Ari shrugs. “I don’t want to disappoint them. But I really love musicals. It would be dreamy to be in one, wouldn’t it?”

I’ve never thought about it before, but I can picture that, too. Ari always has the most dramatic facial expressions in our music videos. She would be great in theater.

“My dream is to start a dance school back in my hometown,” Jiyoon says. Originally from Daegu, she moved up to Seoul to live with her aunt when she started training at DB. Her parents are still in Daegu, though, and I’ve always gotten the impression that she’d like to visit more often. It’s been ages since she’s last been there.

“I want to get married and have a big family,” Eunji says.

“How big are we talking?” Sumin asks. “Like three kids or seven?”

Eunji shrugs. “The more the merrier. I’m an only child, so growing up, I always wished I had a house full of other kids to play with. I want to make sure my kids have that in the future.”

“As the middle child in a set of five, I should warn you that bigger is not always better,” Youngeun says, making Eunji laugh.

I lean back in the hot tub and take a sip of my drink. I find myself a little envious of how clear a vision they each have for their futures. When I try to picture myself pursuing some specific creative dream outside of K-pop, all I see is a blank page. Like the empty pages of my blue leather notebook every time I try to write some lyrics.

“How’s the songwriting going, Rachel?” Mina asks.

I lean forward so quickly, I almost spill my entire passion-fruit margarita into the water. It’s spooky how well we all know each other. Sometimes it’s like we can literally read each other’s minds. I look to where Mina sits on the opposite end of the hot tub, with just her toes in the water, her huge sunglasses masking her eyes.

“Songwriting?” Eunji asks.

“Yeah. The songs she’s been working on lately. In that blue notebook.”

I continue to look at Mina in surprise. I didn’t think anyone knew about that.

“Please. I notice everything.” She smirks, answering my unasked question. Then her face softens into a thoughtful ponder. “You know, I actually admire your hustle and independence.”

Wait. Is Choo Mina complimenting me? I blink at her, my brain not fully processing this conversation. “Thanks,” I say finally.

“I mean, Paris… A solo album… You’re so active about going after what you want.”