Rainbow City

“He won’t remember any of this conversation later, but I hope it lingers in his subconscious at least.”Kwak Soohwan whispered as if sharing a lover’s secret, his words laced with an intimacy that no one else should hear. His hand slid across Seokhwa’s chest in a gesture akin to foreplay, and Seokhwa, feeling Kwak Soohwan’s touch, couldn’t push him away. A cold hand gently gripped his nape, moving up along his collarbone as if inhaling his scent. Kwak Soohwan then whispered again into his ear.“Don’t dig any further into Dr. Oh Yangseok’s murder. It won’t do you any good.”“Why?”Kwak Soohwan kissed Seokhwa on the forehead with a loud smack, pressing firmly.“If you keep being suspicious and digging around, you’ll end up getting tangled with me, even if you don’t want to get close.”He felt Kwak Soohwan’s lips move intimately against his ear again.Mother is always watching.He whispered.***Seokhwa stretched to loosen his stiff body. He had slept for more than half a day after the effects of the drug wore off, and he was extremely hungry. He grabbed a cardigan from the closet and left the room. It was dawn, so he didn’t encounter anyone as he walked down the corridor.When Seokhwa arrived at the 24-hour cafeteria, he glanced around. A few soldiers were scattered, eating late-night snacks. Seokhwa picked up a sandwich from the counter. It was a bean patty sandwich that Kwak Soohwan had complained tasted terrible. As he unwrapped it and was about to sit anywhere,“Doctor!”Lee Chaeyoon waved cheerfully, holding a carrot. When Seokhwa nodded and sat down, she quickly ran over.“The Major said the military police made a big mistake with you, Doctor! Was it that bastard, Yoo Jeongkyung?”“You know him?”“Of course. That bastard’s a pervert. He enjoys torturing people but is terrified of going out into the field. If I ever meet him in the field, I’ll kill him myself.”Lee Chaeyoon bit off half of her carrot. “Wait here a moment, Doctor.” She leaped over the table and ran somewhere. Before he knew it, she had come back from the vending machine with two drinks. She handed one to Seokhwa and started drinking the other.“I didn’t bring any money.”“No worries, this is on me, Doctor. Our pay comes in a couple of days anyway.”“Thank you.”Shelter staff received their salary quarterly, four times a year. Citizens living in the Green, Blue, and Indigo zones also earned wages for their respective duties, producing essential goods and military supplies. Despite the changing world, currency still held value. Rainbow City required money for living, and occasionally counterfeiters were caught. While there were some jails, they often overflowed, and when full, criminals were either expelled or executed, especially those caught with counterfeit money.“Doctor.”Lee Chaeyoon, having finished her drink, suddenly leaned in close. Though smaller in stature, she was brimming with energy and vitality, her presence invigorating others.“Is it true that you and Kwak Soohwan are, you know, involved?”Her words drained the energy out of him.Seokhwa blinked, chewing his sandwich. He never paid attention to taste when eating to survive, but ever since Kwak Soohwan mentioned it was tasteless, it really did seem bland. He also recalled the taste of stone for the first time—the saliva was sweet, the stone tasteless.“What do you mean by involved?”“You know, like this.”Lee Chaeyoon made an “OK” sign with one hand and poked her finger in and out of it with the other. Seokhwa mimicked her action.“Yeah, that! Rumor has it all over the shelter that you secretly meet Kwak Soohwan at night. They say you even visited his room! Ugh, he might be good-looking, but you’re too good for him, Doctor.”“Are you saying there’s a rumor I’m dating Major Kwak Soohwan?”“I’m not sure about dating, but they say you’ve been intimate…”Could it be something Yoo Jeongkyung said? If the rumor spread because he mentioned Seokhwa saying he kissed Kwak Soohwan, it couldn’t be helped.“Doctor, do you know what kind of guy Kwak Soohwan is? In the field, he goes crazy, sometimes disappearing for hours on solo missions. Covered in blood, hunting Adams like a madman. Once, we waited for hours because he went on an Adam hunt alone.”Bang! A large hand holding a drink slammed down between Seokhwa and Lee Chaeyoon.“Enough gossiping behind people’s backs.”Kwak Soohwan, not in military attire, looked more like a civilian in his casual T-shirt and slacks. He sat down without permission and wrapped an arm around Seokhwa’s shoulders.“You have no idea how flustered I was when he came to my room, saying he wanted to sleep with me.”As he brought his nose to Seokhwa’s hair as if smelling it, Seokhwa’s expression subtly twisted. Lee Chaeyoon’s mouth dropped open, and a few soldiers watching were shocked.“You didn’t get some dirt on the Doctor, did you?”“Dirt? No way. Dr. Seok must not remember, but he told Yoo Jeongkyung he came to my room for sex. Can you believe he’d reveal our secret like that?”Seokhwa wiped his hair where Kwak Soohwan’s lips had touched.Why is he lying like this? Seokhwa pushed Kwak Soohwan’s hand off his shoulder.“I never said I came for sex.”“Don’t deny it.”Kwak Soohwan smiled slyly. Seokhwa couldn’t understand his intentions. Why act like this in front of everyone?“I said it was for a kiss.”Kwak Soohwan’s smile briefly faltered before he grinned again.“What’s wrong with you?”He lightly touched Seokhwa’s forehead with his finger. Seokhwa wiped his forehead with his palm, but nothing came off.“What the! Doctor’s forehead is yellow! Yoo Jungkyung did this too, didn’t he?!”As he pressed down, he felt a slight throbbing pain. Although the military police had grabbed his hair, they had not struck his forehead.“Did Yoo Jeongkyung really hit you?”Kwak Soohwan wondered if that bastard had assaulted Seokhwa before he arrived. He might have thought Seokhwa wouldn’t remember anything since he had been given a truth serum, and therefore treated him roughly. Until now, he had considered Yoo Jeongkyung a mere nuisance, but his increasing brazenness was starting to bother him.“No.”Seokhwa’s calm answer made him think Seokhwa didn’t remember, so his mood soured.“He wouldn’t remember even if that bastard had done it.”“Wasn’t it you, Major Kwak Soohwan, who did this?”“What? Kwak Soohwan, you!”Lee Chaeyoon stood up in shock, while Kwak Soohwan assumed Seokhwa’s memory was confused.“Who do you think brought you back safe and sound? Don’t pin this on me.”“Major Kwak Soohwan, you kissed my forehead, pressing so hard it hurt. That’s probably why it’s bruised. But why did you do it?”Kwak Soohwan exhaled a short laugh.“This is… He spoke as if he remembered everything.”“Dr. Seok, can we talk?”“Go ahead.”“Not here.”Kwak Soohwan grabbed Seokhwa’s arm and pulled him up, causing the sandwich he was holding to drop to the floor. As he tried to pick it up, Kwak Soohwan’s grip tightened, dragging him out of the cafeteria.“Major Lee, you can have that.”“Get lost! I don’t eat things off the floor! Hey! Where are you taking the Doctor?”“Don’t follow us.”Seokhwa felt extremely irritated as he was forcibly dragged out, wanting to finish his sandwich.Kwak Soohwan, who had been lightly smiling until a moment ago, now had a stern expression. He looked around the hallway, opened the emergency exit door, and pushed Seokhwa inside. Seokhwa stumbled but was held firmly against the wall by Kwak Soohwan.“I wanted to finish my sandwich.”“I’ll buy you a hundred of them later. First, explain what you just said.”“What do you mean?”“Did you receive a truth serum?”“Yes.”“Then how do you remember what happened with the military police and what I said?”After the incident with Doctor Wonho, Seokhwa and Oh Yangseok had administered small amounts of amobarbital to build a tolerance to truth serums. Seokhwa, who developed drugs for enhancing physical abilities, often used himself as a test subject. Thus, he hadn’t been worried when Yoo Jeongkyung injected him with the serum.“Why is it dangerous for me to investigate Dr. Oh Yangseok’s case?”Kwak Soohwan ran a hand through his hair.“Dr. Seok, whether you have a tolerance to the serum or not, don’t let the military police know.”“Why did you come to rescue me yesterday?”“Isn’t it obvious? I’m your bodyguard.”“Why did you press your lips on my forehead?”“Consider it a reward for saving you.”“What kind of bodyguard expects a reward?”Kwak Soohwan stepped back, opened the emergency exit door, and spat out,“I was worried. You’re just so damn weak.”Seokhwa didn’t follow Kwak Soohwan as he left, remaining still.A man who could access top-secret information, who surprisingly cared for him, yet still seemed untrustworthy. Seokhwa looked up at the flickering surveillance camera light.Mother is watching. Perhaps it was another warning.***You foolish friend. Why didn’t you tell me? Why make me regret only now?Kwak Soohwan sometimes drank with Oh Yangseok, who had a terrible drinking habit. When heavily drunk, he would often tearfully reminisce about his departed friends. Sitting by the Han River, looking at the dark water, Oh Yangseok would cling to Kwak Soohwan.“Old man, let’s go back now.”“Just a little longer.”“I’m leaving.”When Kwak Soohwan stood up with the bottle, Oh Yangseok grabbed his arm.“How can I stay here alone, scared?”Despite wanting to leave, even in the Green Zone, Adams were frightening, so he had brought Kwak Soohwan along. Sighing, Kwak Soohwan sat back down. It was hard to be callous to Oh Yangseok, who had helped him join the army. When he was assigned to the Ilsan Shelter after graduation, Oh Yangseok occasionally visited him. He often had to resist the urge to poke those pitying eyes.“How is life in the Yeouido Shelter?”“It’s all the same. It’d be better if Dr. Oh didn’t call me out like this. Stop drinking.”Tears filled Oh Yangseok’s wrinkled eyes. Usually cheerful, he would sob when drunk.“I have so many sins to atone for. I deserve to die.”Oh Yangseok wobbled as he stood. After being tortured during an interrogation with Wonho, he limped on cold days.“Major Kwak Soohwan, I feel so guilty towards you.”“Thanks to you, I’m a well-fed citizen of Rainbow City.”After his parents and brother died, another broker from Rainbow City approached him, who he later learned was paid by Dr. Oh Yangseok.“If you hadn’t enlisted, how would you be living now?”If that had happened, he might have joined the rebels. No matter how capable he was of surviving by raiding stores alone, in those desolate times, he needed somewhere to rely on.“Old man, do you want to hear a thank you?”“No, not at all. I just….”“Then don’t call me out separately like this. These days, there are many upper-level folks keeping an eye on you.”Oh Yangseok gulped down his harsh whiskey in three swigs.“Who doesn’t know that? I’ve even left a will because I don’t know what lies ahead.”“At your age, you should have one.”Despite his previous tears, he laughed heartily.“You don’t resemble your parents at all. They were so affectionate.”Oh Yangseok sought out Kwak Soohwan because of his connection to Kwak Soohwan’s parents. Kwak Soohwan’s parents were shelter researchers who worked in the same research wing as Doctor Oh Yangseok.“Don’t bring up my parents in front of me.”Kwak Soohwan snatched the whiskey from Doctor Oh Yangseok and drank the rest.“Let’s go inside. Your mustache is frozen with snot.”Kwak Soohwan roughly grabbed the limping Oh Yangseok and dragged him back to the shelter. About a month later, Oh Yangseok was found murdered in the research wing.***Click, click, Kwak Soohwan rotated the cube, matching the colors.In front of him stood a soldier wearing a green epaulet with an eagle-marked armband. Military Police Commander Cha was standing at attention, visibly nervous.“Speak.”Kwak Soohwan asked while rotating the cube.“I have nothing to report.”“How can you have nothing to say? A major in the military police took the chief researcher and administered a confession drug? Who ordered the investigation of the chief researcher?”“Lieutenant General Lee Yeontae instructed a light investigation, but Major Yoo, out of excessive loyalty, ugh!”Thud, the cube thrown by Kwak Soohwan hit Commander Cha’s forehead. Blood trickled down, but Commander Cha stood back at attention, unable to wipe it off.“I’m sorry. I will demote Major Yoo to the Gwacheon branch.”Commander Cha picked up the fallen cube and approached Kwak Soohwan’s desk.“Who classified Dr. Seok’s level?”“That is unknown to us as well.”“Restore it to its original state. It’s causing unnecessary suspicion.”“Yes, sir.”Without looking at Commander Cha standing there, Kwak Soohwan continued to rotate the cube.“What are you waiting for? Get out.”“Yes, I will be on standby.”Commander Cha saluted and exited the room.[Zone 21 Violet]A military zone an hour away from Yeouido, off-limits to civilians. Although labeled as a military zone, it was a place only Kwak Soohwan and a few soldiers designated by him could access. The area had been uninhabitable for a long time, so using it this way posed no significant problems.Kwak Soohwan completed the cube in no time and stood up from his creaky chair. This building was once a high school, but there wasn’t a single intact window, and with the infrequent rain, the bloodstains on the walls remained unwashed. As Kwak Soohwan left the room that used to be the principal’s office, Commander Cha followed behind him.The school motto hung crookedly above the main door covered in cobwebs. The letters were obscured by the webs, which seemed to be the work of multiple spiders rather than one. Despite the massive web, the prey caught was not even enough for one spider to feast on.Sure enough, Commander Cha noticed one spider attempting to wrap and eat its fellow spider. He placed a long-dead beetle, likely unable to survive the winter, on the web.“…Life starts from college.”“What?”“The motto, sir.”Commander Cha had somehow managed to read the letters through the webs.“College, my ass. Life starts with eating.”“Each era and place likely has its own top priority.”“So, what is it now?”Kwak Soohwan drew his gun from its holster. As the muzzle pointed at him, Commander Cha regretted speaking up and closed his mouth. When the trigger was pulled, a puff sound indicated the bullet hitting something. Startled, he turned to see a nearly starving stray cat sprawled on the floor.“Surviving, I suppose.”Kwak Soohwan holstered his gun again.“Absolutely right, sir.”Commander Cha forced a smile, hiding his fear. Before getting into the jeep parked at the front gate, Commander Cha spoke first.“Are you heading straight back to the Yeouido shelter?”Without answering, Kwak Soohwan got into the jeep and started the engine. All the soldiers knew that he graduated top of his class from Rainbow City Military Academy. However, his title had faded due to his erratic behavior. Even until his death, Oh Yangseok didn’t know that Kwak Soohwan originally belonged to the military police before being assigned to the Invincible Platoon.Kwak Soohwan rolled down the window halfway.“Don’t demote that bastard to Gwacheon.”“Pardon?”“I won’t be satisfied unless I torment him myself.”“Understood.”“Wait, step aside.”Commander Cha thought Kwak Soohwan was turning the jeep around and stepped aside, but instead, he saw Kwak Soohwan get out of the jeep. Bending down, Kwak picked something up from the ground. With a satisfied grin, he got back into the jeep.“Let’s go.”As Kwak Soohwan drove away, Commander Cha waited until the jeep was out of sight before opening the door. He sighed deeply, wondering why Kwak picked up such an item.