Overdrive | NCT ✅

13. The piggy and the blueberry

Rose:

I wait in the queue at the entrance of the airport with a heavy chest. I don't want to leave, but I can't convince my mum, and I'm not going to even try with her boyfriend. I breathe in deeply as I wait tiredly. I didn't even get to say bye to Jieun properly.

"ROSEANNE PARK!" a familiar voice hollers, and I spin around so fast I crick my neck.

"Jieun?" I ask in disbelief when I see her several feet away, bending down and wheezing.

"One sec," she gasps, holding up a finger as tears gather in my eyes.

She straightens up and tries to say something, then shakes her head and starts panting again. I bend down under the barrier of the queue and run towards my friend, slamming into her and hugging her tightly.

"Rosie, I can't breathe," she rasps, and I hug her tighter.

"I don't care," I say, my voice breaking.

"I thought you hated me, I'm sorry I have to leave, I don't want to, I want to stay with you and Mark," I say, breaking down.

Jieun hugs me back as I start crying.

"It's my fault, I was scared and I'm the one who's supposed to be sorry, not you so shut up. Mark told me how you thought I didn't value you as a friend, and I have no idea why you thought that. I love you and you're the best, you have no idea how glad I was to be able to speak to a girl. Plus, I'd never be able to go to the karaoke room without thinking of your amazing voice, I'm sorry I stopped talking to you, it was horrible of me," Jieun says as I carry on crying.

"Don't cry," she mumbles, and I cry harder.

"How do you not hate me right now?" she asks.

"I don't wanna leave," I whine.

"Then don't," Jieun says.

"But... my mum's boyfriend," I say, looking up and wiping my face.

"I have an idea," she says, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Cry louder," she whispers in my ear, and I start wailing, leaning against Jieun.

"Rose, don't cry. They can't force you out of the country if you don't want to leave. I'm pretty sure it's illegal," Jieun says in an unnecessarily loud voice.

"Are they watching?" I whisper.

"Yeah, and half the crowd are glaring at them," Jieun whispers back.

"You don't understand, mum's boyfriend's forcing me!" I wail loudly, hiding my grin in Jieun's shoulder.

I suddenly spot my brother walking towards us with a confused expression on his face. When he's a few steps away, I run to him and hug him tightly.

"Mark!" I yell, and he looks alarmed.

"Just go with it," I hiss in his ear.

"I don't want to leave!" I howl.

"Rose, come back! You're holding up the queue!" Mum hisses angrily.

"Leave the kid alone, can't you see the state she's in?" an old man asks, pointing his walking stick at Mum threateningly.

Another woman scoffs, a look of pure disgust on her face as she glares at Mum and Logan.

Logan laughs nervously.

"We're not forcing her, she can stay if she wants to," he says quickly, looking nervously at the airport staff who are eyeing the situation warily.