birthday,” she answers in English and looks up, looking at the same man who at the airport today had made such an impression on the girls with his voice and she smiles while moving on to the next person to sign.

“You bought an expensive watch to your manager? He is so lucky, lady!”

Hannah laughs at his way to talk and another fan says that she follows Hannah on twitter, saying she loves it whenever she tweets something.

“I’ll tweet tonight,” Hannah promises while being busy signing and posing for a picture. She looks back at the one who is filming her, the man with the bass voice. “I see you everywhere.”

“I’m a big man, for ya. I got a YouTube page, have you seen it? I caught you in New York last year. I got pretty shots of SNSD too,” he tells her.

“Ah, I saw them,” she confesses. “I can recognize your voice.”

Several of fans laughs at that and the man calls out for Maria who gets next to Hannah after hearing some fans call her name from there. “You are beautiful, ladies. You are putting the world in a daze, you know that.”

Maria looks up right away when hearing his voice and she gives this face-expression that says she recognizes him. “Hey, my man,” she jokes and gives him the v-sign coolly before reaching out her hand to shake his. “You know everyone, don’t you?” she asks, meaning that he films all kind of celebrities. She has seen his videos; he films all kind of singers and actors that come to New York, like paparazzi, and he also shoots Korean artists when they visit too. He seems happy to hear that but his voice drowns in with several of fans asking Hannah and Maria to pose together, the asking sounds like crying and Hannah smiles the moment Maria puts a confident arm around her and gives a v-sign with a posing kissing mouth and Hannah just follows with the v-sign. Maria will always be their diva leader. Manager Lee then steps up to tell them to get in the bus and that man asks in his loud bass voice if he is the manager who got the watch.

“Yeah, it’s his birthday today!” Maria brightly answering, not knowing that Hannah had said that it was a gift to their manager because she sounds really impressed by that he knows it, but she still adds; “will you sing the birthday song for him?”

“Everyone, let’s sing to 5 Pieces manager!” the man is fast to agree and Maria is the one directing, starting off singing first and all the fans follows along even if they don’t know why.

“Thank you so much!” Maria thanks them all when they are done; smiling to their manager who laughs since he knows the song is to him.

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Headline 09th: Full PV For 5 Pieces’ Japanese [Sleeper] Released

Headline 09th: The International MV For [Daze] Released

Headline 09th: 5 Pieces Enjoys Some Skiing During Their Free Time

Headline 09th: [Daze] MV Hits Off Strongly Internationally

Headline 10th: 5 Pieces Gets Strongly Welcomed In New York By American Media & Fans

Headline 10th: Girls’ Generation Talks About Going Up Against Label-Mates 5 Pieces On Music Charts

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X. devonalias