Still in the pretty outfit from Music Bank we have sat down after the show to do two more promotional interviews. During the day after the pre-recording we have been busy doing interviews and played games for different entertainment clips, we have been greeted by a bunch of nervous juniors as well and while doing the final interviews I know we have been lazy lately. We went to MAMA, then had the laziest day and even ate pizza to then start working. I could’ve gone to the gym yesterday… “Thank you!” I call out in choir with my members as we bow to the staff when finishing the interview where we had to rush forward to the camera to ask a question and then sit down to answer it with the group. We had fun doing it, laughing and teasing each other; Maria even used the camera lens as a mirror to check the turtle-neck of the dress. We look pretty, but still behaving silly. “Grab your things,” Manager Lim reminds us for the third time when reaching our dressing-room. Music Bank ended two hours ago and we are still here. “I pity the puppy,” Emelia tells me when we grab our things in the room. It takes some seconds for me to know what she is talking about: all day, Emelia has been talking about an abandoned puppy she read about in an article. She read parts of the article out loud to us earlier, how an older man had found a puppy in a plastic bag on the street or something and saved it, but that the man is asking for help to adopt the dog because he can’t take care of it. “I hope someone saves it,” I nod, to let Emelia know I’m listening. “But it’s awful,” Emelia mutters, looking angry out in nowhere. “A few months ago it was similar articles. How can someone leave helpless animals in plastic bags to die like that?” I don’t know how people can be so heartless, I really have no idea. I imagine one of our pets being out on the streets, tied up in a plastic bag to die. The sounds they would make make me tear up and I have to shake my head to let go of that picture in my head. The man in the article is indeed a saviour; I just wished it was something we could do. “Ladies,” Manager Lim reminds us again and Emelia touches my arm lightly for us to go. It was Maria and Carolina he meant to hurry though, because Maria has even sat down on a chair to check her cell phone. Emelia and I are first out of the building, wearing sneakers to our pretty outfit to not ruin the high heels when going from one location to another and we continue to talk about puppies and animals. Manager Kim walks with us, carrying Maria’s fluffy jacket. This week seems to be chilly in Seoul and I hug the winter jacket around me to stay warm when we walk to the van down the street. “I was thinking though,” Emelia starts to say next to me, she as well is hugging the jacket tighter around her body, and she changes the topic from pets to Christmas; “The Christmas gift I bought for mom and dad, I could add your name on it if you want. That way you don’t have to buy anything.” “Are you sure?” I ask. We have been talking about Christmas today too, since the ladies are already planning what to bring with them to Sweden. “Yeah. Mom will ask countless of questions about you anyway so I might just as well show that we even buy gifts together,” she says in a joking matter. I smile down at out feet when walking. “Please tell her to not buy me anything.” “That will be hard,” Emelia say with a chuckle. Emelia’s parents have always been kind to me. When we were kids, for Easter, they even got me an egg filled with candy – I was so moved by that because our family only did it until I started school, it was such a surprise for me to receive it years later. They are too kind. “I wonder how much snow they have,” I comment as I look on the snow we walk on. “Ha!” Emelia gives out a laugh and I laugh too because of her high tone, “Mom said it is barely any snow at all at home. She said it is the poorest winter so far, still – it is more than what it is here.” It is never a lot of snow in Seoul. First when we came here I thought Korea was a lot like Sweden, with its seasons, but that probably depends on where in the countries you live. Seoul is in a northern part of South Korea, and we are born in a northern part of Sweden as well, but winter in our hometown is much more than what it is here. The snow there is today here is probably what Seoul’s winter will offer, then it might melt away or it will snow some more to keep the amount the same. Reaching the van, I spot some fans far down the street that are pointing and waving at us, looking hilarious because they want some attention and I am taking a step away from the van to wave my hands crazily above my head at them. Emelia laughs as she gets inside the van after waving simply with her hand and not her whole body like I am doing, and I start laughing as well when seeing how excited the small group of fans get at my answer. I continue to wave with just my hands before getting inside the van. “Our fans were insane today,” Julia comments as she follows in after me. Emelia sits at the passenger seat while Julia and I take out seats in the back. “Probably because it is officially our fourth comeback in 2014 and they have never seen us this much in one year before,” Emelia simply explains. “It’s my fifth comeback though, because of my single.” “Maybe we all go crazy together because we are closer after all these promotions,” I comment and Julia makes a shrug on her shoulder, “We always chat with our fans, don’t we?” “Yeah, but it is countless of fans appearing, always new faces because foreigners show up as well. Two Chinese girls said on twitter they are coming to Music Core tomorrow,” Emelia tells us. “Ya, what’s taking them so long?” “Carolina is impossible when it comes to time,” Julia comments and watches me put on my seatbelt. “Just this morning, Appa had to rush her for fifteen minutes before she said she was ready to leave.” In the morning, it took forever for everyone to gather in the van. After all these years I keep thinking we should be used to just get in the van and head to work, whether we are awake or not, but Carolina is impossible as she keep doing things and things and taking her time. Maria even fell asleep in the van while we were waiting for her. When Maria come heading to the van she seems to hear and see the fans that I had waved at because out of the blue she starts doing these weird dance moves and we can hear the fans cheering from a distance at her randomness. “Don’t be out for too long!” Maria calls out happily to the fans before opening the slide-door to come inside the van. “IT’S FREEZING!” She shudder when taking her seat and instead of letting Carolina jump in behind her she just closes the door and motions for Carolina to walk the other side. Manager Kim takes the driver’s seat while Manager Lim sits down next to Maria after having Carolina sit down in the back between Julia and me. Our stylists have already left for the day so it is the seven of us heading to the next schedule. “We will record some radio commercials now, and then at midnight it is radio… It’s all in the same building so-” “Appa,” Maria interrupts, her feet put up on the driver’s backseat. “Could we get some food?” “We got Clementine’s in the trunk,” Manager Lim answers. “Buhuuuu,” Maria complains. “I want one,” Carolina says. “I want chicken,” Julia says. “Jinki sent me a picture of chicken before, it looked delicious.” Carolina quietly asks if she can see the picture while I just look out the window. Seoul’s sky is dark, the streets are lightened up by lamps and signs and since it is Friday, I think a lot of people are getting ready to spend the night out at clubs, drinking and dancing and being with friends, maybe even meet new friends. While here we are, 5 Pieces, just starting our night of work. The talk about food makes me hungry. Chicken is always delicious. But I pout at the thought of food because I am not supposed to get hungry now. That’s why I make sure to put down a bunch of Clementine’s in my bag once we reach the next location and secretly giggle with Carolina who did the same, heading to the elevators – feeling sneaky. The night is long. We are in the studio simply reading out lines for radio commercials, to then go for a quick meeting before the radio program we will guest at midnight begins. 5 Pieces and radio is a lot of couple moments according to our fans. Seeing the comments online, it is confirmed, anyway. Tonight is a radio with live video as we are being filmed; which is why we are still in our stage an outfit, and fans get to see on the radio all the times us ladies are leaning on each other or pointing at the other. I think our agency did a mistake by letting Emelia and me sit next to each other because she keeps hitting my hands whenever I have them on the table and then out of nowhere she touches my hair just because she knows I will lean away. She can’t stop teasing me; and she takes my Clementine that I try to sneakily eat during a commercial break. Maria and Julia join in too as well as the two hosts as they throw the Clementine around, tossing it back and forth between each other while all I do is laugh. After the radio our night isn’t over yet, but at half past three in the morning our schedule for Friday has finally ended. Just for Saturday’s schedule to begin. The first thing on Saturday’s schedule is to pre-record our performance for Music Core, earlier than what we did for Music Bank but somehow our fans are just as excited as always and they make it a lot easier to forget the tiredness and do our best. I keep smiling at our fans when we are at MBC, I keep feeling happy and just as excited our fans are us ladies are a bit teasing to each other as well. I think this weekend is just filled with teasing and countless of teasing among us ladies. Our fans love it, maybe a little too much, but we like it too. We have the pre-recording and then leave for another schedule to come back before the show begins. “I can take care of him,” Emelia says, trying to convince our manager while we are in the van heading to the next schedule. Maria is listening to music in her earphones, getting some sleep, which also Julia and Carolina are doing. I am not sitting in the back this time, as Maria took the chance to hide in the darkness of the backseat to get her sleep so I am sitting behind the driver’s seat with Manager Lim next to me and Emelia at the passenger’s seat. I have tried to get some sleep too but I can’t fall asleep, so instead I am listening to Emelia’s begging. “You have four pets already, Emelia, and besides, you will spend the holidays in Sweden and next year abroad – who would take care of him?” Manager Lim says. “I can stay in Seoul over the holidays-” “That’s silly,” Manager Kim says from the driver’s seat and Emelia gives her an upset look. “It could work.” “Emelia,” Manager Lim sighs in a warning tone. At times, Emelia and I are too alike. “I agree with Appa on this one,” I quietly comment and Emelia looks over at me, her eyebrows frowned evilly. “That puppy will be put to sleep on Monday because no one wants to take care of him,” Emelia tells me in a growling voice, and though she is looking at me she talks to the three of us listening. “I can’t just let that happen now, can I? We got to save him. That old man saved the puppy from the street, the thing we can do now is to give him a warm family to be part of.” She must see me agreeing with her because she turns around a bit more to look at our manager halfway through her touching speech. My thoughts have changed; we can’t just let a puppy die, can we? I look at our manager too, feeling super sensitive after Emelia’s great choice of words. I am easily convinced. “No,” he repeats. “But Appa-” “I said no, Emelia. End of discussion,” he says but it’s easy to see he feels bad for the puppy too. “You can’t take in a lost puppy in the middle of promotions without the chance to take care of it.” “I will take care of him,” Emelia answers with confidence. Well, even I doubt it because we are quite busy and in two weeks she will be preparing to go to Sweden. “I can help out,” I suggest, “and Kyung Ho can help us too.” “You don’t even know the puppy, he might hurt Kyung Ho,” Manager Lim tells me. “And I can’t change my mind.” Emelia grunts and sits correctly in her seat, picking up her phone and I pout as I look out in the window again. It isn’t a lost puppy like our manager said; it is an abandoned puppy who something actually threw away like trash out on the street. I agree with everything Emelia has said since yesterday, and somehow I also want us to take care of the puppy and show people how great he will grow up to become – all he needs is a loving family. We might be a messy and busy family, but it is tons of love within our walls. My cell phone vibrates in my pocket and I pick it up. A text message … from Emelia: ‘We have to convince him to save that puppy, so help me grab the ladies to the bathroom later to make up the plans’, is what she has written. I answer very simply with an ‘okay’ and I can see Emelia, after she has read my response she sighs and looks out the window too. She is probably thinking through a plan to convince our manager to save that puppy. We arrive at the next location and park in the garage underneath the building. One by one we get out of the van, I keep my eyes on the