Rainbow City

“Babe, you were scared, weren’t you?”Kwak Soohwan tossed the jawbone, which revealed white bone, to the ground and wiped the blood off his gloves.“I came to get you.”Seokhwa stared at the blood dripping from the gloves, then slowly lifted his gaze to meet Kwak Soohwan’s eyes. The white shirt under his black uniform was stained red, and his smiling face was splattered with blood. Unable to say anything, he let Kwak Soohwan hold his shoulders and look him over.“I’m feeling dizzy.”“If you can talk, you’re okay. For now, hold this tight like this.”Kwak Soohwan broke the strap that bound Seokhwa’s wrist with sheer strength and handed him a flashlight. Without waiting for an answer, he hoisted Seokhwa onto his back. Seokhwa’s trembling was clearly felt on his back. Kwak Soohwan patted his thigh and walked out, kicking aside the debris on the floor.Seokhwa didn’t insist on walking by himself. As he looked down at the remains of the enemies Kwak Soohwan had dealt with, he only slightly parted his lips. The corpses killed by the gunshots were still relatively intact, but those smashed by his hands were unrecognizable. Intestines were strewn across the floor, and the overwhelming stench made Seokhwa clench his teeth. If there were a hell, it would probably look like this. Misinterpreting Seokhwa’s trembling, Kwak Soohwan patted his thigh again, telling him to calm down.Seokhwa hugged his neck a little tighter.“Are you here to kill me?”“Major Kwak Soohwan, are you okay?”“What about Dr. Seok?”Seokhwa shone the flashlight on the steps leading to the side door.“I’m okay.”Outside, Kwak Soohwan took a deep breath of the cold air.“Were they rebels?”“…I don’t know.”No, he wasn’t sure if he should answer that way. This man had risked his life to save him; shouldn’t he tell him everything honestly?“I’m sorry.”Seokhwa blinked.“For what?”“For failing to do my job as your protector.”In such a situation, anyone would have been helpless. Even Seokhwa had lost consciousness and didn’t know what had happened. The only clear memory was Kwak Soohwan reaching out to shield him from the impact before the vehicle overturned.Instead of heading straight for the main gate, Kwak Soohwan took the long way around the building. There, a jeep was illuminating the darkness, and he set Seokhwa down near the back door.“Doctor! Doctor! Are you okay? Are you hurt?”Lee Chaeyoon, sitting in the back seat, opened the door with a worried expression. Seokhwa, looking down, noticed a bandage wrapped around her thigh, stained with blood.“Get in. Let’s head to Yeouido.”Nodding, Seokhwa got into the back seat. Kwak Soohwan took the driver’s seat, and Yang Sanghoon sat in the passenger seat. The jeep’s leather seat bore the mark of the Gwacheon branch.“Major Lee, is your leg… are you injured?”“This? It’s fine. My wounds heal quickly. Are you really okay, Doctor?”“Yes, I’m fine. But your wound looks pretty deep.”“It’s not deep enough to need stitches. Are you really okay? Want some peanuts? Soohwan rescued your backpack from the car, and there are a lot of peanuts in it.”Seokhwa glanced at his backpack placed in the center of the back seat.“Major Lee, stop talking and let Dr. Seok rest.”Kwak Soohwan drove cautiously, not letting his guard down.“You must have been very scared. Try to get some rest while we head to Yeouido.”Grateful for Yang Sanghoon’s consideration, Seokhwa nodded. He was barely holding on with his mental strength. The impact from the crash had likely given him a mild concussion. He gagged a few times but managed to keep it down. He pulled a blanket from his backpack, folded it neatly, and placed it between his head and the window. Suddenly, he was pushed towards Lee Chaeyoon.“It’s okay to lean on this leg. It’s injured anyway.”Smiling, Lee Chaeyoon pointed to her injured left leg, as if telling him to rest his head on her thigh. Startled, Seokhwa tried to get up, but Lee Chaeyoon’s strength held him down.“With all the blood we reek of, Dr. Seok won’t be able to rest properly.”“Why are you being so harsh? I’m just trying to make him comfortable. Are you venting because you couldn’t catch that guy?”“That guy?”Seokhwa, still restrained by Lee Chaeyoon, tried to get up.“Yeah, the guy who did this to my leg. He wore a strange white mask and was incredibly strong. It was no joke. If it had been Yang Sanghoon instead of me, he would have been dead.”“Hey! You don’t know until you’ve faced him.”“Funny, coming from someone whose hands were trembling. Soohwan, you brought Dr. Seok from the basement, right? Did the doctor see that guy’s face?”“…No.”“He had his eyes covered too. So stop bothering Dr. Seok.”“Look who’s talking, the one who lost sight of the doctor.”“I’ll rest now.”Fearing another argument, Seokhwa quietly curled up and rested his head on her thigh.“Major Lee.”“Yes?”Lee Chaeyoon smiled brightly, looking down at Seokhwa.“I’ll carry you next time.”Before he could finish, Kwak Soohwan slammed on the accelerator.“Then you’ll have to carry me first.”What, is he jealous? Lee Chaeyoon chuckled.***Upon arriving at the Yeouido shelter, both the jeep and the clothes and weapons they had were subjected to a thorough disinfection process. People were no exception.To check for infections and assess the state of the wounds, they had to be more thorough. Lee Chaeyoon, who had a laceration, had to undergo a blood test and was held longer than the others.Seokhwa also had to wait in the examination room for quite a while before being cleared of any major issues. He wanted to collapse in his room and sleep, but he was immediately summoned to the senior meeting room on the 58th floor. Due to the seriousness of the situation, the higher-ups were showing interest. It was only natural since a chief researcher had been kidnapped.“Dr. Seok, we’ll start with a physical examination.”In front of the senior meeting room, Seokhwa spread his legs and arms wide. A soldier meticulously checked his limbs before giving a clear sign. As the door to the meeting room opened, a strong aroma of scented candles filled his lungs. The golden lighting illuminated the room warmly, matching the candle’s scent.Despite being called a meeting room, it was completely covered with an expensive carpet. The space, which regular researchers or soldiers couldn’t even dream of, was filled with rare artworks, taxidermy of now-extinct animals, and gleaming leather sofas. In the central sofa sat a familiar face, Lieutenant General Lee Yeontae, commonly referred to as “Three-Star.”Seokhwa had rarely seen him due to his high rank; the last time was before he went to Jeju Island when Lee Yeontae was a Major General. He seemed to have been promoted while Seokhwa was on Jeju Island.“Dr. Seok, how have you been?”Lieutenant General Lee Yeontae, who had been lounging on the sofa, stood up with a broad smile. Despite being a soldier, he wore leather shoes instead of military boots.“You haven’t changed. Still not wearing socks, I see, ha ha.”Seeing Seokhwa glance at his shoes, Lee Yeontae laughed heartily. Only then did Seokhwa realize he was wearing sneakers without socks.“Still as taciturn as ever. Come, have a seat. You must have been quite shocked, so have a warm cup of tea.”Lee Yeontae guided Seokhwa to the sofa. Seokhwa walked over and sat on the leather seat, finding the cushioning quite comfortable.“Dr. Seok, you probably want to rest, but the higher-ups are in quite a frenzy. Some even suggested detaining you and having the military police investigate. I insisted on handling it personally. Is that acceptable to you, Dr. Seok?”“Yes.”It was a subtle threat to tell the whole story honestly. Seokhwa raised his teacup and looked at the bottom. The cup’s underside, perfectly smooth, had French writing on it.“What are you doing?”Lee Yeontae frowned.“The teacup is pretty.”“I see. Would you like to take it with you?”Lee Yeontae forced a smile.“No.”As he had felt before, he wasn’t a pleasant conversation partner.“Now, Dr. Seok, why don’t you start by telling me what happened from the moment you went to the primate house? Who suggested going to the zoo first?”It was Lee Chaeyoon, as he recalled.“Major Lee Chaeyoon was the first to suggest it.”“Yes, that’s right. We sent the Invincible Platoon members to the zoo with you. What happened next?”Seokhwa detailed his experience at the primate house and the events leading up to the accident. Lee Yeontae didn’t take any notes or type out a record, likely because there were recording devices in the room.“So, you have no memory after the car accident?”“I was unconscious during the accident. I didn’t even know I was kidnapped until Major Kwak Soohwan rescued me.”“I see.” Lee Yeontae seemed skeptical. Seokhwa watched him expressionlessly, waiting for him to speak again.“So, you never encountered your kidnapper?”“That’s correct.”“Dr. Seok.”Lee Yeontae, sitting opposite, crossed his legs. His previously kind smile turned into a more severe expression. His brow furrowed, giving him a slightly fiercer look.“I don’t understand why you’re lying to me, Dr. Seok.”Seokhwa continued to stare at him without any expression. Whether he had spoken with Kwak Soohwan beforehand, even he didn’t know about his conversation with the kidnapper. Thus, Lee Yeontae was testing him.“I’ve never lied.”“Then is it that you don’t remember well due to the shock of the accident?”“Lieutenant General Lee Yeontae, I do not know why I was kidnapped. Isn’t that the truth the military police should uncover?”“Ha, look at this guy.”Lee Yeontae let out a hollow laugh at Seokhwa’s unusually confrontational response.He picked up an internal phone and made a brief call. After a few seconds of silence, the door opened, and someone appeared. It was Kwak Soohwan, still wearing his military boots. Having showered after the examination, there was no trace of the battle on him. He was dressed in a newly issued, crisp uniform.“Alright. Major Kwak Soohwan, come and sit down.”Kwak Soohwan saluted Lee Yeontae and sat next to Seokhwa.“I’ve heard the sequence of events from Dr. Seok. But I need to hear from you too. Seven soldiers from the Gwacheon shelter died, including a captain and three sergeants.”“The captain was barely at the level of a trainee. Is the Gwacheon company really operating properly?”“How rude,” Lee Yeontae muttered lowly, holding his teacup.“Major Kwak Soohwan, you might be favored by Commander Jang and Major General Park, but I’m not so lenient. And it was you who failed to ensure Dr. Seok’s safety, correct? Very disappointing.”One would have expected some reaction to the superior’s disappointment, but Kwak Soohwan responded nonchalantly.“I won’t make excuses for that. The attackers are presumed to be rebels. Their affiliation is unknown, but one thing is clear: the elite members of the Invincible Platoon struggled against them.”The Invincible Platoon from Yeouido, classified as S-Class, was currently the top force in Rainbow City. The fact that they struggled made even Lee Yeontae tense.“Could they have been mutants?”“Do you want my personal opinion, or do you want the objective facts?”“Add your personal opinion to the facts.”“Yes. They seemed to have capabilities of A-grade or higher, possibly S-grade.”Lee Yeontae, who was holding the teacup, froze as if time had stopped. Seokhwa shifted his gaze to Kwak Soohwan, moving only his pupils. Although his posture was straight, his tone was insolent—an attitude no Major should take in front of a General. If the General of Rainbow City wished, Kwak Soohwan could easily spend his life rotting in detention.“Were there any other peculiarities? Dr. Seok mentioned he didn’t recognize the kidnappers at all.”“That’s correct. When I arrived, Dr. Seok was alone in a cell, with no one else around except for Adam.”Hmm, Lee Yeontae observed them slowly, unable to shake off his suspicions. One had a sly smile, and the other was so expressionless it was impossible to know what he was thinking. However, neither seemed like a rebel, so he wondered if he was being overly cautious.“Regardless, you both went through a lot. And Major Kwak Soohwan.”Lee Yeontae moistened his lips and set down his teacup.“If you’re so worried about the Gwacheon unit, why don’t you go there yourself?”“If you send me, I will go.”Kwak Soohwan smiled broadly. Underneath, it was clear he thought, “You won’t send me anyway.” Everyone knew who the key commander of the Unbeatable unit, composed of S-class and A-class soldiers, was. Anyone could give orders from the top, but dealing with Adam and the recent addition of rebels introduced variables that required experienced command on the ground. Few officers could boost the morale of the troops while leading from the front, and Kwak Soohwan was one of them. Even if they could undermine him, generals avoided confrontation to maintain loyalty. Kwak Soohwan knew this, so he didn’t voice his inner thoughts. If they didn’t like it, they could go to the field themselves, but he knew they wouldn’t.Thud.As the two smiled at each other in a battle of wills, Seokhwa collapsed onto the table, barely avoiding a disaster thanks to Kwak Soohwan, who quickly placed his hand between Seokhwa’s forehead and the table.“Dr. Seok?!”A startled Lee Yeontae sprang up.“Nothing to worry about. He’s held up well under the circumstances.”With a grunt, Kwak Soohwan lifted Seokhwa. Since he had fainted, he couldn’t be slung over the shoulder, and carrying him carelessly might aggravate his concussion. So, Kwak Soohwan supported Seokhwa’s body with both arms.“Well then, we’ll take our leave.”As Kwak Soohwan walked, Seokhwa’s arm swung loosely.“Wake up, babe.”Just before opening the door, Lee Yeontae thought he heard Kwak Soohwan call Seokhwa “babe.” He frowned, wondering if he had misheard. A waiting soldier opened the door as Kwak Soohwan nudged it with his foot.“You promised to extract my sperm today.”Kwak Soohwan whispered close to Seokhwa’s face. Lee Yeontae, unable to speak, pointed accusingly from behind. He remembered hearing strange rumors about Kwak Soohwan trying to force his crude desires on Seokhwa.“Major Kwak Soohwan!”As they stepped out, Lee Yeontae’s roar echoed. Turning back, he saw Lee Yeontae’s face flushed with anger.“I can’t condone rape, no matter who you are! Put Dr. Seok down immediately!”Those who jump to conclusions see only what they expect to see. Kwak Soohwan chuckled, completely turning to face Lee Yeontae.“Dr. Seok is using my sperm for research. How could you call it rape?”Shaking his head, he nudged the door again. Lee Yeontae trembled with rage. Kwak Soohwan’s defiant behavior clearly stemmed from resentment at being summoned.“Major Kwak Soohwan, a word of advice as your superior: You’ll only make enemies living like that.”Lee Yeontae’s advice echoed through the closing door, but Kwak Soohwan ignored it. He walked down the corridor, looking at Seokhwa’s serene face. Leaning in, he was about to kiss Seokhwa’s forehead.“What are you doing?”Seokhwa, now alert, looked at Kwak Soohwan with clear eyes and blocked his forehead with his hand.“Thinking of waking you with a kiss? But since you’ve been awake from the start, it’s meaningless now.”“Did you know?”Feigning unconsciousness? Of course. Kwak Soohwan laughed, seemingly in a good mood.“I didn’t expect it, but Dr. Seok has a devious side.”“I just want to rest quickly.”Seokhwa pushed against Kwak Soohwan’s chest and stood on his own. The elevator was rapidly approaching.“How did you know?”Feigning unconsciousness? When I lifted you, I was sure. You winced slightly, and your forehead barely touched my palm when you pretended to collapse.Kwak Soohwan kept these thoughts to himself. Seokhwa rubbed his forehead as if erasing lingering sensations, causing it to heat up.***Back in his room, Seokhwa sat on his bed, staring at the wall. Despite needing sleep for tomorrow’s schedule, his mind buzzed with thoughts.‘The preservation of humanity, the new prosperity of humanity—that is our mission. At the forefront is Rainbow City. We are citizens of Rainbow City.’“Noon, 6 PM.”That was when the regular broadcast aired. However, it was also when Dr. Oh Yangseok’s final words were broadcast. Therefore, Dr. Oh Yangseok might not have died at 5 AM. The recording was made during the regular broadcast hours of Mother.Why did the military police believe Dr. Oh Yangseok died at 5 AM? If it had been at noon or 6 PM, Dr. Kim might still have been in the lab…Seokhwa slowly turned on his computer on the desk.[Researcher Code Number 310, access granted]The connection to the main server, Mother, was confirmed through the speakers.“Mother, this is Researcher Seokhwa with code number 310 requesting access to the military police incident records.”[Loading. Access denied. Code number 310 does not have sufficient clearance.]What? Seokhwa gave up on voice recognition and started typing on the keyboard.As soon as he accessed the military police incident records server, an ‘Inaccessible’ screen popped up. As a senior researcher, he had access up to Level 2 classified information, but he couldn’t even get near the military police records. This meant that all military police records were classified as Level 1. Or someone had deliberately lowered his clearance level.“Mother, what is the clearance level for code number 310?”[The clearance level for Researcher Seokhwa with code number 310 is confidential.]‘Do not trust anyone in the shelter. Rainbow City is not normal right now.’The kidnapper’s words echoed in his mind.The development of a treatment instead of a vaccine. It had been years since he discussed this with Dr. Oh Yangseok. They had often talked about it until the day before his mother passed away.Something had definitely felt off. Even the research data on Dr. Oh Yangseok’s seventh vaccine was incomplete, and there was almost no data on treatments.Seokhwa disconnected from Mother and returned to his bed. With his feet on the cold marble floor, he rolled a well-worn pebble in his hand. He closed his eyes and began to recall the events before Kwak Soohwan had come to rescue him. The conversation with the kidnapper was still vivid.***“Are you… the rebels?”“They call us that in Rainbow City.”The man who smiled bitterly moved his legs back and forth a few times as if deep in thought.“The person who killed Dr. Oh Yangseok… Well, that’s still speculative, so let’s leave it at that, doctor.”Seokhwa felt the man kneel down in front of him. With a black blindfold over his eyes, his hearing was more sensitive.“We would like to give you a choice. Think carefully about why Adam’s mutation is so peculiar, and why Rainbow City is so indifferent to developing a treatment, as Dr. Oh Yangseok suggested. I want to believe in you, just as Dr. Oh Yangseok did.”A choice? I was merely fulfilling the role assigned to me by the higher-ups. I never had the same sense of mission as Dr. Oh Yangseok. I followed orders because they threatened to exile my mother from Jeju Island and disadvantage me in Rainbow City if I didn’t comply.“I tried to buy more time, but it seems we’re almost out. This place is safe, so stay here.”There was a sound of leather straps being tied.“You might be the one who killed Dr. Oh Yangseok… couldn’t you?”He couldn’t fully trust the kidnapper’s words. Seokhwa turned his face toward where he thought the man was.“Do you think the rebels can infiltrate the Yeouido Shelter? If so, it would have been easier to contact Dr. Seok directly.”His voice sounded muffled, as if something was covering his vocal cords. The kidnapper was probably wearing a mask.“If we could…”“Apologies for the late introduction. I am Serpent, in charge of Eden.”Seokhwa shuddered and trembled with his bound hands.“Is this the first time you’ve heard of us?”“I read a brief mention in Dr. Oh Yangseok’s journal.”“We don’t trust Rainbow City. They are vile people who exploit Adam for their own gain. Think carefully. One week from today, at precisely 9 PM. If you agree with us, we will meet at Dr. Oh Yangseok’s house in Sector 13 Red.”The door creaked open, and the sound of a lock clicking followed. As Seokhwa tried to move forward on his knees, the masked man knelt by the cell door.“Stay here. Major Kwak Soohwan will come to rescue you.”“…Major Kwak Soohwan?”“Be very wary of him. He is the guardian of the corrupt Rainbow City. The rest is up to your judgment.”The door creaked open and closed with dull thuds. The grating noise was unmistakably Adam’s. Seokhwa pulled himself back. He heard the sound of Adams attacking the man as he ran out, then there was silence.Cough, cough, cough.Adam, spitting blood and scratching its throat, was heard from a distance. As the dragging sound grew closer, Seokhwa clenched his mouth and exhaled slowly through his nose.Thump, a noise right in front of him made him flinch. An Adam had found Seokhwa and was trying to attack him through the bars, but the door was firmly shut.Seokhwa pressed his back against the wall, trying to gauge the distance by sound. Cold sweat trickled down his spine like ice water. He was safe for now, but he couldn’t stay here forever. Bound and blindfolded, what could he do? If he screamed, all the Adams would converge on him.Bang! Bang! Gunshots from outside startled him back to the floor. Growls and beastly screams made his head throb more intensely. Someone was fighting the Adams, and the sounds of flesh tearing and bones breaking mixed with his ragged breathing.Who are you?Seokhwa snapped his head up. He was sure he heard a familiar man’s voice. The footsteps grew closer. The rapid tapping sound might be Adam’s.Bang! Bang! The sound of someone kicking the door made Seokhwa want to call out. Is it Major Kwak Soohwan? He wanted to ask, but his throat was too tight. When someone inside removed his blindfold, Seokhwa almost hugged him. If his wrists hadn’t been bound behind him, he might have.Relying only on sound without knowing what was happening was terrifying. But relief was short-lived. Seeing an Adam charging at them from behind, he screamed.“Major…!”***Seokhwa shook his head as if in a spasm. Reflecting on the past events left him drenched in cold sweat again. As time passed, his anxious eyes gradually found calm and settled deeply.He could investigate Eden through Mother, but there was no guarantee the access logs wouldn’t be reported to the higher-ups. Hadn’t Lee Yeontae already shown signs of suspicion? He could tell the superiors everything, but he didn’t want to. Doubts had arisen. There was the possibility that Dr. Oh Yangseok’s killer was inside this shelter.I thought I only needed to research vaccines and mutations, but I felt like I was caught in a strange vortex. What is the Garden of Eden, and what are the rebels thinking? Should I ignore everything and focus solely on vaccine research? I was no different from Mother. I had always followed orders from above. But I had experienced real fear.Seokhwa looked down at his open hands. The pebble he was holding was stained with his sweat. Seven soldiers had died today. While he was safe in the shelter, the people and soldiers outside were not. Living with anxiety 24/7 without falling into a nervous breakdown would be a miracle. Treatments were just as important as vaccines. Dr. Oh Yangseok probably faced these issues long before I did.Why do Adams attack living beings?Seokhwa focused on this fact, recalling the time he mentioned it to Oh Yangseok. The results so far were simple. The Adam virus was an infectious agent that settled in healthy organisms like a cold and caused infections.“Dr. Seok, could it be that we are overlooking something crucial?”It was before he left for Jeju Island. Oh Yangseok had sighed and held his hand with his wrinkled one. Seokhwa squeezed the pebble and sprang out of bed.“Disease.”The Adam virus should be a treatable disease. There is no disease in the world that cannot be cured. It’s only a matter of when the treatment will be developed. Seokhwa had studied various viruses at the Jeju Island Learning Center long ago.MERS, swine flu, and even the much older Black Plague. Many viruses did not have treatments. Pharmaceutical companies, driven by capitalism, focused on vaccines and treatments that made money. They stopped developing drugs that were not profitable. The Adam pharmaceutical company spread the virus to save their failing company.So what about Rainbow City now?“Prosperity has ended, humanity has declined, and those who seek to profit by exploiting others are the leaders of Rainbow City! They don’t want change and are using Adam for their selfish gain!”He didn’t agree with the rebels’ ideology but started having doubts. If these doubts were resolved, it would be fine. However, blocking access to military police incident records only fueled his suspicion. Seokhwa lay on the floor with a complicated mind. Sleep did not come easily.***“Hyung, the store isn’t open today.”His younger sibling returned with an empty rice container. The hands holding the container looked like fern fronds.“With no rain, there’s not much drinking water left. What should we do, brother?”“Who told you to eat so much?”Kwak Soohwan scolded, handing over a water bottle he had set aside for himself. Promising to drink sparingly this time, his sibling wet their lips and spit the water back into the bottle.“Where’s Dad?”“He’s in the room over there. Go see him.”“I’d rather not. Where’s Mom?”“She’s with Dad in his room.”“Oh…”His sibling looked out the balcony wistfully.“To hell with it! Rainbow City, perish! Salvation is coming! Believers, to the Hwaseon Auditorium!”Below, cars and red graffiti written in blood were visible. They were in a region not affiliated with Rainbow City. Still, the market opened every four days, and soldiers were recruited from volunteers. A neighbor had volunteered for the military months ago but had not been heard from since. People assumed he was dead.Kwak Soohwan’s parents were citizens of Rainbow City. They worked in the shelter and had a house in the safe green zone for commuting. However, Rainbow City required permits to have children under its care policy.Kwak Soohwan and his sibling were unapproved children, so their parents raised them outside Rainbow City’s protection. Not everywhere outside was overrun by Adams. There were their own forces, and even poorly equipped mercenaries made up of ordinary citizens. However, if they gained too much power, Rainbow City branded them as rebels.Their parents visited Kwak Soohwan and his sibling once a week, but now they were isolated in the inner room and could not return. Moreover, it was essential that their parents’ presence remained a secret. Kwak Soohwan opened the cupboard to check the remaining canned food and medicine.“I’m going out, so stay home and don’t open the door for anyone, even if they ask. Got it?”“Why, where are you going?”His sibling followed him closely. Kwak Soohwan handed his sibling one of the few remaining pills.“Take it with the leftover canned sausage. Don’t forget.”“Okay.”His sibling suffered from Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, a primary immune deficiency disorder with symptoms of autoimmune disease and low platelets, making bleeding difficult to stop. They had survived so far on immune-boosting medications, but Rainbow City’s pharmaceutical companies announced they would stop supplying the drug due to low profit. Still, it wasn’t hard to find with money. Their parents had procured it through a broker, keeping his sibling alive.Kwak Soohwan, only fourteen, was well-developed for his age despite not eating well. The neighborhood believed he secretly ate good food alone. They weren’t entirely wrong. Kwak Soohwan frequently raided the markets in the red zone.He liked the red zone, especially areas that had recently declined from green. They had plenty of food. Fortunately, it was a full moon night. Kwak Soohwan descended the stairs and knocked on the door of a one-eyed man living on the third floor.The one-eyed, limping man was known for connecting people with Rainbow City’s brokers. With his parents in their current state, he had to procure his sibling’s medication himself. The gruff man opened the door, annoyed.“What do you want?”“Mister, my dad told me to ask you for my sibling’s medicine if they couldn’t be contacted.”The one-eyed man frowned but recalled the request. If they couldn’t be reached for a while, he was to get the child’s medicine.“Money?”Kwak Soohwan took out Rainbow City’s currency. There were seven types, each a different color. Green was the most valuable. When he handed over the green rainbow-emblazoned bill, the one-eyed man inspected it with a magnifying glass.“I’ll bring it in two days. Wait.”“Please do.”Ignoring Kwak Soohwan’s plea, the one-eyed man closed the door roughly.“Little brat, acting tough with a scowl.”