{Instagram, 5P_JULIA: Watching Hwarang together}

In a picture of feet; Hannah’s cute bear socks, Maria’s white socks, Emelia’s bare feet, Carolina’s Superman socks and Julia’s simple black ones, the ladies show they are back together. Within seconds, Julia’s Instagram update is flooded with comments, fans short and quickly writing “5P forever” and “omg”.

The ladies have reunited in London, of all places. It’s been over six weeks since Maria went to Sweden and it seems the five of them have missed each other in their own ways. After working together in the studio during the day, the ladies gather in one hotel room to watch the first episode of Hwarang together. Maria has hugged the ladies more than once, that’s her way to say she has missed them. Emelia has been touching everyone’s hair from time to time, even giving Hannah a braid. That’s her way. For Hannah, she has quietly been watching her friends, admiring their hair, admiring their nicely shaped eyebrows, admiring those smiles or those focused expressions. Carolina hugs on to the ladies. She doesn’t give hugs like Maria but she is holding on to a body part; an arm, a finger, when watching Hwarang she is hugging on to Julia’s leg. Julia, on the other hand, doesn’t act much different from how she usually is. Besides from the fact that she shares a picture on Instagram of their feet, she acts the same around the ladies.

5 Pieces are spending a few days in London, recording new songs with Melissa Allén and people she knows. To their agency, it is preparations for 5 Pieces’ comeback, and for the ladies, it is how 2017 starts. An unfamiliar studio, faces they recognize and recording, what they love. A strange start of the new year because on their second day in London, the ladies arrive at the studio after lunch and the person in the studio makes Maria stop abruptly and gape in awe. The other four do pretty much the same thing behind her.

“5 Pieces!” legendary Justin Timberlake cheers with hands in the air. He is out of his chair and with a huge smile steps up to the ladies, smiling at their faces. “It’s an honour to finally be working together.”

Though the ladies had been told beforehand that they are going to meet Justin Timberlake, it is still not something you can prepare yourself for enough. When Maria had released her solo album a few years ago, none other than Justin Timberlake had mentioned her in an interview when being asked who he wants to collaborate with in the future. He has talked to Melissa Allén about it as well as other producers, wanting to work with 5 Pieces. And it is happening. Well, they are recording together. Yesterday, the ladies were working on two songs. Now when the ladies have arrived at the studio they find out that Justin Timberlake has listened to the two songs they made yesterday.

After some chatting (getting a bit comfortable with each other) and Emelia giving a signed copy of her solo album, they start talking about the music. Justin Timberlake is an amazing person. He is someone who takes attention and he can’t be still when listening to the songs they have been working on. Melissa Allén is in charge but it is obvious she listens to everything that Justin Timberlake says. The ladies just do what they are told, not giving their opinions when sitting with these masters.

For the first few hours the ladies are stiff. That’s the effect of having Justin Timberlake in the studio. Maria steps inside the booth to sing first among the ladies and she messes up several times because of him. He gives his opinions of how it should sound and Maria gasps before explaining she isn’t sure if she is breathing correctly. He makes her nervous, she says.

“You’re doing great though,” Justin Timberlake says.

When Maria finally starts singing well, Hannah is almost staring at Justin Timberlake to see his face-expression. He smiles and claps his hands together when Maria comes out. He seems pleased. His reaction when Emelia raps is the best though. When Emelia practices he is giving these reactions like “ooh!” and “wow!”.

“How old are you girls?” he asks when they are going through the music.

“24, all of us,” Emelia answers and motions at them.

“You’re… ha-ha, nine years younger than me,” Justin Timberlake laughs as he realises it. “I knew you were young. You have been working for some years now; is it still fun?”

“Oh yes,” Emelia answers again. Maria can’t speak around him. Carolina is quiet too. “We have a blast working with music together.”

“It’s difficult though, isn’t it?” he wonders. “Working in a group, you must have different styles and goals and all that, right? When I was in NSYNC, we had different opinions of things, different styles when it came to music. It’s not too difficult for you?”

Emelia is the one finding her words this time too; “It’s extremely difficult but we know each other well and work it out.”

“It’s impressive seeing the five of you together,” Justin Timberlake admits, smiling over at one of the managers before looking at the ladies, “For a group to stick together for a longer period takes a lot so just passing five years is a big deal, you know. What I really like about you girls is, that, your music means something, right? Your group means something? I can feel that. You’re practically glowing, the five of you, and it’s really nice to see.”

“Thank you,” Maria whispers.

Hannah bites her lip to not start laughing over Maria’s quiet fan-girl behaviour.

“So correct me if I’m wrong; 5 Pieces makes one type of music then each one of you make your own songs when you’re solo? Like the hip hop,” he says and motions his hand at Emelia. He is leaning his elbows at his legs, leaned forward while talking to them.

“Not really. We usually just do what the agency says but we have a say in what we do,” Emelia explains. “This was the first time I got to do my music, in my album.”

Hannah nods along to that. It is truly amazing to sit and listen to Justin Timberlake, to hear him give advice and thoughts about more than music but also about individual achievements and how media is trying to turn things bad all the time. He talks about things the ladies are familiar about, which is something they rarely talk about in the studio because producers and song-writers don’t get the hate and comments that celebrities do. Even when continuing with the recording, Justin Timberlake continue to talk nicely to the ladies, also being excited as they listen to the song they wrap up today.

When Justin Timberlake is going to leave, he steps back and says they must take a picture. He is the one initiating it, which makes Maria burst into a smile when turning to Hannah and mouth “he wants a picture with me”. Well, he wants a picture with 5 Pieces, standing in the middle and looking like they are going to do a group hug. Maria somehow asks to take a selfie with him too, looking like a teenager with her V-sign and cute smile. Carolina is the best though, sneaking up next to him as soon as Maria is done taking her picture and Justin Timberlake quickly smiles when Carolina puts up her phone for a picture.

After he has left, Maria and Hannah steps out from the studio, mostly for Maria to find her breath and relax after being all stiff and nervous for the past few hours when Justin Timberlake has been with them. The others are starting to prepare for the next recording session. While Hannah and Maria are in another room to calm down, Hannah has a question at the tip of her tongue that she has not dared to ask her friend.

Maria went to Sweden for a reason. She needed a break, to find herself, she once explained it like. Hannah hasn’t asked Maria about it, it’s been two months since they last talked about how Maria is feeling. She came back to Korea in November to resign their contract with SM Entertainment as well as attend an award show. Then she went back to Sweden for six weeks and here they are now. Maria’s hair is auburn brown; it has grown below her shoulders after it was cut short during the summer. All ladies have brownish hair now.

“Ask it,” Maria chuckles.

Hannah looks at her friend with a question-mark and Maria is smiling down at her hands.

“I know you want to ask me how I’m feeling, right?” Maria says and smiles up at her friend. Hannah is quick to look away, feeling awkward that Maria saw right through her. “Ask it.”

Though Maria knows what Hannah wants to know she still wants their youngest to ask it, rather than having Maria just tell her.

“… How are you feeling?” Hannah whispers.

Breathing in deeply, Maria tiredly puts her arms around Hannah and rests her head on her friend’s shoulder. Though Hannah gets stiff by it, Maria seems comfortable. “I’m feeling just fine, baby. Recharged and all. Daddy made a lot of food for me and we had a lot of family evenings in front of the TV.”

“Did you hug your mother?” Hannah wonders, knowing that is something Maria can miss.

“Mm,” Maria smiles a bit silly. “I clung onto her so much that she asked if I shouldn’t get a boyfriend to clung onto instead. I clung onto whoever was at home though. If my sister didn’t have work that day, I would hug onto her.”

“Are you going back?” Hannah wonders.

“You mean if I’m going back home after this? I’m going to Seoul with you gals, don’t worry. We’re performing at the GDA, remember?”

Hannah grimaces in response. She is not attending Golden Disc Awards, but 5P-Trio and EM are. Either way, she is happy Maria is going back to Seoul with them.

Their recording continues. They will spend a week going back and forth to the studio, recording a bunch of songs together. The third song they record is [Best Of Me], a song written by Hannah and Emelia during their world tour last year. Melissa Allén says she has been waiting to record this song ever since she had it sent over by Emelia. The lyrics is 5 Pieces’ creation, their voices will sing it out but the music, is all Melissa and her crew. Maria even asks when they wrote these lyrics and Emelia proudly says “it’s what we did when all you did was sleeping”, though they all were busy with the tour, Hannah and Emelia kept writing lyrics when getting hair done, when they were at the hotel room or on the flight going from city to city.

They are in the studio through most of the night before heading back to the hotel to sleep. After several hours, the ladies do some shopping before they head back to the studio in the evening. They don’t record anything today. It is a brief visit, Hannah thinks, as they three hours later leave without having done anything at all.

It is the fourth day in the studio that they are brainstorming, everyone a bit closer after working together for the past few days. Today, the crew is working on making songs. Melissa Allén is discussing lyrics with the ladies and at times the ladies are spotted sitting in another room, resting, eating, sitting with their phone in hand. It is a long day but they do a lot; writing lyrics, playing around to music, easily said; they are brainstorming to come up with more songs as they have a few more days to work here in London.

In the middle of the day, Maria is giggling by herself in a huge arm-chair outside the studio. Julia gives her a glance, as Maria rarely giggles by herself.

“Reading another fanfiction, are you?” Julia wonders. The short-haired lady is sitting by the table in the room, eating a late lunch by herself.

Maria looks proud when she glances up at Julia, for a second wondering if anyone else in the room could be reading fanfiction but as it is just the two of them in the room, Maria knows the question is directed to her. “Zico talked about me on a talk-show,” Maria answers with a smile. She looks as if he has been boasting about her.

“So, what did he say?” Julia wonders, turning her head to rest her chin on her shoulder, watching Maria happily lean over her legs in the armchair to look at her phone when answering.

“He talked about how my amazing personality is the reason we are so close. That I showed a lot of support to Block B when they debuted, approached them backstage and that we became close friends because I am awesome.”

“He said you’re awesome?” Julia grimaces.

“Well, duh, he knows me so of course he says I’m awesome,” Maria chuckles and happily leans back with her phone held up. “I’m going to thank him for speaking well about me.”

Though Maria seems proud, she doesn’t see the doubt in Julia’s face-expression. Julia is doubting everything Maria just said, enough to pick up her phone to search it up herself; did Block B’s Zico really say good things about Maria? Julia keeps eating with one hand while searching on her phone with the other. It isn’t difficult to find an article written about it; that’s where Maria found it. Zico had apparently talked about how Maria’s straightforward personality (not amazing or awesome personality) make them become friends. Though Maria had said it was her approaching them backstage that made them grow closer, Zico says she showed a lot of interest as a fellow artist and talked a lot to them. He also says that Maria used to make them laugh with her imitations. It is written in the article ‘among other things, Zico talked about how Block B would stare in awe watching 5 Pieces back in the day, but that Maria befriended them thanks to her straightforward personality’. He was even asked if they have ever dated; Zico and Maria. Apparently, he had laughed and said they don’t have that kind of relationship.

“Maria, have you kissed Zico?” Julia wonders after reading the article. It’s not written anywhere but she recalls something that it has happened.

“Uh…” Maria looks up in the ceiling. “Have I?”

Julia shrugs her shoulder as she is hesitant about it. “I think you said it once.”

“It’s possible,” Maria answers simply, looking back at her phone. “Drunk at some party, I never know what happens.”

“Yet, you’re not in that kind of relationship,” Julia chuckles. She smiles when Maria gives her a glare.

“He and I have a very mature friendship. A kiss between friends is-”

“Uncommon in South Korea,” Emelia finishes Maria’s sentence, smiling widely as she walks by to take a seat by the table.

“Ya,” Maria warns her for cutting her off.

“Are we talking about playgirl Maria?” Emelia jokes.

“Woah,” Maria sighs and gets up on her feet, sounding like it is unbelievable she is called such a thing. “That is not funny and you should know better than that, Emelia.”

She leaves the room while muttering about good friends and bad friends. Emelia has been saying she is the playgirl of 5 Pieces lately, because Hannah is married so she can’t keep the title of being a player. Maria doesn’t like it. Mostly because she is in a relationship now and because Maria is not a playgirl. A kiss between fr