Rainbow City

The sound of a gunshot rang out, but unfortunately, it wasn’t his.***It felt like a bomb with a burning fuse was lodged in the back of my throat. The blue veins on the back of Kwak Soohwan’s clenched fist throbbed. The water of the already murky Tumen River, now even more so, reflected the rain that had just stopped.With the bridge connecting the city to Russia collapsed, the only way to enter the city was to cross the river directly. Although the river was narrower than the Han River seen from the Yeouido shelter, its current was much stronger. The surface appeared calm, but that didn’t mean the waters underneath were gentle. Crossing the river alone wasn’t difficult. However, if he took the road into the city’s center and encountered soldiers, time would be desperately short. If the old man was right, that is.Kwak Soohwan turned his back to the river and got back into the jeep. Damn it, damn it! He pounded the steering wheel with his fist and gritted his teeth. Otherwise, a fierce roar seemed about to burst out.‘The doctor might be dead. No, he might already be dead.’The old man was spouting nonsense. The vaccine Seokhwa developed was an antigen that halted the Adam virus reaction extracted from a new influenza strain. The problem lay in his own blood, he said. When the vaccine was administered and then infected with the Adam virus, no reaction occurred, but if infected with the dormant virus in Kwak Soohwan, the story changed. The virus, which had been inactive as if dead, would react explosively, rapidly destroying red blood cells and invading the brain.The old man had uttered some nonsense about the virus’s mystery, making Kwak Soohwan doubt whether he was really concerned about Seokhwa. It seemed more like his curiosity had taken precedence.Kwak Soohwan drove the jeep as fast as he could towards the valley. Seokhwa couldn’t have died from the infection. He had been with him for at least half a day before being captured by Choi Hoeon, so there should have been no problem. Still, the anxiety made his eyes red, with blood vessels on the verge of bursting.Razboiniks. In this situation, he had no choice but to rob them. This was downstream of the Tumen River, only about 15 kilometers from the East Sea. Using a boat to follow the sea route to the city would save several days. The Razboiniks’ settlement in Primorsky Krai was about 20 minutes from here, and there was a route to the East Sea from there. Kwak Soohwan calculated the fastest way to the city in his mind, saving as much time as possible.Honk, honk! He honked the horn at the buildings in the valley, and Jo Woon and Captain Kim Hoil quickly emerged. Behind them, Commander Cha appeared with the old man.“We’re heading down to the city. Those who want to come, get in. Otherwise, head up to Russia.”Jo Woon had already decided to stick with Kwak Soohwan, and Kim Hoil couldn’t survive alone in Russia. He practically owed Kwak Soohwan his life.“I’ll follow.”Kim Hoil twisted his ankle, checking if his leg had healed.“The old man can’t go back. He has to come with me.”“If it were easy, we wouldn’t have come down here. I want to step on my homeland’s soil again.”The old man, already prepared, had a backpack slung over each shoulder. He threw the backpacks into the jeep trunk and naturally sat in the passenger seat. Seokhwa’s absence was more palpable with the old man sitting there.“Boss, I’ll follow with the captains.”“Do that. Load all the remaining fuel in the jeep.”Commander Cha, understanding the urgency, moved quickly. They loaded the remaining fuel and canned food into the jeep, and the other captains checked their loaded pistols and knives.“But boss, we’ll have to abandon the jeep anyway, right?”Commander Cha, ready, asked curiously.“We’re going to rough up those punks. If they give it willingly, we won’t kill them. If they don’t, we’ll take it by force.”“Punks? Do you mean the ones I think you mean?”Commander Cha and the other captains looked puzzled.“Ha, Kwak’s going to rob the Razboiniks. You plan to use their boat to get to the city, right?”Kwak Soohwan just nodded once.“So let’s not waste time. Jo Jaryong and Captain Kim, you’re both S-Class, right?”“According to the assessment in the city, yes.”Jo Woon wanted to add “commander” like Commander Cha, but now didn’t seem the right time.“Then survive on your own. If you can’t persuade those Russian bastards, kill every single one and take their boat.”Kwak Soohwan gripped the steering wheel and sped towards Primorsky Krai. The plunderers’ base was close, and they initially had significant conflicts with Kwak Soohwan as well.Upon arriving in Russia and before heading into the mountains, they first settled in this valley. The patrolling thieves quickly found them and tried to rob them of their food and vehicles. After smashing the heads of two who threatened their lives, about a dozen more came the next day, firing their guns. They knew to conserve bullets, as each man only fired three shots at most.Worried about Seokhwa’s safety, Kwak Soohwan took refuge elsewhere and then attacked their settlement at night. They stole food and expired medicines and had to kill a few who resisted fiercely. They also dealt harshly with a few as an example to prevent further trouble.That night, he gave Seokhwa a can of peaches, claiming he found it on the street. Seokhwa’s response was:“Major, it’s so delicious.”It was such a typical response from Dr. Seok. Looking back, it made Kwak Soohwan feel bitter. While he could eat anything due to his rough upbringing, Seokhwa couldn’t. He barely ate the delicious peaches, claiming he was full and passing them to Seokhwa. Damn it, Dr. Seok is definitely alive, but I don’t want to become sentimental.Driving on the unpaved road into the village, the scenery remained bleak. The bombed-out buildings from long ago made the whole town look like a ruin. In front of one intact brick house, wolf teeth and bones dangled. A potbellied man sitting on a wooden terrace chair drinking vodka saw the jeep and shouted.“Блядь!” (Fuck!)He jumped up, trying to run into the house, but Kwak Soohwan fired near his feet. The man, still clutching the bottle, grimaced. This bald man was the leader of the plunderers, and he seemed to recognize the jeep immediately. Kwak Soohwan loaded his pistol and kicked open the car door.“Блядь, помнишь меня?” (You bastard, remember me?)Kwak Soohwan asked if he remembered him. The bald man spat thick phlegm.“Пошёл на хуй” (Fuck off)“The bastard! Old man, translate for me: tell him to hand over the boat nicely.”The old man leaned out the window and translated. The bald man responded with a middle finger, and men with guns rushed out of the house.“Stay down.”Kwak Soohwan closed the door, put the car in gear, and floored the accelerator. The wheels spun and then the jeep charged at them. The bullets they fired couldn’t penetrate the bulletproof glass. Without hesitation, Kwak Soohwan rammed the jeep into the fleeing leader.Thud! The bald man, caught between the jeep and the doorframe, coughed up blood. Kwak Soohwan opened the door again and shot the men running away, one shot per man.Putting the car in reverse, the bald man slumped to the wooden floor. Kwak Soohwan stepped out of the jeep and walked over in his military boots. Commander Cha and the captains arrived, covering Kwak Soohwan from behind.Kwak Soohwan grabbed the bald man by the collar and lifted him. The man screamed in pain, indicating severe damage to his spine or organs.“Give me the boat.”The man clenched his lips, trembling. Kwak Soohwan fired a shot at the living room window, and a child’s scream was heard. Whether it was the man’s child or not, a kid had been hiding behind the window, terrified.“This time, I’ll aim properly.”Pointing the gun at the child, the bald man grabbed Kwak Soohwan’s pant leg, rubbing his forehead desperately.“Hand over the boat, damn it!”I don’t want to go this far either. Kwak Soohwan reloaded, making the child scream. The old man, pale, jumped out of the jeep, urging the bald man to comply with Kwak Soohwan’s demands.“Сука!” (Son of a bitch!)The man spat out curses and blood, eventually nodding. At the command to bring the key, the child quickly came out with it. Kwak Soohwan took a rope from the trunk and tied the leader to the passenger seat. Threatening him to guide them to the boat, the old man sighed in the back seat.“Kwak, I know you’re in a hurry and care about the Doctor, but don’t cross the line.”“I crossed it long ago.”Kwak Soohwan clenched and unclenched his fists as he headed towards the dock. The distance to the city was vast. Over a week had passed in a blur, wasting even more time. Seokhwa was surely waiting desperately for him…Following the direction given by the bald man, he spotted a sleek, silver boat resembling a garfish. It would need to go at least 50 knots to reach the city today. Kwak Soohwan jumped onto the boat from the wooden pier and started the engine. Luckily, the engine roared with impressive power.“Kwak! This guy says to please return it after you’re done using it. He insists!”It was an eight-passenger high-speed boat once owned by a wealthy Russian.“Пошёл ты” (Fuck off)Kwak Soohwan showed the bald man his middle finger. The old man shook his head, saying Kwak had only learned Russian curses.After transferring the food, weapons, and fuel from the jeep, he loaded the passengers onto the boat. The bald man, still tied to the jeep, shouted something, but Kwak Soohwan ignored him and began steering the boat.Spray stung his face as it whipped against his skin.We can’t end up like a lone deer. So just wait a little longer. I’ll get there before it’s too late.“Fuck! Lee Yeontae!!!”A man’s voice thundered from behind, his pistol cocked. Lee Yeontae clutched his wounded shoulder. The gun he had aimed at Seokhwa lay on the floor.Pale, Lee Yeontae took a deep breath and turned around. Kwak Soohwan fired again, rendering both of Yeontae’s shoulders useless. While he kicked Lieutenant General Lee Yeontae, Seokhwa stood trembling, unable to speak.Seokhwa looked at him with wide eyes. Kwak Soohwan was breathing heavily. Despite seeing him with his own eyes, it didn’t feel real. They had spent more time together than apart, yet it felt like a reunion after a century.It was really Kwak Soohwan. Seokhwa wanted to call his name, but his voice wouldn’t come out. Kwak Soohwan was safe. As always, he had found Seokhwa.“Babe, I told you I’d come.”He smiled as if he understood Seokhwa’s dull reaction.“Soohwan…”Blood started to trickle from Seokhwa’s nose as he got up from the sofa. Kwak Soohwan’s face contorted in concern.He rushed to embrace Seokhwa, who moved behind the sofa to avoid him.“Don’t come near me.”Seokhwa lifted his shirt to press under his nose.“It’s okay, it’s me.”Seokhwa shook his head frantically.“Don’t come near. I’m bleeding… No.”Contrary to the old man’s claims, Seokhwa was alive, but Kwak Soohwan’s relief was short-lived. Seeing Seokhwa bleed made his own blood run cold.Lee Yeontae, bleeding from both shoulders, barely leaned against the sofa. If the bleeding wasn’t stopped quickly, he’d die from blood loss, but Seokhwa couldn’t intervene. If his blood got into Yeontae, it would be the end of him as a human.“Major, there’s a hemostatic sponge on that dressing cart. Please use it to stop the general’s bleeding.”“Is that important right now? Dr. Seok is bleeding too.”“I’m fine. I can’t do it myself.”Dr. Seok, who had always been so rigid, seemed almost childish to Kwak Soohwan. Lee Yeontae let out a dry laugh. He didn’t bother stopping the bleeding, as if he had no regrets about dying.Kwak Soohwan glanced at the dressing cart, then marched towards Seokhwa instead. Seokhwa screamed not to come closer, but Kwak Soohwan embraced him faster. Seokhwa pressed his shirt to his face, trying to avoid him. Kwak Soohwan, knowing Seokhwa hated this, forcibly pulled his hands down. When Seokhwa lowered his head, Kwak Soohwan kissed his chin and moved up.“!”Seokhwa struggled, protesting, but Kwak Soohwan slid his tongue into his mouth. Blood smeared Kwak Soohwan’s lips. He forcefully parted Seokhwa’s clenched teeth, finding and sucking on his tongue. Kwak Soohwan hugged Seokhwa tightly, kissing him fiercely, as if consuming his entire mouth and lips.As his lower lip was bitten and sucked, Seokhwa continued to muster all his strength to punch and push Kwak Soohwan’s shoulders away. Despite the difference in strength, Seokhwa’s constant attempts to evade him made Kwak Soohwan breathe heavily.“Virus or whatever, screw it. I want to kiss Dr. Seok.”Kwak Soohwan grabbed the back of Seokhwa’s head and pulled him close. Turning his head at an angle, Kwak Soohwan deepened the kiss. Seokhwa, short of breath, could only embrace Kwak Soohwan’s back, hoping for the best. He could tell how much Kwak Soohwan had been worried and anxious through the rough kiss. There was no avoiding it now. Seokhwa stopped resisting and instead pressed himself closer to Kwak Soohwan.Fortunately, there was no more bleeding, and Kwak Soohwan, like a mother tending to her injured child, licked Seokhwa’s face with his tongue.“Ah… Either kill me or save me, do one or the other,”Lee Yeontae’s blood was spreading widely around him.“What, you’re still alive?”Kwak Soohwan remarked coldly. The man had tried to kill Seokhwa. Though he wanted to blow Lee Yeontae’s head off, he couldn’t do such a thing in front of Seokhwa. Kwak Soohwan wanted to uphold his resolve. He didn’t want Seokhwa to get used to the sight of people killing each other.“Bastard, ugh… How dare you speak informally to your superior.”Kwak Soohwan started walking towards the dressing cart, with Seokhwa following closely behind, anxiously checking his face and eyes to see if he was alright. When Kwak Soohwan tried to pick up a hemostatic sponge, Seokhwa grabbed his wrist and quietly spoke to him.“Major, my blood is toxic right now.”Seokhwa was now repeating what the old man had said to him.“Why did you kiss me?”The words came out mixed with resentment. Since the moment of the kiss, Seokhwa had been half out of his mind. Kwak Soohwan wrapped his arms around Seokhwa’s waist and kissed him deeply again.“Because I wanted to. Do you know how much I missed you? I called out to you until my throat hurt from the helicopter, but you didn’t even look.”Maybe it hadn’t been a hallucination when he called out to him. Seokhwa shook his head nonetheless.“The Adam virus has mutated inside me. Even those infected with the Adam virus can be reinfected by my blood. My blood cannot be exposed to others right now.”And he didn’t know how much longer he could hold on. The irregular nosebleeds indicated something was wrong with his body.“Are you in pain?”“…No, it doesn’t hurt.”Kwak Soohwan wanted to abandon the first aid, but he knew Seokhwa would feel bad about it for a long time. He cleaned his hands with an alcohol swab and put on latex gloves. Taking a syringe with a hemostatic sponge, he stabbed it into Lee Yeontae’s shoulder. Ignoring the loud scream, he pressed the plunger. The sponge, absorbing the blood, expanded and stopped the bleeding. After treating the other shoulder, he threw the gloves onto the floor.“Your life or death is now up to your luck.”Since the bullet hadn’t gone through, surgery to remove it would be necessary. For now, he had only performed emergency treatment to stop the bleeding. Kwak Soohwan quickly approached Seokhwa, who was cleaning his face and hands at the sink.“Let’s go.”“Where to?”Seokhwa questioned where they could go in their current state.“To the rooftop.”He lifted Seokhwa’s shirt and removed the gun tucked near his tailbone. After loading it, he handed it to Seokhwa and picked up the gun that Lee Yeontae had dropped.“Where did you get the gun?”Kwak Soohwan kissed the top of Seokhwa’s head proudly. He opened the infirmary door and checked the surroundings. The hallway was littered with dead Adams, but no immediate threats were visible. He sent Seokhwa out first and then turned back for a moment. He saw Lee Yeontae lying unconscious on the sofa.‘Dr. Seok might forgive you, but I won’t. If I had been a little late, I don’t even want to imagine what could have happened.’Having finally found Seokhwa, he had no mercy for the man who had instilled the fear of losing him. He intentionally lowered the doorstop to keep the door open. Though it took only a second, Seokhwa, who had been sent ahead, was squatting before him. Seokhwa glanced up at Kwak Soohwan and then lifted the doorstop with his hand.The door began to close slowly with a creak.“Let’s go.”Kwak Soohwan had hoped that Lee Yeontae would be bitten by an Adam, get infected, and die.“Dr. Seok, in the City, being kind will get you killed first.”Kwak Soohwan held Seokhwa’s hand and walked down the hallway with determined steps. But he wasn’t truly kind. Closing the door could mean that Lieutenant General Lee Yeontae would be found even later. Seokhwa hated that Kwak Soohwan tried to dirty his hands and then hide it. He had done it several times in Russia, and Seokhwa had pretended not to notice, but he was quicker to catch on than Kwak Soohwan realized.“Hop on.”At the entrance to the stairs leading to the rooftop, Kwak Soohwan crouched down. Seokhwa obediently wrapped his arms around Kwak Soohwan’s neck and climbed on his back. As soon as he felt Kwak Soohwan’s cool body temperature, he gripped tighter.“Are you really okay?”“They say my body neutralizes all viruses. Drinking some of Dr. Seok’s blood won’t cause any problems. It’s just a drop in the bucket.”“But the virus has mutated…”Seokhwa’s voice was weak, almost fading. Still, he was so happy to be holding Kwak Soohwan like this, he couldn’t bear the thought of being separated again, and tears welled up in his eyes.“Dr. Seok, I’m dying here.”Kwak Soohwan, panting, said as he ran up the stairs. Seokhwa, startled, tried to look at his face, but Kwak Soohwan adjusted Seokhwa’s body.“Your gun is pointed at my throat right now.”Seokhwa realized he was still holding the gun and quickly pointed the barrel away.“Do you know what they call the Adam’s apple?”Unable to answer for fear of biting his tongue, Seokhwa nodded.“They say Adam ate the forbidden fruit, and it got stuck in his throat.”Kwak Soohwan jumped up the stairs three steps at a time. It was clear he was trying to change the subject to distract Seokhwa.“Why did he eat the forbidden fruit and get kicked out of paradise? Anyway, I bet they couldn’t even have sex in Eden.”Kwak Soohwan, adjusting his breathing, moved faster with one floor left.“One of Eden’s strict doctrines is celibacy. Even married couples are supposed to have sex only once a month. Unlike me, Choi Hoeon must be impotent.”Pushing open the rooftop door, a gloomy sky that threatened rain appeared.“He does get erections.”Seokhwa said abruptly as he got off Kwak Soohwan’s back.“What?!”“Doctor!”Almost simultaneously, Lee Chaeyoon shouted. She was waiting with a machine gun outside the helicopter, repeatedly calling out to Seokhwa excitedly. In front of her, six or so City soldiers were kneeling. Kwak Soohwan grabbed Seokhwa’s shoulder with a shocked look.“How do you know he gets erections? Don’t tell me he—”“I just saw him have a morning erection.”“You didn’t ask him for his semen, did you?”“The only person I chased around asking for semen was you, Major. Though I wasn’t in love with you back then.”‘Dr. Seok chased me around asking for my semen until he fell for me.’Even for Kwak Soohwan, this was a bit embarrassing. So he pretended to know nothing and cursed Choi Hoeon, acting clueless. Seokhwa kept a close eye on Kwak Soohwan’s condition. Given how rapidly the new Adam virus spread, he was becoming more certain that it might indeed be ineffective against Kwak Soohwan.Kwak Soohwan, reading Seokhwa’s worries, shook his hair like a bird’s nest.“Dr. Seok, you really don’t need to worry. Even if the Adam virus mutates thousands of times, it won’t affect me.”His body, made by sacrificing thousands of lives.With a bitter smile, Kwak Soohwan lifted Seokhwa into the helicopter. He and Lee Chaeyoon boarded, aiming their guns at the soldiers. They sat with their seatbelts on, keeping their guns pointed until the helicopter took off. Once the soldiers appeared as small as fingers, Lee Chaeyoon moved inside the helicopter.“Doctor, because of this idiot Soohwan, we’re all screwed! Hahaha!”Lee Chaeyoon laughed as if she had lost her mind. Only her eyes were not smiling.“What?”Seokhwa asked, holding onto his crossed seatbelt with both hands. Lee Chaeyoon said something more, but it was drowned out by the noise of the propellers. As Kwak Soohwan sat down beside him, Seokhwa still looked confused. Lee Chaeyoon raised her voice again.“A coup d’état!”Seokhwa’s eyes widened, and he quickly looked at Kwak Soohwan.“We’re in a wartime situation.”That’s how it is. Kwak Soohwan placed a headset over Seokhwa’s ears.