Rainbow City

Seokhwa couldn’t hide his astonishment. If he were a researcher, records about his parents would surely remain in the shelter.“But why aren’t you a citizen?”“I was born without City’s permission. If that happens, they don’t recognize you as a citizen. Dr. Seok, did you really not know anything? Being from Jeju Island is quite nice.”He often said he grew up like a potted plant in a greenhouse, but he didn’t dwell on that point.“I know that too. But you were a researcher and a citizen, so it’s a bit strange that you couldn’t get a birth permit.”The speed was steady, so motion sickness was tolerable. Seokhwa took out water from his backpack to replenish his fluids and popped a saponin into his mouth.“What’s that about?”Seokhwa, who often consumed strange pills starting from snacks, experimented with various things. “I’m trying out different things. To see if there’s an effect on improving stamina.”Since ginseng was hard to come by, he was trying saponin extracted from beans. Of course, the odor neutralizer in the lab wasn’t brought for this purpose. Still, after three days of consumption, he hadn’t seen any effects.Knowing that no medicine in the world could instantly change an inherently weak constitution, he still harbored futile hopes.“Colonel Kwak.”“Yeah?”“What are your parents’ names?”“Are you doing a background check before marriage?”“I’m just curious about what kind of research they did.”“It’s useless. There are no records left about my parents.”“Still, their names at least—”“In the end, I’m known to have been ostracized from Rainbow City. I had a child secretly and even hid it. That’s enough about me. By the way, Doctor Seok, the ‘화’ in your name isn’t the same as in ‘꽃(hwa)’ (弔花), is it?”Kwak Soohwan was changing the subject.“You don’t have to say if you don’t want to.”Seokhwa didn’t delve any further and just took another sip of water.“No, I’m really curious. Or is it the ‘불 화’ (火) character?”Seokhwa ignored him.“Oh, it’s the ‘재앙 화’ (禍) character then.”“Where is there someone with ‘disaster’ in their name?”“If you want to use it, you use it. What can’t you use? Your last name is ‘돌 석’ (rock).”Because it hit the mark, Seokhwa closed his mouth again.“Then you’re ‘돌꽃’ (rock flower).” [1]Kwak Soohwan laughed out loud.“Dr. Seok and ‘돌꽃’ really suit well.”“My grandmother gave me the name.”“Didn’t Seokhwa say it was ‘굴’ (oyster) before? If your grandson’s name is matched with oysters, does it mean your grandmother really liked oysters? Did she secretly pick and eat oysters while doing material research?”Why is he saying such things? If he doesn’t want to talk, he should just stay silent. Seokhwa turned his head towards the window.“Well, oysters are delicious. Soft and tender.”Kwak Soohwan recalled the taste of oysters he had only tried once in his life. In fact, he couldn’t remember what the taste was like. On the contrary, human Seokhwa’s sweetness far surpassed it.“They say oysters have excellent water purification abilities. They’re like the flowers of the sea. My grandmother wanted to help people by doing that.”Although his mother advised him to avoid dangerous things.“She was a wonderful person.”“Very much so.”“So, listen well to what that wonderful person said and do research for the citizens. Our Oyster Doctor has to do that for my sperm to be accepted, and maybe do some naughty things too.”Kwak Soohwan gripped the steering wheel with one hand and raised his thumb with the other. Although Seokhwa felt like he knew this man, he couldn’t fully understand him. He played pranks easily and occasionally brought up suggestive remarks. However, there were times when the smile he consciously wore felt as genuine as the laughter from a moment ago.He seemed like an unknown life form enveloped in an opaque membrane. That’s why Seokhwa felt he was a bit more dangerous.Being embraced by Kwak Soohwan or having him touch his body felt pleasant, but now Seokhwa decided not to easily reveal what was in his mind.Yeouido Shelter came into view. Kwak Soohwan finally accelerated and headed towards the underground parking lot. Lee Chaeyeon, who arrived first, was waiting for Seokhwa, fist-bumping in front of the jeep.“Here to play again.”Kwak Soohwan spoke as he parked the car at the entrance of the quarantine station. Seokhwa hesitated as he opened the door.“Colonel Kwak, what’s your attachment trait?”To me, he didn’t seem to have any particularly clingy traits.“Guess.”“I can’t guess.”“Your attitude as a doctor isn’t right.”“There’s no worth in researching that.”Suddenly, Kwak Soohwan’s lips unexpectedly pressed against his. Seokhwa widened his eyes in surprise, and the kiss only turned into a sound, not a full kiss.“For the cost of the ride.”Kwak Soohwan, with one arm around Seokhwa’s shoulders, opened the door instead. Lee Chaeyeon, who was approaching, had a displeased expression. Kwak Soohwan tossed Seokhwa’s backpack to her.“Take good care of him.”Seokhwa pressed his lips with his palm, then lifted his two legs out of the jeep. Was he fixated on kissing? No, that also didn’t seem to be the case. Seokhwa briefly extended his tongue to lick his lower lip. Before Kwak Soohwan closed the passenger door, he shouted.“Dr. Seok, let’s have oysters together next time.”Seokhwa received his backpack from Lee Chaeyeon and responded nonchalantly.“I can’t eat oysters.”Bowing slightly, he began to walk into the shelter. Kwak Soohwan leaned his chin on the steering wheel and watched until Seokhwa entered. Lee Chaeyeon, who entered the quarantine station with Seokhwa, peeked over her head. Kwak Soohwan only turned the steering wheel when Seokhwa was completely out of sight, still smiling.He wasn’t sure if Seokhwa would listen to him from now on, but he decided not to openly display actions that could be easily seen. At least, he didn’t want to tear apart Dr. Seok with his own hands. Rejecting a fragile life for the second time was also out of the question.Kwak Soohwan took out a cigarette and stared at it, only to put it away again. It was because the lingering sensation of Seokhwa’s soft lips still remained.***Since meeting Kwak Soohwan, Seokhwa had started to secretly and cautiously gather information. Since it wouldn’t be good to be caught on Mother’s surveillance cameras, he scribbled with a pen only inside his room. Writing on encrypted paper was to avoid others’ eyes.The vaccine produced in Eden Valley had not yet entered mass production. It was because, although the vaccine was effective for animals, it had not been tested on humans. Eventually, a citizen would voluntarily come forward to receive the vaccine, and that person would be rewarded handsomely in Rainbow City.Having overcome low blood pressure to wake up at 8am, Seokhwa reluctantly ate a tasteless bean sandwich.Seokhwa considered the possibility that Dr. Seok might not have given the vaccine to them, and that perhaps the doctor had shared the research results with Eden Valley. However, with the situation with Serpent turning into a mess, even the reason they approached him had become unclear. Seokhwa pondered how to figure out a way to meet with Serpent as he rolled his pen.[Dr. Seokhwa, please come to the research team meeting room on the 55th floor right now. The adviser from Jeju Island has arrived.]Through the built-in speaker on the wall, the broadcast employee’s voice echoed. What would they have done if I hadn’t been awake… But looking at the clock, it was already past 9 a.m. It was amusing how a couple of hours could fly by when lost in thought.As he grabbed the desk to get up, he had to close his eyes for a moment because of dizziness from the wind. Although he thought it had improved compared to before, he looked like this every morning. As soon as he took a step, his head rang again, and reluctantly, he had to lie down on the bed.Why did the adviser from Jeju Island come down again?Seokhwa placed his hand on his forehead and took a deep breath. Unaware of how long he had been doing this, he heard the sound of knocking on the door.Knock, knock, knock.Seokhwa, who didn’t want to move a muscle and was lying down staring at the ceiling, felt annoyed by the persistent knocking on the door. Memories of being dragged away by the guards came to mind, so Seokhwa gritted his teeth and got out of bed. He quickly stuffed the documents I had organized into the desk drawer.Once again, knock, knock, the person outside continued to persistently knock on the door. Seokhwa walked to the door to see who it was.“Who is it?”Why knock on the door instead of ringing the bell? Seokhwa opened the door briskly, and before him stood a man’s chest. Slowly raising his gaze, Seokhwa looked at the visitor. The man, meeting Seokhwa’s gaze, also smiled with a friendly expression.“Dr. Seokhwa, I thought you were still sleeping.”“….”Seokhwa blinked his eyelids slowly.“Have you woken up now, Doctor?”‘Have you woken up now, Doctor?’It was strange. Although he was meeting this man for the first time, his tone and voice didn’t seem unfamiliar.“Are you not Dr. Seokhwa? The adviser mentioned that you were in this room.”“Seokhwa… Yes, that’s me.”“Are you feeling unwell? Your face looks quite pale.”“I’m fine.”“If you were surprised that I came to your room directly, don’t worry. That’s the kind of person I am.”‘Don’t worry. I haven’t brought you here to threaten you, Doctor.’Seokhwa reached out his hand towards the man, who seemed like he wanted to show his ID card, and brought his palm close to the man’s lips. The man looked at Seokhwa with surprised eyes. Then, he quickly narrowed his eyes and smiled.“Why are you doing that?”The man’s voice echoed through Seokhwa’s palm. Seokhwa thought it sounded familiar, but was it really? He removed his hand from the man’s lips and wiped his hand on his pants.“It’s nothing. But who are you?”The man smiled again, commenting that Dr. Kim was quite an interesting person. “I’m Choi Hoeon, and I’ll be working at the Yeouido Shelter starting today. I’ll be assisting Dr. Kim and Dr. Seok as a researcher to use the laboratories. I came to greet you in advance.”The man introduced himself as Choi Hoeon and extended his hand for a handshake. Seokhwa shook hands with Choi Hoeon. For some reason, the man’s voice sounded similar to Serpent’s, though it was much lower as Seokhwa continued to listen.“Nice to meet you.”Seokhwa released Choi Hoeon’s hand and greeted him. “But from now on, you don’t have to come all the way to my room.”Seokhwa withdrew his hand, bowed slightly in greeting, and closed the door.Worried that Choi Hoeon might see the rebel thoughts-filled materials he had stored in the desk drawer, Seokhwa felt an itch in his feet for no reason. Of course, he had encrypted them to be readable only by him, but being cautious didn’t hurt.He pressed his ear to the door and confirmed that Choi Hoeon’s footsteps were getting further away. The room seemed to have good soundproofing as it remained silent.Knock, knock. Startled, Seokhwa quickly pressed his hand against his chest. Wondering why someone was knocking again, he opened the door with a guarded expression. He hadn’t forgotten to secure the double-lock chain.“Doctor, since you’re already here, why not go to the adviser? I apologize for being presumptuous.”Choi Hoeon awkwardly swept his neck. Seokhwa was about to honestly say he didn’t want to, but hesitated and swallowed the words.“Well, just for five minutes…”“Take your time to get ready. I’ll wait.”Seokhwa closed the door and returned to the desk, tightly wrapping the remaining bean sandwich in plastic wrap. After thoroughly brushing his teeth, he changed into a clean shirt. Fifteen minutes had easily passed. Finally, he tucked the rock given by Kwak Soohwan into the outer pocket of his jacket and opened the door.Thinking Choi Hoeon might have gone ahead to avoid waiting, Seokhwa found him scribbling something on a small piece of paper.“Are you ready?”“Yes.”“Let’s go to the adviser. Oh, before that.”He tore the front page of the notepad and handed it to Seokhwa, who examined the contents without hesitation.It was Seokhwa just a moment ago, seen through Choi Hoeon’s eyes. Opening the door neatly with a vigilant gaze, the image looked like a sketch.“Well, take care, Doctor.”Seokhwa took the paper from Choi Hoeon in a moment and tucked it into his pocket, moving it to the opposite side to avoid being wrinkled by the rock.“Thank you.”He wasn’t sure why he received such a thing, but since he got it, he decided to say thanks. During the elevator ride up to the 55th floor, Choi Hoeon kept talking energetically, and Seokhwa focused only on waking up his still-drowsy mind.In the research team meeting room they arrived at, the adviser who had passed on a note about Dr. Oh’s death was present. Seokhwa no longer trusted the adviser who provided information about Dr. Dr. Oh having dementia.Seokhwa nodded in greeting to the adviser.“Dr. Seokhwa, it’s nice to see you again.”“Yes.”The adviser lightly tapped Seokhwa’s shoulder.“I’ve reported a series of events to Commander Yoon. What are your thoughts on our decisions? We don’t blame the doctors for making the vaccine first; instead, we made this decision to protect our researchers. If it turns out that Eden Tower’s vaccine is genuine, citizens will blame the researchers who received substantial support but failed to produce results. We need to protect both citizens and researchers, so we made this decision.”How about hearing that you are incompetent? Since Eden Tower released the vaccine first, isn’t that the truth? However, following Kwak Soohwan’s advice, Seokhwa didn’t reveal his thoughts.“I understand.”The adviser smiled deeply, seemingly relieved.“We believed Dr. Seokhwa would understand our hearts. Oh, did I greet you too late? Or have you already issued a joint statement?”The adviser gestured for Choi Hoeon, who was standing behind Seokhwa, to come closer. As Choi Hoeon approached, this time, he patted Seokhwa’s shoulder.“Have you heard about Dr. Choi Hoeon, Dr. Seokhwa?”“No, I haven’t.”Even if he had heard, he might not have cared enough to remember. However, Choi Hoeon, unlike other doctors, had a well-built physique similar to Kwak Soohwan’s, which Seokhwa might envy.“That could be possible. While Dr. Seokhwa was in Jeju, Dr. Choi achieved a lot of research results at the Busan Shelter. In my judgment, Dr. Seokhwa’s research style may match well with him, and his family background is excellent. Dr. Choi’s mother has provided substantial support for mutant research.”It hinted at wealth and influence within a family. Come to think of it, Choi Hoeon’s suit looked brand new, and he even wore a watch on his wrist.“You’re too kind. I’ve heard a lot about Dr. Seokhwa as well.”Choi Hoeon extended his hand for a handshake once again.“From whom?”“Haha. Should I say this is just a form of greeting?”The adviser, as if asking for understanding, exchanged glances as if to say he was originally not very sociable. Seokhwa simply nodded his head, as he had no intention of shaking hands twice.“Let’s get to know each other a bit more. Get guidance from Dr. Seokhwa for the Yeouido Shelter.”“I will.”“Time has flown by. Let’s have a late breakfast. I need to stop by the Gangnam Shelter.”The adviser patted both men’s shoulders and left the meeting room. Seokhwa put his hands in his pockets, and the two walked down the corridor. Choi Hoeon followed behind. Perhaps it was because he wore shoes rather than military boots, but his footsteps were nearly silent. If Seokhwa hadn’t known he was coming, he might have thought there was no one around.Seokhwa waited for Choi Hoeon to walk ahead. However, Choi Hoeon’s pace was no faster than Seokhwa’s slow steps.“I guess… Dr. Kim would be much better. You should get guidance from him for the Yeouido Shelter.”“It seems like Dr. Seokhwa doesn’t really like me.”Like or dislike, such concepts toward this man didn’t exist for Seokhwa yet.Throughout his life, Seokhwa had never liked or strongly disliked anyone, and emotional consumption was difficult for him. This was possible because even when others approached him, he quickly lost interest and they left. Eventually, Choi Hoeon would also become closer to Dr. Kim.As Seokhwa stroked the stone with his hand, he suddenly thought of Kwak Soohwan. If there were inequality signs for ‘like’ and ‘dislike,’ Kwak Soohwan would probably fall under the ‘like’ category. Even if Seokhwa showed no particular reaction, Kwak Soohwan was someone who would keep poking until the end.Not only that, his body was refreshing, and when he touched, it felt pleasurable, even reaching the brain, and he gave stones as gifts…Seokhwa spread both hands and lightly touched his chest. Choi Hoeon watched Seokhwa’s peculiar behavior with a gentle expression.“Interesting, Dr. Seokhwa. If you haven’t had your meal yet, how about having it together?”“I had a sandwich.”Seokhwa lowered his head, put his hands back in his pockets, and began walking again.***Lately, the Second Master’s behavior seemed strange.Kwak Soohwan brushed back his hair disheveled by the wind and stroked the cube again. When he graduated at the top of his class as a sergeant, there was an occasion where he directly faced the First and Second Masters. When he, as the top graduate, was given the rank of a Major, the freely-moving First Master pinned a badge on his shoulder. However, he didn’t say anything congratulatory at all. Perhaps he wasn’t pleased with Kwak becoming the top graduate.Nevertheless, Rainbow City was not stingy with promotions. Despite the presence of old-fashioned people in leadership positions, they generously promoted those with abilities, as long as they weren’t an enemy like Adam.About a year after being commissioned as a Major and serving in the provincial military police, one day, the Second Master’s steward approached him. They said that if he didn’t join hands with them, there was a high possibility the First Master would eliminate him, along with a half-threat.Being a mere Major in the military police, he couldn’t avoid accumulating achievements by defeating Adam, who was unmanageable and boasted of the credit he had earned. It was rumored that the First Master disapproved of him, as Adam, who had not disappeared, was still gaining public recognition. The First Master was a person who didn’t acknowledge anyone unless they were a pure civilian from birth. At that time, it sounded like nonsense.However, there was something that pulled him in. The steward of the Second Master proposed building a squad for the Second Master, promising a drastic promotion if he established it.He said he would select the necessary soldiers and create a squad accordingly, so he recommended S-rank Lee Chaeyoon and Yang Sang-hoon, his contemporaries. With just the two of them, it was easy to clean up the Red Zone Adam after voluntarily joining the seemingly invincible unit, gaining fame after volunteering for the Adam hunt.Kwak Soohwan, following the Second Master’s orders, monitored the rebels who had just sprouted, as well as those around the First Master, or tracked their movements. The time spent on that was just when he participated in the Adam hunt.Once again, a strong wind blew, shaking his head. This time, he left it unattended without fixing it.Recently, the messages sent by the Second Master were eerie. It seemed that he didn’t provide clear information about Eden’s Garden, including Dr. Oh… Or does the Second Master really not know?Kwak Soohwan stood up from the rooftop railing. He threw the completed cube, caught it again, and started down the stairs. There weren’t many items to pick up from the data brought from the underground bunker in Uijeongbu. However, one single wooden plate that lay as if on purpose seemed like a plausible clue. It was an embossed wood carving depicting four rivers.Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates. It represented the four rivers flowing out of Eden’s Garden, a signet emblem followed by the believers. However, the astonishing fact was that there was a high possibility that these four elders were not people of this world.[After the withdrawal of all the elders, with Euphrates as the last, they gather in Eden’s Garden together.]Kwak Soohwan focused on the writing carved on the back of the wooden plate.Withdrawal would mean they responded to the call of God and ascended to that place above, and gathering in Eden’s Garden, which did not exist in reality, probably meant death in a word. Moreover, in the courtyard where the serpent revealed its form, it was unlikely that the signet elders abandoned the believers and hid somewhere.Thunk, thunk, he repeated the action of throwing and catching the cube when he felt a presence and turned around.“Major.” Commander Cha stood there with an awkward expression.“The restroom is over there.”Kwak Soohwan pointed in the direction of the building where the restroom was with the hand holding the cube.The 21st Violet Zone was managed by Kwak Soohwan’s military police unit, and they were currently the secret unit of the Second Master. Of course, they did not pledge allegiance to a master they had never seen face to face. The reason they were not afraid of the dangerous Adam’s fights was that Kwak Soohwan always stood at the forefront. Their blind trust in the Major was based on the abilities he had shown so far. Commander Cha was also one of those soldiers.Over here, Kwak Soohwan makes fun of his name by combining the two hanja(s) of his name. As Seokhwa mentioned earlier, the ‘seok’ in Seokhwa’s name doesn’t mean stone but oysters.