First Cracks

"good morning Yonghwa" she greeted him politely as he came downstairs dressed for school the first morning

"I made breakfast would you please join us?" she asked kindly

he arched an eyebrow and tried an excuse "I have school I usually don't eat in the mornings"

"Yonghwa sit down and eat with your stepmother," his dad said firmly from behind him "at least this once"

Yonghwa didn't want to eat her food "if I eat with you this time please don't bother me to eat with you every morning after this it's annoying and it will make me late for school" Yonghwa said

he walked to the table and sat down

the couple sat down and they began to eat the breakfast she had made

his dad acted like it was the best breakfast ever what was so special about some fried eggs toast and bacon orange juice? was just an ordinary cold greasy breakfast

Yonghwa picked at it with a frown his stomach did not like greasy so early in the morning it made him feel queasy it was better to have a hot cup of oats porridge flavored with Bay leaf and cinnamon from his favorite cafe near school

it would sit in his stomach with a pleasantly warm full feeling during class his mother would buy it for him sometimes when she took him to school

but he had gotten into the habit of having that for breakfast instead of eating at home since his mother died

"so Yonghwa tell me a little bit about yourself I would like to get to know you better," his stepmother said

"my name is Moon Yonghwa I'm fourteen years old I play the piano and I'm a composer"

he stated everything she already knew

"ok then how is school?" she asked

" fine" Yonghwa replied

"you don't have any trouble with your classes your grades? teachers?" his stepmother asked

Yonghwa got up from the table walked into the living room and pulled out a drawer in a side table and took out a fat brown manilla envelope he came back and dropped it in front of her and sat down again

"what's this?" she asked picking it up she opened it and inside were all of Yonghwa's school reports since elementary school

every single one straight As perfect scores he was the top of his class and honors student he had an impressively high IQ 156

he was extremely intelligent all his teachers wrote glowing reports about him he was an incredible genius and extremely talented wonderful student and his teachers adored him

every single one of his reports was signed off by his mother very proudly at the bottom she would even put stickers on them to tell him good job on his grades and congratulations

"I see," she said nodding putting the reports back into the envelope

"you're a good student in school thats wonderful and impressive"

he rolled his eyes "schools basic nothing special I could do it with my eyes closed"

"well, what about your friends? how are they doing when do I get to meet them?"

his stepmother asked

Yonghwa laughed startling her was she stupid? did she not live in Zither and know how things work?

"did you not just read my reports?" Yonghwa said talking while using his hands

"I am number 1 at my school " he held up his index finger "my existence makes other kids and even some teachers feel inferior so no one likes me, my nickname" he pointed to himself "is ice prince at school so what friends?" he arched an eyebrow

"and I really can't be bothered with immature stupid people at school anyways it's an annoying waste of my time half the time" he shook his head

"they are not mentally developed enough to have a proper conversation with me even though we are the same age understand I am a genius ok, I'm not like other kids I don't like silly stuff think adult brain in a kids body is this interrogation over now can I go?"

"Yonghwa!" his father cried sharply

"whatever" Yonghwa responded rolling his eyes "it's not like I told her a lie" he got up from the table picking up his backpack he left the house for school

"jeez he has an attitude" she sighed

after school, Yonghwa made his way to the office of his family's lawyer

"Hello I'm here to see Mr. Swayer I'm Moon Yonghwa," he said to the surprised receptionist

"who was this little boy coming to see the head of their firm?" she wondered in shock asking to see him by name even?

"may I ask if you an appointment with him?" she asked

"he's handling my family's estate I came to ask him a few things I don't quite

understand I don't know much about wills and laws and stuff" he explained

"ah I see" she replied "let me check with him for you ok "

"thank you" he replied and waited on the side

"Mr. Swayer there is a Moon Yonghwa here to see you he says you are handling his family's estate and something about a will?"

"Moon Yonghwa is here?" he said "he's a client very important send him up to me," he said

"yes sir" she replied in relief not wanting to get into trouble for sending the wrong person to see him

"Moon Yonghwa please come with me," she said "I will direct you to his office," she said to the child

"thank you" he replied she went up with him in the elevator looking him over

he was quite the cute kid well dressed he looked like came from a decent family she wondered

what kind of case he was mixed up in at his young age that he needed to see a lawyer like Mr sawyer she saw him to her employer's office

"Sir Moon Yonghwa has arrived" she announced him opening the door and ushering the boy into a library like office filled with law books on shelves against the walls

where an older gentleman in a suit was sitting behind a large desk waiting

a pair of spectacles sat on his nose

as he gazed shrewdly at the curly-haired brown-eyed solemn-looking boy that was Moon Sulyn's son standing in front of him

"come in and sit down moon Yonghwa," he said

he walked to his desk and sat down in a chair opposite him "Hello Mr. Sawyer it's nice to meet you," he said politely

"Hello may I call you Yonghwa?" he asked

"yes sir" he replied

"very good I hear you have some questions for me ?" Mr. Swayer said

"I found my moms journal and I read it and she wrote that she left company shares for me as an inheritance," Yonghwa said

"yes she did" Mr. Swayer replied

"where are they how do they work?" Yonghwa asked

ok this was reasonable he was a young boy who was very bright but he didn't understand such things yet after hearing about them, he was smart enough to be curious and want to understand properly it was not wrong to clarify some things for him Mr. Sawyer decided to answer him

"your father has them they are held in trust by him for you upon reaching a certain age you will get them"

"they are worth a lot of money?" Yonghwa said

"yes they are they are always making money as long as your mothers family company is successful and making a profit you will be getting some too as long as you hold shares" he replied

"can my dad use them while he holds them in trust for me?"

"yes he can" Mr sawyer replied "they are essentially his until you are of age he can make decisions on how they are to be used"

"can I make decisions about that too since they are mine and he's only holding them for me?"

was this boy's next question

Mr. Sawyer was warned by Sulyn her son was very smart but what on earth was this kid thinking? he decided to continue answering and see where his questions led

"yes, they are held in trust by your father but as the official owner you can make decisions about what to do with the shares as well, however

it's your father who will ultimately decide whether or not to allow your decision to use them for a particular purpose if it goes against your

mothers last wishes she gave them to you so you could have a decent head start in life you're going to be going to college and these types of things" he explained

"I understand that she doesnt want me to waste the money doing crazy stuff thats not what I am asking though," Yonghwa said he frowned deeply before saying his next words

"If I decide that I don't want my dad to be able to use my shares to make money while I'm waiting to come of age what will happen?" he asked

and then it became clear to Mr sawyer about Sulyn's strange request and her son's questions

the boy's father could be a threat to his son receiving his rightful inheritance it was seven more years before Yonghwa was of age to claim it

his father had ample time to make use of it for his own agenda Sulyn wanted to make sure her son could protect what was rightfully his from his father

"what you mean is you want to file an injunction against your dad

he can only hold the shares but he can't use them for any purpose,

other than that which was stipulated in your mother's will,

the earnings from the shares go into an account and are saved up until you're twenty-one by that time you will have saved a lot of money and then can claim it

an injunction will lock your assets and prevent him from accessing the account he will not be able to draw any funds from your shares furthermore

he can't sell the shares either the shares and their funds are both locked assets until you are old enough to claim them is this what you mean?" Mr. Swayer asked

"yes" Yonghwa said "can I ask you to do that for me? do you have to tell my dad you did it?"

Mr. Sawyer smiled "no I don't have to tell your dad I did it your mother already asked me to if at

any time you come to me asking these types of questions I have her permission to do

it for you she already gave her consent this is her estate not your fathers "

Yonghwa sat back in relief with a sigh

"This has been troubling you?" Mr. Swayer asked the boy

he nodded "my dad got remarried lately"

"I see and it made you uneasy? Mr. Sawyer asked

"I just don't trust my dad anymore theres like this sneaky feeling around me," Yonghwa said

"so I thought I should come to find out more about it since I don't know very well my dad won't tell me"

"so you came here to ask me directly?" Mr. Sawyer said

"yes I hope you don't mind" Yonghwa replied

"I understand you," Mr. Sawyer said "I will file the injunction for you now if in the event that your father tries to draw to funds from them we will know and he will be blocked from drawing funds and also then be informed of the injunction he will be made to understand

that it's a stipulation written into your mother's will that he is not to touch them just hold them for you understand we won't tell him it was you that requested it thats client confidentially I'm required by my job we understand each other?"

"it's a secret," Yonghwa said with a smile he chuckled "yes it's a secret "

"I came here on the first bus from school so I have to go now I can't be late to get home they will think its weird thank you, Mr. Sawyer," Yonghwa said

"you're very welcome Yonghwa" he replied "and if you have any other law questions or need ways

to deal with your dad you come to me ok"

"yes sir thank you" Yonghwa replied

leaving the lawyers office he quietly went home his mother's shares were safe from his dad