“Nice hair, Soom,” Ari says, pulling out a chair. Sumin’s rocking a topknot that’s looking a little more bird’s-nest than intentionally-messy-but-still-cute. Sumin yawns as she grabs the seat next to Ari, apparently too tired to manage a good comeback.

“Oh, we got this amazing leave-in moisturizing and detangling serum in the Nell Kramer show gift bags,” I say to Sumin as she pours herself some omija tea. “You can totally borrow it if you want.”

“Please, Rachel, we literally just woke up,” Lizzie says, flopping down on her chair at the opposite side of the table. “Can you at least give us five minutes before you start bragging about Paris?”

“Seriously,” Mina says, opening the fridge and taking out a bottle of sparkling water. “While you were off on your vacation, the rest of us were working, you know.”

Um, ouch? I didn’t realize offering to let someone borrow a hair care product was bragging. Besides, the only reason DB let me go on the trip in the first place was because we had a gap in our Girls Forever schedule. I know for a fact the girls weren’t working on anything major for the group while I was gone.

“What were you all up to while I was away?” I ask, turning the conversation back to neutral ground.

“We grabbed drinks at 902 last night,” Sunhee chimes in.

Ah. That explains the dialed-up crankiness. 902’s tequila cocktails are lethal. I’m sure everyone’s nursing killer headaches this morning.

“Fun,” I say with a knowing smile. “Did I miss out on anything else?”

“I shot a supporting role in the new movie When I Loved You,” Mina says proudly. “Apparently, it’s already predicted to be a box office smash. And they did some last-minute script rewrites to make my character a bigger part, because the female lead they have is such a snooze.”

“That’s great!” I say. My heart lifts at this news. I’m genuinely happy to hear that she’s beginning to pursue her dream in acting. “And your dad’s on board?”

“I don’t need his permission,” she snaps, but the proud look on her face falters slightly. “Besides,” she says, her expression regaining its confident smirk, “once he heard who was going to be costarring in the movie with me, he basically had to let me do it.”

“Oh right, isn’t that the movie Jason’s in?” I ask.

“And Song Geonwu,” Mina adds. “You know anything he’s in is going to be a big deal. The day I was on set, he arranged for an ice cream and coffee truck so all the cast and crew could stay energized. It was so cute. He’s so different in person than what you see on TV. Really down to earth. But of course still gorgeous.”