Rainbow City

“Damn it, you bastard!” The enraged Second Master swung down the glass tumbler. It was the first time Second Master had shown such a frenzied reaction since the woman’s death. The butler hurriedly approached the master, examining the glass-shattered wounds on the skin.

“Master, please calm down.”

“Get out of my way!”

As the master clenched his fist again, blood dripped onto the carpet. Second Master, holding the electric wheelchair’s directional keys, turned away from the desk.

“He really went too far, Kwak Soohwan… Stripping him of the petrification researcher position and demoting him to a regular citizen? And hiding him somewhere! In the footage seen through Mother, Seokhwa was undoubtedly betrayed by Adam. No, the observation room was dark, and only the outline of a person was visible, but from the duty room onwards, everything was clear.

examined Seokhwa’s blood, and it would have been positive. Even though it wasn’t clear from enlarging the footage whether it was positive or negative, Kwak Soohwan’s expression made it evident. He was undoubtedly desperate.

“He was an immune subject. Seokhwa…”

Second Master also knew that Kwak Soohwan had colluded with the First. However, he couldn’t believe that he would really stab him in the back. He wasn’t a fool who couldn’t distinguish right from wrong, and there was no reason for him to take the First’s side.

Ignoring the anxious butler examining the wounds, the master headed to the office. Recognizing fingerprints on the pad was cumbersome due to the flowing blood. Passing through the long corridor, he raised his voice as soon as he entered the office.

“Mother! Allow access for Second Master of Rainbow City.”

The office lights turned on sequentially, and Mother’s response echoed.

“Immediately revoke Kwak Soohwan’s controller position with the authority of Second Master.”

“…What?”

Impossible? Second Master doubted his ears, widening his eyes.

That was the favor Kwak Soohwan asked when he allied with the First Master.

“If I join hands with the First Master, the Second Master will try to revoke my controller position first. Please prevent that from happening.”

Damn it!

Second Master threw the cherished mana mineral against the wall.

***

Seokhwa absentmindedly stared at the orange peel on the windowsill. It had dried up completely overnight without any moisture, but the fresh scent lingered.

Seokhwa extended the antenna of the small radio on the desk. Next to the orange peel, he had placed the radio.

Twee, twee. He carefully tuned the radio frequency to avoid any noise.

What?

Seokhwa blinked his eyelids. He increased the volume of the speaker a bit. However, the news about Dr. Kim or Eden Hills was the end of it. The rest was the usual brainwashing broadcast of Rainbow City.

The serpent I met and its physique and way of speaking were completely different. Dr. Kim as the serpent of Eden Hills? Could the serpent I met that day have been an impersonation? No, it would be more plausible that Dr. Kim was framed. He had suspected Dr. Kim due to the Adam incident at the Yeouido Shelter restaurant, but the idea that he was a serpent was an absurd deduction.

If Dr. Kim were in custody, there was a high possibility of interrogating him to root out information about Eden Hills. Well, more like torture than interrogation. Somehow, it felt like his nails were itching, so Seokhwa put his hand in his pocket and touched the stone.

The second stone Kwak Soohwan had given him was relatively lighter than the first one. Moreover, the condition was better than when he was in the Yeouido Shelter. He could sleep well, rarely interact with others, and have timely meals, so his health had improved.

Knock, knock.

There was only one person who would knock on the door of this room. Even before hearing the radio, Seokhwa had been waiting for Kwak Soohwan.

“Shall we eat?” Usually, he would come in with a plate of food, but Kwak Soohwan entered empty-handed.

“Let’s go to the neighboring building for a meal.”

“We can eat here.”

“It feels stuffy here. Let’s go out and get some fresh air.”

Kwak Soohwan raised his lips as if to say, ‘Look at this, how liberating it is.’

Seokhwa placed the radio back in its original position and put on the coat he had prepared. The fluffy and warm material seemed to raise his body temperature even more.

“How’s the research going?”

Walking side by side with Seokhwa, Kwak Soohwan opened his mouth first.

“Good.”

“I asked for the vaccine, so it should arrive by today.”

“…Yes.”

As Seokhwa only gave brief answers, Kwak Soohwan lowered his gaze and examined Seokhwa’s face.

“Is there anything you want to eat?”

“No.”

“Anything you want?”

Seokhwa couldn’t understand why he was behaving like this. He had always been unpredictable in his actions, but now he wasn’t just protecting himself; he was also offering to do anything Seokhwa wanted.

“Nothing?”

“Yes.”

He sighed briefly, sounding uncomfortable. He answered that way simply because there was truly nothing he desired.

“With the number of meals you’ve had more than me, why do you keep acting like a kid?”

“Me?”

“You’re not acting like yourself.”

“I… I’m the same as usual.”

As they stepped outside the building, Kwak Soohwan used his hand to fix the hair blown by the wind.

“Dr. Seok acts the same as usual. If I don’t feel the same way, then there must be a problem with me.”

Seokhwa, unsure where to go as Kwak Soohwan stopped, stood with his hand in his pocket.

“Your responses, your facial expressions, everything makes me keep checking. I’m not used to this; it’s my first time feeling uneasy.”

In his stiff uniform, Kwak Soohwan looked down at Seokhwa. An irritated expression lingered on him, like those anxious kids who couldn’t have their way.

“Alright, let’s just eat.”

As Kwak Soohwan grabbed Seokhwa’s arm to lead him, Seokhwa made a groaning sound. It was because the grip was so tight that it made his bones tense. After releasing his arm, Kwak Soohwan matched his stride and walked again.

The entrance to the building called Violet Shelter was guarded by three soldiers. They seemed more disciplined and stern than the Green Zone soldiers, without any expression. After confirming Kwak Soohwan and Seokhwa, they simply cleared the way without showing any interest in Seokhwa.

The second-floor restaurant inside the shelter was unusually quiet since lunchtime had passed. Unlike Yeouido, even the restaurant staff here were all soldiers. As there was still food in stainless steel side dishes, Seokhwa picked up a tray.

“If you wait at your table, we’ll bring it to you.”

The cook who leaned out from the kitchen had a strong but polite tone.

“Never mind. Let’s just eat whatever is left. Anyway, Dr. Seok probably doesn’t have anything he wants to eat.”

Why don’t you have anything you want to eat? If there was something, it would be chicken back soup. Since it was a dish that couldn’t be made right away, he didn’t mention it. Seokhwa scooped up cold rice and started taking only enough side dishes not to leave any behind.

“Come on, let’s eat quickly.”

Kwak Soohwan, who was behind, poked Seokhwa’s side with the tray. When Seokhwa turned around, he saw Kwak Soohwan smiling with a slightly mischievous look. Feeling a sense of mischief, who could it be… he was treating Kwak Soohwan no differently than addressing the First.

Even in a situation where human dignity was lost, even when he became Adam, and even after being practically stripped of his researcher status externally, it seemed that even if Kwak Soohwan buried him somewhere and killed him, there was not a single person who would come looking for him. Since his mother passed away, it seemed only natural that he was left alone. Yet, thinking that no one remembered him was somehow melancholic. Now, it seemed that Kwak Soohwan was the only one here who remembered him.

Can I ask about Dr. Kim in this state of mine…?

Seokhwa, without realizing it, was subtly gauging Kwak Soohwan’s reaction. That’s why he couldn’t easily bring himself to ask for the Shalena vaccine.

While Kwak Soohwan protected his well-being, he also held the lifeline in reverse. Even though he thought he had little attachment to life, the first thought that came to him when bitten by Adam was a desire to live.

“The ghost that can’t eat ham seems to have stuck around. The kids completely wiped everything but the ham.”

In the pan where sausages and vegetables were stir-fried, only sausage pieces were visible. Although Seokhwa preferred sausages over vegetables, he scraped together what was left and put it on his plate. Kwak Soohwan raised his eyes in surprise.

Before he could say anything, Seokhwa found an empty spot and placed the tray down. Without saying anything, Kwak Soohwan took a few tiny oranges from his pocket and placed them on Seokhwa’s empty plate.

The shape was similar to an orange, but the size was much smaller, enough to be unsure of how to eat it.

“That’s called a golden nugget tangerine.”

“Golden nugget tangerine?”

“They say you eat it with the peel on, and there are seeds inside.”

Although it looked similar to an orange, the way to eat it was completely different. However, like an orange, this would also be a precious fruit from Jeju Island.

Seokhwa belatedly nodded his head and began to eat slowly. Kwak Soohwan placed half of a sausage on Seokhwa’s spoon.

“…I heard on the radio that they’ve revealed who the serpent is.”

Seokhwa detached his luck first.

“Do you believe it?”

Kwak Soohwan added a word, as if the cook had not even filtered out rotten onions.

“It’s said to be Dr. Kim… I don’t believe it either. So, are they interrogating Dr. Kim?”

“He’s dead.”

Seokhwa froze, holding his spoon. Kwak Soohwan, as if it were nothing significant, continued with his meal. Seokhwa, not knowing what else to say, mechanically moved his hands and mouth.

“Do you not know about this place?”

“Surely, Second Master knows. Even if he knows, what can he do? With his lower body paralyzed, he can’t even come out of Udo easily. Originally, it was a unit created to protect the Second Master, but the people here, the ones I recruited, pledge allegiance to me, not Rainbow City.”

He casually uttered words that could lead to an immediate execution if the higher-ups found out.

The direct unit of controllers residing in Violet Zone 21 consisted of about twenty people. However, each individual was so exceptional that they could be called a special forces unit. With just a few people, they could easily sweep and clear the Red Zone. Moreover, they belonged to the citizens of Rainbow City, but unlike Commander Cha or Kwak Soohwan, they had no official rank, making them ghosts not registered with Mother.

The Second Master intended to create his army but ended up becoming part of Kwak Soohwan’s unit.

“Thinking about it, isn’t it funny?”

Kwak Soohwan chuckled briefly.

“What do you mean?”

“I was born without the city’s permission and was discharged outside. My brother is the same, but even if he’s alive, he wouldn’t have been registered with Rainbow City. He had a congenital disease. Have you ever seen anyone here suffering from an incurable disease or having a disabled body?”

He knew what he was talking about. If you are born with a disability, you are thoroughly abandoned. It was one of Rainbow City’s population policies. They couldn’t divert resources to other welfare when they were focused on protecting citizens and eliminating enemies like Adam and the rebels.

“But one of the big shots in this city has a lower body disability. Another one has a perfectly healthy body, but his brain is filled with crap. Isn’t it ironic that such guys are executing population policies like that?”

Since coming to Violet Zone, or more precisely, since he survived the encounter with Adam, Kwak Soohwan has been candidly expressing his thoughts.

Seokhwa gripped the utensil tightly. Then, in a quiet but undeniably flat voice, he asked, “Major Kwak, do you… want Rainbow City to fail?”

Kwak Soohwan rested his chin on his hand and looked up at Seokhwa. Yeah. He just hummed in his throat with his lips sealed. Ironically, Seokhwa, taken aback, slightly opened his mouth.

“Substantially collapsing the city might be difficult. But there’s one way to break this system. That’s Adam disappearing. Well, even a three-year-old would know that. It’s a theory that even a three-year-old would understand.”

“A three-year-old might not even know the expression ‘theory.'”

Kwak Soohwan raised his shapely eyes.

“And this, Dr. Seok would know better than me. Whether the reason for the Adam virus repeatedly mutating even after the vaccine comes out is natural or not.”

“…”

Seokhwa remained silent for a while, and Kwak Soohwan continued to pass the time by eating.

Having eaten only half of the rice, Seokhwa picked up a

placed in front of him. Curious about its taste, he bit into it. The intense bitterness made the mucous membrane inside his cheek, pressed against his teeth, contract. Yet, even though the taste was bitter, his mouth was filled with saliva, and Seokhwa chewed on the fruit, spitting out the seeds onto his palm.

“If you plant these seeds, will they grow?”

“It will take a very long time.”

“Viruses… also take a long time, but there are cases of natural mutations. There have been bacteria called beta-lactamase that developed resistance to penicillin. After that, there were strains that didn’t respond to penicillin at all.”

Seokhwa sighed, and as if to dismiss the topic, he shook the seeds into an empty cup.

“But that’s a phenomenon that occurs over a very long time. It’s rare for seven mutations to occur in such a short period, like now.”

Seokhwa shook his head as if to say it’s not possible even as he spoke.

“Probably… it shouldn’t exist.”

“Is that so?”

Kwak Soohwan finished his meal neatly, stating that his thoughts were the same.

“To maintain this system, Adam is essential for Rainbow City. So, if a new Adam virus that doesn’t respond to the vaccine continues to be needed, it will probably continue to be artificially created.”

If that’s the case, the healthy doctors in the shelter are nothing more than exhibitions. To demonstrate how hard Rainbow City is working on producing vaccines.

Seokhwa might have scoffed and dismissed such a drastic leap if he had said this before he was affected by Adam, but now he sympathized with Kwak Soohwan’s words. Then, who on earth is carrying out such deeds?

“Could it be the Masters…?”

“However, Dr. Seok completely shrugged off my warning,” Kwak Soohwan said, gulping down the water in front of him.

Considering the executed doctors who came close to the truth, it was possible that they had been executed by the Masters or those in higher positions who collaborated with them. Kwak Soohwan himself might have faced such a fate.

“If you’ve finished, let’s go.”

Since Seokhwa had no intention of continuing his meal, he pocketed the golden tangerine. He left the plate on the collection tray and put only one hand in his pocket this time. One side of his coat pocket bulged with the golden tangerine.

Expecting to be taken straight to the building where his lab was, Seokhwa was surprised when Kwak Soohwan headed to the weapons storage room on the opposite side of the cafeteria. Unable to enter, Seokhwa waited for him in the hallway that led away from the storage room.

When he came out of the weapons storage, he was carrying a K3 machine gun on his shoulder. Seokhwa almost thought Kwak Soohwan would go straight to the building where his lab was located. However, Kwak Soohwan headed to the opposite side of the cafeteria. Since Seokhwa couldn’t enter, he waited for him in the corridor that led away from the weapons storage room.

As Kwak Soohwan walked out of the weapons storage room, he had a K3 machine gun slung over his shoulder. Seokhwa felt like Kwak Soohwan was about to leave the scene. Seokhwa waited until he approached, then started walking, matching his steps.

As they exited the entrance to go to the building where Seokhwa lived, Kwak Soohwan stopped him.

“Where are you going?”

“To the lab.”

Seokhwa gave an answer that seemed too obvious.

“Come here.”

Kwak Soohwan, who was a little far away, gestured for him to come. Seokhwa approached, and Kwak Soohwan patted his pocket with one hand. When Seokhwa looked up after getting closer, Kwak Soohwan swept his handsome face down.

“Dr. Seok, have you ever seen a rainbow?”

“No.”

Although Seokhwa knew what a rainbow was, he had never actually seen one. Perhaps it was because he spent more time inside than outside, and Rainbow City did not see as much rain as its name would suggest.

Kwak Soohwan nodded towards the back. Seokhwa couldn’t find a reason to refuse, so he followed him. He didn’t entertain strange thoughts like being taken to the back to be shot. There was no need to waste bullets; Kwak Soohwan could simply break his neck if he wanted to.

Behind the shelter building was a pond that looked artificial, as if it had been made a long time ago. Since the cold wind was still dominant, the pond was frozen solid, and the water plants beneath seemed frozen, as if time had stopped.

“I’ll show you something good.”

Kwak Soohwan loaded the long gun in front of him and started firing at a frozen part of the pond. Tuk-tuk-tuk, the ice shattered with each impact, creating a fountain-like burst of water. Along with the sprayed water droplets, subtle colors began to emerge mysteriously. It was a small and cute rainbow.

As soon as the rainbow appeared, Kwak Soohwan stopped shooting and leaned the gun against his shoulder. He watched Seokhwa, who was witnessing a rainbow for the first time since birth. Of course, the principle of the rainbow was not that complex; it was simply a spectacle of colors due to refraction when light passed through water droplets. However, Seokhwa found it fascinating and stood there for quite a while. The rainbow appeared suddenly and disappeared like an illusion, but the idea of creating a rainbow with a gun was something he had never thought of before.

“…It’s fascinating.”

In response to Seokhwa’s honest impression, Kwak Soohwan showed a triumphant smile. On one hand, he seemed like a child eager to impress.

“Want me to shoot it?”

Of course, he hid the fact that he didn’t discover it himself; it was Sunghoon who informed him. However, Kwak Soohwan suddenly made a disappointed face. It was because there was a red mark on Seokhwa’s jaw.

It was a scratch from a piece of ice, and Seokhwa, unaware of it, looked at Kwak Soohwan with confusion.

“You’re bleeding.”

Only now did he feel a stinging pain, touching it and pulling his hand away. It wasn’t a big wound; there was just a bit of blood. When Kwak Soohwan tried to touch the wound, Seokhwa was surprised and stepped back.

“I’ll go in first.”

For some reason, Seokhwa was moving urgently. Kwak Soohwan quickly caught up with him.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“No.”

“Let me see the wound.”

Kwak Soohwan caught the hand that covered the jaw and made him face him.

“No, it’s okay. There’s blood,”

Seokhwa stopped speaking and closed his lips before finishing. Kwak Soohwan had a rough idea of why Seokhwa was acting this way. Since he had been bitten by Adam, he might be cautious, wondering if there was any issue with his blood.

“You’re definitely negative. What’s there to worry about?” 

“Still.”

Seokhwa gave a stern look, indicating not to touch the wound under any circumstances. After all, he was the one going around trying to beat up Adam. What’s there to fear about a mere drop of blood?

“With all that worry, how are you planning to engage with people in the future?”

“Adam’s virus is transmitted through blood. And you can live without engaging in physical contact.”

Seokhwa covered his jaw with his hand again.

“I don’t think I can live without it.”

Kwak Soohwan bluntly remarked, causing Seokhwa to take a step back. As his gaze was as intense, Seokhwa retreated further. Despite being in a confinement that wasn’t a confinement, Seokhwa was conscious of Kwak Soohwan.

“I’m fine with that. His dick is big and even looks pretty, and I’ve even put it in my mouth. I’m not sure about other people’s touch, but the sensation of Kwak Soohwan touching me has lingered in my mind several times.”

“When you were in Yeouido, you kept asking for sperm, but now that it’s readily available, why aren’t you asking anymore? Is it not needed now?”

“Are you offering?”

Seokhwa lowered the hand covering his jaw. Kwak Soohwan seized the opportunity and grabbed his arm. Pulling Seokhwa towards him, he gently bit his jaw.

“Eugh!” Surprised, Seokhwa pushed his shoulder, but Kwak Soohwan, seemingly unscathed, only tightened his grip on his waist. Raising his tongue sharply, he licked the scratch, and then started sucking on it vigorously.

“…Major.”

It felt like the blood inside him was being sucked away. He squirmed awkwardly, raising only his eyebrows, like someone bitten by a vampire. As Kwak Soohwan sucked and licked fiercely, the wound seemed to be neglected.

“…It hurts.”

When Kwak Soohwan finally pulled his lips away, Seokhwa’s jaw was damp with saliva. It felt like the surrounding area had reddened from how forcefully he sucked. Seokhwa, with a face as white as chalk, felt his lips dry. With one swollen eye, he stared at Kwak Soohwan’s wet lips.