Rainbow City

“In the book I read, it said that some nobleman denied the existence of God three times, but there’s nothing like that here. Do you really think I won’t question this guy to you? Knowing full well what you people have done? Capturing innocent soldiers for all sorts of experiments, and now someone like that is supposed to be a savior for Dr. Seok? Farewell, ma’am.”

It was the moment when Adam brought his face close to his neck.

“Major Kwak…!”

Seokhwa’s face standing in front of the door turned pale.

Kwak Soohwan grabbed Adam, who was staggering with broken teeth, from behind. He stabbed the back of his head with a knife, stopping him without directly breaking his skull.

Seokhwa, holding onto the uniform coat, didn’t even flinch as if doubting his own eyes.

“It was a joke, ma’am. Just playing around.”

As if inviting him, he spread his hands, then quickly took off his gloves as if he had been defeated.

“Hmm?”

With a smile added, he looked truly mischievous. Despite knowing he wasn’t serious, Seokhwa still felt a strange unfamiliarity. Although he owed his life to Kwak Soohwan several times, he couldn’t claim to know him well. What he knew was that he was like an unpredictable mutant with no flaws and took care of him better than anyone else. Perhaps that’s why his behavior just now felt unsettling.

“Why are you up already?”

Not thinking of that, Seokhwa couldn’t hide his gaze when Kwak Soohwan approached. He lowered his eyes to confirm the woman sprawled on the carpet. Adam’s fur was stained with blood, but there were no signs of infection.

“Aren’t you coming?”

Kwak Soohwan slightly frowned as if offended.

“Don’t play such jokes.”

“Got it. I won’t do it again.”

Only then did Seokhwa start walking forward.

“Shall we start moving?”

“Where to?”

“You’ll know when we get there.”

He slung the backpack over one shoulder and cut the rope tying the woman’s legs. He then moved the hands that had been tied behind her to the front and tied them again.

With his legs having been bound for so long, the woman couldn’t put any strength into them, so Seokhwa supported her from the side. Kwak Soohwan, who hadn’t seen this, stopped the woman himself. After trying to load her into the trunk but hesitating, he put her in the back seat.

The woman only trembled silently, with only her bound hands shaking. If a savior hadn’t appeared, she might have really been infected by Adam. Although it was brushed off as a joke, Kwak Soohwan’s face showed no emotion at that moment. He felt something was definitely going wrong. Given Kwak Soohwan’s obsession with Seokhwa, if they returned safely, it would be difficult to involve Kwak Soohwan. Could they return safely? However, as long as Seokhwa was there, he believed Kwak Soohwan wouldn’t act cruelly.

Seokhwa tore open the bread bag that Kwak Soohwan handed him and handed a piece to the woman’s hands. Instead of eating the bread Seokhwa handed over, she held it tightly with both hands.

“Got plenty of rations, huh?”

Ignoring the sarcasm, he handed the remaining piece to Kwak Soohwan.

“Dr. Seok can have it.”

He pulled the seatbelt from the passenger seat and fastened it before starting the engine.

“Ma’am, I can’t drop you off at Busan Harbor because of the hunting dogs chasing me, but I’ll drop you off at the nearest available payphone, so make your own way from there.”

Kwak Soohwan shifted into gear and pressed the accelerator pedal hard. Seokhwa watched carefully how Kwak Soohwan shifted gears. First gear, second gear, he mentally drew the gears according to the speed, and it seemed like he remembered correctly from Choi Ho-eon’s car.

Seokhwa chewed the remaining bread tightly and rinsed his mouth with water. Even though he didn’t feel like it, he carefully wiped his teeth with the oral tissue from the auxiliary drawer, poured water into the coin tissue, and waited for it to swell. Kwak Soohwan glanced at him wiping his face with the unfolded tissue.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t understand his discomfort with cleanliness.

“Want to take a shower?”

“I’m fine.”

It didn’t rain often in the city, but he could find frozen ponds. Even in the middle of winter during his time in the army, he had to jump into the pond, but every time he did, it wasn’t water that wrapped around his body, it was ice. It might be okay for me, but it would be difficult for Seokhwa to bathe in an ice pond.

“If you need a helicopter.”

The woman behind spoke up.

“It would be convenient if we had one, but we have no intention of going to Busan Harbor.”

“There are other places besides Busan Harbor.”

Seokhwa found it a little strange with the tone of voice, as if he were being treated like a child.

“Why should I believe you.”

Screech, Kwak Soohwan suddenly slammed on the brakes and parked the car in front of the payphone.

Getting out of the car, he pulled the woman from the back seat and cut the landline of the payphone with a jackknife. Shielded from view and happening in a split second, Seokhwa couldn’t see it.

Kwak Soohwan got into the driver’s seat before the woman could say anything.

When he looked at the woman whose hands were tied in front of her, he suddenly pressed the accelerator. Seokhwa’s body lurched forward.

“Major Kwak.”

“Just getting out of the Green Zone and dropping you off somewhere safe should suffice. And we’re being chased now, right? Falcons have come all the way to Busan.”

In fact, the Green Zone was a bit far from here, but with luck, they could return safely. Kwak Soohwan turned up the volume of the radio tuned to the frequency.

If he could hijack a helicopter, he planned to go straight from Busan to Jeju Island. Since that became impossible, he found another way even if it meant going back a little. There was no need to take risks here.

Kwak Soohwan unfolded the map of Rainbow City, bypassing the marked X and connecting the possible routes with a pen.

“Haenam…?”

“You know?”

“It’s the first time I’ve heard of it.”

The map of Rainbow City could be obtained by a commander or rescued, and it was also prohibited to be taken out by ordinary citizens. Even being a doctor didn’t make an exception. That’s why Choi Ho-eon went down to Busan from the 21 Violet Zone by following the railroad tracks.

While driving the Jeep, one could easily see places that had become ruins here and there. The owners of the abandoned old houses were now vines. A flock of crows sat in a row on top, watching as the Jeep moved. Non-infectious birds had increased in number, and they were good as food as well. Most people outside the city lived in tribes, and their main food source was those birds.

“Major Kwak.”

“Yeah.”

Still, it was hard to believe they were being chased while driving on a quiet rural road.

“May I… drive?”

Kwak Soohwan widened his eyes a little.

“You haven’t learned.”

“I think I can do it. And Major Kwak needs to rest too.”

The falcons searching Busan probably wouldn’t know that their destination was Haenam. Since they had traveled quite a distance, Kwak Soohwan planned to park the car in some dense woods and rest.

“Can you see the map?”

“I think so.”

Whenever Kwak Soohwan moved according to the map, Seokhwa also followed along with his eyes.

“If Adam appears, can I just accept it? Then, I’ll hand over the steering wheel.”

“…Okay.”

Although he was suspicious, Kwak Soohwan handed the driver’s seat to Seokhwa for now.

Driving was always his job, so there was a considerable tension when their positions were reversed. Seokhwa calmly shifted gears as he had seen before, and Kwak Soohwan, who had tried to snatch the steering wheel whenever there was a problem, was taken aback at how smoothly he put the gear in and stepped on the pedal.

Although his movements were slow, it seemed there was no problem with driving the car. Kwak Soohwan couldn’t help but burst into laughter for a moment.

“Why?”

Seokhwa asked, facing straight ahead.

“You’re like a sloth.”

“I’m not.”

“Do you know what a sloth is?”

“I’ve never seen one. But the name sounds slow.”

“I’ve never seen one either, but they say in books they’re incredibly slow.”

Kwak Soohwan couldn’t stop chuckling as he leaned his head against the headrest.

“Why go to Haenam?”

“Because that’s where my treasure trove is.”

With his arms crossed, Kwak Soohwan closed his eyes. He was worried, but if he kept a close watch, Seokhwa would feel burdened.

Screech! Suddenly, Seokhwa slammed on the brakes and looked at the steering wheel in surprise. It was the moment when he felt it wouldn’t work out and was about to reclaim the steering wheel.

“A squirrel!”

The squirrel that popped out of the bushes was already running in the opposite direction.

“But the squirrel didn’t say ‘cheese.'”

Seokhwa, eager not to lose the steering wheel, spoke faster than usual. After putting the gear into first and getting it back, he started again.

“I’ll do well, so don’t worry.”

As he put the car into second gear and accelerated, Kwak Soohwan closed his eyes again.

“Counting on you, bro.”

Focusing more on this wouldn’t be productive. Might as well just doze off. Kwak Soohwan hadn’t slept properly for over two days, so his head felt slightly groggy. Being the type to fall asleep as soon as he put his head on a pillow, he could soon doze off.

Seokhwa had been alternating between checking the old signposts and maps. It was fortunate that the weather had cleared up. If it had been bad weather, he might not have brought up the idea of driving himself. Every time he accelerated, he put the gear back in and gripped the sturdy steering wheel tightly. Military jeeps had tight steering, so he had to exert a lot of force every time he turned.

Around 10 a.m., when he had some leeway in driving, he felt more relaxed. However, apart from the road in front of them, there was nothing to see elsewhere. But that was enough to know about the outside world.

Driving around on the road in zigzags was an experience he had never had, even in his dreams. The engine roared like a living creature, and the steering wheel trembled. The car often jolted on the dry grass stems covering the road, but driving himself, he didn’t feel nauseous.

Electricity surged from his tailbone to the tip of his head. And for some reason, it felt like there was moisture in his eyes.

For over thirty years, he had only known Jeju Island or Yeouido, and even there, he had spent most of his time in learning centers and shelters. So why did Oh Yang-seok invite him home from time to time? Because he pitied the researcher who was confined to the lab without seeing the wider world? Even the changing angle of the sun shining through the window seemed marvelous. Driving like this, it felt like no one was chasing him, and he could be free, regardless of Rainbow City.

He had thought the constrained life was natural and that was freedom. Since he had never looked back on an autonomous life, he had only been a part of Rainbow City so far.

[Beginning of Hope, Land’s End Haenam] Eventually, a faded but clear welcome sign appeared.

***

Kwak Soohwan woke up when they entered Haenam, just as Seokhwa was struggling with the directions.

Finding Dalmasan in Haenam, where their destination was, was somewhat of a challenge, but the road to the helipad was confusing even for those who had been there. Despite that, Kwak Soohwan just tilted his head and watched Seokhwa. Seokhwa, who had been concentrating on the front, looked the most serious he had ever seen.

“Dr. Seok, aren’t you pressing too hard on the pedal?”

Kwak Soohwan drank water to clear his throat, as Seokhwa, who was driving up the unpaved road of Dalmasan, gently applied the brakes.

“Are you awake?”

It was winter, so it was lucky, but if it had been the bushy summer, they would have lost their way long ago. Kwak Soohwan checked the clock built into the car’s body. It was already 1 p.m. Without realizing it, he had slept deeply, so he could alleviate some of his fatigue.

“I’ll take it from here.”

As Kwak Soohwan got out of the passenger seat, Seokhwa immediately moved to the driver’s seat. He seemed to have no strength left to get off. But when he came to the driver’s seat and grabbed the steering wheel, Seokhwa’s warmth was comforting. Looking closely to see if he was okay, Kwak Soohwan noticed a flush on Seokhwa’s cheek. It seemed not to be pain but rather excitement. That shook his heart quite a bit.

Kwak Soohwan restarted the jeep and pressed the pedal in the direction of the helipad.

“You surprised me. You drive well.”

Seokhwa felt a sting from his praise. It was because he had almost stalled the car several times by putting the gear in wrong while Seokhwa was sleeping. 

“I’m not that good.” 

“No, you’re better than Yang Sang-hoon when he got his license. That guy probably took three months just to memorize first gear.” 

Even though he had broken gears several times with force.

Seokhwa’s hands still tingling, he clenched and unclenched his fists. After about ten minutes of driving, a helipad with an H logo came into view. Even that looked desolate with dry weeds growing everywhere. On the opposite side, there was a mobile home, strangely made of metal rather than wood.

Kwak Soohwan turned the steering wheel and parked the jeep behind it. He gestured for Seokhwa to get out quickly as he jumped out of the car. Kicking the metal door at the back, he then opened the cover of the door lock and entered the password effortlessly. As Seokhwa got out of the car, the sound of the door opening was heard.

Kwak Soohwan forcefully opened the long-closed metal door. The stale smell of dust hit his nose. After ventilating for a while, he and Seokhwa were able to enter. Instead of electricity, the interior was filled with car batteries on one wall. When Kwak Soohwan used the battery to turn on the light bulb, the dark interior brightened up. Seokhwa looked around with his mouth agape. Dozens of pistols, submachine guns, and sniper rifles with telescopes hung on the walls, along with various unidentified keys.

“Where is this…?”

“My treasure trove.”

Kwak Soohwan activated the ventilation fan and took off his uniform coat. Then, he opened the door of the shower booth on one side while pulling off his shirt. Click, click, as he turned on the shower knob, water surprisingly started pouring from above. After letting the water run for a while, Kwak Soohwan undressed completely. With a beckoning gesture, he motioned for Seokhwa to come closer.

Seokhwa, with his smooth skin’s contours, approached Kwak Soohwan hungrily. Unable to resist the temptation of the shower, he began to undress one by one. Water fell from the rounded faucet, not a showerhead, and even getting close felt chilling.

Wanting to feel more of the cold that lingered in the mountains, Seokhwa, now similarly naked, embraced Kwak Soohwan. Despite his cool body temperature, he felt hot in this cold. As the strong water jets hit Kwak Soohwan’s back, the coldness returned to Seokhwa.

Alone in their mountain, it felt like they were the only two in the world, as his laughter suggested. Seokhwa wrapped his arms around Kwak Soohwan’s waist, and they hugged tightly. Water mixed with their breaths and created a humid atmosphere, bringing them closer together. The water acted as a conduit, intensifying their closeness. After exhaling, Seokhwa whispered.

“Us… living here?”

“Maybe?”

Up to this point, they might not be traced by the City. There was no law that said they couldn’t survive by hunting animals in the mountains. But being chased wouldn’t change. As Seokhwa leaned on Kwak Soohwan’s shoulder, he felt the cold water hit him again.

“In the future, Dr. Seok will go to Jeju Island.”

Seokhwa just nodded.

Having experienced the vast world from Seoul to Busan and then to Haenam, returning to the narrow world seemed acceptable. Looking back on these memorable days in the future, at least it might be better than the unimaginable old days. One fear remained. The fact that Seokhwa called him a second could mean he wanted to use him as an experiment.

When Seokhwa’s hand touched Kwak Soohwan’s buttocks, his muscles tensed. Seokhwa caressed his curved buttocks with his hands and looked up.

This might be their last time together. Seokhwa wanted to hold onto Kwak Soohwan’s body everywhere. Kwak Soohwan, unaware of this, felt awkward if Seokhwa wanted to insert something. If he said he did it, Major Kwak wouldn’t have any words if Seokhwa asked why he couldn’t. Fortunately, Seokhwa moved his hand from his buttocks to his thighs. As Seokhwa gently touched his thigh, Kwak Soohwan’s penis began to rise.

Seokhwa looked down at his penis touching his abdomen. The sensation of flesh piercing his skin somehow satisfied him. When he lightly grasped his hard penis from his hard thighs, a low moan escaped. When he shook it gently, Kwak Soohwan strengthened his grip on his penis with force. Like a starving person, he repeated biting and sucking on his neck.

Seokhwa lifted his head and pressed his glans with his palm. The copious amount of precum mixed with water and became slightly sticky. Water droplets hitting his eyes made him close them, focusing all his senses on the sound and touch.

The sticky tongue licking his throat and the expansion of Seokhwa’s penis, increasing in size to an almost uncomfortable level, felt realistically close. Kwak Soohwan also firmly grasped Seokhwa’s semi-erect penis. He had to consciously control his grip. He knew that if he didn’t restrain himself, he would be overwhelmed by the intense desire to burst.

“Ah, feels good.” Just hearing Seokhwa’s voice made everything below melt.

“Should I touch you harder?” “…Harder.”

As Seokhwa grasped and shook his rigid member, Seokhwa pressed closer. Seokhwa tried to rub Kwak Soohwan’s member with as much force as he could, but he couldn’t match his strength. As it shook rapidly, a tingling sensation started from his thighs. Seokhwa pushed his chest away. It was too early to finish. He pushed Kwak Soohwan back again, who surprisingly withdrew easily. Then, without hesitation, he knelt down.

He could sense Kwak Soohwan’s surprise, but he took his thick glans into his mouth. Digging into the wet hair, he tickled his ear with his thumb. Seokhwa twisted his head slightly with the member in his mouth, causing the glans to pop out. A significant amount of fluid flowed out, mixing with the water, and he swallowed it down. As he moved his tongue downward, he started to navigate the path inside his mouth as Kwak Soohwan had taught him before.

Kwak Soohwan looked down and met Seokhwa’s gaze as he sucked and inserted his member deeper, leaving a faint impression on his forehead when he went deeper. He wanted to hold onto his head and push it all the way in. Seokhwa wasn’t usually passive, but today he was more assertive.

“Dr. Seok, did you want this too?”

When Kwak Soohwan slapped his waist, Seokhwa looked up. With the member in his mouth, he made him shiver. Kwak Soohwan inserted his hand into Seokhwa’s armpit and lifted him up. Drool and water dripped from his slightly open mouth. He reached behind to lock the shower knob, then inserted his tongue into Seokhwa’s wet cave. Seokhwa eagerly moved his lips against his, their bodies heating up.

Kwak Soohwan constantly licked and nibbled on his lips and chin. It wasn’t just a delusion to feel like he was being eaten up from head to toe when they kissed or intertwined their bodies. Kwak Soohwan’s hand trembled slightly. He was worried about accidentally hurting him. Even though he was exhausted, he wouldn’t easily get hurt. He explored Seokhwa’s arm while continuing the kiss, even gently touching the bandages on his forearm. Despite being wet, fortunately, there was no sign of bleeding.

“Major Kwak… harder, please.”

Seokhwa clasped his hands around Kwak Soohwan’s neck.

“I’m worried.”

“I want it.”

When he spoke into his ear, Kwak Soohwan spread his buttocks wide. Exposing the inside to the cold air made Seokhwa shiver. As he slipped his fingers into the federal opening, Seokhwa writhed with pleasure. When the moist fingers pushed inside, his hips twisted. Seokhwa pressed closer without pulling back.

Kwak Soohwan felt proud to see Seokhwa come out like this. He gently spread the tightly closed insides with two fingers. He thought it would be firmly closed, but it quickly softened as if it remembered the sensation of insertion, so he wrapped his hand around it.

When he scratched the slightly protruding area inside, Seokhwa blinked in stimulation. Instead of coming and going, the stimulation continued to spread. Seokhwa lightly bit down and shivered. His thick fingers weren’t enough. Wanting to fill him deeper and tighter, he released his arms and rotated his body. His fingers got stuck in the hole and slipped out, causing his legs to buckle, but he managed to hold onto the wall in front of him.

Seokhwa pulled his waist back and pressed his buttocks against his member. With one hand, he inserted Kwak Soohwan’s swollen member into the hole.

“Dr. Seok… I’m not a whore.”

He said it as if blaming, but there was a pleasant smile on his face.

He wished Kwak Soohwan would insert it quickly, but Kwak Soohwan played with the hole as if teasing, repeatedly pressing and lifting it up. Seokhwa leaned his cheek against the wall and held his own member with both hands. He felt the heat rising in his eyes because he couldn’t release the pleasure as he wanted. He couldn’t wait any longer and bit Kwak Soohwan’s neck, causing him to turn around to face him.

“Look around like earlier. Hmm?”

Seokhwa clasped his fingers around Kwak Soohwan’s neck again. He held on tightly to prevent slipping due to moisture, and Kwak Soohwan lifted one of Seokhwa’s legs.

Ah, it hurts. Seokhwa had never torn his legs like this before, so he tried to put it down again. But before that, his member touched the hole past the testicles. Then, abruptly, he spread Seokhwa’s thighs with both hands. His shoulders pressed against the wall, and the lower part floated in the air. He barely managed to hold onto the wall with both arms around his neck, but the position was too unstable.

He pushed his glans into the hole. From that moment, Kwak Soohwan stared at Seokhwa’s face. Only the sound of panting came from his wide-open mouth. To get a little more comfortable, he wrapped his legs around Kwak Soohwan’s waist, and he hugged him tightly, penetrating deeply.

“Ah…! Ah…”

As the inside expanded, he gagged. His hands slipped off his neck, and his legs did the same.

“Back, back, please,” Seokhwa urgently muttered. Kwak Soohwan pinched and then gently caressed Seokhwa’s exposed nipple.

“Can you take it?”

“Quickly.”

As Kwak Soohwan let go of Seokhwa, the member slid in effortlessly. Seokhwa reflexively hugged his buttocks. He pressed his thighs together, waiting for the dizzying sensation of pain to pass. Ironically, it was Kwak Soohwan who couldn’t wait upon seeing his backside.

“I wanted to see your face.”

He grabbed Seokhwa’s wrists and pulled him towards him. He inserted his erect member into the slightly open hole. The tight opening enveloped the member, and the pillar trapped between the buttocks was excessively provocative. Drops of water dripped from Kwak Soohwan’s hair down his back. The droplet that slid down between his buttock bones encircled the joined hole.

As Kwak Soohwan pushed the member further in, Seokhwa’s abdomen convulsed.

“It… went in.”

“It’s not visible.”

“No, but… ah, it’s all in.”

He cried out that it was all in even though there was still a long way to go. Kwak Soohwan pressed Seokhwa against the wall. He grabbed Seokhwa’s member, which had slightly sagged from pain. As he stimulated him with his hand, he felt the tension in the inner walls gradually loosen. Each time, Kwak Soohwan pushed the member a little further inside.

Seokhwa tried to turn his head to see where it was inserted, but Kwak Soohwan didn’t miss the opportunity and kissed him. When he tried to turn his face again, Kwak Soohwan pushed the other cheek, preventing any movement. From lips to below, he completely invaded, leaving Seokhwa unable to focus. It felt like the member, fully inserted inside, was vibrating his navel. Finally, he managed to turn his face back, and his tongue tingled.

“Can I move?”

“Ha… not yet.”

Contrary to his words, Seokhwa’s inside alternated between enveloping and releasing Kwak Soohwan’s member. He lifted his waist forcefully. Although it felt like his buttocks were being hit, the inner sensation overshadowed any pain. Slowly pulling back his waist felt like falling endlessly downward. However, from Seokhwa’s member, a slow fluid trickled down as Kwak Soohwan scratched the prostate.

Kwak Soohwan placed his hand on Seokhwa’s abdomen as he gradually increased the pace. Although he felt sorry for his thin body, he felt as if he was holding his own inside when he thrust in.

“It’s… getting bigger.”

“It’s okay, it won’t hurt.”

Kwak Soohwan lowered his lips to Seokhwa’s shoulder.

“Ha, can I go harder?”

He had been asking for it since earlier. Kwak Soohwan licked his round shoulder with his tongue.

“We’ll go slowly. We still have time.”

He said it would be okay to roll around here for a while longer.

“But it’s the last time, so it’s the last.”

Stopping his movements, Kwak Soohwan asked puzzledly, “The last?”

Seokhwa, breathing heavily, detached his wet lips.

“I’m going to Jeju Island. I won’t see you anymore. Uh!”

He hugged Seokhwa tightly with both arms and pulled him towards him. His toes stood firmly.

“You thought I wouldn’t see you?”

“Uh, ah, it’s deep, too much…”

“Was Dr. Seok okay with it?”

It was right to go because of him being chased. Seokhwa nodded weakly.

“You’re okay with me never seeing you again?”

Not understanding the meaning of the question, Seokhwa moaned softly.

“Inside…my belly… hurts.”

“No?”

Seokhwa tried to push his leg to push his leg out. But the sole of his foot that had touched the floor slipped away. Holding onto him with both arms, he turned to look at him. They were too close, so he could only see his lips in his sight.

“Tell me it’s not.”

Although his lips moved lightly, he felt strange.