- ‘Brilliant, absolutely completely stunning’

- ‘On the red carpet we saw them first, looking tall and elegant. Their performance was flawless from top to toe, daring with the lyrics in a man’s world, but the banners held up really made them become a movement. 5 Pieces became one with the viewers through their performance.’

- ‘Love or hate? Of course we love the three different changes of outfits that 5 Pieces made throughout the night at Billboard.’

- ‘They came, they concurred, and they went back to little Korea. Everything about 5 Pieces makes me want them even more! I am put in their daze, being pulled towards them after their appearance on Billboards. The banners put up in the air by fans is so perfect that I think they have made music history, connecting an artist to their fans in a way not even America could’ve thought of – 5 Pieces, be prepared that you have just earned a million of fans after Billboards. And where can I get those banners?!’

- ‘EVERYONE can sing the song [Daze] because it has been playing on the radios nonstop for over a year, but 5 Pieces? I didn’t even recognize their faces at the red carpet, all I thought was “these girls look GORGEOUS” before even knowing they are the ones singing [Daze]. Their performance made me get up and dance, I just wanted to shout out that I am not a toy even if I am a guy. Now, I am one of many who is looking up EVERYTHING about 5 Pieces’

- ‘It was their first time attending an award show and they hit it just flawlessly from beginning to end. Starting at the red carpet, 5 Pieces appeared in long evening gowns that not just showed how beautiful they are but also showed their different styles and not to mention that they have the most gorgeous bodies. Continuing with their performance afterwards, they looked so street smart and when [Daze] began the whole stage just crowded with dancers going crazy with them. Winning awards they were adorable, speaking different languages and impressing with everything. Welcome to a world that belongs to 5 Pieces <3’

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The long pastel pink hair is melting in to the crown-neck short-sleeve t-shirt in light pink; the t-shirt is loose but still gets stuck at her body-shape, her legs looks thin in black leggings. Hannah is sitting on the floor, stretching her legs and back while talking to the others in the big practice-room. They arrived in Seoul in the afternoon and headed straight to the practice-room, 5 Pieces and the band gathered together while the dancers had to take a later flight and will join them in the morning, and the ladies are still half-away from their Las Vegas trip but their focus is turning back to the comeback showcase that is in just two days.

Just two days!

What is troubling is that they are filming Good Sister; the cameras are in the practice-room, and though the cameras are filming for the show the people in the room still have to focus on practicing, even Hannah can’t focus on the filming because she knows that the showcase is more important than the show. 5 Pieces have to set their minds on girls’ power; they need to get in their characters for the showcase.

“We don’t need to overdo it,” Carolina shakes her head to the band; “the song is good as it is, in my opinion.”

“All of the songs are good as they are, but the point is to make it sound more … just to give it more, with the live band,” saxophonist Moon Joonah says with her dark voice. She has short hair, black with some brown locks, looking exactly like her brother Moon Junki who is the second saxophonist in the band, but he has his hair very short and black.

“I think it sounds better with the band,” Maria comments, “more real.”

Hannah sighs and looks up behind her. She doesn’t know who did it, but when the ladies came here earlier there was a cardboard covering the wall at the back, filled with printed papers covering 5 Pieces’ appearance on Billboard, with comments and articles and headlines, and there are pictures also printed out on paper of 5 Pieces’ official comeback teasers. It is filled with inspiration for the comeback, covering the whole back wall. They definitely look hot on the pictures, in the album jacket outfits. Turning her focus back on the others she can hear they are still talking about the ballad song they will perform at the showcase.

“Let’s just go for it then,” Emelia doesn’t have the patience to hear everyone’s opinions that are basically the same. She holds out a hand to help Hannah up on her feet, her face looking at the others when telling them they should stop talking about it and just go through it until they find a balance.

Hannah picks up the papers of lyrics on the floor, slowly walking to where the ladies stand up in a row while looking through the song they are practicing to. She can not remember when they recorded the song, she has no memory of it at all and knows she will definitely not know when to do the adlibs, but she is sure she loves the song.

Two hours later, they are still in the practice-room, this time going through [POWER UP] without the dancing, just to make sure 5 Pieces’ voices sings along with the band and vice versa. With a live band playing, their comeback will be impressive. It will take a lot of work to connect with a band on the stage for each performance they will do, but it will be worth it.

And after another two hours, Hannah and Julia will head off to pick Kyung Ho up from his drama shooting.

Hannah is waiting by the door for Julia to come so they can leave; Kyung Ho’s filming will soon end. While waiting for Julia to get ready, Hannah leans out the door hearing someone come and she pouts when leaning against the door. She is being filmed from inside the room and from outside the room, too used to the camera-man by now. Hannah lifts up her hand tiredly, holding it out to wave tiredly. “I saw your comeback stage,” Hannah quietly says to EXO’s Kai and Sehun who both lower their heads politely to greet her.

“What did you think of it?” Sehun asks, them both stopping about two meters away from Hannah and she can see how Kai is politely holding his hands by his stomach as if she is really going to give some worthy critic to their comeback stage on Inkigayo two days ago.

Hannah shrugs her shoulder and gives the thumbs-up. “It was good, you all look like you’re going to break your bodies from dancing. Really cool,” she answers and the juniors smile widely, thanking her for the compliment.

“I’m ready now,” Julia says inside the room, walking past Hannah and looks a little surprised to see EXO members standing there. “Hi.”

Kai and Sehun lower their heads at her too. “We thought you were in America, when did you come back?” Kai wonders, staying surprisingly polite. Or Hannah is just too tired to really think of their way to talk.

“We came back a few hours ago,” Julia answers, showing the bag on her shoulder, “We came straight from the airport.”

“And now we have to go,” Hannah tells Julia. Kyung Ho will get upset if they are late.

“Right. We’ll see each other later,” Julia tells the two boys as they start walking, “Oh, and nice comeback by the way.”

Hannah and Julia can’t stop thinking about the showcase, even in the car before picking him up the two ladies are playing their own songs to practice the lyrics to the showcase, turning on the radio on a low volume once they have picked Kyung Ho up. They are all excited to meet, and Kyung Ho leans forward when about to take his seat, asking if they came straight from the airport and pouting when Hannah says they have been practicing for a few hours. They talk nonstop in the car and Kyung Ho even helps them to take up their suitcases to the apartment.

“You’re going straight to bed, right?” Hannah asks Kyung Ho; he is walking after the puppies and she is heading to the office to leave some things.

“Hannah, we need to buy some things later…” Julia sighs from the kitchen.

“When are you leaving?” Kyung Ho walks after Hannah with a pout.

“As soon as we can,” Hannah answers and puts her arms around him to head to the living-room. “You’ll be okay on your own, right?”

“Mmm,” he nods, “I have Ryo and Michin with me, I’ll be fine…”

Without being told of what to do, Kyung Ho goes to brush his teeth and change into pyjamas, and within minutes he is hugging Hannah, surprising her that he is ready for bed already.

“Nuna,” Kyung Ho whispers, “could you read a little before you leave?”

She nods and tells him to go lie down and she will come. Hannah leaves some stuff in her room before she sits down on Kyung Ho’s bed with the Peter Pan book they have been reading through the weeks. She reads slowly, Kyung Ho keeps interrupting to ask how her trip was, asking if she is tired, asking what certain words means, asking if the other members are doing well, asking for how long she will practice. In the end Hannah has put the book away and she is just talking to him.

They talk until Julia looks inside the room, saying they should get going. For a few minutes Hannah stays with Kyung Ho before she has to go, giving him a hug and reminding him to call if it is anything. Kyung Ho has been alone before, maybe not sleeping alone in 5 Pieces’ apartment, but he thinks that Hannah’s constant ‘remember’ talk is a little too much, so Hannah and Julia leaves the apartment with Hannah pouting. Whether he is old enough or not, she does not like leaving him alone.

Back in the car with cameras filming them, Hannah and Julia turns their focus on their practice again. They play the music and sings along, Hannah even picks up the lyrics from her bag to make sure she knows her parts and she put in some dots to remind herself of certain adlibs or tones.

While stopping to get some snacks for everyone who will be working late (it’s just 9PM now), Hannah looks through some pictures from Billboards, mostly of the clothes she was wearing. She likes the cute girly dress she wore when they were accepting their awards, and she takes a picture they had taken of her full-size backstage, just a picture of her in the outfit and she uploads it on instagram as if she wants to remind people of how pretty the dress was.

{Instagram, 5P_HANNAH: Billboards 2014}

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Practicing is endless. They are all so focused because it is not long time left to show everything that has been prepared, and even if they have spent months and months preparing for the comeback it somehow feel like they have a lot to learn. Live singing, live band, live dancing – their comeback showcase will be live from beginning to end. Hours passes of endless practicing. Since they focus more on the band and singing this night, they only stop singing when to talk about the music and songs, there are rare breaks to use the restroom or to eat because the time just flews by the same way time flews by when you have fun.

At five in the morning they leave the practice-room. All camera-men have left, they left at midnight. But when 5 Pieces comes home to their apartment, the cameras set up in the apartment are on and will show when the episode airs that 5 Pieces come home half past five in the morning. Quietly and exhausted, 5 Pieces wash up for the first time since Billboards in Las Vegas and without a word goes to bed.

Only an hour later, Hannah’s alarm goes on and she gets dressed in a pair of black mesh panel leggings and a loose-fit 3/4-sleeve top in black, and with bare feet she tip-toes down the stairs to the first floor. Ryo is fast to follow her, going with her to the kitchen where he drinks some water in his bowl on the floor and Hannah takes a glass of water too. She drinks water while starting to prepare breakfast, her eyes barely open and she turns on some low music on her phone, listening to their new tracks. The music has been playing in her head for the hour she has been lying in bed trying to get some sleep, so even when she is half asleep she can go through the music for their showcase and make breakfast. This is how you really prepare for a comeback; nothing else can interrupt your mind to prepare for the comeback.

The first thing she does after taking out all the ingredients for the canned tuna pancakes is to chop everything – even the canned tuna – just to make it as small as possible, and puts it all in a bowl to mix it together.

“Are you hungry?” Hannah whispers to Ryo who has lied down on the kitchen floor while she is making breakfast. “Did you miss me, Ryo-chan?”

She can’t help but to say his name in Japanese, finding it cuter. She glances over at the door at a camera-woman coming inside, holding a camera to film the half-asleep lady, Hannah lowering her head lightly in a greeting before turning back to the bowl she is mixing the breakfast together. Turning off the music, she takes out the frying pan and olive oil, having it all prepared before she asks Ryo if he wants to wake Kyung Ho up. She head upstairs, followed by Ryo and cameras, and turns left above the stairs to sneak inside Kyung Ho’s room. As soon as she is in there, pulling the quilt to cover Kyung Ho’s leg sticking out, Ryo runs after her and she picks him up on the bed.

“Good morning, pretty boy,” Hannah whispers, sitting down on her heels next to the bed.

She smiles seeing Kyung Ho only seeming to wake up when Ryo starts to snuggle with him. Knowing her younger brother is awake, Hannah pats him on the stomach.

“Breakfast is ready in ten-fifteen minutes,” she informs him.

“Mm…” Kyung Ho answers, kissing Ryo and hugging on to the happy puppy. “I’ll get dressed and come downstairs.”

“Good,” Hannah smiles and ruffles his hair before leaving. She head to her own bedroom and comes back out wearing a cardigan and slippers, and head downstairs after making sure Kyung Ho is not going back to sleep.

Downstairs she stars frying the pancakes, yawning and looking at the clock on the wall, putting the ready hand-sized pancakes on a plate and she sets the table for Kyung Ho. Four pancakes are ready when he come downstairs, coming inside the kitchen bouncing with a smile seeing Hannah making breakfast.

“You’re making breakfast again, Nuna,” he comments coolly and walks up next to Hannah to look at the pancakes she is making. “Is it all for me?”

“It’s all for you. Sit down and eat,” Hannah answers, ending up turning him around for him to walk to the table where the first set of pancakes are waiting for him with sauce and a full breakfast set up for him. “Did you sleep well?”

“Mm… But Nuna, when did you come back? Did you get any sleep?” Kyung Ho asks while digging in on the breakfast, eyes only on the breakfast even with Ryo sitting next to him, almost drooling like dogs tend to do when seeing food.

“We came home … in the morning,” Hannah answers. “The ladies are sleeping.”

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” he wonders, wanting to add ‘because of me?’ but instead just glances up at Hannah’s back while chewing on his breakfast. “The pancakes are yummy.”

“They are? Good. I’ll get some sleep later,” Hannah warmly says and walks over with the second set of pancakes. “What do you want to drink? Milk or water?”

“Milk”

While the last pancakes are frying, Hannah gets out some milk for Kyung Ho. Standing by the frying pan, Hannah is eating one of the pancakes she has made, nodding in agreement that it is yummy. “Is it okay to be at the practice after school today?” she asks him, happy to see that he has no trouble eating but a little sad they can’t go out have fun for today’s Good Sister because of the comeback. Kyung Ho is frowning, still focusing on eating though of that frown in his face.

“Its okay, Nuna, you have asked that already.”

“Yeah, but maybe you would want to do something else than being bored watching us practice,” Hannah sighs. She turns around to the frying pan to not burn the pancakes.

“If you need to practice, you practice,” Kyung Ho tells her but she can hear he is also upset they won’t be doing something more fun. “But don’t overdo it this time, Nuna…”

She glances over her shoulder to see that the frown in his face has become a sad face; he is lying with his head over his arm on the table, sadly eating the pancakes. She knows too well what he means; it is not about being too focused on practicing, it is about not fainting or making your body fall apart. Whether cameras are around or not, he can’t help but to comment on it, showing that he is worried after what happened last time. Hannah sighs again, finishing the pancakes and walks up to the table with them, and she pulls Kyung Ho in for a hug, without any words giving him a tight hug.

Hannah is constantly doing something while he is eating; she finishes cooking, she do the dishes and she feed the pets. All she can think of is that she will go to bed once he is sent to school. Kyung Ho’s manager will pick him up and send him to school, so after brushing his teeth and getting dressed, Hannah and Kyung Ho leave the apartment with Michin and Ryo on leash.

For a few minutes they just walk up and down the street for the puppies to be on their morning walk, and when coming back the car is waiting to pick Kyung Ho up. Kyung Ho hugs her before parting, and heading back inside with the puppies Hannah makes sure the kitchen is clean before she heads inside her bedroom and crawls into bed without changing clothes. Ryo comes to sleep on top of the bed with her.

It’s nervousness for the showcase, not that butterfly nervousness she had for Billboards, but a comeback nervousness that she has for every comeback. She is excited to finally be on stage with the whole crew after practicing for so long together, she is almost feeling sick of worry for how their fans and the world will react to the full album, to the second song… She know the reaction to [Girls Power] has been variable with some saying it is the iest song ever and others say it is too much with the concept, some saying the lyrics is perfection and others say the lyrics is too daring, too much for listeners to handle. How will they react to the rest of the album? [Girls Power] surely is the most daring song in the album, but would that mean people will be disappointed to have the rest of the album not being as the expectations has become after the first song? Hannah’s head almost starts spinning thinking about all these things. In less than a week, their fourth Korean album will be released.In two hoursfdfgsdr

About two hours passes by. Hannah can hear when Emelia wakes up, and one by one the ladies get up to get ready. Hannah is dressed, she has taken out the puppies, so she has it planned out that she doesn’t have to wake up as early as the others, and actually goes back to sleep after hearing the members waking up.

Another half hour later, Hannah wakes up to just use the bathroom and put on socks, then she head downstairs with her bag and leather jacket and is ready to leave.

“I was wondering if you even were home,” Maria jokes when seeing Hannah. “Are you ready to leave? Appa will be here in a few minutes.”

Hannah just sits down in the living-room, closing her eyes as she hasn’t woken up yet, and waits two minutes before they start moving to the hall, getting dressed and leaves to head back to the practice-room.

Everyone is gathered in the big practice-room; the band, the dancers and 5 Pieces. Everyone starts stretching after going through what they have to do today, the last day of practice for the showcase tomorrow, and the stress of doing well is pushing them today. The whole set-list for the showcase is eleven songs; four new songs, three special versions and four songs from earlier. Half of the songs don’t have choreography but two of the songs with choreography are the main songs for the comeback and have the most focus during practice because in [Girls Power] they will wear high heels, leather outfits, singing and dancing live while using chairs in the choreography.

They take out the chairs for the first track on the set list, a few starting to go through the songs while others are putting on the high heel boots all women have been wearing during the practice of [Girls Power]. The boots are worn-out after half a year using them, but they can still be practiced in. All of the female dancers and the members of 5 Pieces are wearing high heel boots, the dancers using different ones than the ladies but everyone wearing about a 10cm high heel.

Hannah is already wearing hers as she put them on while finishing stretching, and the mesh panel leggings Hannah is wearing actually suits the boots surprisingly well; she even receives compliments for her matching black outfits – she is the only lady covered in black. Carolina is in shorts, Maria is also in leggings but hers are colourful and doesn’t fit the black boots at all, but their clothes fits their personalities and in the practice-room it doesn’t matter what you wear as long as you have the right shoes.

Their amazing American choreography-crew is with them as well; Janetta Belle Huddleston, Katharine Dorsey and the only man Kade Bristol are all there to be the supervisors and teachers. The whole crew is together for the last day practice before the comeback showcase, and even if the practice-room is twice as big as the usual room they use it is still filled with people. Their band, the dancers, the choreographers, 5 Pieces, and also the filming crew for Good Sister are there because of ‘Episode 13 – Comeback Special’. SBS will be the only one channel who will get exclusive behind-the-scenes footage for 5 Pieces’ showcase, all thanks to Good Sister. The cameras captures 5 Pieces seriousness, of how they are focused on going through the choreography with everyone together and piece by piece to make sure everyone is on the same page for tomorrow. Emelia does not hesitate to ask Kade Bristol for help in the beginning, just to be reminded of her face-expression when dancing on the chair. The dance part is the most nerve-wracking.

It is Kade who takes out an extra chair to be in front of everyone and counting for everyone to piece by piece to the choreography. One step, two steps, three steps, and go back, two steps, four steps… They should know the choreography by now, but with the showcase being tomorrow they feel they have to go through the new songs twice as much as the rest just to not blank out when they are doing the live performance. 5 Pieces have to hold a microphone in hand too, which they have been practicing after filming the music videos, but it is actually difficult to be without one hand when dancing using a chair because they have gotten used to move freely with one hand and the other holding the chair, and now they have microphone by mouth in one hand and the chair in the other. It becomes stiffer, which is why they need to practice so much.

“Julia is lighter in her steps, which makes it look more natural for her easier for her,” choreographer Janetta comments. Their choreographers are good at commenting, mentioning the good and bad in everyone to help them take notice of it, to improve the bad and flaunt the good. “Just look at that. If you pretend you don’t have the high heels but are just on your toes when getting down from the chair, you all will look lighter in your steps. I have said it before.”

She has said it before, but like with most things Hannah forgets certain things until she is reminded of them. She follows the others to repeat the part, knowing they are all focusing on details to make tomorrow look like the best performance for their fans that have been waiting five extra weeks for this.

Though they spend two-three hours just to go through the first song, by the time they are playing it with the band and dancing and singing, all full out as if they really are on the stage, it is magical. The song ends and their choreographers are actually applauding.

“Why such a worry? It’s perfect,” choreographer Katharine says when patting Maria on the shoulder.

Going from one song to the other, the second song on the track list is Hannah’s power-version of [I Want a Man] – the same one that will be released in her teaser coming out in two days. Only Julia and Hannah’s teasers are left, as well as a sixth one before the music video for [POWER UP] will be out. It’s all confusing with their teasers; just the other day Carolina’s came out, she looked gorgeous dressed in white with red hair and singing one of the songs from the new album. She will sing it tomorrow too; Hannah, Julia and Carolina will sing their versions of the songs from their teasers tomorrow at the showcase, probably surprising fans completely, especially on Hannah and Julia’s songs because their teasers haven’t come out yet.

Hannah’s song doesn’t really have choreography, yet she has the choreographers go through what she will do. It’s freestyle, a power soul R&B song where Hannah will just move lightly to not just stand on stage singing. She loves the live band to it though; the whole showcase will be magical only because of the band.

Song by song they go through the details, even pausing for the talk practice and there is constant talk of details and comments and ideas coming back and forth in Korean and in English and the day just goes by in a flash because they have so much to do.

They have taken a short break when Kyung Ho comes. A lot of the crew rush to the bathroom, and Hannah helps Kyung ho get comfortable in the practice-room by letting him sit by the platform where the band is, he will get to do his homework while they are going to practice. Hannah sits at the side of the platform next to him, waiting for the others to return and for the practice to get going again. She has taken off the high heels she has been wearing for a few hours, like everyone else resting her feet at every possible chance.

Kyung Ho is in a good mood, actually excited to be watching the practicing, it is like getting a sneak peak at something no one else has seen before. And he is treated wonderfully too; everyone greets him brightly, some of the dancers fool around to make him laugh, he is naturally asked how school went and they are curious about his homework.

It is the Korean dance teacher and choreographer Kim Ji Hwa who tells everyone to continue the practice, she knows they can chat and have fun forever unless someone reminds them of the show tomorrow.

“I still find it unfair that the ladies get the y leather outfits while we won’t even be on stage,” male dancer Shiwon comments, making them laugh. He is once again talking about [Girls Power].

“How come you always find something to complain about?” Julia asks him and rolls her eyes when walking over to her position. Hannah is hurrying to put on her shoes.

Happily she runs up to her position, almost being pushed by a playful dancer on the way and with smiles, now energized with Kyung Ho’s presence, the practice can continue.

{Instagram, 5P_EMELIA: Look at our little brother being the royal judge as he watches our comeback practice… If we can satisfy him, we can breathe out for tomorrow’s show. Let’s meet tomorrow at 5 Pieces’ POWER UP Showcase!}

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Hannah is smiling at the camera coming up to her. She is taking her fingers through her hair, putting it all up in a high pony-tail and she is chewing on something, swallowing when the camera-man comes up to her. Her hair has been dyed into pastel blue, a baby blue colour.

“Our choreographer said the stage is perfect for the showcase,” Hannah says while putting up her hair, looking out at the hall they are in. “But it is quite … It’s really beautiful.”

The place is an opera theatre in Seoul, it is massive with seats for over 2.000 people and it is designed for operas and musicals – which makes 5 Pieces the first and only idol group to ever have a performance here. It suits their concept perfectly, which is why their choreographers had gotten deadly excited when seeing where they will be, just imagining how the theatre will complete the showcase with 5 Pieces’ songs and the band and everything.

But it also means a lot of safety. At four-five in the morning the instruments were arriving and setting up as well as the cameras that will film the show, 5 Pieces came around half past five to start go through things with lifts and safety even if they aren’t really doing any stunts or such things. Not until seven did the ladies go backstage to try on the clothes, the dancers had arrived and were trying their clothes and everyone were preparing backstage, so at half past nine does the rehearsal starts. It is basically just going through the showcase from beginning to end; they have a host too who will do the talking in between a few songs for certain segments. It takes hours because they are going through it on the stage for the first time, they need to practice through one song until they can rehearse it, the choreographers are in front of the stage watching them the whole time and correct a few things, it is so much with a light screen in the back, the band set up, the lifts at the centre, they will need chairs, tables, a make-up table (all props used for the performances that always will be needed have been prepared by the agency beforehand and will be brought along to most performances, such as chairs, table and make-up table) and they need the right lightning, the right sound to every instrument and microphone, just to move their performance from the practice room to a stage needs rehearsing and with the lack of time they are all just trying to stay positive while worrying if it will be a complete mess in the end.

It’s after four in the afternoon on Thursday the 22nd of May when child-actor Kim Kyung Ho arrives at the venue. Fans are crowding outside, those who will be let in to watch the showcase and those who just want to show support by loudly cheering outside the building. Cameras follow him as they are filming Good Sister but it is his manager that the little boy follows to be taken to the backstage room where 5 Pieces is supposed to be.

Outside the dressing-room, 5 Pieces’ Manager Lee meets them; greeting Kyung Ho’s manager and asking Kyung Ho if he is ready to see a transformation, putting a hand at the back of Kyung Ho’s neck while guiding him to the door that he opens, revealing the dressing-room.

“Kyung Ho is here!” Manager Lee happily announces and the whole room bursts out in bright greetings from the ladies and their stylists.

“Woah, Nuna!” Kyung Ho laughs seeing the ladies all dressed up for [Girls Power]. He gapes when entering the room, chuckling too; a laughter that can’t come out correctly because he is gaping.

“Look, look, look, look!” Maria laughs, quickly telling someone to look while pointing at Kyung Ho and walking up to him. “That’s the expression we want from fans; that’s the expression that says we are getting somewhere. Hello, Kyung Ho, how was your day?” Her silken smooth voice is changed when she turns her focus to Kyung Ho, putting a sisterly warm around him and he just gapes up at her.

“What happened to your face?”

The whole room burst out laughing so much and Kyung Ho sees it was Manager Lee that Maria was talking to. The boy doesn’t know that Manager Lee has been teasing the ladies for their grown-up concept for [Girls Power], and Maria has been saying that wearing leather doesn’t automatically makes it Rated .

5 Pieces are wearing leather, for Maria it is a short leather a-line dress, her legs look twice as long in the leather ankle boots with high heels and she looks drop-dead gorgeous in a short blonde bob wig, deadly red lips and tons of smokey and glitter eye makeup. Maria will go with wigs for this comeback, she really likes the idea of short hair but she doesn’t have the courage to cut it all off like she did several years ago. Tall and thin, Maria looks like a couture model on her way to the catwalk.

The other members are just as drop-dead gorgeous thanks to their amazing stylists that have worked hard day and night for the clothes and really know what colours and styles suits each member. Carolina’s red hair is curly and y, her lips of the same colour as her hair and she is wearing a leather long short-sleeve top with a tiny belt right under her bust and fluffy short skirt making it look like a dress. She is wearing a pair of cage platform ankle boots with red underneath because she is special enough to her shoes matching her hair, and her eyes are smoky and edgy like the other members.

Julia is wearing a turtleneck bodysuit with leather strap details like the ones you can see on leather jackets, and she is wearing net stocking strapped on to her suit, looking y but not revealing at all, and she finishes up with high heels. Her hair is the most natural one, but with her outfit it looks just perfect, and wherever she is standing she looks like some kind of female ninja who is ready to kick you in the if you approach her the wrong way; it is the perfect message.

For the charismatic rapper, Emelia’s long honey brown hair is pulled back with the use of hairpins and hairspray, having volume and falling far down her back like a painting. She is dressed in a faux leather corset bustier with leather shorts in both black and white, square pattern tights looking y on her pale skinny legs and platform knee-high heel boots. She looks scarily stunning, and for once she is not using heavy make-up to make her eyes looks smaller but to make them look bigger and glittering.

Hannah is wearing a pair of high waist leather shorts with details of a leather belt and zippers, a cropped top in leather that reveals a little of her ribs, and she is wearing tights underneath the over-the-knee leather platform boots. Her long pastel blue hair is wavy and free, their stylist Mi Young is helping to make it a little messy too so it looks bigger. Instead of the red lips, Hannah is wearing a light pink colour, as the red doesn’t suit with the blue hair, but her eyes are just as smokey and glittering as the other members.

“I have it pulled up so high it might be visible here,” Hannah comments to the stylist while looking in her mirror-reflection, her thumb put inside her edge of her shorts to show the stylist that the tights are pulled up all the way to her waist where the shorts reach.

“Pull them down then,” Mi Young simply suggests, her focus is though on Hannah’s hair – not her waist.

“It’s not as uncomfortable wearing them this high than having them this low,” Hannah answers and points with her hands to her hip. Wearing leather is not comfortable, which is why the ladies like to wear tights when they wear leather boots that go up their leg. You can’t do much about wearing a top, and Hannah’s leather top isn’t all that uncomfortable compared to Julia’s bodysuit, though the stylists have done well by putting in a different fabric on the inside – it is still difficult to move in leather.

Emelia is happy over Kyung Ho’s reaction to see them. She is sitting with him for a while, chatting and she is teaching him a funny song you play with your hands, only that he isn’t interested so after a while she borrows one of the cameras to be the one filming and Kyung Ho is excited when they together come up with a segment of the show. Emelia films Kyung Ho and he is borrowing a hand-cream tube to hold like a microphone with both hands.

“What am I supposed to start with?” Kyung Ho is excitedly smiling at Emelia behind the camera.

“Greetings,” Emelia shortly says and Kyung Ho is fast to do a deep bow with his hands by his bellybutton, making Emelia chuckle.

“Hello viewers of SBS Good Sister, I, Kim Kyung Ho, will be your … host, of the evening, as we go for a special see-through behind the stage for 5 Pieces’ showcase,” Kyung Ho is clearly saying, hesitating a bit but Emelia whispers for him what to say and nods as he just keeps talking. “The first person we will interview is Emelia-”

Hannah is suddenly heard laughing from across the room at his words, and Kyung Ho makes a grimace because Emelia is laughing lightly too.

“You can’t interview the one holding a camera,” Emelia tells him.

“Ah, right…” Kyung Ho nods and glances around to try see someone else to interview.

“Maria,” Emelia whispers, but her voice is heard clearly in the camera.

Kyung Ho looks super happy when jumping over to Maria who gracefully is sitting in a chair by the make-up table, and the leader turns around when Kyung Ho comes up to her, Emelia filming. “Maria Nuna, your album is being released next week, what are your opinions about it?”

“Oh, well,” Maria starts off in an overly lady-like tone, blinking prettily to the camera and Kyung Ho, “As artists we have worked very hard preparing for this album, and we are working with some amazing people too. Being the leader, I feel very anxious for the album release, but I have a lot of faith in my members.”

“Yesterday when you were practicing, you were sleeping by yourself,” Kyung Ho comments and there are more people in the room laughing, commenting that he would be a great host.

“Yes, I took some rest and I wasn’t sure you noticed that,” Maria forces a smile at him, pinching his cheek so Kyung Ho laughs too. “If you weren’t so cute I would pinch your arm.”

“Maria is threatening again!” Emelia announces to the room and Maria laughs, putting her arms around Kyung Ho for a back-hug.

“How could I ever threaten this lovely boy?” Maria pouts out her lips to Kyung Ho who is leaning away with a smile, liking the hug mot not wanting to get a kiss when she has lipstick on. “What do you say about watching a movie tonight?”

“I think you’ll fall asleep in the sofa again,” Kyung Ho comments.

“She is hopeless when watching a movie,” Hannah comes to join them, but she is standing so only a part of her is visible on the camera until Emelia takes a step back to film them all.

“The interview became a family moment,” Emelia jokes.

 

The last hour before the showcase, 5 Pieces can feel their insides bubbling. When the hours are over and the countdown is reaching minutes, you can hear that it is closing up with the voices warming up and dancers in the corridor stretching and moving their bodies. 5 Pieces are making their moves out of the backstage room, microphones in hand and they are loosing up their voices even more while vocalizing on the move. Julia holds on to a small mirror, checking her hair and lipstick while following Hannah’s back to the back of the stage. It’s closing in, it’s almost time for the showcase to begin and Hannah is shaking her hands like always and trying to loosen up her body while singing along to the members.

Reaching backstage, the dancers are already waiting for them. The band is also there and all of them gather around – not in a circle but with 5 Pieces standing together with their hands on top of the other the rest of the crew just crowds around them, including the host who will guide the showcase.

“Let’s put all our energy on this showcase tonight,” Maria cheerfully says while her eyes go around meeting mostly everyone. “We’ll show that we’re the best – girls’ power – so put on your classy walk everyone, and let’s go out there and show that 5 Pieces is back with a brand new album and we love it just as much as our beautiful fans out there are. We have walked miles for this comeback and it is finally here. You guys rock and I love you, now who are we?”

“5 Pieces.”

“I can’t hear you! Who are we?!”

“5 PIECES!” they all screams and throw their hands up in the air. Like a magical spell cast over them, it feels like they can run for more miles with the excitement and energy they have received from the cheer.

The red canvas is covering the stage, but a screen has been lowered to reveal the introduction video for the 2.000 fans sitting in the theatre. A cheer follows as the video begins since it shows that the showcase is finally beginning, and Hannah finds herself smiling and taking a few short breaths trying to swallow correctly when hurrying up on the stage behind the canvas covering them, everyone taking their positions. The video reveal clips of 5 Pieces from their music video filming, as if it is a movie; Emelia from her teaser, serving drinks and walking around with a round tray on her up-lifted hand, unseen clips of the ladies at this “club”, smiling and chatting and working. The video pauses at the face of each member for a male voice to introduce them, ‘Julia’ – ‘Emelia’ – ‘Hannah’ – ‘Carolina’ – ‘Maria’, and continue by showing off the bartender mixing drinks, glancing up as music begins to play. He smiles in the video, the music stops and a dramatic voice calls out in the video; “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, the ladies of the night, 5 PIECES!”

The thin screen goes up and the red canvas is removed, letting the 2.000 fans present see the dark stage behind it and Hannah lowers her head, feeling her body shaking in excitement that she has to hold on to the microphone tighter to not drop it. Lightly the band starts playing the intro for [Girls Power], the ladies sitting on their chairs in a M-formation are letting their backs face the audience and arms resting over their backrests as they are sitting the wrong side, only Carolina sitting in the middle has her chair turned the other way to sit exactly the same but by facing the audience as she is the one starting to sing. The audience cheers louder as a spotlight focus on the one lady in the middle while a few red lamps are shown in the back, the cameras are on and Carolina looks like she knows the redness in her hair and on her lips makes the glitter and smoke around her eyes look ier and more mature.

*In this not so friendly world,

That is waiting outside

So baby, me and my girls, are giving you a chance

SHOW A LITTLE SKIN, to put you in a DAZE

IT’S OUR TIME! IT’S OUR STYLE!

IT’S YOUR NEED… IT’S, GIRLS POWER…*

For the last two lines, it is like an excitement with the instruments playing and pausing for a second in between, the spotlights in the back shining up the ladies moving in their seats; throwing up a hand in the air, a pose with a leg out on the side with a hand caressing up and y movements. With a low voice, Carolina says the title of their song while leaning her head back and slowly music begins to play a little differently to let those on stage move slowly. They lift up their legs over the backrests to all face the centre, Carolina just enjoying her centre spot, them all circling the tip of their toe on one foot to go around to face the crowd and for the first time the audience can see 5 Pieces on stage for [Girls Power]. Everyone moves differently after facing the front, the music continues slowly, just for seconds they do the part, the ladies leaning their head back, a foot slowly stretched out, Maria puts a foot on the chair barely noticeable because she doesn’t really stand up but just lifts her lightly and all of them have focused face-expression, mostly facing the front. And with their new positions – Maria is sitting with one foot on the chair, the other leg crossed over the other, her chair has been turned around so she can hold on to the backrest at the front – and all together they start snapping their fingers with a diva pose.

Seven times they snap their fingers before moving on. Hannah lowers her head so her hair falls over the backrest, standing up with the chair between her legs to not hit her forehead on the backrest, and with the microphone by mouth the ladies all start moving that y and slow with different positions on their chairs.

*Hot, power, love, hate, touch, and gain

5 PIECES

WE KNOW NO REGRETS*

For some reason they love this part, slowly saying the words, making them mean something in the way they say it, and since the fans have had the time to listen to this song they all seem to chant the words out with them – though the crowd screams when 5 Pieces says ‘we know no regrets’.

*Hot, power, love, hate, touch, and gain

GIRLS POWER

TO SHOW YOU WE’RE THE BEST*

That is definitely the best part, and as soon as the last word is said Maria starts off her singing with a strong melodic voice, singing out. But all Hannah can focus on his what she is supposed to do; what movements, where the chair is supposed to stand, which hand she will hold the microphone, and she waits for her turn.

[Maria] *I have heard you call me out like a wolf~

Roar and roar for more and more, you beg~

[Hannah] You know you want a piece of me~

That is what a female’s body get~ hey*

With a foot on the seat of her chair, Hannah drags a hand up her back while throwing her hair back and forth, using her hand to take it away from her face (they have practiced it that way) and she sings powerfully, but her second line is more seducing as she walks around the chair, holding the backrest to turn it around, doing everything as she has practiced, imagining it is a mirror in front of her. She leans forward, her microphone held in the hand on the backrest while the other hand hits the seat along to the melody, all ladies doing the same with four extra female dancers lined up in the back, moving their butts back and forth as well. Julia and Carolina sings a little fast for this part, but the audience keeps cheering.

[Julia + Carolina] *Imagine what, would happen if I let,

Get you close enough, get a little touch

Come to the reality, you never want to believe

Baby this is our lead

([Emelia] How?)*

[CHORUS] *It’s my passion, your emotion

GIRLS GOT THE POWER (GIRLS POWER)

We can move you, give it to you

If you do what I do (GIRLS POWER)

[Maria + Julia + Emelia] All girls get up if you know it

[Hannah + Carolina] Boys come on try if you want it

WHO CAN FEEL IT? CAN YOU BE IT?

We are, 5 PIECES*

*Hu-hu-hu-hu-hu-hu-hu (GIRLS POWER)

Hu-hu-hu-hu-hu-hu-hu (GIRLS POWER)*

Emelia’s mysterious ‘how’ is almost not noticed as they start shifting one foot over the other for the chorus’ first line, all of them singing together and dancing the same thing, the tone his high but it sounds good with the live band and 5 Pieces singing. When the chorus came to an end, there is this ‘hu-hu-hu’ part where they all just bounce their chests, then for ‘girls power’ they make a small dance move to show off their s-lines and repeats.

Half the song has passed but Hannah is so focused on not making any mistakes, feeling like she is constantly having to think of each tiny thing she does that when the next verse begins she is almost in a daze forgetting to sing it even if she knows it is her part. She moves away from her chair, backing a few steps and gets surrounded by the others on both of her sides, moving along to her singing.

[Hannah] *We’ve been hiding in the back some time~

But now we’ve gotten out of our minds~

[Maria] I know you want a piece of me~

Now get down on your knees, baby~*

The chairs are removed for Maria’s part. She alone steps forward, dragging her feet and the others comes after her so when Maria’s last line goes, everyone moves their hip gracefully from one side to the other. Up next is the faster part, this time with Julia and Emelia, and the female dancers turn their backs to the audience in front of the ladies, one hand on their back and one held up on the side like “magical fingers”, moving hip from side to side along with tiny steps, Julia and Emelia are in the focus singing while the three members stands around them with their own poses moving the same way as the dancers, everyone moving as one.

[Julia + Emelia] *Imagine what, would happen if I let,

Get you close enough, get a little touch ([Maria] ooh!)

Come to the reality, you never want to believe

Baby this is our lead ([Maria] How?)*

[CHORUS] *It’s my passion, your emotion

GIRLS GOT THE POWER (GIRLS POWER)

We can move you, give it to you

If you do what I do (GIRLS POWER)

[Maria + Julia + Emelia] All girls get up if you know it

[Hannah + Carolina] Boys come on try if you want it

WHO CAN FEEL IT? CAN YOU BE IT?

We are, 5 PIECES*

*Hu-hu-hu-hu-hu-hu-hu (GIRLS POWER)

Hu-hu-hu-hu-hu-hu-hu (GIRLS POWER)*

For this ‘hu-hu-hu’ it is not a chest bouncing part but instead they lift up one leg gracefully over the side with hands lightly held out for balance, repeats it with the next leg, doing it again with the first leg before the dance part begins. Everyone stretches out one hand as if wanting to pull the audience in, two dancers head down on their knees at the front, everyone shifts to the other hand, moving their bodies to the music and being seductive in a women’s way, in a y but not provocative way, just creative. To the drums playing they starts crumpling their bodies, cranking their backs and pushing their butts, the music repeats ‘girls power’ two times between the music and before the second one is said everyone head back on their positions, covering the stage with female dancers and 5 Pieces at the centre at front, the chorus starting over again.

[CHORUS] *It’s my passion, your emotion

GIRLS GOT THE POWER (GIRLS POWER)

We can move you, give it to you

If you do what I do (GIRLS POWER)

[Maria + Julia + Emelia] All girls get up if you know it

[Hannah + Carolina] Boys come on try if you want it

WHO CAN FEEL IT? CAN YOU BE IT?

We are, 5 PIECES*

*(GIRLS POWER)* x4

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Headline 20th: 5 Pieces Sponsors Their Own Shoe-Line ‘Dazy’ In 4th Album Comeback

Headline 20th: 5 Pieces’ Comeback Pictures Teaser #2 Released By SM Entertainment

Headline 20th: Asian Icon Magazine Shares Wonderful Preview Pictures From The Beach Of 5 Pieces

 

Headline 21st: SM Entertainment Reveals 5 Pieces’ Comeback Album Medley

Headline 21st: Emelia Share Practice Picture Featuring The Back Of Child-Actor Kim Kyung Ho

Headline 21st: 5 Pieces Wins On Show Champion With [Girls Power]

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X. devonalias – WHO CAN FEEL IT? ;)