A/N: Here's the first chapter! There are some curse words in it but its not a lot so if you feel uncomfortable reading words like the F or S word, then you can unsubscribe :)

Stop the Tests! Stop the Tests! Stop the Tests!

A mob of dirty smelly men gathered in front of the gate and chanted, ing their clenched fists into the air. Some held paper banners that read “Stop the Tests!”

Their sweaty bodies pushed against Baekhyun, knocking him back and forth. Their faces were unclean, smeared with mud or dust that also stained their gray-washed clothes. There were men old and young, the youngest maybe 12. But the majority was boys in their late teens. Baekhyun was part of the majority.

Sixteen and unemployed, with no income to feed his family of two others, his stomach growled as he protested along with the crowd, empty of food for days. His clothes were torn and stained, but he can’t afford to buy new ones. The ugly dull fabric blended in with everyone else in the mob.

“Stop the Tests! Let us in!” Baekhyun shouted.

It was the Test that ruined his life five months ago. It left him helpless. But who’s going to help him anyways? He’s just one of the thousands of people who ended up with the same fate. Left in the Slum Sectors, on the outskirts of the nation, abandoned by his own country.

The longer he stood in the protest, the hungrier he became. He can feel his stomach ripping apart inside of him, a stabbing sensation that made him grimace. Every limb on his body ached from days of no rest, each joint and muscle tired and sore.

He couldn’t take it anymore. The blinding sunlight stabbed his eyes and made his head spin.

With staggering steps, Baekhyun pushed his way out of the crowd until finally, he reached an alley in between two buildings. He leaned against the concrete walls and slid down onto the floor, where the late afternoon sun couldn’t reach. The pain worsened.

He grabbed his stomach and shut his eyes, hoping the hunger will disappear. Or maybe even better, he will disappear. What’s the point of living in this cruel world anyways? It’s not like he has a future. Even the dull and boring concrete is brighter than his future.

Who would want a miserable failure like him anyways? He failed the Test, and that means he’s useless.

Without realizing, a tear escaped his eye.

Suddenly, a loud and squeaky scraping sound made him look up.

Not far from him, where the crowd still gathered, the gates opened. The mob went silent. Anticipation and fear for what’s to come hung in the air like moisture on a steamy summer day.

Baekhyun sat up with interest.

Soon came the synchronized sound of leather boots stomping on the cold stones, all stepping in the same rhythm. Baekhyun knew what was coming.

Soldiers.

Realizing he committed treason by participating in the protest, he shrank further into the shadows of the two buildings, hoping to go by unnoticed.

Someone shouted, “RUN!”

Immediately, the crowd broke into scampering men, running in every direction. Their messy foot steps blended in with the soldier’s march. They dropped their hastily made banners and ran for their lives.

A gunshot cracked through the air.

Someone screamed.

There goes another unlucky guy.

Baekhyun could see the soldier’s white and blue uniforms through the gaps between the people’s legs and he backed up further into the shadow, hoping to just fade into the wall.

They won’t notice him, right?

Luckily, most of the soldiers went the other way, chasing the majority of the mod. He waited, and waited, and waited, until the scampering footsteps faded into something like the fluttering of butterfly wings. Baekhyun let out a sigh of relieve.

“Who’s there?”

A deep and strong voice pierced through the air.

Baekhyun’s head snapped up to see the silhouette of a gun pointing into his alley and a tall soldier blocking the entrance. His white and blue uniform stood out while the shadow from the buildings consumed his face, making it impossible to see who it is.

Not that it mattered. A soldier is a soldier. And you’re suppose to run from them.

Without a second of hesitation, Baekhyun broke out in a run, flying down the opposite side of the alley, away from the soldier. He can hear the leather boots hitting the concrete as the soldier chased after him.

Baekhyun ran as fast as he could, knowing that if he gets caught, this might as well be the end of him.

He can’t let that happen. He can’t die. He’s got a mother and a younger brother to take care of. He can’t leave them alone in the Slum sectors. His brother Sehun is still too young to be out in the streets, stealing for a living like Baekhyun.

But even if Baekhyun did die, he’s sure Jongin will take care of his family for him. Jongin has been his best friend ever since kindergarten, and they’ve been inseparable since then, even though Jongin is a year younger.

But right now, he needs to try to live.

Baekhyun ran even faster, turning corners and running through the narrow alleys. The soldier was still chasing him. After a while, he lost track of the way. There were just too many turns and Baekhyun worried if he will ever be able to find his way home.

Regardless, he ran. Until he ran into a dead end.

The blank wall stared back at him, all of his hopes seemed to wash down the drain. He turned around but it was too late, the soldier blocked the entrance.

Baekhyun was trapped.

But when the soldier took a step forward until the sunlight illuminated his face, Baekhyun could finally see him clearly. Something clicked inside of him.

That soldier… looks strangely familiar…

Chanyeol.

With a sudden jolt, he recognized the tall man as Park Chanyeol, his former classmate from when he was still in school, before he took the Test. Chanyeol seemed to recognize him as well, for his eyebrows jumped up in surprise and his chin dropped just a little.

“Baekhyun,” the name echoed against the stone walls, each syllable bouncing off the gray slabs and into Baekhyun’s ear.

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