Rainbow City

Lava erupted from Baekrokdam flows down Hallasan. The viscous, melting crimson lava bore a color similar to Adam’s blood. Had Mt. Hyuhwa finally become active? The intense heat seemed capable of evaporating one’s entire body in an instant.Seokhwa saw the lava flowing right in front of him, but he didn’t even consider escaping. His legs had stiffened like stone, rendering him unable to move.It’s so hot, scorching.Every part of his body felt like it was simmering. The heat seemed to inflate his eardrums, making them feel tight, and the voices of murmuring people intermittently reached his ears.“The temperature has soared to 45 degrees. Even if he regains consciousness.”“What about the blood? Any mutations?”It was too hot to even toss and turn, and he couldn’t even twitch like a specimenized insect. Then, something cold touched his hand. Cool hands clasped his own. Seokhwa managed to tear his gaze away from the erupting volcano.…It’s hot. Feels like I’m going to pass out.“Move to the isolation room and prepare some ice.”Someone’s voice was heard and gradually faded away. Seokhwa, feeling a sensation reminiscent of an impending earthquake, vomited in vain.Agonizing. I’d rather just fall asleep.The more he wished for it, the clearer the pain in every cell of his fevered body became. The icy sensation on his back intensified the pain, and Seokhwa reached out with both hands into the void. However, in reality, he probably couldn’t have moved his hands. The coldness of the stainless-steel dehumidifier where a corpse would be laid was quickly heated by Seokhwa’s fever.I’m not dead. I’m alive here.Even with his eyes closed, he felt the light disappearing. He was being immersed into the cold and narrow freezer.“What the hell are you doing right now!”“We need to lower the body temperature.”“Freezing to death? Get more ice!”A familiar voice shouted in frustration. As he exhaled a relieved breath, the volcano had disappeared. Under the lowered head, only a layer of white snow piled up.Taking a step and walking, the places where the footsteps landed were melted, and the snow had turned into water. Seokhwa walked along the black and white snowy path and arrived at his house near the Sehwa Beach.“Mom, I’m home. It snowed today. It’s been three years since it last snowed. It feels refreshing and nice.”Looking down, his hands were small and thin, like Jeju Island’s specialty, ferns.“…I’ve said it before, but Sunbae is different from us. And our thoughts have changed. I can’t put my child on the experimental stage. They call it a defective product that can’t even be used as a successor.”“Even though you’re of age, there must be a reason I haven’t sent you away. Did you think I wouldn’t know what you’re hiding? Lack of intelligence? You’ll understand once you go to the learning center. If there’s a place to use, it should be used thoroughly.”“For the sake of Rainbow City?”“….”“I really think I know. Why Kwak Sunbae and Kang Sunbae made such choices. I will never force my child into sacrifice. Rainbow City? How great does it have to be for such sacrifices?”“Luckily, I don’t execute you based on anti-military beliefs. End the video.”Seokhwa couldn’t enter the house and stood blankly on the veranda. He had learned not to interrupt when others were talking.After a while, damp water collected under his feet. Seokhwa crouched down and sat on the wet floor, rolling the stones gathered on the veranda. At the sound, Seokhwa’s mother opened the door. Behind her shoulder, a laptop that had not been seen for a while was placed in the room.Jinyeon approached, worried, and saw the soaked Seokhwa.“Hwa, did you walk barefoot again?”“It’s snowing.”“I see.”“It’s been three years since it last snowed.”Seokhwa looked at the still falling black and white snow with a vacant gaze.At just eight years old, Seokhwa had become a pitiable child to the people living nearby. Walking around barefoot in the cold winter, picking up rocks, it was inevitable for people to think he lacked intelligence. Jinyeon wiped the child’s feet with a towel and muttered.“Do you want to go to school?” “…I don’t have to.”Seokhwa instinctively knew that his mother didn’t want him to go to the learning center. Likewise, Jinyeon, who understood that sentiment, smiled gently. This little child knew how to read others’ hearts.“If you go to the learning center, there might be kids who don’t like you. They might point fingers, saying you’re a fatherless child.”“Why point fingers just because I don’t have a father? That’s weird.”“Aren’t you curious about your father, Seokhwa?”“He’s gone. There’s nothing I can do even if I’m curious.”Seokhwa answered a bit sullenly. Then he reached out the most smooth and beautiful stone he had collected to his mother. Smiling kindly, his mother covered Seokhwa’s cheeks with her rough hands. Wrapped up to the ears, her voice sounded like it was submerged in water.She wore a slow but gentle smile.“God created humans. Adam was created by humans. Because of that, humans were driven out of Eden.”Seokhwa compared his cheek to his mother’s affectionate touch.“The rivers that branched off from Eden were Pison, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates, and they made the land fertile. Well, they wanted to make it fertile, but… Seokhwa, no matter what anyone says, you’re not a failure. You’re a perfect child born from Euphrates.”“The person who gave birth to me is Mom. Mom’s name is Jinyeon.”“Yeah, our smart Seokhwa. At one point, I used to be Euphrates. I don’t know how the two children of Pison and Gihon would be. Tigris also… originated from the same place, but the four rivers that branched off can never become one.”Seokhwa didn’t pay attention to the incomprehensible words.“Adam needs Eve. But we failed, and we also had different beliefs.”“Adam are scary.”“People are scary too. Adam is not a frightening existence for you. Be careful of people. Let’s go to the learning center from tomorrow.”As his mother’s rough hands turned to dust and scattered like a snowstorm, Seokhwa’s body heated up once again. The location soon changed to Yeouido Shelter, and Dr. Oh, dressed in a research suit, turned around and smiled.“Welcome. You truly resemble Doctor Lee a lot.”Blinking, Seokhwa cleared his eyelashes. Doctor Lee? Who is that? A momentary question crossed his mind, but he didn’t voice it. In the unfamiliar laboratory, Seokhwa only focused on the given tasks. However, working alongside Dr. Oh, who was dedicated to finding a cure, Seokhwa also engaged in research.“Dr. Seok, I have something to say.”One night, a call came from Dr. Oh’s residence to the research lab. Dr. Oh’s voice was filled with joy.“Please, go ahead.”“Dr. Seok said something, didn’t he? There seems to be hope in that. It’s difficult to explain over the phone, so I’ll come back to the lab right away tomorrow.”Seokhwa internalized his doubts and hung up, acknowledging that he understood. Then, in the early hours of the next day, someone urgently knocked on his room door. Dragging his sluggish body, Seokhwa went outside to find a military personnel with a solemn expression.“Doctor, please don’t be too surprised.”“…What’s going on?”“We received urgent news that your mother has passed away.”Seokhwa, holding the doorknob, raised his numb eyes.“…What did you say?”“A neighbor found her collapsed inside the house, and she was transferred to the Jeju Hospital Center, but she had already passed away. Would you like to go down to Jeju?”“…”“Doctor?”The soldier looked astonished. Seokhwa’s face was distorted with an expression of disbelief. It felt like his heart was being stabbed by dozens of knives at the shocking news he didn’t want to believe. Breathing unevenly, as if on the verge of drowning, he let out a strained breath.“Doctor, are you okay?”“I need to… go to Jeju.”The soldier supported Seokhwa’s swaying body, but Seokhwa managed to stand with his own strength, albeit barely.“There is no longer a single person in the world who is truly on my side. And the one target I could wholeheartedly support has also disappeared. The only place for Seokhwa’s heart was his mother. The sense of loss was enough to render everything powerless.“Lonely.”He uttered the word, and the loneliness deepened.***“…Wa.”Kwak Soohwan, who had not left Seokhwa’s side and had been guarding him, was surprised and approached. He seemed to have said something just now, but…“Major, it’s dangerous.”Major Oh raised his voice, guarding the isolation room door.“Keep your mouth shut.”Although Seokhwa had been brought back to the Violet Zone, they had to take immediate action as he had been bitten by Adam. However, Kwak Soohwan ignored the advice of the duty officer, insisting on the necessity of immediate disposal.From that moment, Major Oh’s concerns were not limited. It wasn’t because Kwak Soohwan might get hurt in Seokhwa’s attack when he transformed into Adam; rather, it was because his superior officer exhibited unusual behavior. Although Seokhwa hadn’t fully transformed into Adam yet, it would be wise to observe, but…“If you approach like that and get bitten.”“Do you see Dr. Seok as Adam in your eyes right now?”“No, that’s not it. I’m just worried that the transformation might be delayed.”“Stay here.”Major Oh considered saying more but gave up. Due to Kwak Soohwan’s intimidating atmosphere, there was nothing more to be done, and he had no choice but to leave the isolation room.Kwak Soohwan looked down at the restrained Seokhwa and sighed heavily. Several soldiers who had gone missing from the Gwacheon Shelter’s quarantine station, presumed to have escaped from Eden, had returned. They all seemed disoriented, but communication was possible, so the conclusion was that they had suffered from prolonged hunger. However, since they were presumed to have escaped from Eden, they had called Kwak Soohwan.Some of them entered the shelter without any issues, but only one showed symptoms of repeating the same words. Kwak Soohwan, who was observing the situation through surveillance cameras, soon realized that the quarantine officers had handled the situation carelessly. The person looked somewhat similar to Oh Cheongwoon, whom Kwak Soohwan had encountered at Dr. Oh’s residence.Without hesitation, Kwak Soohwan barged into the quarantine center to cut off the person’s breathing, but the transformation was faster than expected. Unprepared soldiers and officers were infected by Adam, turning the quarantine center into chaos.***“Major Yang, clean up the inside of the quarantine center.”“Hey, what about you?”Yang Sanghoon opened the door to the quarantine center monitoring room, prepared for combat.“Damn! There are people who entered from above!”Leaving the quarantine center to Yang Sanghoon, Kwak Soohwan immediately rushed towards Seokhwa.Seokhwa, likely asleep or, rather, unable to move freely due to the handcuffs, was in no state to defend himself. The corridor outside the confinement room was in chaos due to the fight between the soldiers trying to prevent the transformed individuals and the ones who had already turned into Adam.Kwak Soohwan quickly subdued the assailants against the wall and broke their heads, then ran to the confinement room. Seeing the broken light bulb in front of the room where Seokhwa had been, his blood turned as cold as ice. On the contrary, his hand, covered in leather gloves, was sweaty.Quickly kicking the door, even stepping on the broken bulb, he saw a struggling Seokhwa. The awkward body, oppressed by Adam, looked precarious. Damn it! After dispatching the attacker who was attacking Seokhwa, he smashed their head to pieces, and only then did he release a cold sigh. He wanted to ask if he was okay, but his voice wouldn’t come out, and Seokhwa just bowed his head.Approaching Seokhwa, who was dimly visible in the darkness, his footsteps inexplicably felt excessively heavy. Although he had never experienced this before, his body, which seemed to be pulled down with tremendous gravity, made it feel like he was being dragged. Holding both shoulders and lifting him up, the flesh of Seokhwa’s wrist, marked along the veins, was exposed.Seokhwa’s trembling gaze met Kwak Soohwan’s.Feeling an indescribable helplessness, Kwak Soohwan recalled his parents and younger sibling, whom he had sent away a long time ago. No, this can’t happen again. He squeezed Seokhwa’s shoulders tighter in desperation.“I want to live.”Seokhwa said that.He swallowed the curses erupting continuously about himself, tore off his shirt, and tightly bound Seokhwa’s forearm. He didn’t think this would prevent infection, but there was nothing visible. Dr. Oh, Seokhwa, turning into Adam, was unimaginable. The whimsical doctor, who cherished the stone given as a mischievous gift, and the lively Seokhwa, who used to be lively and full of energy, turned into something other than human.Kwak Soohwan felt as if someone was squeezing his breath tightly. While carrying Seokhwa and running, he shot Adam, blocking the way with a gun. He wasn’t afraid of those easily killable guys, but Seokhwa wasn’t one of them.“Bring the Adam kit!”Kwak Soohwan placed Seokhwa on the infirmary bed and shouted desperately.“D-Did he get bitten?”“Shut up and bring the kit!”The infirmary chief urgently opened the drawer and took out the Adam kit. Kwak Soohwan uncovered the kit and stained Seokhwa’s wrist, then applied pressure with the bandage in his hand, pressing firmly on Seokhwa’s wrist.20 seconds, that should be enough.Kwak Soohwan embraced Seokhwa, who was unconscious, with his breath-coloring, gasping for air. Damn it, waiting for the long 20 seconds, he looked up at the wall clock. The terrified infirmary chief, fed up with fear, tried to open the door and leave.Don’t go out!Although Kwak Soohwan shouted desperately, it was already too late. As soon as the door opened, Adam attacked, and blood spurted from the infirmary chief’s neck. Unlike Yeouido, the poorly equipped environment and the overcrowded Gwacheon shelter, filled with low-class soldiers, had turned into a corner of hell where all kinds of screams resounded.Even after 20 seconds passed, the kit showed no reaction. Kwak Soohwan flipped the table, kicked it with a thud, and broke and tore off the infirmary chief’s leg. Plunging the table leg into Adam’s mouth from behind, he fixed Seokhwa.He found a new kit, placed it inside his uniform, and patted the mutated infirmary chief’s head. He checked Seokhwa’s face, now pale. He didn’t gnash his teeth to bite his neck, and only weak moans came out. If he were to transform into Adam, there was enough time left for infection. Kwak Soohwan had a lingering thought.Even if he got bitten, the blood might not have penetrated. When he checked the kit with Seokhwa’s blood again:Positive reaction.No, that can’t be true. There must have been an issue with the kit. Kwak Soohwan threw away the kit and wiped Seokhwa’s forehead with his hand. He had an extremely high fever.Unable to leave Seokhwa in the Gwacheon shelter as it is, he stormed through the chaos and headed towards the violet zone. He strapped Seokhwa into the front seat of the jeep, confirming his federal status. Even during the rough ride, Seokhwa didn’t regain consciousness. As soon as they arrived at the shelter under his management, Kwak Soohwan headed straight to the isolation room.Preventing foolish guys from trying to put Seokhwa in the morgue, he poured ice to cool down Seokhwa’s extremely boiling fever. However, the kit, rechecked, still showed a positive reaction. He had really been bitten by Adam. Kwak Soohwan, unable to believe it even after seeing it with his own eyes, destroyed the kit.He physically removed all the soldiers and medical staff from the isolation room, except for Commander Cha, and continued to watch over Seokhwa. It was already more than a day. The Gwacheon shelter was cleared under the leadership of Yang Sang-hoon, and an epidemiological investigation was underway on how the soldiers who had turned into Adam returned. Also, the fact that Seokhwa was bitten by Adam was top secret.Kwak Soohwan occasionally checked Seokhwa’s blood with the kit, using up more than twenty already. Still, all showed positive reactions. At first, he believed there might be a problem with the kit, but the probability of all twenty being defective was extremely low.Damn it, don’t change. Dr. Seok… Kwak Soohwan grabbed Seokhwa’s hot hands.…It’s refreshing. Major Kwak.It seemed as if Seokhwa had said those words. Kwak Soohwan suddenly raised his head and looked at Seokhwa. The skin was still human, but it was excessively pale. It was unimaginable that Seokhwa, with such a hot body, could be Adam.The infirmary chief said that there could be problems in the brain as the fever rose to 45 degrees. He added that visual and auditory abnormalities might occur. The cure… A bitter laugh escaped from Kwak Soohwan’s mouth. When Seokhwa said he wanted to make the cure, he ignored it. Why? Because the cure wasn’t something urgently needed for me at the moment. However, if there had been a cure, Seokhwa wouldn’t be lying down like this.Even if Seokhwa turned into Adam, he wouldn’t be able to cover a punch. Still, it seemed impossible to crush the lovely neck and round, pretty head. Anxious, Kwak Soohwan looked at Seokhwa and, once again, took out the kit with a glimmer of hope. Stubbornly denying the truth like a blocked fool. Still, he pricked his thumb with a needle and absorbed blood into the kit. The 20 seconds felt long again.Negative.Kwak Soohwan lifted the kit with confidence and doubted his own eyes. Hastily, he picked up a new kit, wiped Seokhwa’s blood, and all five kits showed negative results. On the floor, the kits he threw mixed randomly, alternating between positive and negative results.“…It hurts.”Upon hearing Seokhwa’s voice from behind, Kwak Soohwan was startled and quickly grabbed his hand. Seokhwa slowly opened his eyes and gazed at the ceiling.“Are you awake?”The whites around his dazed pupils were fortunately clear.He subtly furrowed his brows, which were barely visible through the blur, and let out a weak exhale. Kwak Soohwan poured lukewarm water near his mouth, but Seokhwa couldn’t swallow and coughed it out. Kwak Soohwan held Seokhwa’s dry back with his hand and moistened the cloth with water, then brought it to his mouth. When he tried to transfer it directly to his mouth, Seokhwa turned his head.“…I was bitten.”Kwak Soohwan swallowed the water in his mouth and sighed in response.“It’s okay. Fortunately, it seems the blood didn’t penetrate. It’s negative.”He conveyed half sincerity and half lies. However, Seokhwa’s dazed eyes did not regain any awareness.“…It’s too hot. Feels like my whole body is burning. But it’s cold.”Seokhwa, speaking with difficulty due to the high temperature, stared into space with feverish eyes.“My head… hurts too much. Feels like it’s going to break. It’s snowing. Major…”Seokhwa writhed in pain, lifting the thin, long patient gown to cool down. His entire body was exposed since he only wore a long top to dissipate heat. Kwak Soohwan squeezed the ice in a cloth and placed it under Seokhwa’s armpit. Shivering, Seokhwa mumbled.“It’s cold. Major…”“I have to cool down the fever.”With feverish eyes, Seokhwa complained about the overheating and the freezing sensation caused by the central heating.“My head… too painful. Going to shatter. It’s snowing. Major…”In pain, Seokhwa tossed and turned, pulling up the thin and long patient gown. He exposed his whole body, wearing only a long top to cool down. Kwak Soohwan pressed the cloth with ice against Seokhwa’s armpit. As Seokhwa’s body trembled, he whimpered.“It’s cold. Major…”“I have to cool down the fever, that’s why.”His hazy pupils finally focused on Kwak Soohwan.“…Blurry.”“It’ll get better in a little while.”He thought of the possibility of worsening eyesight, but explained that it was just because he had kept his eyes closed for a long time.Kwak Soohwan readjusted Seokhwa, held him again, and made him drink water. When he attempted to pour it into his mouth again, Seokhwa turned his weak head. Pouring water into his mouth or letting it spill out didn’t matter, whether it was negative or positive. Kwak Soohwan held Seokhwa’s body again, slowly pouring the water into his mouth. At first, Seokhwa didn’t drink but let it spill, but from the second time, he started swallowing with a gulping sound.…It’s refreshing.As Kwak Soohwan exhaled somewhat contentedly, his face wrinkled slightly. He wondered if Seokhwa would curse at him once he regained consciousness, but this foolish doctor would probably say it’s refreshing.The ice placed between his armpits, back, and thighs had melted in no time, dampening the sheets. When Kwak Soohwan attempted to put ice on Seokhwa’s arm again, Seokhwa groaned.“The fever is still severe.”It’s agonizing. My head hurts too much.Seokhwa didn’t know what to do in his agony. He then lost all strength and only breathed heavily. With unfocused eyes, Seokhwa seemed like a corpse drowning in a river. Kwak Soohwan took off his uniform top and unbuttoned his shirt. Holding ice in his hands, he rubbed it between his and Seokhwa’s bodies. Despite the coldness, Seokhwa struggled to embrace Kwak Soohwan’s large body and groaned.It was positive. However, now it was negative. It was an inexplicable change, but Seokhwa’s well-being was the most important. Kwak Soohwan couldn’t press down on Seokhwa, so he laid himself on the bed and put Seokhwa on top. He placed the melted ice between Seokhwa and himself. As Seokhwa squirmed, their bodies rubbed against each other with moisture.“Sigh… Sunbae…”Muttering, Seokhwa gently slapped Kwak Soohwan’s shoulder. Kwak Soohwan, with his hand on Seokhwa’s back, flinched. Sunbae, is he referring to Oh Chungwoon?‘I don’t think he had many people he was close to.’ Why is Lee Chaeyoon’s words coming to mind in this situation? Anyway, cooling down Seokhwa’s fever was the priority, so Seokhwa mistaking his body for someone else’s should be nothing to worry about. Still, the tendons in his palm tensed uncontrollably. It was not something he could control.After holding Seokhwa for over thirty minutes to cool him down, the sound of his breathing seemed somewhat relieved. Every time his head throbbed, Seokhwa nuzzled his face against Kwak Soohwan’s skin.With some relief and the warm living being pressing against him, unavoidably, a response also came from below. Kwak Soohwan squeezed ice and applied it to Seokhwa’s lower body after the upper body.“Hmm.”At the cold shock, Seokhwa blinked his eyelids several times. Even though it was supposed to be the coldest and most refreshing part of the body, even Seokhwa’s testicles were hot. Seokhwa lowered his powerless hand, aiming to remove the icy sensation, and accidentally touched Kwak Soohwan’s genitals.Touching that area seemed appealing to him, as he alternated between patting the palm and the back of his hand. His cool testicles throbbed like stones. Kwak Soohwan exhaled a cold breath.“You don’t even worry about people.”