Junjin was a Bird. No, not one of those tweeting ones sitting in trees, no, one of those suppressed slave ones working to stay alive.

No one really knew why it was this way, but as far back as anyone could remember, there had been two types of people, People, and Birds. There weren't any visible differences between the two people when they were born, the only difference happened a couple of days after birth when a mark was branded onto the neck of the newborn Bird.

Birds were born to serve certain families, and those families were free to treat their Birds any way they wanted. They were free to decide who their Birds married, free to force them into having more kids if they needed more workers, free to sell them if they wanted to, but one thing they couldn't choose was who the government took away.

Once a year 100 Birds were taken away, usually when they hit puberty. This was because they were feared, the People thought the Birds might rally together and fight back if they had too many adults, and therefore they had to limit how many kids lived to become adults.

This was what Junjin's mother, Hyesung, faced. She had been very unlucky and only had one child, Junjin, it wasn't like she hadn't tried, or rather, it wasn't like their owners hadn't tried, but no matter how many times she had tried, she just couldn't get pregnant.

Junjin never knew his father, their owner had decided not to let his Birds marry, but just have them reproduce the fastest way possible, the only reason Hyesung hadn't been sold for her lack of fertility was because the owners wife was sick, and she could only eat Hyesung's food.

Junjin was a lucky Bird though, he belonged to a well educated family who liked having educated Birds, so he had gone to school since he was 6, and he was to graduate soon. But even though Junjin knew he was lucky, he didn't like school, he didn't like it cause he was bullied. Since he had no siblings, and everyone else had at least 7 siblings, he was bullied. They said he was a demon, that he made people sick, and that was why the owners wife was sick, that he had made her that way so his mother wouldn't be sold. Junjin didn't believe them though, he knew he was normal, he could feel it, he knew he was just like everyone else, but that didn't help him. 

He was a very thin kid, it wasn't because they weren't fed, they got plenty of food, but Junjin just wasn't allowed to eat it. If he wasn't with his mother, he was with the other kids, and when they got their daily food rations, he had to leg it before they took it from him. They never ate his food, they weren't hungry, and they believed it to be tainted. They just took his food to drain him, to let him die of hunger. But he never told his mother. He always ate a lot when he was with her, and she would always warn him that he would grow fat, she would never know the truth.

He rarely saw his mother though. When he started school, he had to move out to a dorm of sorts with every other bird his age. In the beginning he went home once a week, but as time passed, he went home less and less, now, it had been a year since last time.

He lived in a room with three other birds, siblings, Dongwan, Minwoo and Andy. They were not as mean to him as the other birds, but he still knew they detested him, he knew they wouldn't talk to him.

It was around the time of year when the 100 Birds would be picked out, and for the first time Junjin was old enough to be chosen. He was afraid, of cause, every Bird his age was, but for some reason he just knew he wouldn't be chosen, he was too weak, too small to be any threat.

He woke up on that day, nothing felt different from usual when he looked around the tiny room to see the other three Birds sleeping soundly, but he knew something was different today, he knew that after today he would have less bullies, he just knew that at least some of them would be taken away, they fit all of the criterions the government had. 

He swung his legs over the side of the bed, wanting to be the first to check the list of names, he had to know who would be gone.

"Can you wait for me?" it was a small voice calling out, it came from the bed closest to the door. That bed belonged to Andy, the youngest of his room mates, the only one not in danger of being picked. So why did he want to check the list?

"You'll have to hurry, I'm leaving when I'm dressed" he whispered back, no need to wake the other two up, it might be their last day in these beds.

A loud crash was heard as the younger boy fell out of his bed in an attempt to get up quickly, lucky thing that his brothers were the heaviest sleepers he had ever met.

"I'm leaving now, are you ready?" he whispered out in the darkness, and before he even got the chance to twist the door know open, he saw a smaller figure besides him, half dressed, pants still his pajama pants. He couldn't help but smile at the younger, it might be that they lived in the same room, but him and his brothers were the only people not treating him like he was some deathly decease.

"Can I hold your hand?" he turned his head quickly to the side to look at the younger guy, sure him and his brothers had always been nice to him, but actually touching him? No one had ever dared touch him before, no one but his mother.

"If you're not afraid it will kill you" he slimed slightly, dumbfounded that anyone would even dare standing next to him.

They made their way down the empty hallway, and suddenly Junjin felt how Andy's hand timidly grabbed his own and held it tight.

"Why do you even want to see the list? You can't be on it you know?" he looked at the younger guy who looked up with tears in his eyes.

"I know, but Dongwan and Minwoo can, and if they are taken away..." he looked at his feet and trailed off, not daring to continue his sentence,

"They won't, they're too small" Andy looked up, looking rather insulted.

"But they are. Seriously, they only take big guys away, like, really big scary looking guys, or really clever guys, not saying they aren't smart of cause, just, I know smarter people" this one couldn't be saved, Andy looked utterly confused and annoyed, but after flashing him an apologetic smile he seemed to relax again.

"I guess you're right" he looked straight ahead as they had reached the entrance, the big blue paper standing out on the white wall.

He tightened his grasp on Andy's hand, not caring what the other guy thought of him, he was certain  he wasn't on the list, but he couldn't know for sure, what if he had been wrong? He took a deep breath and began reading.

He wasn't there, his name wasn't on the list! He released the air he had trapped in his lungs and looked with a smile to the younger guy when he realized that Andy might not be happy. He hadn't looked at which names were on, just that his name wasn't, and judging from Andy's facial expression, something was wrong.

"Andy, who is it?" he felt stupid not considering how Andy felt, he had completely forgotten that Andy was there.

"They aren't there..." he was frozen, just staring at the blue paper, as Junjin looked confused at him.

"They aren't there!" Andy yelled as he faced Junjin, smiling widely. Junjin smiled back, a little confused, but when Andy jumped towards him, wrapping his arms firmly around his neck, he got even more confused. Andy was hugging him? No one hugged him, only his mother.

"I'm... I'm sorry, I don't know what happened, I'm..." Andy let go, eyes wandering as his face grew red, Junjin could only stare at him with open mouth as the hall slowly began filling with curious students checking if they were on the list.

When a girl broke down screaming about how some guy wasn't a threat Junjin finally snapped out of his trance and realized what was going on, he had to leave now. This day had been a day he had feared every year, the ones loosing family members and friends would always blame him for it, tell him that he was the real threat, and he knew that this year was nothing different, they wouldn't dare to touch him, but if you beat someone with a stick, you don't need physical contact.

"Hyungs!! Wake up!! You aren't on the list!!" Andy yelled as he jumped into his brothers' bed, startling them, but still earning him big smiles and hugs from both. Junjin couldn't help but feel envious of the scene, he always wanted siblings, but scenes like these made him even more jealous than ever.

"Wait Andy, how do you know we're not on the list?" it was Dongwan who spoke up, stopping the celebration.

"Does it matter? I just checked the list" Andy tried to sound happy still. But Minwoo shot an angry look in Junjin's direction.

"Andy, did you go with him, alone?" Minwoo whispered now, but still loud enough for Junjin to hear everything clearly.

"And if I did? Hyung, he's just a guy" Andy said, pouting now.

"Andy, don't you know what they say about him? He's a demon Andy" Dongwan whispered while side-eyeing Junjin, who pretended to be making his bed.

"But he doesn't look different from us?" Andy tilted his head slightly, his voice more soft now.

"People look no different from us either, yet we don't talk to them" Dongwan said as he put his hand on Andy's shoulder and flashed him a smile. It made Junjin sick to see them alienating the only person he might have been able to befriend, right in front of him, while Minwoo just stared him down.

"Assembly in the hall, 15 minutes" it was the loud speaker, so they were ready to say goodbye to the chosen ones.

They were all stuffed into the small hall, standing very close, all trying to see the Person who would call out the names of the ones who would be taken away. It wasn't particularly exiting, or sad for that matter, but Junjin was happy to see at least some of his bullies disappear. He was lucky to be tall, and he was lucky that no one wanted to touch him,