Friday 29 December 2006

Chapter 46: On & On

It’s been a week since we’ve gotten back to Korea and we’ve been really busy preparing for the award ceremonies. Skye, Shoei and I spent out days running from the dance studio, to the awards’ venues, and to the recording studios. Despite our busy schedule, we’re not put recording our 3rd album on hold. Furthermore, with Christmas coming, I have another duty at hand, promoting my Christmas album with FTTS. We’d shot the MV before I left for NYC. It was a sweet little MV where the three of us stand in the falling snow, taking turns to sing. For this entire month, I would have to run between rehearsals, recording and promotional activities. FTTS and I had several small performances at pre-Christmas events all around Seoul.

Today we were at a mall performing at a charity event. The stage was decorated with a huge snowman and glittering snow crystals hung above the stage.

“Yeoreobun,” the emcee announces. “Please welcome Sierra from S-Cube and FTTS, performing their hit Christmas single, 'Crystals of Love'.” The opening of the song started to play. We walked forward and waved at the crowd gathered below the stage.

“Merry Christmas!” Brian yelled and the crowd cheered.

Sierra: Remember last winter as we sat in front of the fire
You had your arms around me as we fed our desires
Brian: Remember last winter we’d went out for a walk
As the snow flakes fell you twirled round like a little girl

Sierra: It warms my heart and soul each time I see you
Brian: You have a hold on me, and I can’t fathom it

All: As the crystals of love, they form in our hearts
Glittering, sparkling, bright…
And these crystals of love, will forever be
A testament of you and me

Sierra: Remember last Christmas as we were about to part
You held my hand and told me that you’d never forget
Hwan Hee: I’ll never forget the way you felt as we danced
Your softness, your gracefulness, forever burned in my mind

Sierra: I burn up inside each time you touch me
Hwan Hee: You’re best thing that has ever happened to me

All: As the crystals of love, they form in our hearts
Glittering, sparkling, bright…
And these crystals of love, will forever be
A testament of you and me

Hwan Hee: There isn’t a moment that would I regret
Sierra: If there were the possibility we’d never met
Brian: I’d search for you till the ends of the world, ooh
Hwan Hee & Brian: I would find you baby, and kept you close
Sierra: Forever…

All: As the crystals of love, they form in our hearts
Glittering, sparkling, bright…
And these crystals of love, will forever be
A testament of you and me

Hwan Hee: A testament of you and… me…
Brian: I love you, baby
Merry Christmas

After our performance, the guys snuck me off to a nearby café for a quick drink before I had to go back to the studios.

“So how was New York?” Brian asked me.

“It was okay,” I said as I sipped my latte.

“It’s been ages since I went back to the USA,” he said.

“Then shouldn’t you go home and visit soon?” I asked him.

“Wish I could,” he smiled.

“What did I miss?” Hwan Hee asked as he joined us. He’d run off to the toilets awhile ago.

“I was telling Brian that he needed to go back to the USA, since it’s been so long since he visited home.”

“He’s such a workaholic. Don’t bother asking him to go visiting,” Hwan Hee smirked at Brian.

“What’s that expression supposed to mean?” Brian asked as he glared at Hwan Hee.

“Such a good son,” Hwan Hee said to me in a stage whisper and I giggled.

“Yah!” Brian said and punched Hwan Hee playfully, on the arm.

“Am I wrong?” Hwan Hee asked.

“You know how my schedule is like,” Brian said defensively.

“Araso,” Hwan Hee said. Sometimes I feel like I’m witnessing an old married couple having a lovers’ quarrel.

“What are you smiling at?” Brian asked me.

“The both of you,” I giggled. “You’re like an old married couple.”

“That’s how it is when you have to look at each other all the time for almost 10 years,” Hwan Hee said.

“Has it been that long?” Brian smiled. “Yeobo… when’s our anniversary?” he said to Hwan Hee is a girlish tone.

“I don’t remember,” Hwan Hee said.

“Aaaahhhh… miweo!” Brian whined. “How can you forget?”

“Wae? You gonna divorce me or something?” Hwan Hee asked him.

“Shiro…” Brian whined. Then he finally gave in and burst into laughter because I’d been laughing hysterically from the moment he’d started to act like a nagging wife.

Brian sent me back to the studios after our coffee.

“You seem to be really busy,” he commented.

“You know… with the awards coming up and the album to record, I don’t think I’m gonna be able to breathe until after the awards season.”

“I know the feeling. Just take care of your health. This would usually be the time of the year when people fall sick easily.”

“Yea… Skye’s been having the sniffles and we’ve been warning him not to pass it on to us.”

“What about your boyfriend?”

“Jae Joong? He’s fine. He’s much stronger than he used to be.”

“The power of love,” Brian snickered.

“Yah! I can do with a little less teasing,” I poked his arm. “I get enough of that from Skye.”

“Fine,” he smiled. “I’ll leave you alone… for now.”

I unbuckled my seatbelt and leaned over toward the backseat to pick up my bag as Brian stopped in front of the studios’ main doors.

“See ya,” he said.

“Thanks for the ride,” I smiled as I got out.

“Anytime,” he smiled.

I watched him drive off before I started to walk into the building. Skye and Shoei were in an intensive recording session when I entered the studio.

“Sierra,” the producer acknowledged me as I walked in.

“So, hyung, what’s on the agenda for me today?” I asked him as I dumped my bag on the table and plopped onto the couch in the corner of the control room.

“You’re just in time to record your parts with Skye and Shoei. Warm up and get in there as soon as you’re ready.”

“Ye,” I said as I took a sip of water before I started to warm up. Just then, Hee Chul walked in. He was supposed to collaborate on one of our songs with us.

“Hi,” he smiled as he sat down on the couch beside me. “Did you just arrive?”

“Yea, I had a performance with FTTS earlier.”

“Wow… you’re really busy these days, huh?”

“Nah… I’m sure most of you have the same kinda schedule as I do; running around most of the time and having to attend recordings and training still, on a daily basis.”

“Hmm… we do, but I suppose I’ve gotten used to it. It felt hard in the past but these days, it just feels normal to rush around like that. So how are you coping?”

“I’m fine. Learning to do with less sleep,” I grinned.

“Really… then I can already see the concept of this new album. Pandas, right?” he laughed.

“Ha ha,” I said sarcastically, but smiling as I did.

“Sierra, Hee Chul,” the producer turned to us. “Are you guys ready?”

“Ne,” we replied and walked out of the control room, into the recording booth.

“Hyung!” Skye greeted Hee Chul as he walked it.

“Let’s get crackin’,” Hee Chul said as we took our places in front of our microphones.

Hee Chul was rapping for our 2nd track of the new album, 'Waiting for You'. Skye and Shoei have been trained and are actually quite good rappers, but due to the management’s marketing strategy, they’ve decided that we would always have guest rappers. This boosted album sales because of the involvement of other popular gasoo and allowed us to focus on our singing. We’ve never questioned the management or demanded that we were allowed to rap, but we hoped that one day, such songs would be our entire effort instead of relying on others. The slow music started to play through our headphones and Shoei stood poised in front of the microphone, ready for his first line.

Shoei: My mind tells me to go
But my heart says stay,
You’ll never know

Skye: Won’t you tell me to stay
Ask me again tomorrow,
and I may not be there

Hee Chul: Battle after battle, we fight each day
Every night before I go to bed for you, I pray
Do you still need me, baby, the way you used to
Tell me quick, baby, for I still love you
Let’s have it out, let’s pick it up, where we left off
Don’t play with me, honey, for you I care for
I don’t have much time, for us to play around
If you truly love me, then just say it out loud

Sierra:
Baby turn back, if you don’t know what lies ahead
Don’t go too far, or you may be lost forever
Tried to tell you, no matter what you do, you’ll have my love
But time does not permit, baby I may not be waiting for you

Skye: My plane takes off in an hour
I kept waiting for you,
But you never showed up

Shoei: When I woke up this morning
I was suddenly reminded
that you belonged to me no more

Hee Chul: I look around, don’t see you there
I tried to pretend that I didn’t care
But I feel so lost, I feel so sad
You were the everlasting love I’d always wanted to have
Pick myself up and walk again
I swore to myself it wasn’t the end
Each day is a new day in this new world without you
No matter what happened I’m grateful for your love

Sierra: Baby turn back, if you don’t know what lies ahead
Don’t go too far, or you may be lost forever
Tried to tell you, no matter what you do, you’ll have my love
But time does not permit, baby I may not be waiting for you

Sierra: Baby turn back, if you don’t know what lies ahead
[Shoei: Baby, yeah…]
Don’t go too far, or you may be lost forever
[Skye: Forever…]
Tried to tell you, no matter what you do, you’ll have my love
[Shoei: You’ll have my love]
Sierra: But time does not permit, baby I may not be waiting for you
[Skye and Shoei: Waiting for you]

After the last recording session, we got into Hee Chul’s car and drove off to meet the guys at our usual haunt. As we walked into the club, I can see the guys in the usual corner. There was a new face, a girl I’d not seen before, sitting beside Chang Min. She looked like a high school junior. How I envied young girls like her.

“Chang Min,” I smiled. “Who’s your friend?”

“This is Kristi, my childhood friend,” Chang Min beamed. “She just got back from Virginia.”

“Wow,” I smiled. “I’m Sierra.” I said as I shook her hand.

“Pangapsumnida,” she smiled back at me.

“How nice of Chang Min to bring you along tonight,” I said.

“I just got back and I didn’t really have many friends I’d kept in touch with,” she said.

“And if you did have other friends, Chang Min would’ve been the busiest of them all. It’s nice to see that he’s able to make time for a friend.”

“Yea…” she smiled shyly.

I walked over to Jae Joong and sat down beside him after exchanging more pleasantries with Kristi.

“She seemed like such a nice girl,” I whispered to Jae Joong.

“I’ve heard Chang Min talk about her. They used to be really close before she left for America.”

“That’s so sweet,” I laughed.

All of a sudden, lights in the entire club blacked out and the emergency lights did not come on. After a moment of silence due to the initial shock, everyone in the club started talking and there was a huge commotion.

“Jae Joong,” I called as I reached out. I panicked when I realized he was no longer beside me. “Jae Joong,” I called out again, but was probably drowned by all the commotion around me. As I sat there and looked around, my vision started to adjust to the darkness. I heard someone give a shout and when I turned to look, I saw an orange light in the corner of the room. I squinted, trying to make out what was it and it kept getting brighter as it moved forward.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

FIRRRRSSSTTT!!!
I LOVE YOU SIERRA~
im changmin's childhood friend HEHE
*faints*

huh? whats with the light?
and what happenedto jaejoong?
o__o;; noo~
what happened? T__T

시에라 (Sierra) said...

Haha... Till next week ;)

Btw, for those who wonder why I call some of the producers or managers, hyung, it's cos the guys all call them hyung and it's hard not to follow. It's also acceptable because Sierra's often treated as one of the boys. Like if you noticed, Sierra calls her manager hyung as well. I prefer to call them hyung because oppa sounds too whiny for a professional environment. Haha! Oppa's reserved for the boyfriend ;)

snowyflakes said...

They are finally back at Korea and continuing their daily routines there. XD Heh~

Ah~ Jaejoong! Where did he go...? And the orange light... What's that? o_O Cliffhanger!!

You experiencing slow connection too right? It kinda suck. Just hope everyone's alright in Taiwan though.

nonex said...

now then i see your new chapter... wow.. give me a role in ur story? ehhee kidding ;P