SM Entertainment, the home of many South Korean idols such as the first generation to today’s newest and biggest ones. Being an idol in South Korea is often seen as just a pretty face with a bunch of fans running after you. Being an idol today does not need much more than some patience, a pretty face and the luck to enter a good talent agency. Just SM Entertainment comes and goes on that; not just a pretty face, you really need something that stands out whether it is personality, voice, dance moves, a wide forehead or being persistent. It is not just boom-bam and you are out in the open for everyone to see; you need practice, before and after your debut, and you are constantly looked at by teachers and managers and trainers – a lot of people keep an eye to make your image be as planned.

In 2008, SM Entertainment took the first step into a world-wide market when started an international audition for teenagers in duos or groups – and you had to be European. Aware of the K-Pop knowledge spreading like a virus through YouTube, SM Entertainment found a way to interest the Korean viewers of their own culture by seeing blue-eyed and blond-haired Europeans being interested in it and they also found a way to make international fans of K-Pop interested even more through this audition.

The first round of auditions was with these teenagers sending their videos over the internet for special judges at SM Entertainment to pick out the lucky ones who will get a ticket to the capital of soul – Seoul in South Korea – to begin the usual round of audition take-out that we have seen many times before in the various American Idol and such, and each week the contestants would perform a certain song or concept to battle out who would get a ticket back home or stay.

The winner of the audition would get to sign a contract with SM Entertainment to become the next global phenomenon – to become one in the K-Pop industry.

For months the battle went on, every week the program would air on TV for the Korean viewers to see the development of these idol-wannabes, and every month European teenagers stood in fear as they did not want to be kicked out. Among all the contestants for the audition, five Swedish teenage girls were taking more and more attention for each week.

Only fifteen years old, they had little knowledge of the language and culture, but their love to music was making them glow on the stage. For their first audition in Seoul, the five Swedish girls covered up in clothes and horrible dark make-up, and as a band they performed the rock song [Paradox] by SM Entertainment’s TraX. They were different, they didn’t know how to sing but the judges were impressed by the girls that had learned to play instruments and to sing in Korean just because they had been inspired to sing when finding the fun Korean pop culture on YouTube. Moving on, their second week they performed [Summer of ‘69] by Bryan Adams. They weren’t good musicians, their voices weren’t even good, they didn’t look good hiding behind hair, make-up and clothes, but somehow their passion to perform was noticed by the judges and they were able to continue. And the band continued for five more weeks, and out of seven performances they had been on the verge to be kicked out five. On the seventh week of the show, the judges sat in their chairs, biting their pens and really pondering what to do with the five black dressed teenage girls. By now the show had been airing on TV and viewers seemed to like the Swedish girls. Why? They weren’t good musicians or that good at singing either, and as a band those are the outstanding things. No, what viewers saw was entertainment; through backstage and practice clips that aired for the show, the viewers were entertained by the girls that seemed to argue and fight and struggle each week. They were entertaining, and that is what made the judges pondering deeply for what to do.

“We will give you a choice. Throw away your instruments and the rock band concept, and you can stay. Become a group, or you will get the ticket home.”

If you tell five teenagers they have a choice to go or stay, what do they choose? It’s a hard question because it depends on the situation. Another band had gotten the same choice two weeks earlier, being told the band-concept was not working and were told to become a group instead, and that band went back home as their musician interest were not noticed.

These five Swedish girls decided to stay.

And a week later they took on the stage for the first time as a girl-group, with no instruments but also no choreography. These girls performed Christina Aguilera’s [Can’t Hold Us Down], a message to keep their strong image. It was a transformation worth to be written down in history. Five girls who had let only one member sing for seven weeks, who had hidden behind their instruments and were clearly not very good singers, took on a classic Christina Aguilera piece and transformed it into their strong girl concept where they took on the stage as if they have been doing the exact same thing for the past weeks on the show. They circulated on the stage, engaged with the crowd and even ran out to make the audience stand up and bounce with them. Speechless, the judges just applauded when the song came to an end.

The praise was more than good, the judges said they have seen these girls struggle the whole week with vocal lessons and how to be on the stage when they had no instruments to hide behind, and as a girl-group these girls for sure were to stay on the show.

Nagging and fighting backstage, they were strong as one on the stage.

Doing boy-group songs such as Big Bang’s [Goodbye Baby] and SHINHWA’s [T.O.P], the girls stayed on the show and kept viewers interested with their straightforward personalities, and within weeks people were starting to notice something. They were growing. These girls were starting to hit the right notes, they were dancing better on the stage, and what made them so popular was the way they shined on the stage. Never pulling off the best dance moves or voices, these girls still shone the brightest and they kept receiving praise for that.

In the thirteenth week, one of the girls said in an interview;

“I want to do this until they can say our performance was good because of our hard work put behind it, not because we are naturals on the stage. I want it to be shown that we spend night and days practicing.”

Viewers noticed that it was not a joke, that it was serious, and that’s when it started to become more serious too. The same week, the girls performed Dong Bang Shin Ki’s [Hi Ya Ya]. That’s when it all turned. They became the first one chosen to stay for next week, meaning their performance was the best this week. Viewers had seen the girls as a team on the side during the show, a team you can notice growing with the show and being entertaining but never seeing as the complete winner, until those words were said revealing their intentions to actually become a real group and the girl-group pulled off a song where their individual charms were spotted.

Each week they were tested, and each week the girls came off better and better. They only seemed to improve, they impressed the viewers. For the last three weeks they had fans lining up outside their practice-room, shouting their names and cheering them on.

At the finale, only two teams left, the girls performed Dong Bang Shin Ki’s [Rising Sun]. They had created nicknames and an image all by themselves. Fighting Idols for their behaviour during practice and backstage, and on the stage they were called Female DBSK.

Winning the hearts of South Korea’s viewers, growing through the audition from a teenage band that was nicknamed No Talent to become a girl-group worthy to be called Female DBSK, their performance of Dong Bang Shin Ki’s [Rising Sun] was impressive with singing and dancing and charisma, and they won the contract to join the SM Town family – to soon become the first international group within K-Pop.

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Six years has passed since these girls came to South Korea’s capital the first time, and after six years of hard work and passion, they have indeed created a name for themselves, through endless of work and constant critic good as bad they have come back stronger than before.

On April 11th this year, 5 Pieces celebrated their unofficial sixth year anniversary with a Comeback Intro MV Teaser for the song [Girls Power]. The hot and powerful teaser of just 45 seconds was enough to shaken up the million of fans around the world waiting for 5 Pieces’ fourth album to come out as the members teased about it when promoting the pre-single. Three months after the pre-single, that teaser came out, and fans were exalted. The full music video came out a few days later, and it was far beyond what could’ve ever been known that 5 Pieces could handle.

Charismatic, y, powerful, strong, elegant, sassy, feminism, confidence – the song and video was filled with so much that not just fans of 5 Pieces took notice of it. The song and video reached music charts worldwide, and all of a sudden an entire globe was watching for what will come next. Not just was it completely new and unique to see 5 Pieces (the charismatic and cool tomboys that recently looked like ladies in the pre-single) out of nowhere dress up in leather and burlesque make-up to dance on chairs, no; the big talk were most of all the song and its lyrics. Mixing burlesque with soul music and 5 Pieces’ image, [Girls Power] was created with the lyrics singing about how girls got the power to put you in a daze by showing a little skin, to be wanted because that is what a female body does, it is sung about a woman’s personality and expression, about girls power and girls power only.

But the comeback was delayed a month after the music video release, though that only seem to have raised the expectation.

The full-length album will be released in a few days, 5 Pieces have held their impressive showcase and they have released teasers for the album and main track [POWER UP]. The world is shaking in excitement waiting for the dramatic music video release and the breaking-the-norm album to be released, having high expectations on an album that was delayed – fans thinking it gives the girl-group more time to prefect the comeback while the girl-group has been busy in all kind of directions this one month – and curious as to what this girl-group will accomplish.

5 Pieces is giving today’s music a slap in the face with the feministic song [Girls Power], now we are waiting to see what the album with the same name will make us dance along to!

The concert is filled with fans shouting and roaring to the music and handsomeness on the stage, glowing sticks are being waving above heads and several of fans are fainting or getting injured because of the hotness and overwhelming fans. Being among the audience are two young ladies following the rest of the fanatic crowd by singing along and shouting to the songs, laughing together at their own excitement and then cheers louder at the eleven pretty boys performing on the stage.

EXO started off their very absolutely first solo concert yesterday in Seoul, continuing for three days and it seems like it is no end to this fanatic feeling blasting through the bodies of the fans in the crowd, and the two young ladies are part of this fanatic concert.

Usually having a charismatic and scary image, Emelia is the opposite when now dancing along to the music and shouting out with the thousand of fans in the arena. Her long honey brown hair is hanging freely down her shoulders, her skinny and pale figure looks fragile in a loose off-shoulder tunic in black with jeans shorts barely visible underneath and for having such a charismatic image as 5 Pieces’ oldest member and rapper she surely looks to be filled with youth singing along to every song during the concert.

A fan of EXO in front of them turns around when hearing Emelia’s dark voice roar at the sight of EXO’s D.O. looking their way, just for the fan to turn away quickly and start nudging her friend’s arm. Emelia laughs, seeing everything, and she looks next to her at Hannah moving along to the music.

Four months younger than the oldest in their group, Hannah is the youngest of 5 Pieces. After over twenty years being blonde, Hannah has dyed her hair into a pastel baby blue colour, her hair now put up tightly in a bun and she is smiling when Emelia turns her head to her, saying a fan has spotted them just as some heads turn around in front of them. For being fans of EXO, the heads that turn (all teenage girls) are suddenly looking wide-eyed at the two European young ladies standing among them in the VIP section. How half the concert has passed without them noticing is fascinating, yet Hannah and Emelia both wish they hadn’t turned their heads because those head seem to focus more behind them than at the front where the stage is. Hannah is wearing a black long-sleeve chiffon blouse, a tank top underneath and light blue jeans shorts that are longer than the pair Emelia is wearing. Emelia smiles at the fans looking at them, but her focus returns to the stage once she has told Hannah about the admiring glances they are getting.

The two young ladies start laughing at the cute expression they catch D.O. making briefly on the stage and they both starts jumping and cheering with the rest of the crowd on this side.

Visiting EXO’s concert was requested by many people; their company, the EXO members and even a fan had bluntly asked them if they would go. That the two young ladies actually attend the concert is no surprise because they are from the same agency and are relatively good friends, but everyone in the crowd noticing the two foreigners get a slight heart-race to see the currently world-famous 5 Pieces behave like seniors/fan-girls and actually knowing all of the songs at the concert. At the beginning there were way too many fans just screaming at Emelia and Hannah; Emelia would whisper to Hannah, Hannah would touch Emelia’s shoulder, or they would be talking or testing their glow-lights. Anything they did is worth screaming for. And that is exactly what Hannah and Emelia do during the concert too; anything their juniors are doing on the stage or worth screaming or laughing over.

The concert comes to an end and the two ladies are busy applauding when two security men and a manager comes to get them before the official end of the concert when all fans will focus on leaving. Hannah looks taller than Emelia in her beige belted wedge boots with a 8,5cm high heels while Emelia is in simple comfortable sneakers, the youngest usually ends up being the shortest around Emelia because normally Hannah only wear high heels if her friend is, meaning Emelia always finds a way to be taller – besides from today. Leaving the arena to head backstage, Hannah can put her arm around Emelia’s shoulder, feeling tall for once and it makes her smile like a child.

“Look how happy you are,” Emelia laughs, feeling the younger friend bouncing next to her through the corridor.

“It’s not often I am taller than you,” Hannah giggles happily, continuing to bounce in her high heels with an arm around her friend.

“The only time you have actually been taller than me was in third and fourth grade,” Emelia chuckles.

“Hey, I was taller than you all up to seventh grade!”

“No, you weren’t.”

“I sure was,” Hannah pouts, “I was taller than Maria too.”

At that, Emelia laughs out loudly and even their manager is chuckling at her. “Hannah, are you sure you were taller than Maria? Have you ever been?” the handsome Manager Lee Ji Young asks in front of them, talking to them over his shoulder and Emelia repeats his question as she finds it extremely funny, just to laugh when Hannah pushes her away.

Hannah keeps pouting, walking by the wall and pushing Emelia away when the friend laughingly tries to walk next to her again.

“I was taller than both of you…” Hannah is pouting.

“Yes, yes, once upon a time,” Emelia is teasing and grabs Hannah’s arm to pull her next to her. Hannah keeps pouting out her lips but doesn’t struggle to push her friend away anymore since they are just fooling around, though Hannah want to show past pictures of her being taller than Emelia – a childhood friend who has grown with her, shared memories and dreams and lived life with. Within minutes the two girls are chatting happily about the concert with their manager, waiting in the corridor without being in a hurry. Emelia has a lot of things to say about the concert, Hannah is mostly nodding along and their male manager is having his own opinions about what they just lived through. What their manager finds the most fascinating is the amount of male fans that attended the concert.

“I couldn’t see a guy anywhere, all girls – crazy girls everywhere. It’s different from your concerts,” he points out to the two young ladies, “you have such a widened range of your fans that I can’t even point out a few of them.”

“You should remember that we have had six years doing this too; different concepts welcomes different fans,” Emelia coolly explains and then smiles at Hannah. “It’s already their second year since debut, time sure flies fast.”

“They are almost grown up now,” Hannah joke and laugh with Emelia.

“Do you remember our second year?” Emelia asks Hannah after laughing, hitting her hand out to lightly hit Hannah’s arm. “Was it … [Original] – it was 2010, so many things happened that year. I made my solo debut as well. Oh, Hannah, do you remember our comeback with [Original] that time? People were commenting that it was unexpected of 5 Pieces and that we were unrecognizable because we had become so much better…”

Hannah can only smile, not wanting to admit she do not remember the reaction to their mini album release in 2010; though at the mention of [Original] she remembers another thing.

“We met Kyung Ho the same year,” Hannah remembers.

“Yeah, right! That cute little boy… Four years since then already and he is only getting smarter and smarter,” Emelia is praising their Korean little brother, “And it’s his birthday this week too.”

A security guard is interrupting them when he comes walking down the corridor, in a low voice glancing at the two ladies he says when looking at Manager Lee that they can come now.

“We had our first concert after three years though,” Emelia continues to say when they start walking. “And our fans didn’t scream as loudly as EXO’s fans did today.”

“Are you sure about that?” Manager Lee asks with a smile at them, “Because you had a lot of male fans at your first concert, their screaming maybe aren’t as light and loud as girls.”

“That’s some stupid excuse, Oppa,” Emelia chuckles. “Though I’m sure we can use it.”

He laughs at her comment, always amused by the entertaining personalities of 5 Pieces’ members, and then steps aside to walk behind the two ladies as they reach the big dressing-room used by the main stars of the weekend, one of EXO’s managers outside the room greet them with a big smile and asks what they thought of the show.

“How to explain it…” Emelia begins to grimace as if she is thinking about it, but her tone and expression lets the manager know she is only fooling around with him.

“It was great,” Hannah answers instead, not following Emelia’s foolishness and the manager laughs when motioning to the room for them to enter. Emelia is in a surprisingly good mood; teasing and happy, and she enters the dressing-room with her small green eyes scanning the room before she starts to clap her hands.

The idol boy-group members all turns to look at who is clapping their hands and it hilarious to see that whatever they were doing – sitting down tiredly, talking to stylists, wiping their sweaty foreheads and necks – they drop everything to stand up and in choir the eleven boys greet;

“We are one! Hello, we are EXO!” the boy-group politely greets and lowers their heads.

“Ooh, it’s been a while since you have greeted us that way,” Emelia teases – normally when the two group of EXO and 5 Pieces meet they don’t greet each other that way, but maybe it is different coming backstage to the junior’s concert – and she glances next to her to take Hannah’s hand. “Pieces of one-”

Hannah catches up as soon as she says those words and together the two ladies say their greeting; “Hello, we are 5 Pieces.”

It’s silly to introduce yourself like this when missing three members, and Hannah hides behind her hand after greeting because the silliness is all over the room when they laugh at each other.

“I thought you said you couldn’t come,” EXO’s Chen smiles at Emelia, the friendship between the two groups more felt when talking than when greeting.

“Yeah, we had to decide what was more important – our comeback or to see you slip on the stage,” Emelia teases, “And it was a very nice slip too.”

Chanyeol is heard laughing loudly in the back, and Tao laughs at Chanyeol because it came out so sudden and loud. Emelia just smirks, knowing Chanyeol laughs at her comment, and surely it is, because Chanyeol asks if she saw that slip Chen had made on the stage.

Being the seniors, beside from teasing each other as friends, the members of EXO as well as their managers are asking the two young ladies of their thoughts about the concert – they want critic, a serious one – and Hannah is only saying she likes it while Emelia gives her honest opinions and advice. Hannah never sees herself as a senior to give advice, not the way Emelia throws herself out to say things she noticed and things she thinks they can think about to tomorrow. Hannah is just in the back, enjoying seeing how the people in the room are listening to Emelia seriously, taking her advices to heart and nodding in agreement that they could do this and that better. Most idols who are coming to see EXO’s concert will come tomorrow or they were here yesterday – due to a different schedule, two members of 5 Pieces are there today and then they will see who has the time tomorrow. The reason Hannah and Emelia went today was mostly to stay out of media, to not bring too much attention to them.

“Then you will go back to practice now?” the super tall youngest member of EXO asks – Sehun never hesitates to talk though he is the youngest, a boldness the youngest members in boy-groups tend to have.

“We’re going home to sleep,” Emelia answers, “Because we have been practicing all day and last night…”

Hannah’s focus is somewhere else while Emelia has most of the attention; the youngest girl gives a sweet smile and puts up a v-sign with her hand right by her cheek to the camera snapping a picture of her with EXO’s Luhan and D.O., taking another picture when Kai walks up in front of them – just his nose and arm are captured briefly on the side in the first picture but how he timed it makes them laugh and Luhan is fast to push Kai down – for the second picture Kai is bending to be below them, stretching out his arms and Hannah’s v-sign has lowered down a bit to be right above his head, making Luhan do the same while D.O. is just looking at the camera. All four of them then have to see the result, and Kai laughs seeing what Hannah and Luhan did.

In the end Hannah is just there to take a picture while Emelia is the one talking and talking, but that’s the way the ladies likes it. Emelia can handle the attention, to have so many guys look up at her and ask for advice while Hannah rather sits in the back and listens. Emelia and some of the boys seem like they can talk forever, while Hannah ends up being in the corridor where the air isn’t as warm, listening to the conversations of some others. The ultimate handsomeness also known as Kai is standing with her, he is really handsome until he opens his mouth, talking slowly in his low husky voice. Hannah smiles listening to him and Xiumin, talking about EXO’s comeback and concert, about 5 Pieces’ up-coming concert and Xiumin even praises Hannah for 5 Pieces’ appearance and award on Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas.

“It doesn’t feel like a week ago though,” is all Hannah says, glancing to the room wondering when Emelia is ready to leave. She is surprised EXO aren’t in a hurry to leave too, but finds it impolite to ask when they are heading home.

“It feels like a day ago?” Kai tries and Hannah giggles at the try.

“Try ‘several weeks ago’,” Hannah raises her eyebrows and sighs, “But how does it feel for you? Your first concert and fanatic fainting girls…”

She smiles widely seeing the two EXO members get the same glimmering look in their faces, a look she recognizes that she has had all too many times for the past years.

“For me, I can’t describe it,” Xiumin answers and Kai nods. Hannah nods too, understanding them. “But it feels surprisingly great after the concert, doesn’t it? Like I still have energy even if I am panting…”

“Anrenaline rush,” Hannah nods and is about to say something more when she instead starts pouting, seeing Kai’s humorous face-expression. “Adrenaline rush…”

That she caught herself saying the word wrong is embarrassing and Hannah pouts, in her mind muttering at herself for being in a hurry to say a word to what Xiumin said and Kai is smiling widely at her simple slip. Xiumin turns around hearing Luhan call from inside the room, in a loud voice asking what it is, and at the same time Xiumin isn’t looking Hannah hits Kai on the arm.

“Ouch!” he hisses, but a second later his whole face is smiling again and he glances at Xiumin who steps away to hear what Luhan tells him. “What was that for?”

“You’re laughing at me,” Hannah simply answers.

The corner of his mouth goes up in a smirk, looking down at Hannah when he leans against the wall next to her, the smirk transforms into a wide white smile when Hannah glances up at him. “I would never laugh at you, but it is always fun when someone makes a mistake,” Kai tells her.

“Sure,” Hannah mumbles but smiles at him. “You really said ‘ouch’ at that punch?”

“You are strong,” Kai burst out laughing at her suddenly teasing him, “Hannah, you are strong.”

“You’re overreacting,” she tells him and smiles widely when Luhan comes out with Xiumin from the room, Emelia also coming after them but taking her time to say goodbye to those in the room. “Seems like we are about to go home now…”

Heading home after the concert, Hannah is surprised by the heat of this late May, the weather only seems to get hotter and hotter, and even now at midnight the air isn’t really chilly. Hannah who usually likes to wear leggings or sweats can’t bare the heat this weekend. Maybe it feels hotter because their days are spent in the sweaty and warm practice-room, the car is warm too, leaving the two ladies and their manager sitting with the AC until they are almost freezing.

“Manager Lim will pick you up by half past five in the morning,” Manager Lee says from the driving-seat, glancing next to him at Emelia and then at the back where Hannah is sitting. “Could you make sure the other ladies know about it too? And if they are still awake, tell them to go to bed.”

“Yeah, yeah, we know,” Emelia yawns.

“Oppa, what are you going to do tomorrow?” Hannah wonders in the back.

“Is it another blind date that your mother has set up, perhaps?” Emelia jokes and reaches out her tongue at him. Emelia has been in a great mood today, her quick responses and her amused smirks.

“No,” Manager Lee sighs at the two girls. They love making fun of him because of the blind dates he usually attends on his days off; his mother wants him to find a pretty girlfriend. The thirty-four year old manager is not getting younger, according to his mother anyway. “I am spending my day off at home, in my couch, drinking beer and sleeping.”

Emelia looks like she would want to spend her day like that too. “Do you want any company?”

Manager Lee chuckles and smiles honestly at her when answering; “You will be filming a commercial tomorrow, but I will gladly enjoy my day off for both of us. I can send you a picture as well.”

A chuckle reaches Emelia’s throat at the picture part, nodding her head. Their manager is handsome, he is slim and unshaved but definitely he is a handsome manager; 5 Pieces’ very own bachelor manager. A thing Hannah finds funny is how no fan seem to be much jealous of him; he was a lot with Hannah during her solo promotions in 2012, they were caught plenty of times fooling around or simply talking but those things always makes fans jealous. Hannah is apparently not the one to be jealous of, because fans were more jealous when the group’s leader Maria was seen smiling at him – the source of jealousy was from one picture, and fans have told Maria to not be so close to the manager since, saying he is handsome and might steal her heart. Maria just smiled at fans and said he can not take something that her fans already have captured. So nice with words, their leader can say at times, and she did not keep a distance from the manager because all ladies enjoy teasing him more than anything when they are travelling. Yet, while sitting in the car with the manager and Emelia, Hannah can’t imagine seeing him actually get a girlfriend – what kind of girl would want to have him as a boyfriend when he is daily surrounded by five foreign ladies who love painting his nails pink and making fun of him? Hannah would feel bad for that girlfriend.

“Goodnight, Oppa,” Hannah politely says before closing the slide-door to the car.

Turning away from the car she can see Emelia already being by the door to the building. The night is dark, but the lamp by the door to the apartment-building shines up when Emelia takes a step next to it, using a code to open the door. Hannah hurries after her, following her childhood friend/best friend/band-mate/roommate/etc inside the building and in silence they ride the elevator to the two-floor apartment where 5 Pieces’ five members live.

Walking inside the hall of the apartment, they stay quiet as they don’t know if the others are sleeping already. By having these two arrive, paws running towards the hall are heard and Hannah is fast to squat down when the happy Japanese Spitz dog comes running to them.

“Ryo-chan!” Hannah brightly whispers and embraces the dog whose long white fur tickles her neck, and lifting up the dog in her arms she forgets to take her bag with her when leaving the hall.

The first floor of the apartment is quiet, only the lamp to the stairs is , and Emelia whispers that everyone have probably gone to bed already. Hannah takes a peek inside the office room she shares with one of their members, well aware of that Carolina tends to spend a lot of time working in there – making music, being the musician she is – but since it is empty she knows for sure that Carolina has gone to bed, and then Hannah leaves Emelia scanning the kitchen for something to eat while the youngest start head up the stairs with Ryo in her arms.

Quietly she comes to the second floor, where the five bedrooms are lying. Emelia’s room is to the left, next to the play-room that has been changed into a guest room. The first room to the right has its door wide open, and Hannah can see one of the group’s members lying on the bed with her tablet. Downstairs it was silent, no TV or noise were heard, but upstairs there are noise from the three rooms along the corridor on the right side; all of them seem to be watching a movie or playing games in their rooms.

“Hi,” Hannah greets by the door, letting Ryo down so he can wave his tail walking around her. “We’re back.”

With a dark blue, almost black, pixie cut hairstyle, the European young lady lying in her pyjamas shorts and t-shirt turns around to look over her shoulder at the door. Julia smiles widely, she looks like a cute tomboy with the haircut, wet and curly from the shower and lying comfortably on the bed next to her is the group’s second dog – a brown cocker spaniel dog called Michin, the Korean word for crazy. The brown dog doesn’t move an inch other than waving his tail happily, Hannah walks in to pat him.

“Was it good, did they do well?” Julia asks.

For second Hannah stays occupied caressing Michin, but she is seriously thinking of what Julia could mean with her question before realising it is EXO’s concert she is talking about. “They all did very well,” Hannah answers. “How did practice end like?”

“Well, you see, with two very important pieces to the puzzle missing…” Julia starts saying and then laughs seeing Emelia come up the stairs outside her door. “Our practice ended a little earlier. Thank you for that.”

Emelia chuckles by the door; “You probably begged Janetta to wrap it up earlier, you lazy little squirrel.”

The smile on Julia’s lips says it is a big chance they begged the American choreographer to end practice earlier. Hannah takes a deep breath, taking the chance to say goodnight when Emelia says tomorrow’s practice will probably not be taken as lightly. The youngest heads to the room on the left side of the corridor, her own bedroom; as soon as she has stepped inside the room, turning on the lamp, she remembers her bag and walks out her room anew.

“Baby!”

With a light jump the youngest turns around with a hand to her chest, whining the moment she sees the blonde haired leader coming out from her bedroom.

“When did you come back? Was the concert alright? Those big assed pretty boys are apparently too important to answer my texts,” Maria rambles on when stepping forward. “Now when they have started off their own tour and all they are suddenly too big to answer my texts.”

“I think there is a different reason; they were surprisingly polite to Emelia and me earlier,” Hannah tells Maria with a smile.

Maria is tall and skinny, always compared to a model and surely she deserves that with her 172cm height. But she is also the most down-to-earth person Hannah will ever know. Maria thinks of what Hannah says, putting a long hand on her hip and bites her lip to look thoughtfully at Hannah. “Hmm… yes, you’re probably right. I’m probably too good then.” Out of nowhere Maria slaps Hannah’s arm, obviously remembering something. “Ya! You know that freaking annoying idiotic critic guy who wanted to ban … our song a few months ago? He said … oh jeez, I can not remember the name of our song though we performed it a few days ago…”

“[I’m Over You] is the song, and yes, I remember the man,” Hannah is nodding while Maria is frustrated talking about this.

“YES!” she bursts out and suddenly spots Emelia peeking outside Julia’s room. The leader grabs on to Hannah’s arm and drags her over to where Emelia is. “That freaking critic says that OUR song is disgracing men! He wants it banned EVERYWHERE in the country, claiming the song is about men only wanting women for and that we-”

“We’ve read it,” Emelia interrupts her, then nodding at Hannah; “We read it on the way to the concert.”

A few months ago when their pre-single came out, a critic wanted the second song on the single to be banned as he said it was unsuited for a variety of listeners on the radio. He is using pretty much the same thing this time, only that now it will apparently be taken more notice of. The song [I’m Over You] was about a getting over a break-up; Hannah still doesn’t know why the lyrics was unfit for radio at that time though she this time for [Girls Power] can understand part of it. The song is strong and definitely is a little bit daring, but for 5 Pieces they were more frightened that the choreography or outfit would be banned or something (that means they were frightened their music video would be banned) but the reason this critic is using is just … forced.

“It’s unbelievable! That guy should do his job better. Our song is definitely, no freaking way, about disgracing men. How the heck is the song even about men when the song is named GIRLS power? WTF!” Maria is still frustrated, throwing her arms around before glaring at her members. “Our song is NOT disgracing.”

“Captain,” Emelia sighs, looking at Maria behind her lashes. “It’s OUR song; we know the meaning behind it.”

“I know that! Fish head,” Maria mutters, “I’m just letting out my frustration so I can fall asleep, alright? Now, all of you, go to bed. We got a commercial to film in the morning, remember that?”

“Appa is coming half past five to get us,” Hannah reminds them, “Goodnight.”

She head to her room, then again remembering her bag downstairs and almost bumps into Maria when turning around.

“Bed,” is all Maria tells her, pointing Hannah as if warning her.

“I’m just going to get my things,” Hannah answers, “Sleep well, Maria.”

“You too, baby,” Maria chuckles and head to her bedroom, leaving the door open while Hannah bounces down the stairs with a smile.

As an idol they face hateful comments all the time, their first time in Korea was dreadful thanks to all the hate they received (all those times they couldn’t stand on the stage because the audience were screaming at them to leave), there has been a lot of things frustrating the girl-group through the years that one critic misunderstanding the meaning of their song is just a tiny little thing they mention one time and never again because they know it doesn’t matter. The worries and fears behind the frustration though, that is enormous – 5 Pieces’ fourth album doesn’t just have a lot of anticipation when it in less than three days will be released, it is the members of the girl-group who have feared the real reaction for the album and concept and meaning. That one critic says against them is one thing, but if one person has that thought, it means others will follow.

Though the fear for how their album will be received, Hannah is smiling. All months, all hours spent practicing and preparing for this album, all of it is just a few days away. She looks forward to it, this small excitement keeps returning in her bones that they will make the comeback they have longed and waited for. The group had their showcase a few days ago, their fans were terrific, absolutely amazing, but the showcase was just one step of the comeback, and now the ladies want to begin the performances and promotions and meet their fans. That’s why Hannah smiles. For a while she can forget all worries and look forward to this comeback, seeing her friends having shaking hearts to do the same. They have had many comebacks for the past six years, but not once have they done a concept like this. The fear of failing such a mature, feminine and y concept is still exciting.

With the bag put on the floor in her room, Hannah gets ready to bed. Eventually lying down under the quilt she sets the alarm on her cell phone and closes her eyes to sleep, actually waiting for morning to arrive because of the commercial filming.

And morning arrives after a lot of turns and sighs in bed.

Compared to the smile she had when going to bed, Hannah’s hair is just as messy as her head when she in the morning walks down the stairs, dressed lightly in a parrot-print sleeveless a-line dress in black. With her cell phone and sunglasses held in her left hand and the bag hanging over her shoulder, Hannah walks straight through the room downstairs to reach the kitchen over in the corner of the apartment, but the kitchen for sure is huge, and now there are two people in it.

“Oh dear,” Manager Lim Chun Ho breathes out when Hannah walks inside, looking like she can’t keep her eyes open and her feet are moving in routine. “Are you awake, Hannah…?”

The forty-four year old manager is sitting by the kitchen table with a cup of coffee that Julia has prepared for him. Julia is standing there with a cup too, something she drinks every morning and she, like Hannah, is dressed and pretty much ready to leave. All that is heard from Hannah is a mumble; she doesn’t even open to respond to their manager as she steps up to the fridge and takes out a drinking yogurt – strawberry, her favourite.

“We’re supposed to leave in a few minutes. Where is Carolina?”

“I’m here.”

He looks by the entrance to the kitchen, but it is not Carolina who is dramatically standing there with her hands held up; it’s Maria. Julia chuckles with her lips against her cup; Maria is wearing a cap, sunglasses, a pair of jeans shorts and a t-shirt tugged in. Somehow, she looks like she is ready for the beach or to be in a disguise.

“Um… I hate to break it for you, but it’s raining outside,” Julia tells Maria, but the leader just dramatically takes off her sunglasses.

“All perfect to go. Are you ready? I want to leave so I can get my breakfast. Can we buy some bread on the way? A baguette – it feels like a long time ago since we ate that.” Maria is already leaving the kitchen, not even listening to Manager Lim when he says they are waiting for Carolina.

Julia lifts up her cup of coffee at him, saying she will go get the slow one and she leaves the kitchen with the cup. Hannah is still standing by the fridge, trying to put down the yogurt in her bag with one hand while the other one is holding her phone, glasses and the bag strap. Manager Lim finishes drinking his coffee and gets up on his feet to go put the cup in the dishwasher, glancing at Hannah, but before he can say a thing they hear Maria shout out from the stairs at Carolina to hurry her steps unless she wants to miss the ride and instead run to the filming.

The manager sighs strongly when leaving the kitchen. “Maria, I don’t think it makes a difference by shouting. Why have you not learned that yet?”

“MY shouting makes a difference,” Maria confidently answers. “LINA!”

“She’s coming, she’s coming,” Julia comes down the stairs, “I caught her almost falling asleep again.”

“She’s even worse than me,” Maria mutters and gives Manager Lim her glasses so she can go get ready in the hall.

“No one is worse than you,” Julia rolls her eyes.

Hannah walks past them, glancing around tiredly. “Where’s Emelia?”

“Outside. She took Michin and Ryo with her,” Julia answers and guides Hannah to the hall so they can get dressed, hearing Carolina come down the stairs. “Are we taking Ace with us too?”

“Ladies!” a whiny Carolina is heard from the stairs. “The cat is following me…”

“It’s because you’re eating,” Manager Lim says and when stepping inside the hall the two ladies can see him take a candy bag away from Carolina, and surely the pretty cat is nicely following the fifth lady. Carolina looks fiery in her shoulder-long deep red hair, but adorable in reading glasses and a geeky outfit.

“I’m hungry,” Carolina says while putting on her sneakers.

“Yes, yes, yes, we are getting breakfast on the way,” Manager Lim sighs and looks at the time. “But you won’t have time to eat unless we leave now.”

Hannah is already out the door, only thinking of hurrying down to their dogs. Well, slightly hearing their manager telling them to hurry up, she wants to quickly get to the filming too. Another day of working, but as long as she is smiling she can feel okay.

The smile doesn’t last for long. She isn’t really clearly awake either when meeting up with Emelia and the two puppies downstairs, and Emelia asks first when the others are coming to then comment they always are late because of Maria and Carolina, just to then ask Hannah the only thing in the world she do not want to be brought up;

“What are you going to do about your mother?”

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Headline 24th: Julia Is A Sweet Jazz Girls In 5 Pieces’ [POWER UP] MV Teaser 5

Headline 24th: Korean Critic Spreads ‘5 Pieces Is Disgracing Men In Song [Girls Power]’

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X. devonalias