Rainbow City

When I’m like this, I would have already fainted, but whether it’s sheer willpower or not, no disasters have occurred in the future

. As Choi Hoeon approached, those waiting in line stepped aside.

“Are you tired?” Choi Hoeon supported the pale Seokhwa. “You seem exhausted; trying to bless everyone must be quite draining.” Choi Hoeon conveyed his message to the believers. They all appeared to be well over thirty, and among the Eden Mountain followers, they seemed to hold high positions or be the most faithful. Since the vaccine broadcast, the number of Eden Mountain believers had exceeded at least a thousand. The distribution of the vaccine aimed to expand their influence.

Seokhwa deliberately didn’t avoid Choi Hoeon’s support. He emerged from the Tree of Life chamber and ascended the stairs, opening the first door on the second floor. The room wasn’t much different from a shelter, with only a desk and bed placed sporadically, and a book containing the doctrines of Eden Mountain lay on the desk. Seokhwa glanced briefly at the cover with a tree drawn on it before turning away.

“Shall I bring you some food in a while?” 

“Why did you call me a savior?” Seokhwa, sitting on the bed, leaned his head against one shoulder. He wanted to lie down from exhaustion, but he didn’t want to appear weak in front of Choi Hoeon.

“Because the immune are the saviors.” 

“Do they believe that?” “They have no choice but to believe what I say. Citizens of Rainbow City and outsiders are all mixed here, trembling with injustice and fear. They believe that if Adam disappears, a beautiful world will come. They also have hope that they can become immune through the power of salvation.”

“So, am I supposed to make a cure here?” Choi Hoeon pulled a chair over and sat facing Seokhwa. 

“Continuing the work of the four rivers’ failure is our mission. Achieving a humanity free from Adam is salvation. It’s about achieving flawless, perfect genes.” Serpent’s words were oddly peculiar.

“Genetics, you say?”

“Do you think we’ve undergone natural evolution?”

Choi Hoeon placed his glasses on the desk.

“Don’t Dr. Seokhwa know about it too? He conducted mutation research within the city.”

The evolution of mutations had proceeded abnormally quickly. Like the Adam virus mutating, it was also a result of human interference.

“Not just Dr. Seokhwa, but also Major Kwak Soohwan. They edited the genetic information of embryos to create humans who were born with edited genes.”

Seokhwa massaged his temples as if in pain.

Choi Hoeon was referring to editing embryos’ genes using genetic scissors. Theoretically, if one wanted immunity against AIDS, removing the CCR5 gene from our bodies would suffice. CCR5 acts as a gateway for the HIV virus to penetrate immune cells, so removing it grants immunity to AIDS.

If one could identify which genes predispose individuals to certain diseases, through editing, diseases and infections could be prevented from the outset.

Even before Adam appeared, there were many who sought to create super babies in this manner. However, the risk was too great for commercialization, and there was fierce backlash due to uncertainty about the repercussions. Editing genes in random embryos was tantamount to human experimentation.

“So, are you saying that my mother and the doctors conducted experiments on embryos?”

“Countless times.”

Seokhwa’s face turned even paler.

“Embryos with genetic modifications were either killed or expelled. All of it was at the direction of Rainbow City.”

Choi Hoeon rose from his seat.

“Rainbow City is already so corrupt that it’s beyond repair. Unless we oust them all, even if a new city or country emerges, nothing will change.”

Even after Choi Hoeon left, the sound of him locking the door was not heard. Seokhwa felt like he needed at least an hour of rest, but his mind was boiling with thoughts.

Was it because of Rainbow City’s directives that they attempted genetic editing and modifications, and dealt with problematic fetuses? If so, did the doctors who opposed it establish Eden Park?

Seokhwa moved on the bed with cautious steps and looked out of the window. The forest beyond was so dense that not even an inch ahead was visible. With no electricity reaching the mansion, he had to use candles to illuminate the surroundings. Leaning against the window, Seokhwa pondered how to get Choi Hoeon’s car keys. If only he had the strength, he could have easily knocked him out and taken them. Seokhwa let out a frustrated laugh. If that were the case, he wouldn’t have been kidnapped in the first place.

As he gathered his knees and rested his face on them, drowsiness kept creeping in.

“Dr. Seok.”

Seokhwa snapped his head up and buried his face again. Hearing voices that weren’t there indicated that his mind was really at its limit.

“Seokhwa hyung!”

He lifted his head in a flash and looked out the window.

“No way. Kwak Soohwan wouldn’t know about this place and come here.” Seokhwa slapped his cheeks with both hands. Pull yourself together. You can’t fall asleep. If there’s no car, you’ll have to walk down. Since it’s in the green zone, there won’t be any Adam. Seokhwa thought positively.

Just as he was about to dart out of bed, a bright, intense light shone from behind. Then, a loud bang! startled him. Startled, he looked outside to see Choi Hoeon’s car engulfed in flames. When he saw the man standing next to the fire, Seokhwa didn’t hesitate to grab a chair. It was just a wooden chair, but it felt unexpectedly heavy. Gritting his teeth against the pain in his arms, he used all his strength to smash the glass window. As the window shattered, the chair slipped from his hands and fell outside.

The man suddenly looked down at the fallen chair and then slowly raised his gaze.

Seokhwa, standing in front of the broken window, was visible. Kwak Soohwan, tossing aside his blood-stained gloves into the burning Serpent’s car, extended his arms.

“Hey, it’s only been a few days, why so happy to see me?”

Seokhwa stood on the shattered window frame at his cool voice. It seemed like going downstairs would only complicate things if he got caught by Serpent.

“Can you jump down?”

He shouted. Hearing footsteps approaching from outside the room, Seokhwa quickly nodded his head. Even if he didn’t catch him properly, it wouldn’t be fatal since it was only the second floor.

Seokhwa took a deep breath and threw himself towards Kwak Soohwan’s direction. He calculated the angle and pushed off the window frame to help propel himself forward. He forced his eyes open, wanting to close them tightly. Kwak Soohwan lowered his center of gravity and caught Seokhwa in one swift motion.

“Gotcha! Nice catch.”

Still, Seokhwa’s entire body tingled with gravity. Looking up at the second floor, Choi Hoeon had his hand on the window, peering down. Kwak Soohwan promptly seated Seokhwa in his jeep. As if signaling him to come down, when Kwak Soohwan gestured towards Choi Hoeon, Seokhwa spoke up.

“Sir, I’ll be your baggage.”

Inside, there were not only boys and girls but also adults, so they didn’t know what kind of variables might arise. Fortunately, Serpent only looked down towards them without coming down. Kwak Soohwan also decided not to push further into the mansion without making three mistakes.

“Major Kwak Soohwan!”

It was when Kwak Soohwan opened the driver’s seat door. Choi Hoeon called out to him with a smiling face.

“Have a good chat with Dr. Seokhwa. Looking forward to what’s to come.”

Kwak Soohwan raised his middle finger and swiftly climbed into the driver’s seat. Stepping hard on the accelerator, the jeep, after a few spins, began to dash through the forest. One headlight was emitting light, regardless of what had happened. Until they merged onto the road, Kwak Soohwan didn’t utter a word.

Seokhwa glanced at him. Sensing Kwak Soohwan’s gaze, it was time for him to break the silence.

“It’s only been a few days.”

“Huh?”

“It’s been a little over a day.”

Really? Kwak Soohwan laughed as if to say, did it really matter.

“It felt like it’s been more than just a few days by perception.”

“Me too.”

At the honest answer, Kwak Soohwan gripped the steering wheel tightly. He didn’t know how to express this emotion.

Seeing the bandaged arm and the blood seeping in reverse, he wanted to clear his mind or whatever and tear Serpent’s throat out. When he saw Seokhwa smashing the window with a chair and jumping out, it felt like his stomach tightened.

If a situation arose where one had to trust and jump with someone, he would never do it. However, Dr. Seok seemed to have complete trust in himself, and there was faith that he wouldn’t miss, so he jumped.

Seeing the yellow bruises on Seokhwa’s cheeks and the corners of his eyes, veins bulged on Kwak Soohwan’s hand. Soon, he realized he had left his mark and needed a moment of strange reflection.

He didn’t even want to ask the ridiculous question of whether Seokhwa’s body was alright. Just by looking at him, Seokhwa was a mess. The Seokhwa who belonged in the lab was on the verge of losing fingernails, getting shot, experiencing things that ordinary soldiers shouldn’t have to endure.

“How did you find your way here?”

“Woof.”

Seokhwa looked at him in confusion.

“You called me a dog. I followed your scent.”

Seokhwa seemed to realize the joke out of the blue and smiled tentatively. His tension eased, and his body collapsed onto the chair as if it wanted to bury itself.

“Just a little… tired.”

From the moment Seokhwa and Kwak Soohwan escaped the mansion, Seokhwa was engulfed in overwhelming fatigue. Before Kwak Soohwan could even comfortably suggest resting, Seokhwa slumped first. His mouth slightly agape, with a tired expression, it was pitiful to see. Kwak Soohwan ran his hand over Seokhwa’s cheek once before gripping the steering wheel again.

Kwak Soohwan was currently wanted in Rainbow City. According to CB radio, several teams were tracking them down. Probably, Choi Hoeon leaked information about Seokhwa or Second actively intervened. Kwak Soohwan could have also exposed Choi Hoeon’s identity, but he ordered checks on those who were in the Violet Zone.

Once Serpent’s identity was revealed, it would have been difficult to guarantee Seokhwa’s safety while the soldiers were chasing him.

Since he rescued Seokhwa, it would be easier to go all in by reporting Serpent’s location. However, there was no one to trust the words of a wanted soldier.

When Kwak Soohwan arrived in Busan and headed straight for Mount Uryong, he briefly doubted whether the kids were lying. It was because there was no sign of popularity around.

If it weren’t for the trees of life painted on some walls on the mountainside, he would have turned back his footsteps. Along the road up the mountain, camellias were blooming extravagantly. The scattered petals were always as red as blood. But unlike blood, they had fragrance.

Although he had been to many scenes dealing with Adam, it was the first time he had seen blooming camellias. Kwak Soohwan stopped when he came across a frozen camellia. He felt the impulse to show wildflowers to Seokhwa. Eventually, it got messed up inside his pocket. So he just took him in Choi Hoeon’s car along with the gloves.

Kwak Soohwan checked on the soundly sleeping Seokhwa once again. He refrained from touching him again, fearing he might wake up, and instead focused on the map of Busan laid out in front of him. Most of the road signs were either fallen or entangled with withered vines.

Since the Gwangandaegyo Bridge was destroyed in the early days of Adam’s appearance, the only intact bridge was the Jwasuyeong Bridge. Even that was only a two-lane road out of the six available. Kwak Soohwan drove towards the Jwasuyeong Bridge.

When dividing Busan into two, it seemed safer for them to head towards Haeundae, designated as Violet or Red. Fortunately, they had enough fuel, so he turned off the headlights and ventured into the uninhabited areas.

Must be because it’s so dark. Kwak Soohwan crossed the bridge and drove deeper, avoiding the coastal area where old hotels were clustered. As soon as he saw the signboard of a pharmacy in the neighborhood, Kwak Soohwan parked in a blind spot. As he turned off the engine, the heat from the heater also ceased. He didn’t want to wake up the sleeping Seokhwa, but he couldn’t leave him here.

Even when he shook his shoulder slowly, Seokhwa didn’t seem to have any intention of waking up. Just as he was about to shake him harder, Seokhwa slowly opened his eyes.

“…Where are we?”

“Let’s get off first.”

Kwak Soohwan got off first to look around and signaled to Seokhwa that it was safe to get off.

The pharmacy, which used to operate in the Green Zone, had medicines scattered on the floor or on the shelves. Perhaps they hoped to come back when fleeing, but the pharmacy door was locked. Kwak Soohwan grabbed the bottom of the iron shutter with his hand and forcefully lifted it upwards. The screws that had been fixed to the floor came loose, and the shutter went up with a creak.

As he stepped inside, Seokhwa followed. When Kwak Soohwan turned on the long, thin flashlight, the dark interior of the pharmacy became bright. The medicines produced under Rainbow City seemed to be in good condition. Kwak Soohwan found medicines and bandages and seated Seokhwa in a chair inside the lab.

Seokhwa was surprised, wondering if he was hurt, but he understood that Kwak Soohwan intended to treat him, so he began to unwrap the bandage himself.

Kwak Soohwan illuminated Seokhwa’s wounds with the flashlight. That damn bastard had left bruises on Seokhwa’s forearm. Seokhwa looked up at Kwak Soohwan, who was furious, then checked his own wounds. Fortunately, they weren’t festering, and thanks to the quick treatment, the risk of infection seemed low.

“I’ll do it.”

Seokhwa took the disinfectant from his hand, checked if there was any sediment, and opened the lid.

“Dr. Seok, I can—”

At the same time, Seokhwa poured disinfectant onto his wound. Seokhwa, closing his eyes against the boiling pain that came instantly, gritted his teeth inwardly. After a few seconds, the stinging pain gradually subsided. Kwak Soohwan, with a hardened expression, silently applied ointment to the wound. Since there was no bleeding, it would be better not to wrap the wound, but they had to bandage it since Seokhwa couldn’t just lie still.

“It hurts.”

Kwak Soohwan’s voice was tightly locked.

“Just endure it.”

“Don’t endure it. Say it hurts. Dr. Seok always tells the truth.”

Seokhwa grabbed Kwak Soohwan’s wrist carefully bandaging his wound. It felt exactly like the comforting warmth I knew. Kwak Soohwan flinched as if touched by fire but soon let Seokhwa’s touch stay as it was.

“Then I’ll endure it.”

“That’s not the point, what’s different?”

Kwak Soohwan secured the bandage with a pin and picked up the flashlight he had placed on the table.

“Let’s go.”

Seokhwa packed a few more useful medicines and got back into the jeep. He didn’t know where he was heading, but even after a short but deep sleep, the exhaustion that had been pressing on his entire body had eased a bit.

“Major Kwak… Dr. Choi Hoeon,”

“We’ll talk about it later.”

Seokhwa felt the urge to ask why, but he didn’t bother.

While the car was moving, Kwak Soohwan drank a few sips of water from the bottle he had given, and shook the grain powder pack, mixing it with water and consuming it. It tasted bland.

“I feel strange.”

“You probably want to go back to the lab.”

He replied bitterly as if he knew everything. Seokhwa brought his hand to his lips, still tingling with pain. Then he leaned his face into his touch, like a large animal leaning into a comforting touch.

“That’s not it, I never thought it would come to this. Just living in the lab… I thought one day I might end up messed up either behind or ahead.”

Kwak Soohwan drove straight through the alley inside the pharmacy until he parked the car in front of a somewhat intact house. Seokhwa was silently observing Kwak Soohwan with his narrowed eyes.

“Through Major, I learned about a different world.”

He leaned his face close to the steering wheel for a moment.

“You know how to protect your brother, and a true brother is a brother.”

Kwak Soohwan thought Seokhwa was comforting him. Seokhwa felt that too, but since he was not very talkative to begin with, he couldn’t clear up the misunderstanding.

“Is your arm really okay?”

“Yes, Major Kwak.”

“Yeah.”

“I want to touch your testicles.”

He blurted out, surprising Kwak Soohwan. Kwak Soohwan turned his face leaned on the steering wheel sideways.

“Will touching my balls make you feel better? I’m not some panacea, Dr. Seok.”

“Then I’ll say it again. I want to hug you naked.”

Dr. Seok knows nothing about human emotions.

Kwak Soohwan endured the impulse to pounce on Seokhwa. He wanted to kiss those talkative lips and smooth skin wildly. Just hold it in until they get inside, just hide the car for now. Kwak Soohwan clenched and unclenched his fist.

“I’ll be right back.”

Kwak Soohwan locked the car door and went outside with only his gun.

The house had a parking lot next to the garden, resembling a house like Oyang-seok’s, with all the windows covered with iron bars. Kwak Soohwan broke through the front door and went inside. He checked every room, including the bedroom, living room, and storage cabinets.

When he opened the bathroom door, he saw strands of hair sticking out of the bathtub. He loaded his gun and approached, shining the flashlight. It was a decomposed body, not a living person. There were no bugs or insects, indicating that it had been dead for quite some time. Seeing no signs of struggle besides the bathtub, he could only guess it might have been a suicide. Kwak Soohwan tore off the shower curtain and covered the bathtub.

Hastily stepping out into the garden, Kwak Soohwan couldn’t see Seokhwa anywhere. In this short time, he wondered if something had happened. Quickly, Kwak Soohwan opened the passenger door.

“Major Kwak?”

Seokhwa, who was hiding under the passenger seat, slowly sat up. Kwak Soohwan felt his heart sink and then rise again.

“Why were you hiding?”

“I thought it would be safer.”

Indeed, the outside was extremely dangerous, but Kwak Soohwan couldn’t send Seokhwa back to the city. They had to wait for a breakthrough, so all Seokhwa could do was endure.

Kwak Soohwan grabbed the military backpack he had left in the back seat and slung it over one shoulder.

“The interior should be safe, but don’t go into the bathroom. There’s no water anyway.”

“Okay.”

Seeing Seokhwa stepping out of the car, Kwak Soohwan began walking towards the entrance. Thud, Seokhwa turned back at the sound from the car. The reason Seokhwa hid under the passenger seat was also because of this. He had heard strange noises earlier. Since they had already confirmed that there was no one in the back seat, the source of the noise might have been the trunk.

Seokhwa glanced at the spare tire hanging behind the jeep. As he approached and peered into the dimly lit trunk window, he was startled and took a step back.

“What are you doing?”

Kwak Soohwan, who had stopped walking, turned to Seokhwa.

“Major Kwak…”

Seokhwa whispered to Kwak Soohwan about what he had seen.

“There’s someone in the trunk.”

However, Kwak Soohwan, seemingly unconcerned, continued to walk steadily.

“Let’s go in.”

“In there?”

“You can ignore it.”

Given that she wasn’t struggling, it was unlikely to be Adam, but it was definitely a person. Seokhwa, who usually followed Kwak Soohwan’s orders, was not doing so this time.

“She says she wants to hug me naked.”

“Not now… No.”

“Dr. Seok, you’re too much. What’s all this about setting fire and now this?”

Kwak Soohwan clicked his tongue. Opening the trunk door like a barn door, inside was a woman with her arms and ankles bound. The middle-aged woman, already worn out, looked exhausted.

“Who are you?”

As their eyes met, she blinked rapidly and shook her body. Kwak Soohwan lifted the struggling woman into his arms and walked her inside. Seokhwa didn’t avoid the gaze of the woman, who had red eyes, but stared directly at her. Although he looked closely, there was no recognition between them. Kwak Soohwan laid the woman on the dusty carpet and roughly removed the gag.

“Cough, cough.”

As she coughed dryly, Kwak Soohwan took out water from the backpack and splashed it on her face. The woman looked around nervously, her guard up.

“Are you an enemy?”

Seokhwa also asked her, staying a bit away. It was an assumption since it didn’t seem like Kwak Soohwan would kidnap and tie up a normal person.

Kwak Soohwan gulped down the water and brushed off the debris with his hand.

“Choi Hoeon’s mother. No, could she really be his mother?”

Seokhwa reflexively grabbed Kwak Soohwan’s sleeve. Seokhwa hadn’t yet realized that he kept holding onto Kwak Soohwan without reason.

Now that he looked, the necklace around her neck was gold, and her clothes were made of thick fur. If she had stood properly, one could easily tell she was from the affluent class.

“A tree… we… hope.”

With a voice filled with exhaustion, she looked up at Seokhwa. Seokhwa had already experienced that blind gaze before. It was at Choi Hoeon’s mansion when they escaped.

“At last… finally.”

Tears welled up in the eyes of the middle-aged woman in relief. With a puzzled heart, Seokhwa let go of the sleeve and stepped back. Kwak Soohwan, who was squatting in front of her, placed the water bottle beside her face.

“Ma’am, if I hadn’t been able to bring Dr. Seok back safely, I was thinking of using you a bit. Now that we’ve rescued him safely, I was planning to drop you off somewhere tomorrow, but it seems Dr. Seok’s curiosity is no joke.”