Rainbow City

He moved his lips as if stimulating someone’s erogenous zones, but the actual words he spoke lacked any sensuality. A place without Mother referred to a blind spot where surveillance cameras didn’t reach.“Where would that be?”[Opening.]The elevator doors opened, but Seokhwa showed no intention of stepping in. Kwak Soohwan could have used force to pull him inside but instead took his arm off Seokhwa’s shoulder.“What time is it now?”“It’s just past 1 a.m.”Sighing loudly enough for Seokhwa to hear, Kwak Soohwan started walking back the way they came. Seokhwa stood still, watching his retreating figure until Kwak Soohwan called out.“What are you doing? Let’s go on a midnight date.”***The first date spot Kwak Soohwan had seen in “Love Methods of That Guy and Me” was a restaurant in the city. Kwak Soohwan and Seokhwa sat across from each other at an old, round table, staring blankly.A cold winter wind blew in through the broken windows, and their breaths came out in white puffs. The restaurant sign had half blown away during a typhoon last summer.“So, Seokhwa, what would you like to order?”Kwak Soohwan mimicked flipping through an invisible menu. Then he raised his hand and spoke to the air.“Ah, is the manager here?”Seokhwa looked at him blankly, wondering what this soldier was doing.“We’ll take whatever the manager recommends. Bring us a Bordeaux wine.”Kwak Soohwan, who had been maintaining a serious expression, couldn’t hold back a laugh. Seokhwa’s dumbfounded look was too much.“What was that all about?”“Imitating a wealthy businessman? You’ll see it later in ‘Love Methods of That Guy and Me.'”Kwak Soohwan stood up and looked around the nearly destroyed restaurant, then headed to the bar where cocktails used to be made. The floor and bar were littered with empty bottles and broken glass. Usually, areas swept by Adam were disinfected and reorganized, but this place hadn’t been touched yet.He brought two wine glasses with jagged broken edges and placed them in front of each of them.“Shall we start the date?”“Can we just talk in the car?”Seokhwa was only wearing a thin coat. Even though he was usually warm, prolonged exposure to the cold would get to him. Kwak Soohwan took off his own coat and handed it to Seokhwa. Instead of politely refusing, Seokhwa took it immediately. Despite his body being warm, catching a cold could be serious.The uniform coat felt heavy like armor when he put it on. Seokhwa fidgeted with a piece of paper in the inner pocket.“I’ll be direct.”“Yeah, I think I know what you want to say.”Kwak Soohwan clasped his hands together on the table, looking serious. Seokhwa wondered if Kwak Soohwan had discovered what he was hiding.“…Do you know?”“Yes.”“Go ahead and say it first.”“No, you go first, Dr. Seok.”Kwak Soohwan smiled bitterly. Seokhwa exhaled white breath silently. He organized his thoughts and was about to speak, but Kwak Soohwan started talking first, unable to wait.“Dr. Oh said he had dementia, but I—”“Even your mother opposes it; don’t you think our marriage is premature?”“…”They spoke almost simultaneously, making Seokhwa fall silent first.“What are you doing now?”Seokhwa was visibly annoyed. Kwak Soohwan decided to drop the role-playing from the novel and unclasped his hands, removing his smile and staring at Seokhwa.“I told you not to get involved. There’s nothing to gain, so why do you keep heading down this thorny path?”“You said you were drinking buddies with Dr. Oh, right?”“By that logic, Dr. Seok is my friend too. We’ve had drinks together, haven’t we?”He spoke as if saying that drinking together didn’t necessarily make someone friends. After the kidnapping incident, Seokhwa had spent a lot of time each day thinking about it. He had crossed too many bridges to go back to just doing research and playing with stones in the research building.“If I hadn’t been kidnapped, I wouldn’t have questioned things as Major Kwak Soohwan suggested.”He wasn’t blaming anyone for the failed mission. That incident would have been hard to prevent regardless of who was there.“But I can’t sleep well. Dr. Oh’s last words keep circling in my mind. Major Kwak Soohwan.”As he spoke, the cold wind blew in, and he tightened the coat around himself.“The kidnapper told me they played Dr. Oh’s final recording for me.”“But you couldn’t hear the end because of the gunfire.”“I also said my memory was confused due to the concussion. But now I remember it clearly.”Despite Seokhwa’s lie, Kwak Soohwan’s expression didn’t change.“Dr. Oh questioned the virus’s mutations up to the seventh variant and mentioned that the higher-ups were reluctant to develop a cure.”Kwak Soohwan made an okay gesture with his hand.“Because of the money.”“I know that too. But…”Seokhwa decided to take a gamble. He didn’t know how far the ripple would spread.“The military police estimate Dr. Oh died around 5 a.m. The recording stopped with the gunshot, so he was shot while making it.”“That makes sense.”“Preservation of humanity, new prosperity for humanity, that is our mission. At the forefront stands Rainbow City, and we are its citizens.”Seokhwa recited the regular broadcast he had memorized. Kwak Soohwan didn’t think Seokhwa mentioned this without reason.“This broadcast aired before the gunshots. So, Dr. Oh must have been shot at noon or 6 p.m., right?”“So you’re saying that what you heard from Oh Yangseok was about suspecting Rainbow City regarding the virus mutations and treatment development, and he was shot while saying this and died?”“Exactly.”“That old man did have dementia.”Seokhwa and Kwak Soohwan maintained eye contact.“And he was colluding with the rebels associated with Eden.”Their white breaths mingled and dissipated midway across the table.“Dr. Seok.”The low call made Seokhwa rethink if he had made a mistake. As a soldier, Kwak Soohwan could potentially hand him over to the military police for such remarks. However, he had his own defense: he claimed his memory had only just returned after the concussion.“Have you considered that Eden might have edited the recording they played for you?”“I thought of that, but it’s unlikely. Dr. Oh definitely spoke right after the regular broadcast ended, saying, ‘Do you hear that?'”Seokhwa felt slightly out of breath from talking more than usual, but his health was better than when he was alone on Jeju Island, thanks to regular meals in the shelter.“Major Kwak Soohwan, you’re chasing the suspect who killed Dr. Oh, right? The estimated time of death differs, though.”“If we assume he was shot at 6 p.m., he could have bled out and died at 5 a.m.”“You know that’s impossible.”If Dr. Oh had been shot and collapsed in front of the pillar at noon or 6 p.m., someone would have found him.“So, what’s your real intention behind talking like this on a date? You’re not asking me to arrest you, are you?”“You rescued me from the military police because you know I’m not a rebel. I’m just curious about why Dr. Oh died.”Seokhwa’s breath started to come out faster and thinner. If he kept breathing like that, he might end up with his face in the broken wine glass.“Let’s go back to the car.”Kwak Soohwan stood up and helped Seokhwa. Though Seokhwa waved him off, indicating he could manage, he walked to the still-running Jeep. He handed back the uniform coat and jumped into the passenger seat. His hands were so cold that even the heater’s warmth felt numb.Since they had come straight out, there was no food or drinkable water. Kwak Soohwan, aware of this, reached into the back seat for something. It was a boiled egg.“There’s water in the glove compartment.”He handed Seokhwa the egg, who cracked it on the passenger window and peeled it. Watching Seokhwa eat the bland egg without salt, Kwak Soohwan patiently waited. Despite being weak, Seokhwa was diligent about eating well, likely a survival tactic. In terms of fuel efficiency, Seokhwa was always at his worst.“Brown chickens lay brown eggs, and white chickens lay white eggs.”After eating the egg, that was what Seokhwa said.“So, the egg you just ate came from a white chicken?”“Yes. Just like the reason for Dr. Oh’s death should be clear.”Seokhwa swallowed the dry yolk to say the most important thing. He washed it down with water, handed to him by Kwak Soohwan, who took a sip after him.“Serpent said… to meet at Dr. Oh’s house in two days.”A cracking sound came from Kwak Soohwan’s hand holding the water bottle.“You forgot that too because of the concussion, Doctor?”“Yes.”“You’re good at pretending to faint and lying. I didn’t expect that.”“It was my first time pretending to faint, and I’ve only lied a few times. Besides, I told you because I can go alone, but I’m not a rebel.”“I’m wondering how to report this to the higher-ups. Saying Dr. Seok changed his statement is too risky.”“Sound the victory drum.”“What?”“If Major Kwak Soohwan catches Serpent, that solves everything, doesn’t it?”He was asking if Kwak Soohwan was confident.Kwak Soohwan drank from the water bottle Seokhwa had sipped, then smiled with wet lips.“Wow, you’re scary, Doctor. If I catch Serpent, I might get promoted directly to Commander.”“Who knows?”“Maybe even straight to Colonel.”He doubted such a dramatic promotion would happen.“Serpent is one of Eden’s elders, right?”Generally, that’s how it was known. Kwak Soohwan took another swig of water.***“After breakfast, after lunch, I looked out the window, and it was raining. Three worms were crawling. Oh, scary.”Yang Sanghoon sang as he drew a sequence of skulls, then looked at the boy in front of him.“Don’t like this kind of thing, huh? My brother loved it.”Despite a deep wound on his tongue, the boy had consumed 2 kg of sausages, four bread rolls, and seven servings of rice and side dishes in one day. His eyes, once fierce like Adam’s, had calmed down, and being well-fed had reduced his wariness.“How old are you?”“I don’t know.”“You’re speaking informally, typical of someone caught by Kwak Soohwan. If you get dragged to the military police, you might get killed. But if you behave here, you can eat plenty.”“Traitor.”“Me?” Yang Sanghoon pointed to himself with his index finger.“Yeah! You’re trying to fatten me up for human experiments, aren’t you? Do you think I don’t know? I know how many people you’ve taken for those experiments!”“That might be true.” Yang Sanghoon nonchalantly replied as he drew another skull.“What?”“I don’t know about human experiments, but I do know this: a proper adult wouldn’t send a kid like you into a dangerous Red Zone to fetch food.”“…”The boy’s eyelids fluttered.“No! The elder cares about me!”“Sure, sure. Then I’ll just hand you over to the military police.”As Yang Sanghoon pretended to leave the room, the boy shouted desperately.“If I get handed over to the military police!”“And then?”“Will they really experiment on my body? I heard… they inject viruses and make you die painfully. So instead,”“You were going to bite your tongue.”The boy didn’t deny it. Yang Sanghoon approached the boy, who was still tied up, and placed a hand on his shoulder. The boy flinched.“Nameless boy, believe it or not, I also came from outside Rainbow City. Like you, I had bad feelings but was lucky enough to volunteer for the army. You look about sixteen or seventeen; with your skills, Rainbow City would take you in. What we do is—”“You capture and kill innocent people! Do you think I don’t know?”“If that were true, wouldn’t you be dead already?”“That…”The boy struggled with the logic.“We don’t have anything to learn from you, nor do we want to. And you claim to be from Eden, but based on what we’ve observed, they don’t use kids like you or operate this sloppily. Who’s the elder who supposedly cares about you?”“The elder said I was chosen to enter Eden. It will definitely happen.”“Boy, there’s no such thing as Eden. We’re not capturing and killing innocent people; we’re just killing Adam so innocent people can live safely. Do you want more food?”Yang Sanghoon took the boy’s silence as a yes.“Think about it while you eat. Boy, I like someone with spirit like you. Major Kwak Soohwan probably assigned you to me for that reason.”Yang Sanghoon knew the boy wasn’t much different from his past self. Before leaving, he checked the handcuffs and chains securing the boy to the wall.After Yang Sanghoon left, the boy began to breathe heavily, anxious. Yang Sanghoon watched him through a camera installed in the room. The boy occasionally seemed to sob or appear in pain. Yang Sanghoon hoped the boy could one day receive proper education and become a soldier, just like he had long ago.***Penicillin, considered the greatest discovery of the 20th century, was discovered by chance. Microbiologist Alexander Fleming was growing Staphylococcus bacteria and left it unattended for a while. He found that a mold had killed the bacteria. That mold was Penicillium, and the extract from it was penicillin.Penicillin worked by destroying enzymes that synthesized bacterial cell walls. Luckily, animal cells don’t have cell walls, so penicillin could be administered without issues. It was hailed as a miracle drug that could kill bacteria.However, mass production of penicillin required significant investment and time. Later, bacteria resistant to penicillin, like beta-lactamase, emerged. Researchers modified penicillin’s chemical structure, but even so, some resistant strains like MRSA appeared. Similarly, the Adam virus had undergone numerous mutations to reach its current form.Seokhwa had little information about the cure Dr. Oh mentioned. Although Dr. Oh claimed they had discussed it, there were few actual experiments or cultures. Even their discussions often ended inconclusively.Seokhwa, clad in a suit resembling a spacesuit for safety, moved awkwardly in his protective gear. He cultured proteins extracted from the Adam virus with mammalian and avian pathogens, including Mycoplasma and avian flu. Despite various hypotheses, none had succeeded so far.Seokhwa carefully removed his gear and disinfected his entire body before exiting the containment lab.[Opening.]He passed through two doors to reach the lobby, where he saw Dr. Kim in a general research lab.“What are you doing?”Dr. Kim, startled, hadn’t realized Seokhwa was in the level-1 lab.“Jeez, you scared me. Why are you so quiet?”Feeling unjustly accused, Seokhwa simply walked past Dr. Kim without saying much.“Have you eaten?”“I’m about to.”Despite Dr. Kim’s initiation, Seokhwa tried to be sociable for once.“If you haven’t eaten, would you like to join me?”“I’m not that hungry yet, haha. I’m fine.”“Okay.”Feeling he had wasted an effort, Seokhwa left the research building. He had expected to see Kwak Soohwan waiting, but he was nowhere in sight. Figuring Kwak Soohwan was busy, Seokhwa headed to his quarters instead. He rang the bell but received no answer. Just as he turned to leave, Kwak Soohwan’s door opened.“What brings you here?”He was standing there shirtless, wearing only pants. His hair was still damp, likely from a recent shower. As droplets of water trickled down the contours of his firm muscles, Seokhwa glanced down at his own body for a moment. Comparing oneself to others isn’t a good habit, Seokhwa reminded himself, quickly pushing the thought away.“Dr. Seok?”“You were in your room…”“Didn’t you come here knowing that?”“I just pressed the button.”Kwak Soohwan frowned at the unexpected answer.“I’m off duty today. Have you eaten yet?”“I was about to.”“Wait a moment.”It took Kwak Soohwan only a few seconds to return. He came out wearing the same pants but now also a military-issued T-shirt.Since the day they rode the Jeep back from the restaurant, they hadn’t mentioned Eden or Dr. Oh inside the shelter, even up to today, the day they met again.“Major Kwak Soohwan.”“Yes, Doctor?”As they walked side by side, Seokhwa addressed him, and Kwak Soohwan playfully nodded.“I’d like to collect a sample of your sperm after dinner. It might hurt a bit when extracting from the testicles, but with anesthetic—”“What are you planning to do with my sperm?”Kwak Soohwan leaned against Seokhwa, who moved aside, saying he was heavy.“You’re an S-Class, aren’t you?”“Aren’t you too, Dr. Seok? So if we mix your sperm with mine, does that make an SS-Class?”Kwak Soohwan laughed heartily, finding his own joke amusing.“Please talk sense.”“If you extract it from my testicles, it’ll hurt, and I won’t be able to go on a date today.”Seokhwa sighed.“Then let’s do it tomorrow.”Seokhwa stared straight ahead, waiting for the elevator doors to open.[Opening.]A mechanical voice announced, and the elevator doors slid open smoothly.“Dr. Seok, if you shake my dick instead of those phallic stones with your smooth white hands, I’d come quickly.”They didn’t expect anyone to be in the elevator, but there stood Commander Jang and several soldiers from his squad. Seokhwa bowed in greeting and ignored Kwak Soohwan’s words, stepping inside.“Major Kwak Soohwan… Major Kwak Soohwan.”Commander Jang covered his forehead with his hand.“It was just a joke.”Kwak Soohwan stood close to Seokhwa.“That’s sexual harassment, you idiot. Doctor, are you okay?”“What do you mean?”“If Major Kwak Soohwan keeps saying strange things, please tell me.”“He doesn’t mean it, so it’s fine.”“Because of him, there are already strange rumors about you, Doctor. I apologize.”“Rumors?”Seokhwa showed interest, but Commander Jang couldn’t bring himself to elaborate, merely clearing his throat and waiting for their floor.The elevator didn’t stop on the way, so they arrived quickly. Commander Jang, feeling relieved, stood close to the door.“Well then, Doctor, we’ll get off here.”After Commander Jang and the soldiers left, Seokhwa spoke first in the now-empty elevator.“Do you know what rumors Commander Jang was talking about?”“I was serious earlier.”Kwak Soohwan sounded offended that his sincerity was being doubted.“If you want my sperm, do it with your hand, chest, or butt instead of my testicles.”“Would you give it to me then?”Seokhwa’s calm response surprised Kwak Soohwan, who had expected at least some scorn.“Of course. Any semen that comes out is all yours, Doctor.”“Then tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it.”Looking forward to it?Kwak Soohwan almost asked again as they exited the elevator.It was hard to believe that someone would touch another’s genitals just for research. If someone asked him to do that, he would have torn their dick off. Then again, Seokhwa had been serious even when examining him after a headbutt to his crotch.As Kwak Soohwan chuckled, Seokhwa wondered why he was laughing and continued walking to the dining hall.Today, instead of trays, they received food in round bowls. It seemed like a special meal day, with boiled chicken soup being served. The meat looked tender, indicating it had been well-cooked.Even Seokhwa, who rarely showed much appetite, found his mouth watering and sat at the nearest table. As if on cue, Kwak Soohwan sat across from him, and Seokhwa carefully picked at the meat with his chopsticks. Inside, there was glutinous rice. He scooped a spoonful, blowing on it to cool it down.From what Kwak Soohwan had observed, Dr. Seok had a surprisingly strong appetite. If he hadn’t known that Seokhwa’s obsession was stones, he might have thought it was food.Seokhwa tore off a piece of chicken leg, placed it on top of the rice, and chewed it thoroughly. The constant gaze on his face made him look up.“Why are you staring?”“Do you like chicken soup?”“Yes.”“Eat a lot. You need energy to go out with me.”Kwak Soohwan began eating too.Seokhwa took a salt shaker from the condiments in the center and sprinkled some on his chicken soup. Kwak Soohwan, worried that Seokhwa might scald himself, kept an eye on him while eating. Compared to when they first arrived at the shelter, Seokhwa’s complexion had definitely improved. Thinking of the bleak conditions of the hut in Jeju, it was no surprise that he hadn’t been eating well there.Kwak Soohwan put down his chopsticks and pulled out his radio. Someone had been trying to contact him.“This is Major Kwak Soohwan.”[Where are you?]Seokhwa quickly recognized the voice on the radio as Yang Sanghoon.“Me? I’m in the dining hall.”[Which one?]“Dining Hall 1.”[Boy, let’s go. I’ll show you around the dining hall.]Wondering what he meant, Kwak Soohwan tried to respond, but Yang Sanghoon said nothing further. As Kwak Soohwan frowned, Seokhwa quickly ate his soft chicken soup.Surely, he wouldn’t bring the boy here, right? Even without thinking too deeply, it seemed unlikely. But it didn’t take long for Kwak Soohwan to realize that assumptions could be wrong.“See? Boy? Have you ever had chicken soup like this?”Yang Sanghoon approached Kwak Soohwan and Seokhwa, holding a bowl with two whole chickens. The boy looked around the dining hall in amazement. Often going without even one proper meal a day, the shelter seemed like a new world, almost like Eden to him.“Sit here, boy.”“Yang Sanghoon, have you lost your mind?”“Why?”“I told you to convince him to go to the learning center, not to show him around the shelter.”“What are you worried about? We already did a full body search on him. What’s so scary about this tiny thing? And he said he wanted to try a proper meal in the dining hall. What’s the harm?”The boy kept his eyes on the chicken soup but remained wary of Kwak Soohwan. He vividly remembered the punch that had made his jaw feel like it was about to detach from his face. Seokhwa, who had been eating with his face almost buried in the soup, finally looked up.“Eat a lot.”He said only that to the boy beside him and then resumed eating with his chopsticks. The boy, irritated by Kwak Soohwan’s disapproving gaze, awkwardly picked up his chopsticks. If this was to be his last meal, then at least it was chicken soup, something he had never tasted before. However, he was distracted by the researcher ID card swinging on the man’s chest next to him. Glancing at it, he saw the word “Doctor.”“You experiment on people, don’t you?”Seokhwa stopped eating at the boy’s hostile voice.“You’re an evil man. The elder said the devil must be beautiful to deceive people.”Kwak Soohwan chuckled, his voice rumbling with laughter.“You must have developed the vaccine by experimenting on poor people. I know everything.”Seokhwa couldn’t understand why the boy was saying this to him. With nothing to reply, he simply continued eating his chicken soup.“Why aren’t you saying anything? It’s because you’re guilty, right?”“Boy, just eat your soup.”Yang Sanghoon turned the boy’s head back towards the bowl of soup. The boy, apparently not knowing how to use chopsticks, grabbed the tender chicken with his hands and put it in his mouth. Seokhwa slid the salt in front of him.“What’s this?”“Salt.”“It’s not some weird drug?”“Yeah, it is. Eat it and die, kid.”Kwak Soohwan shook some salt into the boy’s bowl. He then sprinkled some into his own bowl, stirred it with a spoon, and resumed eating.“Feed him and take him back to the squad room. I’ll call a teacher from the learning center soon.”“Traitors, I’ll never become a citizen of Rainbow City.”“Everything you’re eating comes from Rainbow City, so stop eating.”The boy clamped his mouth shut, his greasy hands clenched into fists.“Oh my, if I knew today’s menu was chicken soup, I would have come down earlier.”A playful voice came from behind them. Seokhwa turned to see Dr. Kim holding a bowl of chicken soup.“Mind if I join you?”“Yes.”Seokhwa nodded. With the boy occupying the seat next to Seokhwa, Dr. Kim sat beside him.“And who’s this?”“He’s a kid we picked up outside. He seems to be of A-grade potential, so we’re thinking of training him well.”Yang Sanghoon stood behind the boy, placing his hands on the boy’s shoulders.“Oh, really?”Dr. Kim smiled warmly at the boy, who still sat with clenched fists, glaring at his bowl. Dr. Kim grumbled about the soup not being hot enough as he picked at the chicken.Seokhwa, who had a small appetite, looked regretfully at his half-eaten chicken soup. He glanced at the boy, who remained still with his head down.Just as he was about to say, “It’s okay, eat some more,” a loud siren blared.Wiiiiiing- Beeep- Beep- Beep-An emergency alarm echoed through the shelter, but Seokhwa didn’t panic as he once might have.[Emergency, Emergency. We have an actual emergency in the Yeouido shelter in the Green Zone.]He thought it might be another drill, but the soldiers were already on their feet, and Mother’s voice boomed over the alarm, shattering his assumptions.[This is not a drill. We have an actual emergency in the Yeouido shelter in the Green Zone. Emergency, Emergency. Please prepare for combat. An Adam has appeared in the 5th floor A-zone corridor and the 7th floor emergency exit.]“An Adam?!”