Rainbow City

Seokhwa asked flatly, but his tone was as cold and sharp as a blade aimed straight at the heart.

“Soohwan, did you know about this? Since when?”

His voice, dry and cracked, seemed to echo the desolation within him.

“From the beginning… did you know?”

Kwak Soohwan wanted to deny it. He wanted to scream that everything that man was saying was a lie, that Dr. Seok was not some experiment. But no sound came out.

“Of course Major Kwak treated Dr. Seok well. He feels indebted to him.”

“Dr. Seok, do I seem like I have a sense of debt? You know better than anyone how selfish I am.”

He was afraid. It felt like he could see mistrust forming in Seokhwa’s eyes.

“I only found out recently. But it’s not my fault.”

He was almost pleading not to be hated. Why isn’t it your fault? Seokhwa’s eyes seemed to be accusing him.

“Did I collapse often, become a burden to others…? I wasn’t supposed to be like this, right?”

“Of course, you were born healthier than anyone.”

‘Seokhwa, no matter what anyone says, you are not a failure. You are the perfect child born of Euphrates.’

His mother’s words had always been true.

The hand holding the gun trembled.

“I can help you. I can get revenge for you.”

Drip, drip. The blood still flowing from Choi Hoeon soaked his shoulder.

“Let’s burn down the city that made us this way, and live together in our home until the end of our days. He is the greatest beneficiary of the city, the embodiment of our blood and pus. He must be eliminated.”

‘He is the rotten protector of Rainbow City.’

The serpent spoke. It tempted him to kill what had tormented him and live in comfort.

The strength in Seokhwa’s hand, which had been gripping the gun tightly in defiance, began to wane. He let his body relax, allowing Choi Hoeon’s finger to rest on the trigger as the gun aimed at Kwak Soohwan. Seokhwa leaned against Choi Hoeon’s back, feeling drained. My Eve, my savior. The end was near. Choi Hoeon held Seokhwa dearly in his embrace.

Bang!

The gunshot rang out, mingling with the sound of birds taking flight. But the bullet embedded itself in a tree hidden in the darkness, not in Kwak Soohwan.

Seokhwa!

Even though Kwak Soohwan called out to him, Seokhwa didn’t look back. The moment Choi Hoeon fired the gun, Seokhwa pushed him away and started climbing up the mountain. He murmured to himself.

Run, run! Faster!

Even though his leg muscles screamed in agony as he slipped on the dirt, he didn’t stop. Even if he could never run again, he had to escape. As he climbed the mountain, barely able to see ahead, more gunshots rang out from behind. Still, Seokhwa didn’t look back.

He might have misunderstood. He might have thought that Seokhwa resented him. But being captured by Choi Hoeon again would only make him a burden, so he had pretended to be swayed by the serpent’s words. Kwak Soohwan was not to blame for the state of his body. The thought of Kwak Soohwan misunderstanding or being hurt pained Seokhwa more than his own ragged breath.

Huff, huff. Seokhwa grabbed onto anything he could and climbed. He clung to the rocks on the ground, pulling himself up until he finally stood upright. In the distance, red pillars of flame swayed. He had heard the city was burning, but now flames rose from abandoned ruins far away as well. Had the city’s fire spread this far? Or had someone set another fire? Seokhwa rubbed his face with his hands. What he thought was sweat turned out to be blood from his nose and mouth as he coughed.

It seems the old man was wrong. My body keeps expelling poison.

Seokhwa moved behind a large rock, removed his backpack, and crouched down.

***

Kwak Soohwan fired his gun at Choi Hoeon, who was trying to chase Seokhwa. Choi Hoeon fired back, but as the distance closed, he threw his gun to the ground.

“I won’t kill you easily.”

“I will rip out the tongue of that snake who uttered the truth he swore never to reveal until his death, gouge out his eyes, and make him crawl on the dirt. Choi Hoeon, who had been hit squarely in the face by a fist, chuckled and laughed.

‘Did Major Kwak know about it too? Ah, I wasn’t supposed to say that. Did you see earlier? Dr. Seok was pretty shocked.’

Just as Kwak Soohwan was about to punch him in the mouth again, there was a thud, and a tree splintered. Choi Hoeon lowered his stance to dodge the punch and struck Kwak Soohwan in the side. As Kwak Soohwan staggered back from the blow that reverberated through his ribs, he pushed him and made him fall backward.

‘Maybe he ran away because he hated it all. Well, I can’t forgive him either.’

Choi Hoeon, who had climbed on top, interrupted his words with a punch. Although Kwak Soohwan raised his guard in the meantime, his forearm bones still tingled painfully. There might have been a fracture somewhere. Just as Choi Hoeon was about to unleash another forceful blow, Kwak Soohwan hit him in the jaw. Choi Hoeon, who had been hit properly and lost his balance, braced himself on the ground with his hands. Kwak Soohwan roughly grabbed his hair and slammed Choi Hoeon’s head against a sharp protruding rock. Thud, thud, crunch, the sound of bones breaking was accompanied by splatters of flesh and blood.

‘I’ll smash you up so badly your father won’t recognize you in hell. If you were infected, you should’ve just died quietly instead of running your mouth. How many people did you sacrifice to slow the infection? Enough to fill the shelter?’

Every tendon in his body was about to burst. He wanted to believe that Seokhwa wouldn’t be fooled by such a deceitful tongue. He would crush his bones to dust and finally rip out his tongue. He pushed Choi Hoeon’s head away and lifted his foot to break his arm. It was then that the sound of gunfire cut through his seething anger.

Thwack, something spinning grazed his side. Another gunshot rang out, and a stray bullet embedded itself in the ground.

‘Protect the Master!’

A bright light was aimed in their direction. At least six soldiers began firing.

Blood gushed from Kwak Soohwan’s side where the bullet had grazed. He pulled Choi Hoeon in front of him, using him as a shield. Choi Hoeon only laughed continuously as if something was amusing.

‘Ha… Did you know? Dr. Seok trembles at his own helplessness? But it’s all because of you, Major Kwak Soohwan.’

Kwak Soohwan knew it too. Seokhwa always detested being treated like a helpless body.

‘Kwak Soohwan! Surrender! Release the Master and surrender, and we will spare your life!’

The elite soldiers couldn’t shoot Choi Hoeon and could only shout without advancing. A red dot moved and settled on Kwak Soohwan’s forearm. When he tightened his grip on Choi Hoeon with his other arm, the aiming point disappeared. If he wasn’t careful, Choi Hoeon’s collarbone could be pierced.

Blood from his side now soaked his pants. Dragging this out any longer would only harm him.

‘Do you know?’

Choi Hoeon’s once white, neat teeth were now stained with blood.

‘I transfused my red blood cells into Dr. Seok’s body… Major Kwak and I are polar opposites.’

Spitting blood, Choi Hoeon continued.

‘That’s why Dr. Seok’s bleeding won’t stop. He might die, you fool. Just like your father.’

A chill fell over Kwak Soohwan’s face, which had been burning with rage.

Ugh, one of the elite soldiers, intensely focused, managed to shoot Kwak Soohwan in the forearm. Gritting his teeth, Kwak Soohwan did not loosen his grip on Choi Hoeon’s neck. As the soldiers closed in, he checked the container behind him. He began to move backward, dragging Choi Hoeon with him, and the soldiers followed.

‘Huff, now I can breathe a little easier.’

Choi Hoeon sighed, saying his dizzy mind was clearing. He jabbed his fingers into the gunshot wound on Kwak Soohwan’s forearm. Kwak Soohwan intended to break his neck, but Choi Hoeon grabbed both of his arms and resisted with strength. Blood poured from Kwak Soohwan’s side with every exertion. Damn, Kwak Soohwan grabbed Choi Hoeon’s nape and shoved him into the container.

Bang, bang! Gunshots rang out as Kwak Soohwan closed the container door. Choi Hoeon attacked as soon as the door shut. At least one bullet had hit his back, and he could feel the blood draining from him more vividly. Kwak Soohwan reached for a handgun hanging on the wall, but was too busy fending off Choi Hoeon, who was trying to choke him.

There was a crunching sound from his chest. Liquid from inside a vial soaked his chest as its cap rolled away. Recognizing it, Choi Hoeon’s eyes widened. His cracked forehead exposed the white bone, making him look grotesque.

“All those poor test subjects believed that Dr. Seok would save them. Even those suffering need some glimmer of hope for salvation, right? Just as my father taught me the value of a sibling, just as Adam’s vaccine was Eve, Dr. Seok was their beacon of hope. But do you know what they mean by salvation?”

Bending down, he whispered into his ear.

“Rapture. That is, death. The savior is the one who will end this city and their suffering. He could have done it…”

Choi Hoeon tightened his grip on the throat.

Until now, Kwak Soohwan had never been weak. As long as there was no one to protect, he was stronger than anyone. For the first time, he faced his physical limits, something he had never feared before.

Drip, drip, blood from Choi Hoeon’s nose seeped onto his forearm. Not missing the moment when the clarity in his eyes blurred, he mounted him and threw punches. Gunfire rang out outside. The sounds of helicopters and sirens tearing through the wind could be heard. Bullets dented the container, and Choi Hoeon kicked Kwak Soohwan in the side, leaping forward.

The pain from his gunshot wound was immense, but he immediately grabbed the handgun and followed him. Light from the helicopter illuminated the forest. It was a helicopter with the Emperor Penguin mark. The elite soldiers in the shadow of the light were firing at the helicopter, trying to bring it down.

“Major Kwak Soohwan! Join us! This is Major Woo Taian, following the orders of Owl and Owl’s Eye!”

The soldiers approaching from below were those who had been vaccinated and joined the three families. The Master’s elite soldiers, composed of S-Class members, split up to block the rebels trying to join Kwak Soohwan. Choi Hoeon was running towards the direction where Seokhwa had disappeared. Without stopping, Kwak Soohwan chased after him, firing his gun. The mountain was filled with the sounds of gunfire and helicopter propellers, with not even the birds lingering nearby. Blood filled his boots, making his soles feel wet as if soaked in rainwater. But he no longer felt any pain.

Running up the rocky mountain, Kwak Soohwan shouted.

“Dr. Seok! Do not come out no matter what!”

He was anxious that Seokhwa might show himself amid the chaos. If he knew Seokhwa, he would be hiding somewhere. He likely ran away not because he hated him but because he didn’t want to be a burden. Seokhwa was always like that. Though weaker, he always supported him.

One of the helicopters that joined later was flying towards the summit. It was a city helicopter. Even as the Emperor Penguin helicopter fired at it, the aircraft continued upward without hindrance. Damn, damn! Kwak Soohwan wanted to cry out like a child. He felt he might truly lose Seokhwa at this rate. Even though he felt his strength draining away, he moved faster than ever.

Before he could reach the summit, he saw Choi Hoeon. Finding Seokhwa on the only mountain path wasn’t too difficult. Standing in front of a rock, Choi Hoeon was holding Seokhwa. Seokhwa, with a nosebleed, looked like he could collapse at any moment. His pupils couldn’t even focus, as if he were blind.

“Major… are you okay?”

Seeing Seokhwa worry about him without thinking about his own state made Kwak Soohwan feel like losing his mind from helplessness. Seokhwa was crying. A person who never cried, no matter how hard or painful it was, was crying because of him.

“Why are you doing this? Why go this far?”

Seokhwa, held by Choi Hoeon, dropped a mixture of blood and saliva onto the ground.

“Why? Because Dr. Seok felt the same way as I did. If the city disappears and all traces of it vanish, our suffering will end too.”

Choi Hoeon remembered his younger brother, who held his finger with an IV drip attached to his small body. He remembered his brother crying, asking to be taken out of the lab, to make everything that hurt him disappear, and to relieve his pain, just as he was.

“Don’t say ‘our’…”

Seokhwa firmly denied, saying he never suffered. Elite soldiers who had rappelled down from the helicopter and the rebels behind Kwak Soohwan pointed their guns at each other. In this tense situation, no one fired first. They knew doing so would mean death for everyone. They merely observed each other like beasts with raised fur.

“Kwak Soohwan!”

He heard the voices of Yang Sanghoon and Lee Chaeyoon, who had descended from the helicopter, right behind him, but he didn’t turn around. Damn it! You’re dead, you crazy bastard! They worried about Kwak Soohwan while aiming their guns at the enemy. He had bled so much that his ears were ringing. He felt not only his blood but all his senses slipping away. Perhaps it was his soul, forcibly held in, trying to escape.

“The vaccine is real, and because I deceived everyone about it, the rebellion occurred, right?”

Choi Hoeon shouted towards the rebels.

“Are you sure the vaccine is real?”

“Shut up! Try doing anything to Dr. Seok!”

Lee Chaeyoon stepped forward. Choi Hoeon supported Seokhwa’s collapsing body and lifted his arm. He then grabbed one of his elite soldiers. The blood was cooling. Kwak Soohwan instinctively knew what that bastard was about to do.

Yang Sanghoon, who approached to cover Kwak Soohwan, realized it was too late to stop the bleeding from his comrade’s gunshot wound.

“Soo Hwan, Kwak Soohwan. You’ll die before the Doctor, you idiot. Do you even realize what you look like right now?”

Yang Sanghoon’s face crumpled as if he were about to cry.

“…You know I’m always sorry for relying on you, right?”

He spoke softly to Yang Sanghoon while looking at Seokhwa. He felt like his lifespan was shortening with every word he spoke.

“You bastard. Don’t talk like you’re about to die.”

“I have one more favor to ask. Take Dr. Seok and run.”

“What?”

Kwak Soohwan’s voice came out faintly.

“Everyone will target Seokhwa. Please.”

“What are you talking about?”

With a low scream, a wound appeared on Seokhwa’s arm. Choi Hoeon had plunged a blade into Seokhwa’s forearm. A stream of blood dripped down his arm. He wanted to rush out and tear him apart immediately, but doing so would mean he could never save Seokhwa. It was incredibly difficult to stay calm. His rational judgment was fading, as if his brain were going empty.

“Ma… Master?!”

Choi Hoeon stabbed the blood-stained knife into the arm of one of his elite soldiers who was protecting him.

“Ugh!”

“What are you worried about? Did you think I wouldn’t know? You were vaccinated too, weren’t you? And why do you all look like that? Didn’t everyone believe in the vaccine? What are you afraid of?”

Like a child pulling out a hidden gift, Choi Hoeon couldn’t hide his excitement. He was right. The rebels were united under the belief that the vaccine was real. That belief allowed the three families to join forces and justified the rebellion. But if the vaccine was fake…

“Gah, hack, cough.”

The elite soldier exposed to Seokhwa’s blood suddenly vomited blood like a fountain. No one spoke, but the air was filled with shock. But not yet, not yet. Now is not the time.

Kwak Soohwan realized he was still bleeding profusely and focused only on Seokhwa. He could feel Seokhwa barely holding onto consciousness, his pupils unable to focus.

Brother Seokhwa, it hurts, right? Just hold on a little longer. Just a little longer.

“Oh dear, it seems the vaccine isn’t effective.”

Choi Hoeon said with a tone of regret, lifting Seokhwa’s hand high.

“Doctor here developed the vaccine, but maybe it’s because his body is hosting a new Adam virus. Everyone has been deceived. There’s no vaccine for the newly mutated Adam virus. If you don’t believe me, does anyone want to test it?”

Blood-red teeth were revealed. The rebels were visibly shaken. The Major, who had joined forces with Owl and Owl’s Eye, took out his radio to relay the news that the vaccine was ineffective. As the Major raised his hand in a signal to prepare for firing, all eyes turned to Seokhwa.

Click.

That’s the virus. He’s the host of the new mutated Adam virus that the vaccine doesn’t work against.

The soldiers and citizens of the city had suffered from the virus for far too long. The mutated Adam virus evoked fear beyond hatred. The elite soldier who had vomited blood stood up in a grotesque manner. It’s Adam! Kill him! The guns aimed at him again. Rat-a-tat-tat! The body of the elite soldier, now turned Adam, was riddled with bullets, and Kwak Soohwan shouted with all his might.

“Yang Sanghoon, now!”

From the moment Kwak Soohwan started running towards Choi Hoeon, Yang Sanghoon began covering him. Despite being shot, several elite soldiers began to mutate into Adams due to the Adam attacking their allies.

“Kill the Doctor! Start with Adam! No, kill the Doctor first!”

Kwak Soohwan fired his handgun at Choi Hoeon’s back as he carried Seokhwa towards the helicopter, and the bullet hit its mark. Yet he didn’t stop.

Yang Sanghoon relentlessly fired his machine gun at the hovering helicopter’s propeller. Bang! One side of the propeller broke off, causing the helicopter to lose direction and crash headfirst into the ground. The wildly spinning propeller scraped against the rocks on the ground, shattering into pieces. The fragments flew everywhere, hitting both friend and foe alike.

Seokhwa, who was held by Choi Hoeon, gritted his teeth in anguish. His body was half-folded and slung over Choi Hoeon’s shoulder, causing waves of nausea to surge up. Get a grip. Even if you die now, you must stay conscious. You can’t let yourself be swept away like this. That’s the only way Soohwan can survive. Seokhwa lifted his head and spotted a fallen handgun in his line of sight. Kwak Soohwan and Yang Sanghoon seemed to be running towards him in slow motion. He wanted to reach out and grab the handgun, but it was just out of reach. Blood quickly soaked Choi Hoeon’s back, making his suit stick to his body. At the moment when the helicopter exploded in a flash, Seokhwa saw the handgun tucked into Choi Hoeon’s waist belt.

Seokhwa quickly reached out, grabbed the handgun, and cocked it. He took a deep breath, as if mustering the last of his strength. He struck Choi Hoeon’s gunshot wound with the handle of the gun. Seokhwa used the moment when Choi Hoeon’s grip weakened to push him away and roll to the ground. He locked eyes with Choi Hoeon, whose pupils were dilated and staring down at him. Don’t hesitate. The internal whisper came simultaneously.

Bang! He pulled the trigger aimed at Choi Hoeon’s chest. Blood spurted from the corner of Choi Hoeon’s mouth as his eyes blinked a few times. Choi Hoeon, collapsing to the ground, reached out to Seokhwa, who was sitting on the floor. Thud, a piece of the propeller flew and lodged into Choi Hoeon’s shoulder. His half-severed arm dangled grotesquely as he reached out, sending chills down Seokhwa’s spine.

Eve, my savior, my solace.

The red eyes were still filled with obsession as they reached for him. Seokhwa was frozen, unable to back away, held by that gaze. Why didn’t he feel satisfaction as the monster created by the city died? Then, suddenly, a large hand covered his eyes. The warmth that embraced him was familiar. It was Kwak Soohwan. But his body shuddered several times as if it had been struck by something.

“Sorry. Dr. Seok was hurt because of me.”

Kwak Soohwan’s voice was fainter than ever. His palm felt damp as it soaked up Seokhwa’s tears. He wanted to say it wasn’t his fault, but no words came out, so he just shook his head.

“Still, you must live. Do you trust me?”

Kwak Soohwan’s entire body was soaked. It looked as if he had just emerged from a pool of blood, his whole body drenched, as though he was bleeding from every pore. Yet he kept Seokhwa’s eyes covered so he couldn’t see anything. Seokhwa held his hands tightly until they turned white. He felt that if he let go, he would never return to this embrace.

“Live.”

He pushed Seokhwa towards someone.

Major, Soohwan, he wanted to call out, but his throat was tight, and all that came out were choking sobs. He had never once been hurt because of Kwak Soohwan. If his sacrifice could make him whole, if it could perfect his beloved, then it was not a sacrifice but a blessing. He wanted to take in his beloved with his eyes, but the man carrying him obscured his view. The man grabbed a rope hanging from a hovering helicopter, lifting him into the air. He knew Kwak Soohwan was the strongest person, but it felt like the mountain was devouring all the blood flowing from his body, and it really felt like this was the end…

Soohwan!

He shouted, but Seokhwa’s voice was drowned out by the roaring propeller.

Kwak Soohwan watched as the helicopter safely lifted off, then turned around. The ground was littered with the corpses of Adams and soldiers, and the only survivors were the dazed Lee Chaeyoon, the Major, and a few rebels. Could they even be called rebels anymore? A long sigh escaped him. Could he ever return to Seokhwa? The despair he felt was uncharacteristic of him.

The Major shouted.

“Save the Master! Major Kwak Soohwan is to be executed on the spot for protecting and aiding the escape of the Adam virus host.”

Now all guns were aimed at him. This was the end. The heretic and rebel who brought threat to the city was now alone.

“Kwak Soohwan… It can’t be helped. We have to end this here.”

Lee Chaeyoon said. The Major tacitly allowed her to carry out the execution as a final courtesy to her comrade.

Bang!

She extended her arm sideways and shot the Major in the temple. Taking that as a signal, Kwak Soohwan grabbed an Adam lying on the ground to shield himself and began shooting the remaining soldiers. Lee Chaeyoon, from behind, and Kwak Soohwan, from the front, finished off the ten or so soldiers. The rebellion had to succeed. That was the only way Lee Chaeyoon’s family could survive. Choi Hoeon could not be reinstated as the Master. Kill or be killed. The wounds of some fallen soldiers absorbed Adam’s blood and got infected, creating chaos among friend and foe alike. Kwak Soohwan and Lee Chaeyoon killed everyone else at the scene, sparing no one but each other.

Haah, haah… Kwak Soohwan stood atop a mound of corpses, gasping for breath. Lee Chaeyoon was gathering the bodies of the dead soldiers and ensuring they were dead.

Using his long rifle as support, Kwak Soohwan knelt in front of Choi Hoeon. Choi Hoeon was still breathing.

“…Stubborn, both you and I.”

Choi Hoeon’s eyes were vacant. He was clearly dying. Kwak Soohwan could feel his own life ebbing away as well. He couldn’t even hear his own voice anymore.

Kwak Soohwan, too weak to stand, loaded his gun while on his knees. He aimed it at Choi Hoeon.

There is no place of rest for you.

Choi Hoeon rolled his pupils upward and spat out a curse.

As long as Seokhwa is the host of the mutated Adam virus, he won’t be able to return to the city. He won’t be able to live among people. That’s why I had to survive. I would live and stay by Seokhwa’s side.

Bang.

He fired at Choi Hoeon, and with that shot, Kwak Soohwan’s breath also ceased.