“I still puke in my mouth a little every time I see Pepero now,” Mina admits. This time we all burst out laughing, and Ari grips her stomach tighter, waving her hand in the air for us to stop.

“Seriously, it hurts!” she says.

That only makes us laugh harder. As the first course comes out—gorgeously plated mini-servings of cuttlefish-stuffed saffron risotto, beef-and-pumpkin consommé with ravioli, and oysters with tuna crudo—we keep sharing memories from the past six years, reminiscing from our worst moments to our funniest and scariest ones.

“One of my scariest moments was when we thought we lost Sunhee at the airport in Taiwan,” I say, inelegantly slurping an oyster. “And the flight was about to take off. Do you remember how much we panicked? We thought you got kidnapped, Sun.”

“I’m sorry,” Sunhee laughs, her face turning red. “Breakfast didn’t sit well with me.”

“You could have told us you were going to the bathroom!” I say, laughing. “Mina nearly called for the air marshal!” Mina rolls her eyes, but a small smile peeks out and she looks fondly at Sunhee.

“My scariest moment was when a fan fainted because she was so excited to meet us,” Sumin says. “Youngeun was about to climb over the table and do CPR on her.”

“That’s what first aid training is for,” Youngeun says seriously.

“I remember that fan,” Ari says. “She woke up on her own after ten seconds and was so embarrassed, but after we all gave her a hug and took a photo with her, she said it turned into the best day of her life.”

“That was sweet,” Mina admits. “Our fans are the best.”

“Hold up, is Choo Mina getting sentimental?” Eunji says, grinning.

Mina shrugs, spearing a piece of ravioli with her fork and popping it into her mouth. “You didn’t hear it from me.”

The night slips away hour by hour as we keep eating and chatting and swapping stories. I wish the media could see us like this—loose and punchy, our guards down as we reminisce about the times we’ve shared, all of us genuinely enjoying each other’s company. But then again, maybe that’s what makes moments like this so special. They’re ours alone. These girls may get on my nerves like no other, but at the end of the day, they’re the only ones who have gone through everything with me in the past six years. We really are family, whether we like it or not. And tonight, I think to myself looking around the table, I like it a lot.

“By the way, I thought I should tell everyone,” Lizzie says, “DB has given me permission to move back in with my family. I’ll be leaving the villa next week.” Her eyes dart to mine in the briefest acknowledgment before she looks away, reaching for a sip of her drink.