Rainbow City

He held up a piece of paper. Surprisingly, it contained the content of the binary code left as a cipher converted into letters. As Seokhwa swallowed his breath, Kwak Soohwan spoke chillingly.

“Dr. Seokhwa, under Article 25 of the Rainbow City Military Law, based on suspicion of ideological impurity and insurgent activities, you are hereby arrested on the spot.”

Kwak Soohwan grabbed Seokhwa’s arm roughly and pulled it upward. Despite Seokhwa putting on a faint expression, there was no slackening of strength in Kwak Soohwan’s grip.

“…Arrest?”

Seokhwa’s face, now devoid of any color, looked as pale as ever. Kwak Soohwan’s lips twisted subtly. Now that he thought about it, Seokhwa was not only good at pretending to faint but also skilled in lying. Though it was clear that Seokhwa wouldn’t escape, even without forcefully chasing him, Kwak Soohwan removed the string crossing the uniform top and tied Seokhwa’s wrists behind his back.

“Major Kwak, why are you doing this to me?”

Knowing he couldn’t win by force, Seokhwa looked up at Kwak Soohwan with his wrists bound. While all soldiers had the authority to make on-site arrests, it applied to ordinary civilians or under specific circumstances. Only the Military Police could arrest residents and soldiers in the shelter. With his wrists tied, Seokhwa, looking at Kwak Soohwan over his shoulder, added some strength to his voice.

“Major Kwak, for whatever reason, you don’t have the authority to arrest me.”

“Oh, really?”

Seokhwa felt a sense of incongruity in Kwak Soohwan’s formal tone. However, he couldn’t retreat.

“Whatever misunderstanding you have, please release me.”

On the paper he handed, there was a nearly perfect decryption of the cipher. However, it only increased confusion about how Kwak Soohwan had managed to decipher it.

“Do you want to say that my interpretation is wrong?”

It was accurate, and it was a message intended for Serpent. Seokhwa stared at Kwak Soohwan with his black pupils.

It seemed like Kwak Soohwan was saying that. He had warned several times, and it was Seokhwa who had ignored those warnings. Looking back, Kwak Soohwan had advised not to harbor prejudices before. However, Eden-Dongsan had developed the vaccine and distributed it for free, while Rainbow City had lied. Even though Kwak Soohwan knew that, he mentioned providing a comfortable bed, ample meals, and water, as if asking how it was. But that hadn’t been a valid reason for Seokhwa to accept it. Remaining silent in the face of wrongdoing, even when comfort is provided, was cowardly.

As Seokhwa resisted being easily taken away, Kwak Soohwan firmly grabbed the back of his collar. Seokhwa, reacting nervously to Kwak Soohwan’s attitude as if handling a beast, spoke up.

“As I mentioned before, my rank within the shelter is higher than Major Kwak Soohwan. It means that arrest is impossible. Please don’t handle me with force.”

Due to his inherently weak strength, Seokhwa despised anyone using force to overpower or manipulate his body at will. Whether Kwak Soohwan knew this or not, he had never dominated with strength until now, but this time was different. Kwak Soohwan pushed Seokhwa outside and even firmly gripped his bound arms.

“Major Kwak Soohwan, you are currently engaging in actions contrary to military law.”

Although his legs wobbled, Seokhwa found himself being half-dragged, half-carried, firmly held.

Kwak Soohwan, who remained silent, felt unfamiliar and strangely intimidating, even his grown-up fingernails seemed eerie. Seokhwa, with little strength left, opened his mouth again, crying out like an animal.

“I won’t stay still either. In a military trial, ugh!”

Thud. His body was pushed against the wall, and his shoulders were pressed.

Seokhwa managed to swallow his dry saliva and looked at Kwak Soohwan. Kwak Soohwan put his hand into the uniform shirt and swiftly pulled out the identification tag with the code major number, something Seokhwa had seen before. However, when Kwak Soohwan crossed his thumb and forefinger to push the identification tag, it slid away like a cube. Inside the overlapping identification tag, another identity of Kwak Soohwan was revealed.

Military Police referred to the Rainbow City Guard, and the Controller held formidable authority to arrest anyone, regardless of their rank, up to the commander. Controllers were usually replaced every four years, and it was extremely rare for them to reveal their identities. Even Seokhwa couldn’t have imagined that Kwak Soohwan might be a Controller.

“Dr. Seokhwa, can I proceed with the arrest now?”

Seokhwa briefly felt a premonition that he might die. The revelation of the Controller’s identity inevitably meant that his life was at stake. Kwak Soohwan now felt completely different. His usual light-hearted laughter and the way he tossed teasing jokes might all have been lies.

“…If there’s any misunderstanding,”

“If there is, it can be clarified during the investigation.”

Having rewound the military tag, Kwak Soohwan once again held onto Seokhwa and headed for the elevator. When standing in front of the door, he took off his uniform coat and wrapped it around Seokhwa’s body. Due to the wind, the tied hands behind were not visible, and he firmly embraced Seokhwa’s shoulders.

As the elevator door opened, coincidentally, Choi Hoeon was already inside. He too had a surprised expression but soon softened into a gentle smile.

“I came to pick you up since Dr. and Major Kwak didn’t come.”

With Seokhwa’s shoulders in his grasp, Kwak Soohwan stepped into the elevator.

“Why are you waiting for Dr. Choi and Dr. Seok?”

“Haven’t you heard from the doctors?”

When Choi Hoeon looked at Seokhwa with lowered eyes, Kwak Soohwan pulled his shoulders even closer. In this state, Kwak Soohwan pressed the button for the underground parking lot, puzzling Choi Hoeon.

“Aren’t you here for a meal?”

“Meal?”

When Kwak Soohwan asked Seokhwa, Seokhwa nodded. Why was this fly buzzing around like this? With Seokhwa’s forehead lightly supported by Kwak Soohwan’s chin, Kwak Soohwan stared at Choi Hoeon.

“We’re planning to have a meal together today. Right, Dr. Seok?”

“…”

Seokhwa couldn’t utter a word. He couldn’t ask Choi Hoeon for help, nor could he push Kwak Soohwan away and escape.

Choi Hoeon carefully looked at the coat wrapped around Seokhwa’s body. It looked a bit unnatural due to the body hidden inside the large coat.

“I’ll excuse myself for a moment.”

As Choi Hoeon attempted to pull down the coat, Kwak Soohwan twisted Choi Hoeon’s wrist.

“What are you doing?”

“It looks like Major Kwak is kidnapping Dr. Choi, that’s why.”

While Choi Hoeon, still with a lingering smile, tried to pull down the coat, Kwak Soohwan prevented the action. Amid the struggle, Seokhwa let out a long sigh as the elevator’s display changed rapidly, and they had arrived at the underground floor.

Choi Hoeon, realizing it was futile, let go of the coat, and Kwak Soohwan released the grip on Choi Hoeon’s wrist. Choi Hoeon twirled his wrist, wearing a puzzled expression.

“Dr. Seokhwa, are you really okay?”

“No.”

Choi Hoeon widened his eyes, and Kwak Soohwan chuckled as if finding the situation absurd. Conversely, his cold gaze seemed to mock Choi Hoeon, suggesting, ‘Why don’t you ask for help from wherever you can?’

“In that case, I’ll…”

When Choi Hoeon tried to step forward, I shook my head.

“I’ll just go with Major Kwak.”

Seokhwa walked out of the elevator on his own. Since Seokhwa now knew that Kwak Soohwan was the Controller, he understood there was nothing he could do even if Choi Hoeon intervened. Moreover, Kwak Soohwan had previously suggested meeting with Serpent, implying a show of catching the prey together, and Seokhwa had willingly played into the hands of the predator.

“Are we going to the Brig?”

Without any response, Kwak Soohwan, in his own jeep, led Seokhwa. Seokhwa was seated in the front passenger seat, and Kwak Soohwan fastened the seatbelt for him. After securing a bit of space by pulling the seatbelt forward, Kwak Soohwan then untied the strap that bound Seokhwa’s wrists. Expecting an interrogation in the continued restrained state, Seokhwa blinked his eyes slowly.

“Major Kwak.”

It was time to ask if they were really going to the Brig.

“To destroy the flower garden you have in mind, Dr. Seokhwa.”

With that statement, Kwak Soohwan no longer looked at Seokhwa and started the engine. He pressed the accelerator forcefully, beginning to exit the Yeouido Shelter.

***

Rainbow City was officially in a state of martial law, and the power wielded by the military was exaggerated, bordering on absolute authority.

Soldiers could arrest civilians at their discretion, and fines could be arbitrarily imposed. In the past, the police had been responsible for public safety, but now, the military took on all those roles.

There were even cases where soldiers committing murder or exercising violence against civilians were implicitly overlooked. This was one of the complex reasons Seokhwa did not like the military.

Seokhwa rarely found himself in unreasonable situations, but he felt a physiological aversion to soldiers. Kwak Soohwan and his colleagues were exceptions, but now even Yang Sanghoon and Lee Chaeyoon were under suspicion. Did they also know that Kwak Soohwan was the Controller? The rank of Major seemed to be just an external facade.

Kwak Soohwan’s jeep headed smoothly towards Uijeongbu. In this situation, Seokhwa repeatedly shook his head under the strain, lifting it again. Eventually, the car stopped at the entrance of a bunker surrounded by a do-not-enter tape. Kwak Soohwan turned off the engine and got out first, opening the front passenger door.

Seokhwa anxiously glanced around, but the headlights only illuminated the entrance of the bunker. Everything else was pitch-black. As he put his feet on the ground, Kwak Soohwan grabbed his arm again, dragging him towards the bunker. Seokhwa breathed uneasily. Even though Kwak Soohwan knew it, he didn’t stop walking.

Could this be the execution site?

Seokhwa looked back at the path he had taken, but the absence of the vehicle’s headlights made it impossible to determine if his eyes were open or closed.

Thunk. When he took out a flashlight and shone it inside, red bloodstains clinging to the stairs continued endlessly. Seokhwa covered his mouth with both hands. An unbearable stench emanated from below, and even if he washed with water, it felt like the smell would never disappear. If hell had the scent of sulfur, this bunker was filled with the stench of decaying bodies.

Seokhwa tried to go back outside, but Kwak Soohwan kept pulling him forward. At the end of the stairs, the spacious interior of the bunker was revealed, and on the wall illuminated by Kwak’s flashlight, the Tree of Life was visible. Once again, vivid red bloodstains were clear. The overpowering smell even made his eyes tear up now.

“…Major.”

It was so intense that even his eyes were stinging now.

Still silent, Kwak Soohwan led him down the underground stairs connected to the end of the bunker. As they turned the corner, Kwak Soohwan illuminated the interior with his flashlight.

Seokhwa froze in place, unable to even inhale. Inside the prison, with iron bars lined up like a penitentiary, were bodies slowly decaying in the cold. There seemed to be at least thirty-nine of them, all wearing Rainbow City military uniforms.

The bodies were haphazardly piled up, as if trash had been recklessly discarded.

“What do you think when you see it for yourself?”

Kwak Soohwan’s face remained unseen.

“Are all of them like Adam now? How about helping with blood collection?” He tried to pull Seokhwa’s arm towards him. Seokhwa struggled to free his hand, but he couldn’t move. His legs were forcefully dragged by Kwak Soohwan’s strength, leaving him powerless, and in an instant, all the strength drained from his body.

“Why? You said you wanted to meet the Serpent. Dr. Seokhwa, the researcher, should confirm what the Serpent did to people.”

Haah, haah. Seokhwa’s breath came quickly. When they finally reached the iron bars, Kwak Soohwan forcefully grabbed his chin, making him face forward.

The light from the flashlight reflected off the cloudy eyeballs of a soldier. Seokhwa, unable to see the corpses anymore, vomited. Kwak Soohwan let go of Seokhwa and lifted the iron bar. When he grabbed and pulled down the arm of one corpse, it tore off more easily than paper. Approaching Seokhwa, who was retching and leaning against the wall, Kwak Soohwan extended the rotten arm towards him.

“Check it out.”

Seokhwa looked up at Kwak Soohwan with unbelieving eyes. His face was still concealed in the darkness. Even if he had fainted, the stench only made his mind clearer.

Kwak Soohwan supported Seokhwa as he tried to sit on the floor, lifted him again, and went back up the stairs. Seokhwa, like a discarded corpse, breathed shallowly all this time. Kwak Soohwan never let go of the arm emitting the foul smell.

***

The 21 Violet Zone, where they had changed the jeep earlier, was where Kwak Soohwan’s military unit was stationed. As you entered from the outskirts of 21 Violet, a high-rise building resembling a shelter was centrally located. It served as a place for interrogating military officers who violated military laws. Seokhwa was tied to a chair in one of the rooms with “First Interrogation Room” written on it.

A long tripod with a camera was placed in front, but the power was off. Above, a heat lamp emitted warmth, and Seokhwa was alone in the room. Kwak Soohwan, who had brought him to this building, handed over his private to the soldiers and had not revealed himself for what seemed like hours. Seokhwa, who had nowhere to escape, was meticulously bound to the chair, along with his hands.

Seokhwa kept turning his gaze away from the table in front of him, trying to avoid looking at it. Because Kwak Soohwan had brought down one arm, he couldn’t stand seeing it.

Since he had indeed attempted to encounter the Serpent, there was no room for excuses. Even if Kwak Soohwan tortured him. To say the interpretation was wrong, he would have to provide a different answer. However, it seemed challenging to deceive or outwit Kwak Soohwan, who had personally exposed him.

More unforgettable than that was the lingering image of numerous corpses in the underground bunker. If Eden’s Sanctuary conducted bio-experiments, it made sense that they developed the vaccine faster than Rainbow City. However, it was still an unacceptable act. That’s why the Second Master didn’t amend the law to develop the vaccine through humanitarian means.

“The bastards from Eden’s Sanctuary kidnapped our soldiers and conducted experiments, turning them into Adams.”

It was the day Kwak Soohwan issued the final warning. The corpses inside the iron bars weren’t Adams; it was a massacre reminiscent of Maruta and the Holocaust. The soldier’s arm in front of him looked freshly decayed, but countless injection marks were visible.

While Rainbow City’s soldiers might be considered enemies to Eden’s Sanctuary, there was no law that allowed them to conduct human experiments. Imagining the fear of soldiers trapped behind the iron bars, subjected to experiments without knowing when they would die, made Seokhwa’s breath tighten. He kept leaning forward, trying to avoid the oppressive feeling, by pressing against the backrest.

What will happen to me now? Will I lose my position as a researcher and face execution? Will Kwak Soohwan really make me like that?

As these thoughts crossed his mind, a sudden chill began to creep in. By discarding unnecessary ethical considerations to research something, he had ended up being kicked out of the comfortable shelter.

If they decide to execute him, he couldn’t think of a clear way to save his life. There was nothing substantial to offer in exchange. His superiors didn’t want the cure, and Kwak Soohwan, a military man overlooking Rainbow City’s corruption, wasn’t likely to overlook it either.

As the heat gradually rose in his body, he habitually reached for a stone. However, his body was bound, and he had nothing now.

***

Thud.

Seokhwa was startled by the sound of the door opening. He opened his eyes in surprise, not knowing when he had fallen asleep. Before him, one arm was visible. Afraid that he might vomit again, he tightly shut his mouth. Being tied up was a blessing; if he hadn’t been fixed in place, he might have collided his rotten arm with his mouth.

He heard the creaking sound of a cube rotating as the door opened. Seokhwa slowly raised his head, starting from the military boots, and lifted his gaze upward.

Kwak Soohwan, in a uniform with a cape, was sitting on the opposite chair, leisurely spinning a cube. Although his posture seemed relaxed, there were no gaps, and he looked more like a stern Rainbow City soldier than anyone else. He soon placed the cube on the desk, then raised the arm in front of him.

“It seems you don’t like the gift very much.”

As he tossed the arm backward, the thud as it hit the floor was dull.

“I… What will happen to me now?”

“How can someone who’s worried about what will happen ignore a warning and deceive people?”

Seokhwa’s mouth quivered at the grumbling tone.

“Will I die?”

Kwak Soohwan let out a hollow laugh from the depths of his throat.

“Well, it is a case where immediate execution is possible under military law.”

“…Did you really kill Dr.Oh in that way?”

If the controller executed him, it would make sense that Dr.Oh’s death remained veiled. In that case, Kwak Soohwan had perfectly deceived him all this time.

“I promised to find and expose the person who murdered Dr. Oh.”

He still denied it.

“Major Kwak… Is the mutation real?”

“Prejudice, curiosity, ambiguous sense of justice, and even arrogance. Those qualities aren’t really necessary for a researcher of the Adam virus, are they? As a researcher in Rainbow City, you seem worthless.”

When Kwak Soohwan stood up, Seokhwa flinched. Approaching with military boots, Kwak Soohwan took out a pocket knife from his back pocket. As the blade unfolded, Seokhwa instinctively pulled his back away, and the sharp blade sparkled in the light of the incandescent bulb. He thought it might pierce his chest.

Thunk. Kwak Soohwan only cut the ropes that bound him. Even though the tightness that had been holding his body had been released, he still felt tied up.

Instead of returning to his seat, Kwak Soohwan opened the door, went out, and came back in. He held a water bottle in his hand. Stretching his hand toward the offered water bottle, Seokhwa experienced a tremor as if he were a patient with Parkinson’s disease for a while. Taking a sip, he swallowed the water little by little.

During that time, Kwak Soohwan turned on the power of the camera placed behind him. After confirming the appearance of the red dot, he gripped the cube in the same posture as before.

As Seokhwa drank the water, his head became clearer, and he began to calmly organize his thoughts. When he wrote the code, he never directly mentioned Serpent. He had only left the possibility for Eden’s Sanctuary to intercept, placing the code there when they met at Dr.Oh’s residence.

Lowering his eyes and then raising his head, he could meet Kwak Soohwan’s gaze directed towards him.

“There seems to be a misunderstanding. You interpreted the code correctly. However, it wasn’t a code intended for contact with the rebels.”

“There were no clues, but the situation indicated it.”

“It wasn’t for the rebels; it was just a note in case anyone among the people in the Yeouido Shelter, who knew about Dr.Oh’s death, came in contact… I wrote it because I hoped for contact.”

Seokhwa conveyed his words slowly but accurately.

“It was just out of curiosity. I never actually had any contact, so just let it be. Isn’t it easier to talk like that?”

Kwak Soohwan twirled the cube. The reason he hadn’t felt the military atmosphere until now was that he could control military officers. His actions felt like a smokescreen to hide his role as a controller.

“Arresting me based on circumstances alone, isn’t that an abuse of power?”

Seokhwa’s voice trembled a bit. It wasn’t fear because he had been subjected to force, so he sealed his mouth with water again.

‘Be especially careful of that person. He is the guardian of the decaying Rainbow City.’

Could it be that Serpent knew Kwak Soohwan’s true identity?

“Dr. Seok.”

Despite the formal tone, there was no sense of respect.

“Currently, Rainbow City is in conflict between First and Second. In such a situation, there’s always a risk of bloodshed. At least, consider my warning as words spoken for the safety of Dr. Seok.”

Considering that immediate execution was possible, it wasn’t entirely incorrect to say that keeping him alive went against his words.

“If both Rainbow City and Eden’s Sanctuary have problems,”

Thunk, Kwak Soohwan put the cube back on the table with a loud noise.

“Then, Dr. Seok, are you planning to establish a new country? A reasonable curiosity is fine. However, Dr., you’ve already crossed that line, and I’m giving you another chance. Cutting off the head of a chief researcher isn’t that difficult in Rainbow City, as you know.”

The saying that curiosity kills the cat now applied to Seokhwa as well. However, it was strange that Kwak Soohwan was offering him a chance. If everything he had shown earlier was false, then simply executing him would have sufficed.

“So, I can just conduct research without any suspicions?”

Kwak Soohwan lightly clapped his hands twice.

“It’s not a difficult decision.”

“If I attempt to develop a cure, am I eligible for execution?”

Seokhwa tightly gripped the water bottle with both hands.

“If that’s the case… then go ahead and kill me. Either way, I’ll end up dead. Or perhaps those upper-level guys might roll the dice and kill you while having their way with Dr. Seok’s face.”

Kwak Soohwan leaned in a bit more towards Seokhwa.

“Ever experienced unfair treatment? So, I do things people warn against without fear. But if I strip you of your entire position as a researcher from now on, you’ll return to being an ordinary citizen. I can do whatever I want with you, and there won’t be anyone to say anything.”

Eyelids trembled slightly.

“Why are you doing this? Even Major Kwak Soohwan… you must know.”

Kwak Soohwan turned his head slightly.

“Everything is going strangely. Accepting something untrue just because the consciousness issue is resolved… it doesn’t seem right.”

“So what can Dr. Seok do? Can you go out and beat Adam? Or can you present the cure right now? There’s no guarantee that a perfect cure will come out even after conducting experiments thousands or millions of times in the lab. I know that not all vaccines and cures available in the world were developed in an instant. Many took decades or even centuries to complete.”

“Adam… mentioned it. Major Kwak did too.”

See? The words finally came out. Seokhwa closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and looked at the camera with a red light.

“You saw it, didn’t you? It’s not a coincidence that Adam gained intelligence.”

Kwak Soohwan pushed the table with his foot as he stood up.

He won’t give up easily, will he? I didn’t want to go this far either.

“Yeouido Shelter, Dr. Seok.”

Kwak Soohwan looked up at the clock on the wall and spoke.

“Starting from 9:25 PM, under the authority of the Guards Controller, I revoke your status as a researcher.”

He raised the camera, and the red dot disappeared.