Chapter 39

Youngest of Pieces - [Black & White] (7)

 

The same place they record [The Rainbows Colours], 5 Pieces also records [Black & White]: Though they do that on another stage that is prepared when the girls are changing clothes. The pre-recording for Music Core is then done, 5 Pieces very satisfied with how happy their fans seem to be by having the ladies doing so much special for their four year anniversary. [Black & White] is closely after that pre-recorded at KBS for Music Bank too before the girls’ changes clothes again and head to M Countdown for a last minute pre-recording of [-erase you-] before the actual M Countdown starts and the ladies changes clothes for a live performance of [Black & White].

But to perform [Black & White] three times, [-erase you-] one time and also do a ballad performance, Hannah’s back that has gotten sensitive this past week because of all sitting and travelling by car is hurting so much. She lies down on the floor the moment she gets inside the dressing-room at M Countdown. She had pulled through the performance, and because their song was the last of the day she had to pull through standing up at the ending too with a back that is hurting so much. She has taken her pills, and she took three of them today (she is not allowed to take more than three a day, but she can’t take three pills each day in a row) just because of the schedule of going here and there, also performing the songs in high heels.

Manager Lim sends the girls home after M Countdown, in the van they are talking about the Los Angeles trip they will do. In three hours they will be at the airport, then tomorrow they will have a fan signing and fan meeting in Los Angeles for their single release, and on Saturday the group will perform at SBS K-Pop Super Concert alongside 2NE1, SNSD, Beast and some others. They are heading home to wash up, pack and maybe get some time to rest before they have to head to the airport.

Hannah lies down on the floor in the living-room, Ace jumping on top of her by happiness that someone is joining him on the floor. Carolina washes up first in the bathroom, so Maria is taking a banana to eat while going around wondering what to bring. Julia is occupying the other bathroom and Emelia is – while hearing Maria talking – checking the Los Angeles weather to also know what to bring. The weather in Los Angeles is still good; warm and sunny, Emelia announces.

“While it rains here,” Hannah tells Ace who is lying on her chest. She groans when trying to move her back a little; barely able to do so as her back is frozen because she has been lying still on the floor for a few minutes.

“Can you even go to LA, baby?” Maria asks when lying down on her stomach on the floor, trying to lure Ace off Hannah (she is done eating the banana by now). “It’s a long flight, you know.”

Hannah turns her head to the side, pouting. “I don’t have a choice,” she answers.

“But it’s not like you will be able to sit still the way your back is hurting now,” Maria says; she has heard a lot about Hannah’s back since the accident that she knows enough about it. Hannah knows it too. She would want to go to the gym to get help by trainer Park Hyun to get rid of the pain or just be at home to do some exercises, because sitting down in a plane is definitely not going to help her back.

“I feel like an old lady,” Hannah whines, still unable to get up from the floor. She has been holding on to their kitten on her chest so he can’t run to Maria instead.

Manager Lim comes inside the room. He had gone to the corridor by Carolina and Maria’s rooms – where also the bigger bathroom is – to take a call, and he sighs when taking a seat in the sofa. Hannah asks him what it is, now forcing her self to sit up on the floor, grimacing over the pain in her back. Manager Lim, as the manager father he is to the girl, looks at Hannah struggling to sit up. “Hannah isn’t coming along to Los Angeles.”

Maria suddenly sits up, looking at him with huge eyes and open mouth while Hannah looks like she was trying to swallow but no matter how much she tries, she can’t swallow. “What?” Maria asks quickly. “She isn’t? Why? Who says that?” Emelia comes inside the room, followed by Carolina who says she is done washing up so whoever is after her can go. Emelia asks what’s going on and Carolina stays behind to hear what the subject could be.

“There’s no way she can handle the long flight to Los Angeles with that back,” Manager Lim answers, “so instead she will take this weekend to rest and work out. We thought of cancelling the whole trip to LA, but it is too late for that, so only four of you will go.”

“Okay,” Emelia nods and sits down on the sofa, Carolina and Maria both looks shocked at her.

“You accept it just like that?” Carolina can’t understand it. She turns back to their manager. “How can we perform without Hannah?”

“Hey, idiots, think it through,” Emelia says and snaps her finger at them. “If Hannah comes with us to Los Angeles, you think she will anyway be able to do anything if her back hurts? I rather go to LA without her to let her rest and perform with us next week instead than letting her go through hell and be unable to perform at all.”

Carolina does a sulky face expression, and both Hannah and Maria look like they see the sense behind Emelia’s words. Manager Lim thinks it goes so much better than expected. He had imagined Hannah getting angry for not being able to come along and her members not thinking it would be that serious. But all of them seem to understand that there is no better way. Maria hugs Ace who had been on his way to walk by her. “Then Ace has some company at least,” she says and gives him a kiss on the fur.

The time goes by fast. Hannah just goes around the apartment, going to one room to see that member packing and then goes to another room to see another member pack for the trip. Manager Lim won’t go to America; there are other managers following there, but he will still give them a ride to the airport before he can go home to his own family. Hannah sits down on Julia’s bed while the girl is finishing packing. They chat a little; Hannah keeps changing position, sitting like this and sitting like that before she lies down to lie like that before sitting up again, her back uncomfortable. Manager Lim comes to the door.

“Remember to not upload anything this weekend,” he reminds them. “No twitter and no blog – fans will all wonder why Hannah isn’t in Los Angeles with the rest of you, and if you just simply don’t do anything, maybe they won’t make a big deal out of it.”

“I don’t upload anything otherwise either,” Julia chuckles. Hannah smiles at her while Julia is closing her bag.

The moment everyone has left – Manager Lim promises to drop after he has sent the ladies to the airport – Hannah washes off the make-up in her face and she takes out a small yoga mat on the large space on the floor in the living-room. With the TV on and Ace lying in someone’s room, Hannah starts to exercise. She does yoga positions and things she has learnt that will help her back, both for the aching and for the strength, and she does it until she is feeling better – not too long though. When she is done with that she takes a shower without being in a rush, cleaning up in the bathroom after the two messy ladies she shares the bathroom with. She doesn’t even go look in Emelia and Julia’s bathroom, thinking they can clean up their own mess, and she never goes there anyway so.

Manager Lim drops by as he said he would do. He had called before arriving, telling her to come down and meet him. Before leaving the apartment, dressed in sweat pants and a big old cardigan, she looks through every room to make sure no useless lamps are . She only takes her cell phone with her, leaving the apartment and taking a seat in the van her manager drives, knowing they are heading to the hospital.

It might be late, but it is around this time idols visit hospitals when it is something. Hannah is just checking at the hospital if her back is alright, and the doctor tells her it was really good she didn’t go to America because it isn’t good for her to overwork her back too much without rest in between. The idea of spending the weekend resting and working out sounds like a good idea to the doctor, and he says her back just need to get more rest and it will be better after that. So she heads back home; Manager Lim makes sure she has everything she needs, and when he has left she goes to bed.

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Ace wakes her up around eight in the morning. Normally Hannah will close her door at nights, but because she and Ace are the only ones at home she has left the door open for him to come and go however he wants. Hannah takes it calm, trying to decide of what she can do today while eating breakfast, playing with Ace and half an hour later she is actually cleaning. Since she did a little in the bathroom yesterday, she can’t help herself but to be restless because her members are in Los Angeles. They keep in touch with texts and they are online chatting too; though Hannah notices her members are very busy, so though the whole day seems to go buy without much contact she is extremely happy whenever they get online to tell her how things are. SNSD members do the same, as they also are in Los Angeles, and they make Hannah laugh when they do a video call online and it is so loud and noisy from their side. Hannah is just there alone in the apartment, saying she isn’t doing much while she in fact has spent the whole day cleaning – doing dishes, sorting out what they need to buy for food and other necessaries, she has even been cleaning through the coffee machine and other electronics in the kitchen (as much as she can at least) and she has been cleaning in the living-room too.

“What do you think, Ace?” Hannah asks when sitting down on the sofa, looking around at the part of the apartment she can see from there. Ace has been sleeping on the sofa the last time, so he doesn’t even look up when she sits down. Maybe cleaning isn’t the best thing to do when you are supposed to make your back get better, so it is hurting just a little now after spending this time cleaning.

Hannah nods for her self, satisfied with the result so far.

This girl can’t sit and do nothing for long. She has planned her day in her head and she has already called for a ride to the gym. Trainer Park Hyun always greets her warmly, and he is asking her questions and simply just conversing with her while they are stretching and doing exercises that will help her back and also the rest of her body. But as a trainer, he wants to know not just how her training at home with all the morning/evening exercising her been going but also about what food she eats and when. Hannah has always been strange when it comes to food. Some days she eats a lot while other days she has these useless and totally incomprehensible reasons to not eat. She knows that as a singer, her voice comes out the best when she is eating well, but at the same time it is really difficult to eat before a performance – not just because her stomach often bloats – but also because at times it just feels weird. Lately she seems to have a lot of up-and-down days with some days she eats more than others, and the ladies have been a lot into celebrating the past weeks for many reasons.

“That’s just excuses,” Park Hyun tells her with a serious face, helping her with the exercise. “You need to control WHAT you eat, when you eat it and how much you eat. Are you still doing a diary?”

Hannah grimaces.

When Hannah first got to meet Park Hyun during a period where she was trying to loose weight and get into shape to be able to perform a song without getting exhausted and also to be in a drama, he had given her a diary to write up all her meals. She had gotten two books of advice and different kind of diets too, a way to try helping her out – the books were in English – and she did write the diary very well, but lately she just hasn’t done it. The habit of writing down all her meals has been forgotten and she doesn’t have an excuse to the reason why.

“You have gained weight, I guess.” Park Hyun sees everything. “How much?”

“2kg…” Hannah pouts. He nods, not saying anything, but his silence means she should fix it, and she knows it too.

Before leaving the gym, he makes her promise to start with the diary again.

Saturday is spent about the same. Hannah goes to the gym to make some simple exercising, not as long as she did on Friday but it is still effective and when she is done she goes home to do nothing and some writing and she keeps texting people because … she just isn’t used to be alone like this. Jonghyun calls her after that they have been texting for a while too, he being busy in Japan and she being bored in Korea. It is a sweet phone call; Hannah lies on the sofa and moves around cutely while smiling, he keeps making her laugh and smile and she finds herself thinking that if she saw herself at this moment with someone else’s eyes, it would look like any teenage girl who is on the phone with her biggest love.

On Sunday morning, Manager Lim drops by, surprised to see how clean the apartment is and he gives Hannah a weird look when seeing it.

“How’s the resting going?” he asks, meaning she doesn’t seem to be resting much with how the apartment looks like. She has even been sorting out gifts and such from fans inside her room, seeing really beautiful gifts from fans she received from fan signings and their four year anniversary. Hannah smiles when her manager asks that question because she knows by the tone in his voice and his face expression that he knows she hasn’t really been resting.

“My back has been resting, but the rest of my body hasn’t,” Hannah explains for him and she smiles, knowing her manager still thinks she should’ve spent the day actually resting. “My back is fine, Appa, don’t worry.”

“Hm, I wonder,” he mutters and looks through some papers he had brought with him. “You are going to Japan in the evening, you know that, right? For that chocolate commercial you also filmed early in the summer…”

“I thought I’m filming that tomorrow,” Hannah mutters. She has looked through Monday and Tuesday’s schedule, knowing that she will be in Japan the first day to film this commercial and the other day the group will film ‘A Good Cause’ and have a performance.

“It’s starting tonight, just because you have to go back to Korea tomorrow,” Manager Lim answers.

Hannah is texting on her cell phone again, her manager glances at her face. She is happy on days like this, he knows that. On days when her body isn’t hurting and when everything seems to be okay, she looks happy but it hurts him to see it too. That her members are in Los Angeles and she is alone, all because of her back; she might be happy, talking to her friends on her phone and spending some time resting, but he knows she keep wanting the ladies come back. Maybe she is happy today because the weekend is coming to an end. She has been bored at home, cleaning and being restless. One day, he hopes, she won’t have to worry much about her health.

“Are you starting with the food diary again?” Manager Lim asks when they are sitting in the car, heading to the agency. Hannah is sitting next to him, still busy texting.

“Mm,” she answers in a distant mumble, nodding her head before looking up at the street. “It’s Minhwan’s birthday today. Do you know what Maria has decided to do?”

“What has she decided to do?” Manager Lim wonders happily.

Hannah looks at him with a smile. “Maria said that she will do a video, a short video where she congratulates him and sings the birthday song for him, and then she will send it to his phone. Ah, she would send it through twitter because the quality of the computer’s camera was better than the cell phone.”

He laughs at the idea, knowing FT Island’s Minhwan will laugh so much when he will see that video – if Maria now does make it. Hannah smiles at him, turning back to her cell phone. She has congratulated her friend on his birthday, promising him she will give him a birthday gift the next time they meet.

What Hannah does at the agency is working on her book writing. She is getting help by a small group of six, all specialists in her book to help her with the history and mythology and to help her let the book make any sense. They worked with her for ‘Joe – Under Seoul’s Streets’ too, and they are continuing with the next books too. Last year she already let them look at book two that she is done with, getting help for the history and fact behind it and now she is getting help with the third book. For Hannah, she knows most things about her story – the names and personalities of the people, even about the character that will just make brief appearances, she creates each person’s background and looks, she has come up with the events and things that will happen and be said in the book – but she still need help to correct mistakes and make sure she doesn’t use the wrong words or sentences and she also have questions that this group will help her to answer. For hours they work today, one thing helps with another and they just seem to continue without a break for so long until Hannah’s cell phone starts to ring. It’s an unknown number, so she ignores it first but the same number calls a second time so when she excuses herself to take the call, the others agree on taking a short break to get to stretch their legs and get some more coffee – Hannah doesn’t drink coffee.

Hannah steps outside the room, answering the call without having a clue at all who it is. It is a female voice, and first Hannah is just so confused until hearing her name. Hannah feels bad for not having this person’s number in her cell phone, saying it too, but the person laughs and tells her she had to ask Jonghyun to get the number. It is Jonghyun’s sister calling her, and when Hannah had changed her number last time she had forgotten to inform that to his sister. She is nicely telling Hannah it doesn’t matter because it’s not like they talk to each other that often.

She had heard from Jonghyun that Hannah is resting this weekend, so since she doesn’t have anything to do today they decide to meet up later before Hannah will head to Japan. After hanging up Hannah heads up a floor to get something to drink from the water vending machine. But when standing there, no water comes. She keeps pressing and pressing, but nothing comes out.

“Hello.” A low, very extraordinary voice comes from her side, and when Hannah looks to the side someone bows politely to greet her.

Even when seeing the crown on his head Hannah knows who it is. The brown strangely bowl cut hair falls out of place in the bow, then falls straight back as it should lie down his head when he stands up straight. Like always, a white smile is shown in his face, almost like a grin, and he has a low cut tank top under the cardigan that is hanging down his tall, thin body. One thing that Hannah will never be able to accept about Asians is how tiny their bodies are. Even Jonghyun who has built up muscles still has a petite body compared to Europeans. Though the body in front of her is around 20cm taller than her, and though Hannah is a girl, he must look petite next to her with that skinny body.

“It isn’t working for you?” EXO’s Kai gives a simple hand motion to the machine.

“I don’t know what it is,” Hannah whines and turns back to the vending machine, putting her hands on her hips with her cell phone still in one hand. She gives a simple glance to him when he steps forward to try too. “I have tried that…”

He gives her a glance that she thinks means he should try it too, maybe in case she did it wrong or didn’t do it correctly. Hannah just stands there with her hands on her hips, knowing it isn’t going to work when he does the same things she did. “I thought 5 Pieces is in Los Angeles…” Kai says while still trying to see why no water comes out from the machine.

“I didn’t go,” Hannah answers shortly and when he glances at her their eyes meet awkwardly for just a second before they both looks away.

“Ah…” is all he says. She can see when he stands on the side of the machine to look behind it that he is sweaty down his neck and by his jaw, as if he has wiped his face lightly off from sweat but missed to take other parts.

“Maybe it’s empty,” Hannah shrugs her shoulders and glances at her phone to see the time at the same time as Kai looks at her to think through her comment.

“Are you in a hurry?” he asks her when seeing a slightly change in her face expression when seeing the time.

Hannah looks up at him, not lifting her head up exactly and she says that she has a meeting a floor down. Like always she never knows what she does, and she doesn’t see how Kai breathes in deep by the way she looks up at him and also by how she lightly shrugs her shoulder when answering and she is glancing at her cell phone quickly again. He clears his throat, nervously glancing around and Hannah thinks they are so awkward.

“We have fresh bottles of water in our practice room,” Kai explains for her and then puts a hand on the machine, “as we can’t seem to make this work.”

“Then where were you going…?” Hannah wonders, as he is pointing the practice room from where he just came from.

“To the bathroom. But I can go with you first.”

Just because she is thirsty and will need water to survive the rest of the work hour, she goes with him. It’s quiet and awkward between them when walking there, and even when getting the bottle of water it is a seriously awkward ‘thank you’ coming out from Hannah and Kai is awkwardly nodding, unable to focus his eyes on her and Hannah almost bumps in to Baekhyun on the way out of the room. Hannah thanks Kai again for the bottle of water before leaving, hurrying back to work. She is always so awkward without her members, around people she isn’t that close to. So it feels better returning to the room where she starts to work again, taking her attention back to her book and fantasy.

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“So you don’t cook?” Sodam, Jonghyun’s older sister, asks when she is walking down the street with Hannah.

“I haven’t learnt how to make Korean food,” Hannah answers, “but I know how to make some simple dishes we eat in Sweden.”

The two girls met up without really knowing what to do. They ended up deciding to go buy dinner from a take home Chinese to eat at 5 Pieces apartment. The girls are chatting; Hannah is wearing a cardigan with a hood over her head to not grab too much attention, and Sodam is used to walk with her brother so it is no strange behaviour for her. They talk about work and some randomness with questions they are curious about – like what food they like and if they cook.

“Jonghyun said you have a sister at the same age as me,” Sodam mentions when they are standing in the restaurant, waiting for the food.

Hannah nods and is asked if they stand close to each other. “No… For some reason we never were. I’m closer to my twin,” Hannah answers, though she thinks to herself that she isn’t close to anyone in her family lately. Sodam says it’s easy to understand that she is closer to her twin, since … well, they are twins. “But you and Jonghyun are really close. I envy that.”

Sodam laughs when seeing the face Hannah does when saying it, showing that she really does envy it. They smile at each other and continue to talk before getting the food. Manager Lim is driving them, also helping them to carry all the food.

“Welcome to our simple home,” Hannah awkwardly laughs when they come inside the hall; Ace comes walking over to them, extremely happy to meet Sodam who only gets to greet him after that they have walked to the table with the food. Manager Lim is explaining how they will do, telling the girls they can start to eat now or if they want to wait for the others but he makes sure they know when Hannah has to leave and that she has to be ready by then. Hannah and Sodam starts a round tour in the apartment. Looking around in the living-room at the DVDs and books, the girls talking and Sodam looks at what is on the walls – pictures taken by the ladies and pictures from fans – and she also gets to see Hannah’s room. They are happily chatting, laughing and looks at things. This is Hannah’s home, where she has most of her things, so of course Sodam is curious.

Sodam looks through the board on the wall that is filled with pictures throughout the years taken of Hannah and her friends. Jonghyun is in some of the pictures too.

“I know he really likes you,” Sodam mentions and looks over her shoulder at Hannah. “He was the one suggesting we could meet today actually.”

She walks over to sit at the side of the bed, looking around the room lightly from where she is sitting with Hannah wondering if she is going to get scolded or if she has treated Jonghyun bad – basically just wondering what she has done wrong. But Sodam smiles a little when continuing;

“But I know you like him just as much too; just seeing how you smile the same when he is texting you. Well… you don’t really shove up your cell phone in my face to show off, but it is still the same reaction.”

Hannah looks down at her hands. The ring she wears along with her group’s ring, her couple ring that he gave her. She doesn’t know what to say. Sodam has always been nice to Hannah, and she knows the siblings are really close to each other so she feels like she is being inspected with having her boyfriend’s sister in her bedroom, looking around at her things. Hannah doesn’t know if she is waiting for some response or if Hannah is supposed to say something, and after a few silent seconds, Sodam speaks again.

“I like you, Hannah,” she says kindly and softly. “And I am happy over you and Jonghyun. He hates all the guys I date, but for you two it wasn’t really any dating… I still knew before that he liked you, and since I like you, I hope I can find someone soon too… But what I want to say that, I hope we can get closer to each other. As sisters.”

For Hannah who grew up in Sweden, this kind of conversation is not normal. Normally she would just be close to a friend and after time feel like sisters; never do they talk about wanting to be close as sisters. But in Korea it is like that. The oldest normally steps up and suggest it, and the youngest agrees to it. Though Hannah still thinks of in dramas, when the brother’s girlfriend gets accepted by the family is the same thing as accepting them to get married to each other – though reality is a little different, she hopes. Hannah still smiles and nods, saying she would like if they could get closer to each other.

“I’M HOME!” a wild roar comes from the hall, followed by voices and movements.

Hannah and Sodam go to greet the other members in 5 Pieces. Hannah gives them all a hug; she does admit that she has missed them even if they have talked to each other a lot. The funny part is when Manager Lim sees that they have bought chicken on the way.

“But we decided on take home,” Manager Lim sounds confused, “I talked to you about that, Maria.”

Maria smiles brightly. “I know. But then we can eat the chicken tomorrow, right?”

“I’m not here for dinner tomorrow!” Hannah whines, helping them to get their things inside. Sodam is watching them from a distance, smiling when seeing how natural they are all behaving. Julia shakes her hand too, saying she don’t think they have met before – they have met before, which she remembers when knowing who she is, so Hannah apologizes on Julia’s behalf.

“We can eat it on Tuesday then,” Maria shrugs her shoulders.

“You are eating at the music program that day,” Manager Lim sighs, everyone heading to the kitchen where the food is.

“Wednesday then!” Maria is annoyed by now. “Damn you, Appa, we must get to eat this chicken! It looks delicious, you know.”

“We’re in China on Wednesday,” Emelia mentions and Maria gives out an annoyed sound.

“Fine!” she says and starts to eat the take home food, upset that she can’t eat her chicken that is in the kitchen now.

“Can’t we just prepare the chicken at home and bring it to the music program on Tuesday?” Hannah suggests while taking her seat.

“Perfect!” Maria shines up. “Well done, baby. I am a little weird because we have been far away, but you got your thoughts right.”

“She hasn’t been drinking, just so you know,” Emelia whispers to Sodam who laughs, explaining Maria’s behaviour.

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Headline 08th: Best Selling Album, 5 Pieces Tops The Statistics

Headline 08th: 5 Pieces Pre-Record This Weekends Music Core Performance Surrounded By Fans

Headline 08th: [Black & White] + [-erase you-] Performed On M Countdown

Headline 08th: KBS ‘A Good Cause’ Episode 3 Airs With 5 Pieces Helping Children

Headline 08th: 5 Pieces Steals The Hearts Of Viewers In Latest ‘A Good Cause’

Headline 08th: 5 Pieces Heads To Los Angeles For K-Pop Super Concert, Without Hannah?

 

Headline 09th: [Black & White] Reaches Most Viewed Video Of The Week On YouTube!

Headline 09th: Puzzle Worldwide Makes 5 Pieces Visible In Celebration Of 4 Year Anniversary Week

Headline 09th: 5 Pieces Win This Week K-Chart + [Black & White] Performance On Music Bank

 

Headline 10th: 5 Pieces Special Performance [The Rainbows Colours] + [Black & White] On Music Core

 

Headline 11th: Maria & Carolina Tweets Birthday Video Message To FT Island’s Minhwan

Headline 11th: SMTown Shares Picture Of 5 Pieces & SNSD From Los Angeles

Headline 11th: FT Island’s Honggi Talks About 5 Pieces Hannah’s Ultimate Charm?

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min2key
#1
Chapter 50: OH MY! Jonghyun heard about the kissing... -,-
min2key
#2
Chapter 14: thank you for updating, you just made my day... hahahahah

i was bored before...

waiting for some more... fighting! ^^