Rainbow City

Fortunately, with the blanket wrapped around him, Kwak Soohwan didn’t think about hiding Seokhwa. As Seokhwa approached the window, he nodded towards Commander Cha. Although he didn’t speak, it felt touching. It was as if he was moved by someone recognizing his hidden love that no one else had noticed.

The strength in Kwak Soohwan’s hand holding the stone tightened. He also resisted the impulse to throw it far away.

“Commander Cha, don’t you understand?”

“Yes? What do you mean?”

“Why, you like such a stone.”

Kwak Soohwan shook it loosely.

“Well… I think when people like something, they don’t necessarily need a big reason for it.”

Upon seeing Kwak Soohwan smiling, Commander Cha quickly regained composure.

“Yes! But I still don’t understand. I really don’t know why you like stones.”

Kwak Soohwan tapped his shoulder again. Then, he raised his thumb as a signal to leave. The commander sighed, finding it childish, but Kwak Soohwan pushed his back regardless.

Confirming that Commander Cha was leaving, Kwak Soohwan opened the back door. Instead of giving the stone to Seokhwa, who seemed exhausted, he hung it on the net in front.

“Do you want to go inside if it’s uncomfortable?”

His blank face and messy hair seemed quite fitting. As he wanted to kiss, a voice that sounded very locked emerged.

“Are you going to… hold hands with Choi Hoeon?”

He had already told Commander Cha that he had no intention, but she was asking again, perhaps in a moment of drowsiness.

“I have no intention.”

“If it’s hard to push in from the outside… it’s not bad to attack from the inside, I’ve learned.”

He had joked with former colleagues that he met a master with level 3 skill in Russia, but he had actually made connections with someone similar.

“Troy’s horse is impossible. Will that bastard just let us go?”

Before coming to Rainbow City, I never thought Choi Hoeon’s approval rating would be this high. Rebels exert significant power when there is widespread discontent among citizens or when support is critically low. Although we intended to become the main force of Eden Park and strengthen our influence, we couldn’t guarantee how long it would take.

“If Choi Hoeon had any intention of killing me… the opportunity has already passed, hasn’t it?”

“Dr. Seok. Didn’t I say before I came here? I have no intention of separating. Even if I were to go under Choi Hoeon’s wing with a white flag. It’s most likely to end up being used and discarded instead of being monitored every step of the way.”

“I’ll be used as long as it serves. When I use myself as the tree of life, I’ll act against Choi Hoeon.”

“That’s an optimistic mindset. Do you think Dr. Seok can freely roam around by Choi Hoeon’s side? Without even thinking he might be locked in a room where light can’t even penetrate?”

“Then do you have a better solution?”

Seokhwa gave strength to his words without answering, then soon let his shoulders slump.

“For now… let’s narrow it down a bit.”

He leaned back into the back seat and pulled the blanket up to his head.

“It’s suffocating.”

Struggling with the covers, he flipped the blanket over his face.

Even when he was in Russia, Seokhwa often didn’t like to sleep with the blanket over his head. When he was asleep, he sometimes brought his fingers to his chin to check if he was breathing. Seeing him sleeping motionless, I wanted to disturb him just to make him toss and turn. That’s how anxious I was.

Seokhwa said he wasn’t as weak as I thought, but on days when he overslept, I anxiously waited until he woke up. Kwak Soohwan climbed into the back seat and reclined the chair. Tilting it just right, he lay down beside Seokhwa, watching him silently.

“Go inside and sleep.” Seokhwa whispered, but Kwak Soohwan used his arm as a pillow and snuggled closer.

“I’ll just watch you until you fall asleep.”

“It’s uncomfortable.”

“It’s more uncomfortable to sleep inside.”

Even though it was a military jeep, it was uncomfortably narrow for two adults to sleep side by side. Moreover, because of Kwak Soohwan’s height, this position was the most ideal.

“Tell me a story.”

“What story?”

“Something like the novels Captain Kwak reads.”

It was Kwak Soohwan who used to tell stories almost as good as bedtime tales every night. As a result, we were running out of books.

“Well… There’s this ruined school in Zone 21, you know? It’s from the school rulebook, but the first rule is, it prohibits inappropriate romantic relationships.”

“Not R-rated, please.”

Seokhwa murmured as if he was falling asleep. Whenever he told a slightly spicy novel, he used to call it R-rated, but now he just said it well.

“R-rated? No, because it’s a school rule.”

Kwak Soohwan said like a wood, but he couldn’t hide his laughter.

“And what was the second rule… It wasn’t something too similar, so I can’t remember it well. It was about obeying class hours, I think. Anyway, there were some who violated the first rule, and there was a paper inserted into the rulebook. It said, ‘Did we have sex? Did we kiss? We only held hands, but they wrote as if we committed a felony.'”

Seokhwa lay on his side so that he could see him if he opened his eyes while listening to the story. Each movement was exhausting due to fatigue, but he soon found peace.

“But I was kind of jealous. Those trivial things.”

Seokhwa seemed to know what he meant by being jealous. They didn’t know life before Adam appeared. People who were friends yesterday turned into monsters today, and it was common for my family to turn into enemies in an instant.

Then bang! A gunshot rang out. And then two more gunshots followed before it fell silent. The soldiers cleaned up Adam, who came looking for the light, and completely extinguished it. The faint light of the thin moon couldn’t penetrate the darkness. Only crickets that crawled up through the darkness were crying out.

The voices of the two in the jeep also echoed for a while, then fell silent.

Kwak Soohwan tossed and turned for a long time at Seokhwa’s habit of sleeping without even hearing his breathing, then fell asleep restlessly.

***

“It’s okay. There’s no need to be so tense.” The hand of the man in the black suit with a black shirt was overly raised. When you looked up, a neat face appeared above the tie, and there was nothing wrong with his complexion. One peculiar thing was his white skin contrasting sharply with the black clothes wrapped around his body.

Lee Chaeyoon sat side by side with Yang Sanghoon in the master’s room, rolling only her pupils.

“Major Lee Chaeyoon, Lieutenant Colonel Kwak Soohwan and Doctor Seokhwa have crossed the Dumangang River and entered Rainbow City.”

“…Yes, that’s correct.”

Choi Hoeon crossed his legs and untied his hands that had been resting on top of them. He picked up the tea cup on the table and brought it to his lips. The cup contained clear water.

“Yang Sanghoon said that Major Lee Chaeyoon hid the fact that she was eager for promotion and met with them, and tried to hand them over to the guards herself. Is that correct?”

Ah, I hate this guy so much, Lee Chaeyoon muttered inwardly. He belonged to the category of those clean-cut handsome bastards who harbored dozens of snakes in their stomachs.

“I also thought I couldn’t remain a lieutenant colonel forever. I’ll accept any punishment.”

“Oh, really? How will you accept it?”

Choi Hoeon chuckled deeply.

“If I cut off your head and send it to your family, would that feel like an appropriate punishment?”

Lee Chaeyoon couldn’t hide her shock and flinched her hand.

“Master.”

“Major Yang Sanghoon, don’t interfere. Since Major Yang Sanghoon didn’t give me as much trust as I gave him, he shouldn’t have a word to say even if he had ten mouths.”

Lee Chaeyoon glanced briefly at Yang Sanghoon, who was on her side. Yang Sanghoon met her gaze and immediately gave her a strong look. It was because he sensed her innermost thoughts along with her hot-headedness.

‘Would it be satisfying to smash that bastard’s head?’

He was sure it was a similar impulse. But since Lee Chaeyoon had confronted Choi Hoeon before, she couldn’t be certain she would emerge victorious when facing off against him. That made Lee Chaeyoon’s mood even worse.

“I’m not blaming Major Lee Chaeyoon. Similarly, I’m not looking for them to punish Lieutenant Colonel Kwak Soohwan and Doctor Seokhwa. Aren’t they talented individuals? Why do I still refer to Lieutenant Colonel Kwak Soohwan as such? They may have violated the law and left Rainbow City, but at that time, it was probably unavoidable. If they found a way to eradicate the vaccine or the Adam virus while staying abroad, they must join us.”

Choi Hoeon’s voice contained a solemn appeal. Lee Chaeyoon snapped out of the trance-like state induced by his words of persuasion, fearing she might get sucked into it.

“Have you heard anything from Doctor Seokhwa?”

“Because the military sent soldiers, he caught on immediately and fled. I didn’t even get to hear any rumors.”

“I see. So they made the vaccine.”

“!”

Lee Chaeyoon’s head shot up in surprise, then she realized her mistake and composed her face. Even Yang Sanghoon seemed shocked by Choi Hoeon’s words, so she couldn’t blame her. Reacting now with lies or excuses would only make matters worse. She hadn’t let her guard down, but Choi Hoeon had slipped through with his smoothness.

“I’m not sure if Doctor Seokhwa heard anything, but Doctor Seokhwa and I were born to the same mother.”

They both thought it might be a lie. But even that suspicion was quickly put to rest by Choi Hoeon.

“If you don’t believe me, feel free to ask Doctor Seokhwa yourself. I admit that Lieutenant Colonel Kwak Soohwan and Doctor Seokhwa had different methods to get to this point. But look at Rainbow City now. How much better has it become since the factions that fed on the blood of the citizens disappeared? We had to shed innocent blood for a better world.”

Choi Hoeon expressed his anguish as if he genuinely regretted their deaths. He soon lifted his head and stared at them with a clean face.

“Families should live together. It shouldn’t be the case where someone dies or gets hurt, and the family falls apart. In order to prevent that, as the leader and master of Rainbow City, I should set an example by being with my family. I trust you, Lieutenant Colonels, to understand what I mean.”

If it weren’t for being under Choi Hoeon’s thumb, Lee Chaeyoon might have given her allegiance to the master. She shuddered at the thought, even knowing his rotten corners.

“I won’t impose any punishment on you two. Perhaps Lieutenant Colonel Kwak Soohwan and Doctor Seokhwa will avoid contacting you for a while. Instead, if you hear any news about them over time, make sure to inform me. There won’t be a second chance.”

Even executing them wouldn’t benefit Choi Hoeon at this point. Furthermore, he wasn’t angry or upset about missing Kwak Soohwan and Seokhwa.

“The Adam from Daejeon 11 Violet has moved to the Green Zone. You two should go there for support. Now, go out.”

Choi Hoeon gestured toward the door.

Lee Chaeyoon and Yang Sanghoon quickly saluted and left the master’s room faster than anyone else. They exchanged words before the door closed, but no one paid them any special attention. The only thing that mattered was summoning the mother as soon as the door shut.

“Master, awaiting orders.”

“Broadcast video feed from Lab 3.”

Choi Hoeon picked up the glasses placed next to the teacup and put them on.

A black and white screen appeared, showing Adams tearing each other apart. One of them had spilled his intestines outside his abdomen and was even chewing on his organs. Then he spread them out and shook them. It was no organ exhibition. Choi Hoeon grimaced and chuckled darkly.

They almost looked like children playing with food. These individuals in the video were soldiers who had deserted from Kwak Soohwan’s unit, and even if these ghost-like figures disappeared, no one would search for them.

“Mother, report the locations of Kwak Soohwan and Seokhwa.”

The screen went blank, and a mechanical sound of [Loading] followed.

“Tracking failed. It’s beyond my capabilities. The last confirmed location was the old Shinuiju.”

Choi Hoeon got up from the sofa and stood in front of a large window.

As his gaze lowered, helicopter pads were visible on various rooftops, and beyond them flowed the Han River. The top floor of this building was currently the master’s room. Choi Hoeon had mostly transferred people from Udo Island to the mainland, and the entire area of Jeju Island was also under military control.

Looking outside like an emotionless mannequin, Choi Hoeon turned back around. A photo taken with Wonho Doctor was on his desk.

“Families should be together.”

This Yeouido shelter was an excellent place to watch the festival.

***

As Kwak Soohwan and Seokhwa descended to Paju, the radio noise gradually disappeared. It meant they were getting closer to the center of Rainbow City.

The open car window allowed the strong wind to tousle Seokhwa’s hair. The wind didn’t bother him much as his bangs didn’t cover his eyes. Occasionally, they spotted decaying Adam corpses along the way, but even the crows didn’t bother pecking at them.

“The Adam extermination is imminent. Our Rainbow City soldiers are working hard to eradicate Adams again today. Volunteer for the military. The military takes care of our homes.”

Since it was a broadcast similar to the previous ones, they didn’t pay much attention. However, they kept the radio on to gather any useful information.

“…On the 23rd, the First Master will visit Seongnam, the 77th Green Zone. A speech by the master for the future of Rainbow City is prepared. Stop everything you’re doing and turn on the radio at 2 p.m. on the 23rd. The master will make a major announcement. Happy Rainbow City today too!”

While radio announcers’ voices used to be stiff, now they sounded lively enough to evoke a sense of intimacy. After some music, they heard the voice of a frightened child.

“Mom, the Adam is lurking around our house again today!”

“Don’t worry, dear. We have Adam deterrent security systems at our house, right? If the Adam tries to come over, the Adam deterrent guards will be dispatched. There’s nothing to fear. We’re a recognized company in Rainbow City, and all the guards are former soldiers.”

“That’s right. For the safety of our family, 60 Greens a year! 60 Greens are more than enough.”

The Green was the currency unit of Rainbow City. 60 Greens were equivalent to the average annual income of most citizens. It was a daylight robbery demand to give up all the money one had in exchange for protecting their lives. Moreover, such advertisements, unheard of before, were now airing on the radio…

They looked at each other’s faces.

“It’s twisted.”

Seokhwa agreed too.