Bubble

23. Alive

The mansion had enough showroom worthy bedrooms that Felix, Bang Chan, and Bonita each got their own. Bonita stood awkwardly in the center of the room as she took it all in. Bonita hadn't been poor or wanted for anything growing up, and yet she still had never seen anything that looked so fine. This was like a different world to her and it was one that she didn't feel like she quite belonged in.

A rap at the doorway to the bedroom caused Bonita to turn around with a blush. I.N stood in the doorway with a knowing smile on his face.

"I know. It's a lot to take in. It took me a while at first too to go from a small, leaky apartment to this," said I.N as he stepped into the room.

Though this wasn't the first time Bonita had been around I.N, this was the first time that she had ever been alone with him. Her mind couldn't help but to think how this man before her was the creator of the show that had brought her out of her depression. This man before her had created the show that had saved her and made her strive to be in his shoes someday. I.N could see the funny look on Bonita's face, quirking a brow as he asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's just...I'm a fan."

"A fan? Of me?" asked I.N in surprise as Bonita nodded.

"I found your show 'Bubble' at one of the lowest points in my life. It saved me. Technically you saved me."

I.N blushed as he looked away from Bonita, scratching the back of his neck as he tried to think of the right thing to say.

"You're the reason I wanted to get into writing myself and worked hard to get the internship I did," continued Bonita. "So, thank you. Thank you for everything."

"You're welcome, I guess," said I.N with a nervous laugh, looking at Bonita again. "I never had anyone actually thank me for my writing before. I just wrote 'Bubble' because I wanted others to have a dose of Chris in their lives. He changed my life and I wanted to immortalize him in some way."

"Well, you did him proud," said Bonita.

I.N nodded as he swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat before deciding to change the topic.

"So, you said you got an internship...does that mean you have a show too?"

This time Bonita blushed as she looked away from I.N.

"No, I lost the internship because one of the lead actors on a show spread false rumors about me. Lee Know still works for the company though and is trying to convince me to try again by applying for the chance to write the reboot of your show."

"They are rebooting 'Bubble'?"

"You didn't know?"

I.N shook his head before letting out a huff.

"No, ever since I sold the rights, they don't tell me anything anymore. Figures that they'd want to though since it used to be a money maker for them. I think that their best bet for a writer would be you though."

"Why?"

"You literally brought Bang Chan to life," said I.N with a chuckle, "and I also think you understood my story. You related to it."

Bonita just nodded her head. It was surreal for her to take in that the creator of the show that saved her life also thought she could reboot it properly.

"Speaking of Bang Chan, where is he?" she asked, needing to change the subject now herself.

"In his room still," said I.N. "I went to check on him and suggested he come down to have some heated up leftovers, but he said he was good."

"I'll try talking to him," said Bonita as she moved to leave the room.

I.N gave her a small smile, nodding as he left her room too to walk towards the stairs as Felix yelled up, "If none of you get down here soon, all these leftovers are mine!"

"You're such a pig!" shouted back I.N, Bonita unable to hear Felix's rebuttal as she walked towards the room where Bang Chan was going to sleep.

When Bonita reached the door, she rapped on it with a knuckle, hearing him answer almost immediately.

"I'm not hungry I said."

"It's me. Bonita," she said, causing silence to fall on the other side of the door. "Can I come in?"

Taking the silence as a 'yes', Bonita reached out a hand to open the door. She could see Bang Chan sitting on the edge of the bed, looking towards the curtain window. Shutting the door behind her, she walked over to take a seat beside him on the bed.

"What's wrong? Is it because of whatever happened earlier?"

"What Chris' father talked about...I saw it."

"You saw it? What does that mean?"

"I think I saw who murdered Chris' mother. That's what I mean."

Bonita paused for a moment as her eyes went wide.

"But how?"

"I don't know," said Bang Chan. "The moment Chris' father touched me, my mind gave me a flashback. It was like I was in Chris' shoes for a moment."

"Do you have a vivid description of the murderer?"

"Not really. It was all clouded by rain," said Bang Chan. "Maybe I can see that vision again in time and it will be clearer then."

"Maybe...but that's not the only thing that is bothering you, is it?"

"How can you tell?" he asked with a weak smile as she returned it.

"I just can," she says, "What else is going on?"

"It's just...I've been isolated for a long time, wishing to have the ability to live a life again," he said, pausing as he looked at the room he now found himself in. "I always wondered what it might be like to try to go outside my bubble and live again, but I never pictured it to be like this. I...I feel like I'm stealing someone else's life, and while I feel badly about it, I also selfishly want it."

"You want it?"

Bang Chan nodded his head as his eyes misted up.

"I want it," he repeated. "I want parents. I want a brother like I.N. I want friends like Felix and Lee Know. And I want someone like you."

"Someone like me?"

"Yes," said Bang Chan as he finally turned to face her. "I want someone that makes me feel alive again."

Silence filled the air between the two of them, Bonita eventually clearing it by clearing her throat. She reached out to put a hand over his, grabbing on to it.

"I'm selfish," he repeated as she shook her head.

"You're not selfish," she said. "You're here, wanting to live a life, but also willing to use this second chance to try and solve a murder. You're potentially risking your own life to figure it out. That's selfless."

She paused, running her thumb over his knuckles.

"And you're not stealing someone else's life," continued Bonita. "We all want you to stick around because of who you are. We want to enjoy you for as long as we can before you go home."

"Home," said Bang Chan with a sad huff, looking down at Bonita's knuckle tracing. "I wish this were home..."

"Don't think like that," she said, "It's not time for goodbyes. Not yet."

Bang Chan nodded, his stomach gurgling breaking the pause between them.

"Come on, lets go eat something," said Bonita. "Come see that you are part of this family all on your own."

Nodding, Bang Chan got up from where he was sitting. Bonita kept her hand in his as they left the room and went downstairs to where I.N and Felix could be heard arguing over biscuits. She looked over at the smile that came across Bang Chan's face as they reached the bottom of the stairs and entered the dining room. The smile lit up his entire face and caused her to smile too.

'You have it backwards,' she thought as she looked at him. 'I don't make you feel alive. You're the one that is making me feel alive for a second time.'