Rainbow City

If Second Master were to prosecute him, the reason would likely be related to petrification. The most plausible reason would be the accusation of concealing petrification infected with serpent, and delving deeper, they would likely use the failure to report the petrification suspected to be immune as a charge.

As Kwak Soohwan drove down the Central Inland Expressway, he skillfully avoided abandoned cars scattered along the way. With sufficient fuel, he planned to reach the Busan Green Zone and refuel. Despite Yang Sanghoon buying him some time, Second Master had made up their mind and would try to bring him down by any means necessary.

First was trying to entangle Eden Garden and Second Master, so all he could do for now was to buy time. No, even putting that aside, retrieving the petrification was the top priority.

My life has always been like this. I’ve never been able to protect anything. It was always loss, and death surrounded me. In this life of constant loss, petrification had appeared, and it seemed like history was repeating itself. Even though there’s only one thing to protect, why is it not so easy?

The light blinked at the checkpoint guarding the branch point. It was a signal to stop the car, but Kwak Soohwan ignored it and stepped on the pedal.

Bang, bang – rough claxon sounds echoed, accompanied by a strong beam of light. Glancing at the rearview mirror, Kwak Soohwan’s Jeep was being chased by several cars. There might not have been a wanted order issued yet, and even though it was confirmed to be a Rainbow City military Jeep, he still revved the claxon.

The needle on the dashboard began to exceed its limit. Paaang, as the headlights of a truck coming in the opposite direction in the wrong lane flashed, Kwak Soohwan hastily turned the steering wheel to the side. The tires screeched as he left skid marks. While the Jeep made a big turn, Kwak Soohwan repeatedly tapped the brakes to bring the car to a stop. The inertia was so intense that his head was spinning. The cars that had followed closely also surrounded Kwak Soohwan’s Jeep. He gripped the submachine gun that had fallen to the floor on the passenger side.

Alternating between the side and rearview mirrors, the guys getting out of the cars were holding guns and wearing uniforms. The epaulettes on their shoulders indicated they were ordinary soldiers.

, someone knocked on Kwak Soohwan’s Jeep window.

“Get out of the car. Where are you going at this hour?”

The truck that came in the wrong lane seemed to be on the same side as these guys. The checkpoint they passed was in the Orange Zone, a city abandoned by Rainbow City. Setting up a checkpoint and conducting inspections there was an excessive waste of resources.

“I told you to get out of the car.”

Kwak Soohwan, looking ahead, lowered the window by about a palm’s width. The face of a young man, who looked no older than twenty, became more visible.

“Which unit are you from?”

“We belong to the Key Unit. Get out of the car and identify yourself.”

There was no need to ponder over their identity; they were just one of the many criminal organizations not recognized as citizens.

Kwak Soohwan, looking at the cars surrounding him, judged that it would be difficult to charge straight through. He pulled the lever of the car door, swung it open, and jabbed the body of the guy standing there with the gun. Then, he aimed the barrel at the fallen guy.

“Clear the truck in front.”

The guy belatedly pulled out a gun, but Kwak Soohwan shot him before he could react. Ugh, uaaah. The guy thought his hand had been blown away and rolled on the ground. In reality, the bullet had only passed by the barrel of his gun.

“If you don’t clear it, everyone dies.”

The guy who had his hands wrapped around the gun finally noticed Kwak Soohwan’s military uniform. He initially thought he was just an ordinary supply soldier, but looking at the epaulets on the shoulder, he was at least a Captain. The guys who got out of the car were reloading their guns and gradually tightening the encirclement. The guy on the ground, glancing around cautiously, boldly raised his head to look at Kwak Soohwan, trusting only their numbers.

“Hand over the Jeep, the gun, and all the cash you have. We’ll spare your life then.”

There was a flaw in their words. Taking the car on this highway meant essentially saying, “Die.” One guy in front, two at the back, one in each direction, dealing with them didn’t seem difficult.

Static started to mix in the radio.

[… do. Major Kwak Soohwan. If you hear this, respond.]

Kwak Soohwan took the radio and responded to Lee Chaeyoon’s voice.

“Speak.”

Lee Chaeyoon had identified the location of his family’s residence and provided coordinates close to Busan Port on the map. Taking advantage of the distraction, the guy who had picked up the fallen gun fired at Kwak Soohwan, but Kwak Soohwan’s gun was faster. The bullet pierced through the guy’s arm, and bullets from Kwak Soohwan’s Jeep started hitting indiscriminately. Though made of bulletproof glass, the durability was not great.

Kwak Soohwan checked the positions of the guys using the vehicle mirror and opened the door he had closed. He shot the leg of the guy trying to take away the guy with the bandaged arm, and as he got off the Jeep, he grabbed the neck of the struggling guy.

“Drop it! Ah!”

When he swung the long magazine at the back of the squirming guy’s head, at least out of camaraderie, the shooting stopped. Kwak Soohwan, suppressing the urge to kill them all, raised his voice.

“Clear the truck, or else.”

He aimed at the guy using the car door as a shield, placing the gun against the open window. When one ear burst, screams intensified.

“I said I’ll kill all of you.”

Approaching the guy with the injured arm, he pressed the barrel against him, and the guy writhed in immense pain.

“Are you the leader?”

“Guh… No leader. We’re just… Don’t kill the kids, please. Major, right? A-grade? I messed up. Please don’t kill us.”

“Oh, really? Did you spare those who begged for their lives too?”

The guy let out a sobbing sound, even offering excuses that it was just for survival.

Damn, this felt like some melodramatic play. Kwak Soohwan looked at the guy in the truck driver’s seat and gestured to move aside.

“Was there a car passing through here other than me?”

With severe bleeding, the pale-faced youth nodded without understanding English. Currently begging for mercy, Kwak Soohwan didn’t think these guys would have clean hands. They probably resorted to theft to survive, and there was a possibility they had killed the owner of the military uniform they wore.

Leaving these guys alive might result in more victims, but Kwak Soohwan didn’t really care. It was Rainbow City that created this lawless zone in the first place.

After throwing the guy he had lifted by the neck onto the ground, Kwak Soohwan grabbed the steering wheel again. If he hadn’t traveled on the highway, it would be an even more disorganized national road, probably following the railway tracks. There was almost no chance that Serpent, carrying petrification, would head towards Seoul or its suburbs where soldiers were stationed.

Kwak Soohwan swerved the truck to pass, but squeak, he quickly slammed the brakes. It happened after he saw the drawing engraved on the side of the truck.

The Tree of Life.

It almost perfectly matched the picture he had seen in the Uijeongbu Bunker. The guys, who had been picking up their comrade, now had tense faces, thinking he had come back to kill them. Kwak Soohwan quickly got off the Jeep and approached them with military strides.

“Are you guys Eden Garden followers?”

The guy with the injured arm opened his eyes, lifting his head as if to gather strength.

“No, we’re not! We’re not rebels!”

Kwak Soohwan aimed the gun on his shoulder back at the guy.

“Please spare us! We joined as followers because they promised to provide food. It’s true!”

The guy who used to be the truck driver stood in front, blocking their path.

“Where does Eden Garden distribute its supplies?”

“Usually… they distribute them in areas not belonging to Rainbow City… we…”

They skillfully blended truth and lies, their tails of speech wavering.

“Where are you guys from?”

“F-fr, from where?”

“Busan?”

They hesitated, nodding their heads, unsure of what to do. In such situations, persuasion is better than threats.

“I know someone who got involved with Eden Garden and ended up joining as a follower. I don’t care if you’re Eden Garden followers or whatever. All I want is to bring that person back. So, if you tell me where the followers gather, that’s all I need.”

Kwak Soohwan, in the midst of speaking, took out his wallet from his uniform. He pulled out several banknotes with the Rainbow City emblem and handed them to the guy who seemed like the leader.

“With just a broker, this should cover at least a year’s living expenses.”

The guy, with a tattered cloth wrapped around his arm, swallowed his saliva.

“We get supplies once a week in Busan.”

“Hey!”

“He’s giving us money!”

As internal conflicts arose among them, Kwak Soohwan cocked his gun towards an empty space.

“Where in Busan?”

“Uryongsan… we’re from Uryongsan.”

Kwak Soohwan handed over the bills to them and quickly returned to the Jeep. For now, the coordinates received from Lee Chaeyoon were a priority. Though he briefly considered following the railroad tracks, the time difference required him to increase the speed of the Jeep.

***

Seokhwa, unable to sleep, stared at the sea outside the window. Both arms now lacked any sensation.

It was the first time he had come to the city called Busan, a place he had only heard about in words. Until he met Kwak Soohwan, his sphere of activity was limited to Jeju Island or Yeouido. Even those were only his laboratory and home. Seokhwa felt that Rainbow City was truly vast. It used to be a country, not a city, a long time ago, so it made sense.

The frog in the well refers to someone who only sees their own limited perspective. While following the railroad tracks, Seokhwa could easily observe the beggars begging for fire and the children exposed to Adam’s danger. Even the place that was once used as a historical site was no different from a shelter for those outside the city. Choi Hoeon said that most interactions among people occurred in history.

“Everyone needs salvation. You’re all too exhausted. Exposed to so much danger just because you’re not citizens, and sometimes serving as guinea pigs in the lab. The military and leaders of Rainbow City are just as frightening as Adam to those outside.”

It was a dilemma. There was not a single false point in Choi Hoeon’s words, but Seokhwa had seen the numerous bodies of soldiers that Eden Garden had piled up.

“Is Eden Garden… created for those who are not citizens of the city?”

“No, it’s created for everyone.”

“But why soldiers?”

Choi Hoeon was passing by Busan Port.

“Dr. Seokhwa, are you hungry?”

“I assume Dr. Choi Hoeon is the same. It’s rhetoric.”

“We were just preparing for the attack from Rainbow City.”

He didn’t even bring up whether Eden Garden had conducted experiments on soldiers.

“In fact, Major Kwak Soohwan was originally supposed to join us, but it seems that human affairs don’t always go as planned.”

Seokhwa decided to close his ears entirely. He couldn’t trust Choi Hoeon’s words.

“After Major Kwak’s parents passed away, my father tried to bring Major Kwak first. However, at that time, Dr. Oh, who we hadn’t thought of, extended a helping hand to Major Kwak Soohwan.” Choi Hoeon’s voice, which Kwak Soohwan didn’t want to hear, kept penetrating his mind. He seemed like a person who put strength into every word he uttered.

“In the end, Major Kwak Soohwan entered Rainbow City. I also had to become a citizen of the city to make contact with Dr. Seokhwa and Major Kwak Soohwan.”

Serpent. Serpent was a cunning snake that employed clever language.

“My father used to talk about Dr. Seokhwa quite often, saying he must not be a complete failure.” Seokhwa, feigning indifference, looked towards Choi Hoeon. Choi Hoeon parked the car in front of an old wooden house and faced Seokhwa. He emitted a different atmosphere than Kwak Soohwan. Although rough, his surface seemed quite smooth, as if he had been polished thousands of times.

“My father…”

“Dr. Seokhwa also knows him well.” Choi Hoeon released Seokhwa’s one wrist that had become entangled in his explanation. Silently, he lowered his hand, feeling the tingling heaviness caused by gravity. Choi Hoeon did not release the handcuffs but filled the opposite hand with it again.

“Let’s have a meal.” Choi Hoeon, who got out of the driver’s seat, came to the passenger seat, grabbed Seokhwa, and pulled him out. Seokhwa looked sadly down at Choi Hoeon, as if unable to go inside.

Seokhwa thought about putting his hand on Choi Hoeon’s back, but he decided to conserve strength and set a plausible goal: to escape if there was a gap.

Inside the wooden house was cleaner than it appeared from the outside. As if telling that the house had been vacant for a while, there was only a thin layer of dust on the table.

Choi Hoeon, who walked into the kitchen, sat Seokhwa on a dining chair. After a long drive, Choi Hoeon casually crossed his arms as if to loosen his stiff body, then opened the cupboard. It was difficult to see his relaxed movements as the attitude of a kidnapper.

“It seems we have to fill up with canned food since there are no fresh ingredients.” Choi Hoeon took out a can of corn and sausages. He placed a pot on the burner and poured water from a bottle. Since there was no water supply in the area, all the faucets were rusted. While waiting for the water to boil, Choi Hoeon detached a photo attached to the non-working refrigerator.

“My father always said that precious things should never be kept in secret places. Still, putting only one photo taken with his child on the refrigerator is a bit strange, isn’t it?”

Seokhwa looked down at the photo Choi Hoeon offered. Choi Hoeon, noticing the water was starting to boil, opened a can of sausages and placed them in the pot.

“If you eat it as it is, it will have a strange smell. Just wait a bit while you’re hungry.”

“…Dr. Wonho.”

Seokhwa muttered as he looked at the man in the photo. Dr. Wonho had his hand on the shoulder of a child who appeared to be around ten. The background was the same wooden house Seokhwa had seen just outside.

“All that’s left now is the photo. Everyone.”

Serpent was Dr. Wonho’s son? Seokhwa had never heard of Dr. Wonho having children. No, he wasn’t even aware that Dr. Wonho had ever been married. Tuk, a plate with sausages that were slightly crispy and fragrant was placed in front of Seokhwa.

“Dr. Seokhwa was born from the Euphrates, the remaining child of Bison and his wife is Major Kwak Soohwan, and finally, the child of the Tigris is me.”

Seokhwa stared at the table without feeling hungry. He couldn’t understand what Choi Hoeon was saying. He knew about the four rivers, but he didn’t want to know why they were being claimed as their descendants. Seokhwa had never heard that Dr. Wonho had children. No, he didn’t think Dr. Wonho had ever married… Tuk, a plate with sausages that were slightly crispy and fragrant was placed in front of Seokhwa.

“Dr. Seokhwa was born from the Euphrates, the remaining child of Bison and his wife is Major Kwak Soohwan, and finally, the child of the Tigris is me.”

Seokhwa stared at the table without feeling hungry. He couldn’t understand what Choi Hoeon was saying. He knew about the four rivers, but he didn’t want to know why they were being claimed as their descendants. His mother always said to avoid dangerous things. There was no way that such a person could be the one who created Eden Sanctuary.

No, more than anything else, right now…

“I…”

Choi Hoeon smiled gently.

“I want to see Major Kwak.”

Seokhwa raised his head.

***

[…White Tiger, 3121, Sparrowhawk, food flight, individual actions prohibited.]

Words like a code flowed through the vehicle radio. Choi Hoeon was intercepting military CB communication, and Rainbow City communicated with codes following military law.

Although he didn’t want to eat anything at the moment, Seokhwa forcibly pushed the sausage into his mouth before leaving home. When Seokhwa asked Choi Hoeon to send him to Major Kwak, Choi Hoeon only gave an impossible answer. So, if he ran out of energy here, it would be a problem.

“Did you just interpret the radio transmission?” Seokhwa replied while still bound with both arms to the ceiling handle.

“No.”

“3121 is Major Kwak Soohwan’s code number, and Sparrowhawk is a tracker. It seems like Major Kwak is on the run.”

Not Serpent, but Kwak Soohwan is on the run?

“Probably someone from above has intervened. Since Dr. Seokhwa hid the fact that he is immune.”

Pretending not to know, but it could also be Serpent who pushed for that fact. Seokhwa opened his mouth, pretending to be indifferent.

“…I’m not immune.”

“Whether it’s true or not, once you return to Rainbow City, Dr. Seokhwa will have to receive an Adam blood transfusion.”

“There’s no law that says Dr. Choi can’t tell me not to.”

Choi Hoeon looked at Seokhwa unexpectedly, then turned back.

“Why would I do that? We are all brothers derived from the same place.”

Still wanting to believe that Serpent was just playing with words, the pictures he saw in the air raid shelter supported his words. If this fact became known to the higher-ups, not only Seokhwa but Kwak Soohwan would become even more dangerous. Clearly, they were the children of rebels.

“Did you sleep with Major Kwak Soohwan?”

Seokhwa made a subtle expression at the sudden and unpleasant question. Since Seokhwa was generally expressionless, the change was quite noticeable. Choi Hoeon pointed to Seokhwa’s eyes, cheek, and slightly reddened neck with his hand.

“The rumors circulating in the Yeouido shelter weren’t false.”

“Seriously… What benefit do you gain from kidnapping me?” Choi Hoeon did not answer the question and continued driving somewhere.

Although it was called the Green Zone, the number of soldiers was significantly lower than in Seoul. Only in areas where the wealthy lived were there strict military patrols, and elsewhere, there were only people sitting on the streets or those holding water bottles, waiting for the rain.

As they climbed up a narrow road and crossed over a hill, a neglected forest overgrown with bushes appeared. Seokhwa’s uneasy feelings intensified as they drove into an area where no road was visible.

Even in the city, they were tracking Kwak Soohwan. Seokhwa worried if he might come to find him, whether he had been injured somewhere in the process, or if he had escaped to some unknown place by now. In reality, he was a burden with his nose that was a traitor. If anything, without him, Kwak Soohwan would be safer.

The place where Choi Hoeon parked the car was an ancient Western-style mansion. This time, Choi Hoeon completely released the handcuffs tied around Seokhwa’s wrists. The wrists that had been tormented by handcuffs for a long time had bruises and swelling. Moreover, the arm with only emergency treatment for the gunshot wound complained with a few twitches.

“It’s difficult to escape alone from here.”

Whether it was a warning or not, Choi Hoeon’s words turned out to be true.

At least, Seokhwa needed to steal a car and run away, but he had never learned to drive. However, he had repeatedly observed and simulated driving by watching Choi Hoeon shifting gears. It seemed that it might not be impossible for him to drive himself. However, Choi Hoeon put the car keys in his pocket instead of leaving them in the car.

Seokhwa, who was watching him leave the car, suddenly glimpsed a human figure through the long windows of the mansion. It felt as if their eyes had met, so he stared as if he had seen something, but the figure quickly disappeared.

When he tried to open the passenger-side door, he had to get out of the car without intending to open the door. For now, it was a priority to pretend to listen to Choi Hoeon’s words well while easing the sense of vigilance.

Contrary to its appearance, the luxurious Western-style mansion required fingerprint recognition at the entrance. When Choi Hoeon recognized the fingerprint, the door opened with a click. Unlike ordinary houses, there was no threshold at the entrance, so they entered with their shoes on. Looking up, Seokhwa noticed that the ceiling was high. Most of the chandeliers hanging there had broken or missing bulbs.

Seokhwa began to examine the structure of the house by turning his gaze. When his eyes reached the central wooden staircase, he saw someone coming down carefully from above. It wasn’t just one person; there were at least three or four. As vigilant as Seokhwa, they also regarded him with suspicion. The one who looked the oldest seemed to be no more than twenty.

Choi Hoeon hugged Seokhwa’s shoulders and spoke towards the person on the stairs.

“The savior has come.”

His voice had a deep resonance that could be felt as trustworthy just by hearing it. At the same time, the youngsters began to descend the stairs quickly. They circled around Seokhwa like new family members, examining him from head to toe as if inspecting a new addition.

“…Will you not abandon us again, promise?”

The boy, eyebrows raised in fear, pleaded with Seokhwa, who removed Choi Hoeon’s hand and stepped aside.

“He will protect us from Adam. He’s our savior.”

The girl who seemed the oldest comforted the boy.

People began to appear on the underground and Second Master floors, one by one. Some had missing limbs or parts of their bodies, but they all wore clean white clothes, immaculate as if they neglected no cleanliness, unlike ordinary people. They were the followers of Eden Garden.

“Reverend, I will inform each branch! Finally, the Tree of Life has come to us.”

An excited middle-aged man clasped his hands in front of his chest. When Seokhwa took a step back, he collided with Choi Hoeon’s chest. Choi Hoeon gently placed his hand on Seokhwa’s shoulder and whispered.

“Treat them kindly. You’re their savior.”

Seokhwa could only be dumbfounded. Behind the chair he sat on, a large tree was drawn, and people frequently approached him, trying to talk to him. Some shared their life struggles, hoping for answers. They even called him the most liberated savior from Adam, the last hope born from the four rivers.

Seokhwa couldn’t say anything looking at them. He had no religious beliefs. However, for them, religion seemed equivalent to life. The overwhelming hope lingering in the air made his chest feel tight. Why was he forced into the role of a savior? This was a lie told by Choi Hoeon.

“I’m not that, it’s not like that.”

“What?”

A woman, surprised, shook hands with Seokhwa when it was her turn.

“I don’t know what the Tree of Life is. I’m not a savior. Dr. Choi Hoeon is lying.”

Seokhwa whispered quietly to the woman in front of him with all his heart. Choi Hoeon was talking to one of the elders leaning against the wall. The woman smiled compassionately.

“A true savior doesn’t claim to be one. A true savior doesn’t deceive us by impersonating. A savior who denies himself is the true Tree of Life.”

With her words, Seokhwa gave up trying to convince them. After that, he didn’t say a word, and he didn’t pay attention to the people shaking hands with him. Exhausted and unable to sleep properly, fatigue overwhelmed him.