Second and Third Cracks

"Yonghwa!" his dad called as he knocked on his door another evening

"Yonghwa dinner time" he called him

"Please be nicer to your stepmother she has something important to ask you," he said when Yonghwa opened the door

"jeez will "that woman's" questions never end?" Yonghwa grumbled as he left his room

"she's not "that woman" she's your stepmother address her properly," his father said in his best "stern dad" voice

but really he wasn't and Yonghwa only snorted and ran a hand through his hair as he went down the stairs

his dad sighed what he was going to do with this boy? Yonghwa was not this rude before his mother passed

he was actually very sweet and easy-going before very humble cheerful and bright boy very friendly

he could not understand how his personality seemed to have changed talking to him now one had to be careful not to be sliced with his sharp words his cold expressions and attitude

he wondered if these were because he was going through puberty

he sighed and followed him down the stairs

they sat down to dinner and Yonghwa ate quietly as usual not speaking to either of the adults the entire time

until his stepmother finally put down her fork

"Yonghwa I want to tell you something," she said to him at last

"fine, what is it this time? he sighed in a bored tone

"I have a son" she stated

"you have a son?" he asked surprised

"I've been married before but I was divorced" she replied carefully "I have a son due to that marriage he's older than you, but he's living with his dad he has been for some years now living without me since the divorce how do you feel about having siblings?"

"I'm an only child I don't need some annoying older brother," Yonghwa said shutting that down real quick he would tolerate his dad being remarried but he absolutely would put his foot down against this

"Yonghwa don't be unreasonable," his father said "we are a family now"

"I am already putting up with her being here dad" Yonghwa replied

"I don't want some pest of a big brother to come along to be messing with me and my music

and be disturbing me all the time, if he comes here,

he is not allowed in my room or my studio and must stay away from me at all times I won't put up with some jerk bullying me in my own house either, I was here first,

I will smash him in the face with something if I have to" he stated "I don't care who's the son he is I don't have a brother it's peaceful right now I would like it if it stayed that way"

"I'll be in my room," he said getting up from the table

"I'm sorry," his father said to her when his son left "he's become so spoiled lately"

she shook her head "it's alright we just got married he just needs time to adjust and get used to things right now "

a few days later Yonghwa was leaving for school he was at the top of the stair when he heard the adults talking quietly to each other below he listened quietly instead of going down

"he doesnt want to come to Zypher" she was saying softly tearfully "he won't even answer my letters or call me back"

"I'm sorry my dearest I guess both our sons are too stubborn right now to understand us" he replied comforting her with an arm around her

how is he? living with his dad though what is his situation?" he asked

"his dad just says he's fine and happy where he is" she replied "he has lots of friends

and he's in high school now so he's always busy with his own activities

he's very independent comes and goes on his own, lives a very active lifestyle he's hardly home these days his dad says

coming here would restrict him too much since we live in the city and he doesnt know anyone here

moving would disrupt everything for him"

Yonghwa smirked feeling keen satisfaction good at least this means I

won't be getting some annoying older stepbrother anytime soon he thought silently

he heard his stepmother break into sobs and tears on his dad's shoulder

he swore it sounded like the fakest crying he had ever heard

he came down the stairs and rolled his eyes at her emotional dramatics

as he walked past the couple and left the house for school

Yonghwa was home early in the afternoon from school he entered the house quietly and was heading up to his room his stepmother's bedroom door ajar slightly and he heard her talking on the phone to some friend

"are you kidding me? what talented and famous stepson?

I wonder why everyone thinks he's so talented?

all I ever hear out of his music room are these dreadful music pieces he plays

that sounds like the worlds going to end it's so dreary its all doom and gloom all the time

I swear this house sounds like a graveyard whenever he's plays

he is so inconsiderate to us he always gives this uppity attitude

and a lot of lip like he thinks he's better than everyone because he has an IQ

but let anyone mention a word about his precious dead mother

he'll burst into tears so easily it's pathetic acting like a victim he's fourteen going fifteen

he's a big boy already and she's been dead an entire year he's still crying and acting like a spoilt brat all the time over her makes our lives hell

I'm so sick of seeing her pictures all over the house cause poor baby boy still misses his mommy

It's like I'm married but my husband has a mistress that lives with us

everything is about Yonghwa or Yonghwas moms memory

when is it ever going to be about me? I'm his current wife and I didn't get to have a proper honeymoon because of that brat

she dead already but she's like a ghost thats haunting this family or something

she's the only one

who could ever love a brat for a son like he is

and we can't ever get rid of her because we can't get rid of the son"

Yonghwa felt angry tears spill down his face how dare she insult my mother

he ground his teeth hot tears on his cheeks

he was never going to accept her as his stepmother she didn't have a single genuine kind maternal bone in her body and she thought she was good enough to replace his mother?

she could think again she didn't hold a candle to his mother she could not stand in her position she had none of his mothers qualities

he didn't even understand what was it that made his dad like her enough to marry she didn't meet the standard she was nothing more than a toxic b***h! she didn't deserve to be a part of this family

she was sick of seeing his mother's face? she even dared call her a mistress well he wasn't going to allow her to insult his mother anymore she did not have the right