“What is it about?” Maria asks the moment the group walks inside the conference room at the agency early in the morning. It is before their activities have started, but four of the five members have already been away at the saloon so they look fresh and ready for their activities. Though Maria’s tough comment over being called over to the agency all of a sudden, no one finds her rude because that is just how she is.

“Lee Sooman wants you all to sign this,” Manager Lim says in a low voice and points at the papers on the table in front of them. It is five papers, copies for each member. The girls’ looks at it and Hannah can feel the confusion and something that feels like a punch in her stomach when she sees the paper.

“What?” Emelia looks like she is about to choke.

“Are you serious?” Maria almost screams and she puts away the paper so it glides across the table. She glares at their manager. “What kind of joke is this?! No way are we going to sign it! Does he really think we’re going to sign it? We’re twenty this year, Appa!”

“I’m just following orders, ladies.”

“I won’t sign,” Emelia says and crosses her arms over her chest and glares at their manager too.

“Exactly. We agreed on signing the contract three years ago because this wasn’t in it,” Maria says in a grown-up manner. For some reason, Hannah feels guilty that they are given the paper in front of them. She reads through it. It is a contract about not dating or being in a relationship for … until the year 2017? And after their official anniversary that year, which is in November. She looks surprised when seeing the year. Its five years from now.

“2017? We will be twenty-five by then!” Julia bursts out, just as shocked as Hannah about the year. “And official anniversary? It will be our nine years anniversary officially by then, Appa!”

“Seriously?” Maria looks surprised and she grabs Carolina’s paper to look at it. Maria had freaked out just by the date banning, not caring at all for how long. “Ya!” she bursts out at their manager, but Emelia talks before she gets time to fill in.

“Tell Sooman to get down here if he dares! I’m twenty in March, and I will not sign an idiotic contract!”

“Don’t use that talk!” Manager Lim strictly tells them and the girls gets quiet, even Maria who had complained while Emelia talked. “Lee Sooman wants you to sign this, otherwise you won’t release your fourth album this year and your solo activities will be cancelled as well.”

“Fine!” Maria bursts out without a second thought. “I’m not a slave! There is no way I will sign such a contract!”

“Do you want to know why I want you to sign it?” a voice by the door makes them all turn around.

Manager Lim is fast to apologize to Lee Sooman standing there about the girls’ behaviour. “I didn’t expect anything else from 5 Pieces,” Lee Sooman says and walks inside. He knows very well how strong 5 Pieces is when it comes to keep their private things away from contracts, that was how they convinced the agency three years ago to put away some of the things from the contract to not make it a slave contract. They were good back then, and Lee Sooman wouldn’t expect anything less now either.

“Hannah’s relationship with Jonghyun is strictly forbidden, both as you are under the same agency and it is on Jonghyun’s contract. If I had known something like this would occur, I would’ve kept the dating banning on your contract too,” Lee Sooman explains. He doesn’t sound angry or upset or irritated at all, he just simply explains, so the girls are quiet. “And the press is on me that we are giving a different treatment for 5 Pieces, and one of the reasons is because your contract doesn’t have what all other contracts have. Idol groups all have at least a five year contract to not date or being in a relationship; and 5 Pieces should be one of them. 5 Pieces has the image of being tough and charismatic, but when it comes to love, you girls are still seen as innocent. If one of you, especially the youngest, comes out with having a relationship, it could break your image and career right away.”

“So … you want her to break up with Jonghyun?” Maria looks confused.

Lee Sooman looks at Hannah who looks like she barely dares to breathe. “Put your relationship on a hold until the contract ends.”

“That’s five years!” Maria screams. “I will not let any of my ladies sign a contract like this!”

“You will sign the contract,” Lee Sooman says, not bothered at all by her high voice or temper. It may be her position as the leader, but even if another member had been the leader, Maria would’ve reacted and said the same. “I came to explain the contract for you, and to put a compromise to it. 2017 is a suggestion of year, if you have a better year to suggest for me.”

“Five years after our debut, which means 2013,” Emelia says.

Lee Sooman shakes his head. “Too short time. Let’s say 2016.”

“2014,” Carolina tell him. “2014 or nothing.”

“And Hannah doesn’t have to break up with Jonghyun,” Maria quickly adds, “as long as it is hidden from the public.”

It gets quiet as Lee Sooman thinks about it. Many thoughts must go through his mind at that time while he looks at each member of the group, including their manager. “Two years,” he says, thinking of what year the girls says. He gets quiet again, thinking deeply about it. “And Hannah has to not be so obvious with Jonghyun.”

“I’m not obvious,” Hannah says but Emelia covers , telling Lee Sooman they will work on that. Hannah glares at her. In public, she is not obvious around Jonghyun. Only at the agency.

“Fine,” Lee Sooman says. “The contract will go up to the year 2014 at your official six years anniversary, and since no one seems to have anything against it, Hannah can keep seeing SHINee’s Jonghyun as long it isn’t found out by the press or public, or is disturbing the groups’ activities.”

Before leaving he says they will change the contract lying on the table, and the girls can sign it later in the day when they come back from their activities. On the way to a variety program, Hannah, Carolina and Maria can’t stop talking about the contract and Lee Sooman. They complain for their manager driving too, saying it’s unbelievable and they can’t understand why Lee Sooman was okay with the relationship half a year ago but now not okay. Manager Lim explains that the press has been pushing the agency a lot to find out why 5 Pieces gets a different treatment than the other groups. Especially about the dating banning, as people finds that has absolutely nothing to do with 5 Pieces being from another country – that 5 Pieces are foreigners is the reason their contract looks different, and the press sees dating as no difference from country to country. Manager Lim explains that it will be solved once 5 Pieces do have a dating banning in their contract.

Maria sulks over it, since she wants to date – though they all jokes with her, saying she has been saying that for years without doing anything. In the end the mood is good, because they did compromise to their own standards for the contract. Just a few minutes later, Hannah tells their manager to turn up the volume and the girls are strangely covering the new group B.A.P’s [Warrior] that is played on the radio. Their concept is really great.

++ - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + -+ - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + -+ - + - ++

{Twitter, 5P_HANNAH: Osaka, D-10 for our concert ^^,}

Along with the announcement of D-10 on twitter, Hannah also uploads a picture she took with Carolina at the set of the variety program earlier in the day. It’s a pretty fun picture since the two girls are hugging each other tightly and their smiles look identical. Fans comments right away like always, saying they look to be so crazy and cute at the same time and also happy since that’s the main point of the picture.

After the variety filming, Hannah went to the gym. Working hard for two-three hours she is exhausted and she takes a shower at the gym, getting rid of all the make-up and hairspray in her hair before she heads back to the agency. Emelia has a studio recording the whole day, and she is still there when Hannah comes. She is working hard on her Japanese debut.

Though Emelia is proud and someone who doesn’t ask her members for help since she sees herself as someone smarter than them, she still wants Hannah’s thoughts on not just the music but her Japanese pronunciation. Hannah just says she is doing great, like always.

“Has he been here the whole day?” Hannah asks when she sits down on the floor to play with Ace – obviously, it is Ace she is talking about.

“Mm,” Emelia answers, she is focusing more on other things since she starts to talk to the others about the recording.

Hannah plays with Ace, asking the kitten if he wants to go outside instead of being locked inside the recording studio. Since she is on the floor, Emelia lightly pushes her with her feet, clearly hearing the girl talking to the kitten. Hannah smiles and nods at Ace who looks to have a lot of energy. She tells him they will go out and without another word she leaves the room to let the others work without interruption.

Hannah heads outside with Ace together with Manager Kim, to let the kitten get some fresh air. Manager Kim just laughs when seeing how happy Hannah also is to come outside. Hannah and Ace are jumping and running around together like they always like to do when going outside. But since it is SM, there are fans at the front. Manager Kim reminds Hannah to put her hood on if she wants to come with her to the small supermarket not too far from there. Hannah gets her hood on and with their kitten and manager she walks around the building to walk across the road.

It’s already dark outside, but the streets are shining up with the lamps. Hannah holds on to Ace when they walk with Manager Kim. They keep talking, first about Ace who has become addicted to 5 Pieces’ schedule and very comfortable to be at the agency. Manager Kim had worried about it at first, thinking the kitten would get more comfortable at the agency than at the apartment, but Ace can relax the best at the apartment (and with 5 Pieces). Hannah loves it.

“What are you buying?” Hannah wonders when they reach the supermarket.

“Some snacks,” Manager Kim answers and she chuckles. “And cigarettes for Park.”

Hannah grimaces about the cigarettes and she stops outside the doors. Some weeks ago, Maria was warned by an employee to bring the cat inside the supermarket, so Hannah has to wait outside. Manager Kim says she will buy the things as fast as possible, and Hannah just nods.

Hannah sits down on her heels to let Ace be on the ground.

Just seconds later she looks up when someone says her name, and when she looks up a foot is put by her shoulder and pushes her back so she falls on her on the ground. Shocked, even Ace looks at the girls that have walked up to them.

“5 Pieces, right?”