Rainbow City

Ukk

, Seokhwa retched. Feeling the chill of Choi Hoeon’s hand, his stomach turned so violently that he almost vomited. Choi Hoeon twisted his head and wiped away any trace of laughter.

“It must be motion sickness on the unpaved road.”

“No. Don’t touch me.”

“Surely, I’m not making you sick?”

“…”

Choi Hoeon offered a bottle of water, insisting there’s no way he could be the cause of Seokhwa’s nausea.

“Despite Major Kwak Soohwan and I sticking together, I’m suddenly the one making you sick while I’m just searching for my mother’s memories with my brother?”

During his time at the Jeju Learning Center, Seokhwa knew a peculiar classmate. Although generally quiet and introverted, he was kind to Seokhwa. However, whenever something happened to the mulberry tree he cared for or someone disturbed the soil, he would suddenly transform and cause a ruckus.

Seokhwa, who already preferred solitude, avoided him even more thoroughly after that. Someone who exhibited pathological attachment to something was not someone Seokhwa could handle. He found it somewhat frightening not knowing when or why he might explode. It was like experiencing vague terror when looking into the unknown depths of the sea.

“Am I making you sick?”

Indifferently, Seokhwa responded to Choi Hoeon, who seemed determined to hear a reply.

“Yes.”

“Why? We’re family, aren’t we?”

“We’re not family. Major Kwak Soohwan is my only family.”

One of the reasons why Choi Hoeon boasted such a high approval rating as a master was his appearance. As a young leader and handsome man, he exuded a peculiar charm that captivated people. His flawless exterior filled others with pride in having chosen him as their leader.

If Seokhwa had looked at Choi Hoeon from a distance, he might have thought he was a suitable candidate for the next generation of leaders. But up close, he wasn’t. Seokhwa tried to check if Kwak Soohwan’s jeep was following, but with Choi Hoeon’s rough grip preventing him from turning around, he felt like he might vomit again.

“If you refuse, there’s nothing I can do. That’s just how families are.”

“Dr. Choi and I were estranged for decades.”

“I knew. I knew everything. I knew about you living with Mother in Jeju Island. Did Mother never talk about me?”

“No.”

Choi Hoeon released the hand he was gripping Seokhwa’s face with.

“If the vaccine development succeeds, I’ll help with mass production.”

Choi Hoeon, still looking a bit tired, applied pressure to the arm still bleeding. Seokhwa didn’t think there was any sincerity in the author’s words.

“Destroy all the Adams.”

Seokhwa remained unmoved.

“Including all the fallen.”

Choi Hoeon’s white bandage was sticky with red blood. Seokhwa tried not to question the term “fallen.” He had already experienced several unfortunate incidents by tangling with the Serpent.

“Master.”

The soldier in the front passenger seat cautiously interrupted Choi Hoeon, who had his eyes closed. Choi Hoeon only nodded in response.

“The 2nd jeep is not connecting through the radio.”

Surprisingly, it was Seokhwa who was perplexed.

“It seems something has happened.”

“What happened?”

Seokhwa leaned forward to the front passenger seat.

“Go check it out yourself and come back.”

“Yes, I’ll confirm and join. If I can’t join, I’ll leave it to you, Master.”

A soldier armed with a pistol, rifle, and radio descended from the vehicle. Seokhwa attempted to follow suit, but Choi Hoeon pulled out a belt and strapped himself in, preventing Seokhwa from getting out. With a click, he inserted a jackknife into the belt buckle, making it impossible to remove.

“Let’s go again.”

Seokhwa glanced back at the federal. The sight of armed soldiers ascending was soon engulfed in darkness. If something had happened to the jeep he was in, Seokhwa wanted to believe it was Kwak Soohwan’s successful escape.

“Take a breath. We still have a long way to go.”

Seokhwa tried to pull up the jackknife’s handle, but it was futile. He soon grabbed onto the belt crossing his body with both hands tightly. The desire to stretch out on the seat and catch some sleep was overwhelming. Having not slept properly for days since coming down from Russia, he was barely holding on with sheer willpower. Since all his focus was on Kwak Soohwan, he couldn’t imagine being able to sleep peacefully anyway.

Should he have lived in Russia after all? If he had lived under the protection of Kwak Soohwan until he died, would he not have felt this anxiety? Seokhwa still found these emotions burdensome. It was only because of Kwak Soohwan that he could endure the pain he wouldn’t have been able to recognize otherwise. When there was a physical wound, there was at least a visible place to treat it, but when emotions hurt, he didn’t even know where to begin.

Seokhwa glanced sideways at Choi Hoeon, who had his eyes closed. Despite claiming to be brothers, there was not a single resemblance. The same was true for the Second Master. He had thought he would feel nothing at his death, but Seokhwa realized he was more sentimental than he thought. The vivid memory of Choi Hoeon shouting for him to shoot was now of someone who was no longer of this world. He had been alive just a few minutes ago… It felt strange.

“Why?”

Choi Hoeon’s eyes opened slightly, sensing his gaze. Meeting his eyes, Seokhwa didn’t hide his guardedness and impolite gaze.

“If you think it’s because I killed the Second, I couldn’t help it. Keeping him alive would only cause complications. The Second lacks the qualities of a leader. Rather…”

Choi Hoeon stopped himself mid-sentence.

“It feels like an excuse, doesn’t it? Fine, I’ll admit it. I just wanted to kill him. I’ve wanted to for a long time.”

Having witnessed countless deaths of Adams alongside Kwak Soohwan and seeing him kill numerous Adams to save Seokhwa, he had never killed a healthy soldier or person. Even when faced with bandits who raided their food supplies in Russia, he didn’t take lives.

“It’s easier to kill, but we shouldn’t get used to it.” After subduing the bandits, Kwak Soohwan had said. Seokhwa thought he meant not to become accustomed to murder. But it wasn’t that. He was worried about Seokhwa.

Killing others to survive is never wrong. Moreover, Seokhwa couldn’t become the kind of person who would spread his arms to embrace someone when they wielded a knife. Death was an obstacle to be avoided, and there was no need to deliberately face the reaper.

Kwak Soohwan tried to ensure that even if he killed someone, he didn’t lose his human dignity. If one became numb to the death of others, they could no longer be called human. In a world where people couldn’t be humane, Kwak Soohwan protected Seokhwa. That’s why he could mourn the death of the Second.

A message came through the radio in the jeep, startling Seokhwa, and the driver handed the radio to Choi Hoeon.

“Speak.”

“Four bodies?”

Choi Hoeon furrowed his brow.

“We’ll send a support team to retrieve the bodies.”

Choi Hoeon handed the radio back and looked at Seokhwa.

Seokhwa was frozen, staring straight ahead. But there was nothing in his line of sight. They said there were four bodies. Including Kwak Soohwan, there were four people in the jeep.

It was unbelievable. It was hard to believe that everyone had died in the ravine. But Seokhwa had seen the steep cliff into the ravine. Even if it was Kwak Soohwan, if he had crashed while trapped in the jeep…

Seokhwa, frozen like a statue, raised the jackknife’s handle and gripped it. Sweat chilled his hands, sliding down, staining the blade and handle with blood in an instant.

“Dr. Seokhwa, stop.”

Choi Hoeon forcibly removed Seokhwa’s hand. His throat felt tight as if swallowing mud. He wanted to scream, to say he would check himself, but only silence filled the air. He grabbed Choi Hoeon by the collar. He wanted to speak, but he couldn’t make a sound as if someone had ruined his vocal cords. Ironically, Seokhwa was the one who had become the reaper to Kwak Soohwan.

***

Both hands, cut by the knife, were wrapped in bandages, and his hair was still damp while his breath was stagnant. Before him was a sumptuous feast he hadn’t been able to see before, yet he couldn’t swallow any of the food as if his throat were blocked. When someone treated his wounds or sat him at the table, Seokhwa showed no reaction. Since Choi Hoeon had grabbed him by the collar, he had been as quiet as a battery that had run out of power.

Until he saw it with his own eyes, he had decided not to believe it. Kwak Soohwan wasn’t someone who would die so easily. Despite firmly believing, he couldn’t have certainty, feeling like someone was constantly sneaking up behind him, ready to pull him back. He wanted to collapse backward just like that.

“Dr. Seokhwa, you like pork stew, right?”

As Choi Hoeon said, steaming pork stew was right in front of Seokhwa’s nose. Seokhwa clumsily picked up the utensils with his bandaged hand. Then he took a spoonful. It’s okay, it’ll be okay. So he had to endure until he could confirm for sure that Kwak Soohwan had survived. If he didn’t, then I can die too. Avoiding death might be difficult, but facing death with open arms wasn’t so difficult.

But one thing that hurt was that to him, death was just returning to the earth. There was no hopeful thought that he could be reborn and meet again like the love stories Kwak Soohwan used to enjoy.

“Do you really think Major Kwak Soohwan is dead? I don’t believe it either, so I’m just waiting for the support team to retrieve the body.”

“…So that’s why you’re eating.”

Seokhwa’s voice was trembling uncontrollably.

“Soohwan…is alive… If I die first, it won’t be good.”

He mechanically moved the utensil again and again, repeating putting it in his mouth.

***

Just before the crash, Kwak Soohwan took a deep breath. Anticipating the impact, he pushed the front seats with both legs and secured his head tightly between his arms.

The loud sound of friction between the water and the jeep erupted. With the car traveling at over 100 km/h, the impact of hitting the water made every muscle in his body ache. Water started rushing into the breached rear seat. Fortunately, due to the impact spreading throughout the jeep, the handle loosened a bit.

Before buoyancy slowed him down, Kwak Soohwan forcefully tore off the handle. Now he saw that the inside of the handle was made of steel and connected longitudinally to the ceiling. As he pulled his wrists out, still shackled, water rose up to his forehead.

Kwak Soohwan tried to climb out, leaving the sinking jeep behind. However, he paused. As the seatbelt wasn’t fastened, the upper body of the Major sitting in the passenger seat was protruding out of the front windshield. Kwak Soohwan tore off the windshield and held onto the Major. It would take quite a while just to climb up, as the depth of the ravine was considerable.

“Haa!”

As he pulled his face out of the water, Kwak Soohwan gasped for air. Blood was flowing from the Major’s head, and his wrist, shackled to his neck, started swimming out. Kwak Soohwan laid the Major on the gravel floor and punched his chest. Thump! After searching through the pocket of the guy who vomited water, he pressed his forehead firmly.

“Cough, cough! Thump!”

Instinctively turning his face away, the Major, who had vomited all the water out, looked dumbfounded.

“…If you’re awake, hand me the handcuff key.”

Kwak Soohwan’s appearance sitting on the ground wasn’t that of a man. Water mixed with blood flowed from his wet hair, and his wrist flesh was as swollen as a turnip. The Major looked around, then pressed his bleeding head with his hand. Neither Kwak Soohwan nor the Major looked particularly well.

“The key.”

Kwak Soohwan scratched his throat, indicating not to say it again. “What the hell kind of handcuffs are made of meteorite?” He couldn’t sit any longer and lay down on his back. Only then did the Major realize that Kwak Soohwan had saved him from underwater, not to mention releasing his neck. Setting aside his throbbing head, due to the blood, the Major took out the handcuff key from his uniform pocket. Holding it in his hand and hesitating, Kwak Soohwan got up again.

“You know, you could still do something right now. Since you’re not dead or robbed, why not just do it?”

The Major took a deep breath, then unlocked Kwak Soohwan’s handcuffs. He turned his wrist, which was bleeding profusely, in various directions before fixing the dislocated shoulder. With a groan, the Major furrowed his brow.

Kwak Soohwan spat out the dried blood from his mouth again. The Major, too, tried to stand up following Kwak Soohwan but ended up sitting back down.

“Where are you going like that? You should be getting treatment first, ugh.” The Major raised his voice, groaning as he held his broken ribs.

“Why, what’s wrong with me?” Kwak Soohwan asked himself as he looked down at his own appearance. His shirt was soaked in blood to the point where it could be considered red, and the color staining the gravel as it fell from his body was also a dark red. Although someone might mistake him for Adam at a glance, Kwak Soohwan moved forward.

“Major Kwak Soohwan…!”

“Damn it! We should be going to Dr. Seok!”

As Kwak Soohwan shouted, the black vultures perched on the tree flew up in surprise.

He knew it didn’t make sense. If he went like this, he’d be easily subdued by Choi Hoeon, and he didn’t even know if he’d be able to see Seokhwa’s face properly. Just showing off the bloody mess wouldn’t do anything but hurt Dr. Seok’s feelings. Kwak Soohwan spat out the blood again. It kept flowing incessantly from somewhere inside him.

He thought it had been a while, but the Major, still lying behind him, was still visible. This was his first experience being in such bad shape that his legs felt like jelly. Instances where he was injured to this extent were rare. Perhaps it was because he had lost a lot of blood. Suddenly, he chuckled. Come to think of it, Dr. Seok’s body is always like this, heavy as if it’s filled with stones. Yet he managed to follow me around so well with that body. It’s a wonder he didn’t just drop dead with each step, with every cell feeling like a stone tied to him.

Supporting himself on the tree with his crumbling body, Kwak Soohwan barely managed to stand. The bloody handprint on the tree spread out long. He spat out the blood again and looked up. A bright light shone on his face from ahead. He wondered if it was time for him to die and if God was coming down with a halo.

If he died, Dr. Seok would be incredibly sad. Seokhwa, who was already so weak and with a deteriorated expression, now seemed somewhat human, even smiling. Well, only he noticed the slight change in the corners of his mouth. So he dismissed unnecessary thoughts.

Kwak Soohwan tore off his shirt and wrapped it around his throbbing wrist. Clenching and unclenching his fist, he tried to regain the feeling in his hand and prepared to get back into battle mode.

“The jeep has crashed into the ravine. We went in to check because it was submerged in water and found four bodies.”

The soldier who sent the radio message laid down his flashlight and rifle on the ground. Surrendering their weapons meant surrendering.

Wondering what this trick was about, he stared at him, but suddenly, a huge amount of blood poured out of my mouth. Kwak Soohwan collapsed on the spot.

***

Arriving in Russia and enduring the cold, when the snow began to melt, they moved their residence to the middle of the mountains.

After turning the place, which had been used as a mountain lodge a long time ago, into a somewhat decent home, two deer appeared nearby. Perhaps because they had spent a long time in the uninhabited mountains, the male and female deer didn’t run away when they saw people. Instead, they cautiously approached Kwak Soohwan and Seokhwa, narrowing the distance little by little.

After a day, then two, and about a week later, the two deer came close enough to touch. Yet Seokhwa just watched them intently from the same spot.

Seeing him spitting out white breath while wrapped in a blanket, he couldn’t help but feel mischievous.

“Whoa!”

Kwak Soohwan scared the two deer away. He ran away so dramatically that he was even more embarrassed than the ones he chased away.

“Why did you do that?”

Seokhwa looked at me with a mix of resentment and inquiry.

“It was my first time seeing them up close like that.”

Since he has seen all sorts of wild animals, from squirrels to bears, but Seokhwa has never wandered outside, seeing animals properly was probably rare for him.

“They’ll probably come back. They probably came because they were curious.”

A strange scent wafted through the air on the wind from afar. It was the scent that always accompanied the appearance of the two deer before. But this time, it was only one deer, not two.

Seokhwa put on his blanket again and went outside, and he followed suit. The deer with its large ears perked up was quite small. Not remembering yesterday’s events, the deer couldn’t make up its mind even as it came close to us. As it stood in place, sniffing the air, the scent grew stronger.

Seokhwa took a deep breath, inhaling the scent even deeper.

“It’s probably not a good idea to sniff it so much.”

“Why?”

“That smell, it’s from that little bastard’s balls.”

To be precise, it was the smell coming from the scent gland surrounding the testicles. Seokhwa thought Kwak Soohwan was joking again. So he continued to sniff without caring, but the musk deer that had been rolling its legs came up behind them. Then it poked Seokhwa’s butt with its nose.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Well, do you want to die?”

Even though Kwak Soohwan scared it by slapping its front legs, it startled and backed away, then approached again cautiously.

“Isn’t something strange?”

“I can communicate well with dogs, but not with deer.”

He was bringing up what he had said about dogs before. But watching the musk deer’s behavior, he noticed that it was strange. It seemed like it was beckoning them to follow, pushing its body as if to tell them to come, then turning around to look at them again. Kwak Soohwan picked up the rifle he had left inside the lodge. They started to follow the deer, and although the path was blocked with melted snow, the route the musk deer always took seemed gentler than other paths.

After climbing for a while, they saw a deer lying ahead. Kwak Soohwan slowly approached, lifted Seokhwa onto his back, and rushed up. It seemed like it had been attacked by predators like bears or wolverines; half of its organs were gone, while the other half protruded. The male deer had already died, and the female nudged its mate’s body with its snout as if asking for help. It also circled around them as if asking them what to do. Seokhwa got off his back and looked gloomy. The pupil of the dead musk deer lost its luster and became cloudy.

“It seems like it’s asking for help.”

Kwak Soohwan said there’s nothing we can do about the one that’s already dead as he tried to hug Seokhwa again. But with his bare feet in sandals, it was uncomfortable.

“Let’s go and have breakfast.”

Seokhwa hugged Kwak Soohwan’s neck to prevent him from picking him up again. The male deer looked at them as if asking why they were just standing there. Kwak Soohwan deliberately fired the gun in the direction of the male, and it ran into the deep forest.

“Why did you do that?”

“So it won’t come back. What if it keeps bringing the corpse of its mate?”

Seokhwa hugged Kwak Soohwan tighter.

It’s been about a month since they arrived in Russia. When they were alone like this, it felt like there were only the two of them in the world. His warmth gave me comfort, and even though it couldn’t be called a delicious meal, my stomach was always full. But the moment they saw the musk deer’s corpse, they both realized something. If one of them got injured or died in this deep mountain, the other would be left alone in loneliness for the rest of their life.

Seokhwa called his name, pressing his face against his shoulder to convey an important message.

“Let’s go back to the city now.”

Kwak Soohwan didn’t answer.

***

Kwak Soohwan hastily got up and looked around. His whole body was still screaming in pain, but he couldn’t just lie down. Moreover, just a moment ago, he felt Seokhwa’s warm flesh, but damn it, it was just a fleeting dream. Kwak Soohwan roughly tore off the lingering rope from his arm.

“Commander!”

Commander Cha suddenly woke up amidst the commotion. He had been dozing off while waiting for the commander to regain consciousness.

“You shouldn’t get up yet.”

“Where… where am I?”

Kwak Soohwan cleared his throat to wake up his choked voice. He knew very well where he was—the place with a makeshift bed and a table was none other than the mountain hut where he had spent time with Seokhwa before descending to the city. He wondered if those few days they spent descending to Rainbow City were all just a dream.

“It’s Xacah. The situation was dire, so we had to leave the city.”

Kwak Soohwan immediately got out of bed and flipped his shirt inside out.

“It’s useless to go back to the city like this, don’t you know? First, you should rest.”

Commander Cha expressed his concern, saying he wasn’t fit yet. Kwak Soohwan knew that even if he went back bare-handed, the chances of bringing Seokhwa out safely were very slim.

“We’re going to Vladivostok.”