Rainbow City

“Oh Yangseok’s research logs indicate there might have been some issues at the time. A significant part of the logs is missing, but I know him well enough. He used to store sensitive data at his family home. The Red Zone was originally a Green Zone, but it recently changed to a danger zone.”“Oh, so now you’re planning to play military police too, Doctor?”Seokhwa rubbed his eyes wearily with the back of his hand.“Alright. Let’s go with someone else then.”He reached to unbuckle his seatbelt, but Kwak Soohwan grabbed his hand firmly.“If you go with someone else, I’m as good as thrown in the brig?”“Then go to the brig. I’m not the one who’ll be missing out.”Seokhwa spoke each word with deliberate emphasis. Kwak Soohwan let out a laugh, almost exasperated.“Quite a threat. Fine, I’ll go, but don’t blame me if you lose a limb.”Seokhwa grasped the holster with the gun in it tightly.“Let’s go. Wake me when we reach the Red Zone.”And with that, he promptly fell asleep.***It only took thirty minutes to reach the Red Zone from Yeouido, where Oh Yangseok’s family home was located.The area was guarded by soldiers, and despite Adam’s rampages, they couldn’t cross the perimeter. This was where the seventh mutation of Adam began, transforming the zone from Green to Red almost overnight.Before entering the area, Kwak Soohwan stopped the jeep at the checkpoint. Rolling down the window, he showed his ID, and one of the sentries immediately recognized him.“Major Kwak Soohwan, you’re not here to raid the liquor stores again, are you?”The soldier looked pleadingly at him.“Please have mercy on us. We got in so much trouble for not catching you last time you entered the Red Zone. Spare us, please.”Kwak Soohwan tucked his ID back into his uniform.“If I were here to raid again, would I show my ID first? Just move the barbed wire.”“But who’s that beside you…?”The soldier’s expression suggested he thought Kwak Soohwan might be planning to kill and dispose of someone.“He’s not dead, alright?”“Still, Major Kwak Soohwan, we need to verify the identity of your companion for the Red Zone.”The soldier glanced at Seokhwa, who was asleep with his mouth slightly open. It was almost laughable how exhausted he looked after suggesting they head to the Red Zone.“He’s my lover.”Kwak Soohwan caressed Seokhwa’s cheek with his gloved hand. When that didn’t wake him, he patted his cheek gently.“Honey, honey, wake up. You wanted to go on a date in the Red Zone, remember?”The persistent patting finally stirred Seokhwa, who rubbed his forehead, still leaning against the window.“Are we… there yet?”He pulled a high-calorie chocolate bar from his backpack and began to eat it.“Dr. Seok, give me Oh Yangseok’s address and wait here with the soldiers.”Seokhwa, after rinsing his mouth with water, looked pensively into the dark expanse ahead.Due to the ongoing state of national emergency, power was conserved, and only the Green, Blue, and Indigo Zones had consistent lighting. The darkness was such that one couldn’t navigate without a flashlight. Seokhwa eventually spoke up.“…Alright.”Kwak Soohwan, exasperated at Seokhwa’s nonchalance, stopped him from unbuckling and stepped on the gas.“What are you…!”The sudden acceleration caused the jeep’s tires to skid.“Why aren’t you removing the barbed wire?”As he yelled, the jeep started moving forward, barely squeezing through the opening barbed wire, setting off warning sounds from the vehicle.[Beep-Beep- Emergency, Emergency, you have entered the 13th Red Zone. Please turn back. Emergency, Emergency, Emergency.]“Tell me something I don’t know.”Kwak Soohwan turned off the emergency alert on the navigation system and pressed the gas pedal harder. He glanced at Seokhwa, who was gripping his seatbelt with both hands.“Don’t worry.”“…Alright.”He expected Seokhwa to say something more, but he simply replied with a calm “alright.” Kwak Soohwan laughed out loud.“On the day I came in for the booze, I nearly wiped out all the Adams here.”That was why the area was designated a Red Zone, to account for the remaining Adams.“So, consider yourself lucky, Dr. Seok. There’s no one like me left in Rainbow City.”“Major Kwak Soohwan, you didn’t kill Oh Yangseok, did you?”Seokhwa asked calmly.“Who said that? What dog spread such rumors? Although, considering I was his only drinking buddy, strange rumors are bound to pop up. There’s another stupid rumor that I grabbed your head and dunked it in soup. You know that’s not true, right?”“Yes, I know. But one of those rumors is true.”“What?”“The one about Major Kwak Soohwan shoving his erect genitals into my mouth.”Instinctively, he stopped himself from slamming on the brakes and instead pressed the accelerator even harder.“Let’s get the story straight. I didn’t touch you, and I stopped myself.”“Then why did you bring it close to my mouth?”The only light on the dark road came from the headlights. Kwak Soohwan glanced at Seokhwa, confused. Seokhwa was calmly folding his blanket and putting it back in his backpack. Even in the dim car interior, it was obvious he was expressionless.After zipping up his now fuller backpack, Seokhwa restarted the navigation system that Kwak Soohwan had turned off and input Oh Yangseok’s family home address. Following the instructions, Kwak Soohwan made a right turn 200 meters ahead.“You don’t seem too keen on getting an answer.”“No, I’m not.”Seokhwa wasn’t particularly curious. He simply assumed there had been a reason for the erection and that Kwak Soohwan didn’t want to handle it himself.“Dr. Seok, does it still get hard?”“…Yes.”“I was just wondering if you could still perform since you seem as dull as a stone.”“Stones aren’t dull. They have moisture.”“Ah, so that’s why you gathered those precious stones and put them in someone’s socks.”“Why did you give me the socks?”It wasn’t the kind of conversation one should have while driving through a danger zone, but there was no rule against it either.“Some idiot was digging in the sand barefoot, looking like he was freezing to death, so I felt a bit of sympathy.”He glanced down and noticed that although Seokhwa was wearing sneakers, he still wasn’t wearing socks.“Do you have a grudge against socks?”“My feet get too hot.”When his feet overheated, it quickly gave him headaches, so he rarely wore socks even in the cold.[You are near your destination.]At the navigation prompt, Kwak Soohwan switched to high beams, illuminating a broader area. He slowly drove, scanning the clustered houses.“Do you know exactly which house it is?”“I’ve visited a few times.”Oh Yangseok had been fond of Seokhwa. Before moving to Jeju Island, he would occasionally invite Seokhwa to his home for dinner. His wife was kind, and their son, Oh Cheongwoon, was Seokhwa’s direct superior.“There, the house with the garden.”Seokhwa pointed diagonally to a house with a low fence that reached up to their calves. Curiously, the windows and doors were barred, indicating that the security measures had been in place even before the area was designated as a Red Zone. Some families preferred to be extra cautious.Seokhwa unbuckled his seatbelt and slung his backpack over his shoulder, causing his body to lean forward.“Should I stay in the car?”“Why? Are you worried that if Adam attacks, you’ll be a burden to me?”“No, because I don’t want to die.”Seokhwa’s matter-of-fact tone made Kwak Soohwan laugh again.“Then it’s better to come with me. If Adam hasn’t shown up despite us driving around, it might really be wiped out.”Kwak Soohwan removed the cape from his uniform and tossed it onto the back seat. He walked to the passenger side and opened the door, letting Seokhwa step out.There was no eerie wailing of Adam, but as Seokhwa set his feet on the ground, his shoulders stiffened. The silence of the deserted city evoked a strange sense of loneliness. Seokhwa remembered the liveliness this city once had.When invited to Oh Yangseok’s home, Seokhwa would sit at the dining table, and the doctor’s large dog and cat would come over affectionately. Children’s laughter often echoed from the playground. This was the world before Adam appeared. Not an alien invader, but a human-made creature that shattered the peace.Kwak Soohwan kicked some wind-blown trash and stood by the front door, scanning the area with a portable military flashlight. He finally pointed it at the front door, which was securely locked.“Give me the gun.”Instead of handing over the gun, Seokhwa opened the cover of the door lock. The battery was nearly dead, flickering before completely fading.“Do you know the code?”“I did, but it’s useless now. If I give you the gun, you’ll have to file a report on its use.”Crash! Before Seokhwa could finish speaking, Kwak Soohwan kicked the door handle.“I didn’t want to use force, but I hate filing reports even more.”The reason this Major, Kwak Soohwan, and a few other surviving soldiers could face Adam barehanded was because they had evolved beyond normal human limitations. The evolution of humanity from its earliest days to the present was both mysterious and awe-inspiring.Seokhwa glanced down at his legs for a moment. Had he truly evolved? People said he was brilliant, but he felt no different. He was just repeating his research like a programmed macro.He took a deep breath and followed Kwak Soohwan inside. He steadied himself to avoid dizziness and found that the nap in the car had helped; his legs didn’t feel heavy.“We need to go to the second-floor study. Oh Yangseok kept important research materials there.”“The military police likely searched it after he died.”“They probably didn’t find the spot I know.”As they creaked up the wooden stairs, Seokhwa stayed close behind Kwak Soohwan. He turned his body to press his back against Kwak Soohwan’s, holding the gun with both hands and moving backward up the stairs in sync with him.“Dr. Seok, what are you doing?”Kwak Soohwan stopped abruptly, clearly puzzled by Seokhwa’s actions.“I’m covering you.”This time, it was Seokhwa who looked puzzled.“You think you know something from what you’ve seen somewhere. Don’t stumble back up the stairs and fall, just stick close and follow me properly. And put that thing away. You might accidentally shoot me.”Seokhwa glanced at the gun he was holding and quietly holstered it. The only sound now was the creaking of the wooden stairs, with no sign of the distinct, throat-scratching growls of Adam. The door had been securely locked, so no one could have broken in.Kwak Soohwan could have walked faster, but he matched his pace to ensure the frail Doctor wouldn’t stumble.“It’s the first room on the left.”At the top of the stairs, the first room on the left was Oh Yangseok’s study. Fortunately, the door wasn’t locked, and Kwak Soohwan entered first, sweeping the area with his flashlight.“Clear.” He said briefly, untying the string from the flashlight and hanging it from the ceiling light fixture. It wasn’t as bright as a fluorescent light, but it illuminated the room well enough.Seokhwa walked to Oh Yangseok’s bookshelf and began searching through it with his hand. Kwak Soohwan sat on the desk, picking up a crookedly placed frame.The photo showed an elderly man smiling brightly, a woman who seemed to be his wife next to him, and in front of them, a young man who looked like a high school student. The photo seemed quite old.He soon lost interest and looked at Seokhwa. For someone usually slow, Seokhwa seemed unusually quick. He was stuffing a few thin books and what looked like research materials into his backpack. As it got too full, he took out the blanket, draped it over his shoulder, and continued packing.“Kwak Soohwan Major.”Seokhwa looked burdened as he stood up with the backpack. Kwak Soohwan thought he might topple backward from the weight.“Are you done?”“Get up from there.”Seokhwa approached and started pushing the large desk. Unable to bear watching, Kwak Soohwan gave the desk a hard shove.“Ha, did the old man dig a tunnel under his house?”The floor, previously covered by the desk, had a handle. Seokhwa tried to lift it but looked at Kwak Soohwan, who was standing with his arms crossed.“Thank you.”“What?”Seokhwa stepped back, gripping his backpack straps tightly, clearly asking for help.“What kind of situation is this, thanking someone before they’ve even done anything?”Kwak Soohwan grabbed the handle and lifted the floor door.At that moment, they heard the sound of something running up the stairs.Kwak Soohwan quickly grabbed Seokhwa by the collar and pushed him back, grabbing the neck of the creature charging at them. It was thrashing in Kwak Soohwan’s grip, letting out Adam’s characteristic shriek.“…Sunbae?”Seokhwa, who had fallen to the floor, mumbled in shock. The wildly convulsing body suddenly seemed to freeze. Slowly blinking, the creature grasped Kwak Soohwan’s wrist with both hands.“…Se, …hwa?”The unclear sound came from its mouth, but Kwak Soohwan heard it. Seokhwa had called it Sunbae, and the creature had said Seokhwa’s name.“Se, Sunbae?”Seokhwa struggled to his feet, supporting himself on the floor. He had thought it was an Adam attack. But the attacker was none other than Oh Yangseok’s son, his superior, Oh Cheongwoon.“…Hwa…ya…”Sunbae reached out, calling desperately.“…Can’t… breathe… Seok…hwa.”Should he tell Kwak Soohwan to let go? Was this really Sunbae? Seokhwa was utterly confused.“Dr. Seok, bring me the flashlight.”At the clear command, Seokhwa handed him the flashlight that was hanging. Holding the creature by the neck, Kwak Soohwan shone the light on its face. The blood vessels in its eyes had burst, and its lips were caked with dried blood.“Answer my questions properly from now on.”“Yes.”Seokhwa stepped back and drew his gun again.“No, put that gun away. Do you think you can accurately aim and shoot us both at this distance?”Feeling that holding it was better than not, Seokhwa didn’t put it away this time.“Looking at its condition, it seems like an Adam, right?”“From the outside, yes.”“But have Adams ever spoken like us? Was there ever such a research finding?”“Not until I went to Jeju Island. And I haven’t heard such reports from other researchers.”Oh Cheongwoon, whose neck was being held, made strange animalistic sounds, repeatedly saying he couldn’t breathe. He looked emaciated, like a mummy. However, his pronunciation was gradually improving. Kwak Soohwan, sensing something was off, pulled out his radio from inside his uniform and spoke into it.“This is Code Number 3121 Major Kwak Soohwan. We’ve found what seems to be an Adam at Oh Yangseok’s residence in Sector 13 Red Zone. It appears to be capable of communication. Requesting immediate support from the Adam recovery team.”[Copy that.]The response came back promptly.“If you keep choking him like that, he might die…”Seokhwa was still confused. Was he human? Adam? Had Sunbae gone mad with grief after Oh Yangseok’s death?Growls and cries echoed around them, blending into a cacophony of desperation.Kwak Soohwan pushed the wildly flailing creature against the wall. Its blood-soaked teeth clattered as it tried to bite, but this was no longer something that could be called human. It was an Adam, and it had its eyes fixed on Seokhwa with a predatory gleam. Just as Kwak Soohwan was about to plunge his knife into its eye without a second thought, he hesitated. He spun the knife in his hand and glanced back at Seokhwa.“You said you knew this person?”Seokhwa nodded slowly.“This is an Adam, right?”If they delayed their judgment even for a second, they themselves could become Adams.‘Show no mercy to anything suspected of being an Adam. Kill it immediately. Even if it’s your parents, they are no longer human.’This was drilled into them at the training center. However, humanity nearly faced extinction because emotions made that simple judgment difficult to make.“Dr. Seok.”Seokhwa nodded again, though uncertain. The fact that they could even have this conversation in front of a raging Adam was bewildering. He now understood why the military couldn’t easily let go of someone as uncontrollable as Major Kwak Soohwan, and why Lt. Col. Jang went to great lengths to protect him. Kwak Soohwan not only protected others from the Adam that lunged at them but also subdued it in an instant. If not for him, Seokhwa might have already been killed by his Sunbae.“Dr. Seok, don’t resent me. These things were once someone’s acquaintances, neighbors, and family.”With a swift motion, Kwak Soohwan ended the Adam’s life. More precisely, he stopped its movements completely.***[Adam 7th Mutation Report: It seems Adams are developing intelligence.]They were on their way back to the Yeouido shelter.Seokhwa was reviewing the research notes Oh Yangseok had personally compiled. After a while, he pulled another chocolate bar from his backpack and ate it, following it with a pill. The water bottle he had filled was now almost empty.“Don’t you need to pee?”