Ren's POV:

Today, the owner of the rented place is arguing with our mother because we hadn't paid enough for the month rented. I was stunned as the moment that the two start fighting.

"This is NOT the rental fee that we deal before!" screech the landlady to my mother."Mianheada..." mom bowed her head to apologize.

"You always promise to pay me in full but what now?! Still short and not enough!" she said in a browbeat voice waving the money that my mom handed to her.

"I didn't earn enough this month. Please don’t push us away to that area. That's the only place we can earn money, Mrs. Han." my mom plead again.

Mrs. Han rummage the table where the porridge was settled that mom cook today for the costumer and spill all the content in the street. Mom tries to snatch it away to her but unfortunately she just saved the spices not the porridge. The landlady throws a disgusted face as she was fed up in this kind of situation and held up her hand to slap my mom's face.

I didn't move.

No.

I CAN'T MOVE!

I want to help her but I can't drag myself out there. My body's trembling in fear. I don't have any strength to move to protect my mom to that witch landlady.  My eyes widen when I see that wicked hand almost hit my mom's face but luckily my brother arrived to catch it in time. I sigh deeply and tears fell silently in my eyes while looking at the scene with hurt feelings. I can't fully understand why it should be like that. It did not matter that their argumentation went on but it should not be fall to physically hurt, right?

I finally find the courage to walk near to them when the fight is already settled. Mrs. Han finally agreed that we will stay there for a month and paid what my mom's promise. My brother raffled my hair and hugs me as he noticed my tearful eyes but he didn't say anything. Those thinking flew all over my mind everyday that one time when my brother was out for school, I asked mom about my father but I just received an intimidating answer.

“DO not find a person that was already didn’t exist.” she said coldly.

Why?

What's wrong of asking it? 

She wants me to dismiss the idea of finding about my father and I don't have any idea why. My brother did not even mention him either. I don't know his name, what he looks like and anything about him. Well even though I want to know it all, I never try to ask it again as I am afraid that she'll get mad. Yeah, what courage I have in me. Once is enough for me and I shrug it off in my mind. As of now...

Let the music plays in my mind to save me in this kind of world—whatever world we have. I sing the words that I thought.

It's been a year after that incident, well what did you expect? One month fully paid with debt and the next two, half paid rent. Yeah, Hyung and I need to packed lunch as we do not have enough money to buy food in the canteen. Oh and include the one week one dish routine; never fail my classmate ditching and mocking me out when they notice how thrifty we are in terms of thriftiness. Heh. One more thing, our dish when we are at home is either ramen, canned good or a dish made for one week.

What a life.

I'm not bothered, my hyung is. Hehehe, whenever the week starts, his face is in grumpy mode and facing me secretly tongue out when mom is not looking. I doubt now who is younger because he acts like a seven year old than me because I never choose what we eat... well I--I mean--WE do not have a choice because we are like these, right? Sometimes, Auntie Annie gives us some dishes that we can't afford to buy whenever they have extra or leftover. When those times come, I see hyung grinning in himself...Pft. childish.

Saturday afternoon, I spent my time sketching while I listen to the music in the radio after completing my assignment. I noticed that there are two people talking with my mom when I went out to get water for refreshment.

Oh, we had visitors. Where's hyung? He should be with mom whenever we receive visitors.

When I walk pass to them, mom called me out.

"Ren... come here."

I still obey and walk towards to them. I bow to pay respect to the adults in front of me and sit beside mom. I travel my eyes and notice that they aren't old enough to be an old friend because the two looks twice older to my brother but thrice younger than my mother. The guy, I think the oldest, just look at me in a smug face and the girl nod to me. Weird.

"He's Ren." My mom said to them.

"Is he the only youngest?" asks the guy.

"Of course. Are you expecting more?"

My mom… rudely throws words to them.  Isn’t just for relatives who treat him badly? Are these two mistreating my mom? I think my mom notice my curiosity and ask me to look for my brother as she wants to say something to us. I playfully stand in my feet and hurriedly made my way out our so-called house even it was one room with a division of bed room and receiving area and run down the stairs to the hallway where the door of every room of my relative's house attach. I found him at the backyard holding his guitar gave by our Auntie Annie who said that it was given by our great-great-grandfather to the family and passed in every generation. Tch. If I know, they do not want an old stuff because they can buy it with their money. They are the riches among my mother's siblings. They have some behaviour I dislike--- When she's mad everything about what she done good to us, she always include it in lecturing or nagging on us indirectly. We just shrug it off whenever that happens.

"Why are you out? Mom asks you out?"

"Nope. She wants us to be there. I think she'll say something in front of her guests."

He stops strumming and look up at me quietly. He sighs deeply before standing up. He walks towards to the pathway without a word and looks annoyed.

"You look so... uncomfortable. Do you know them, hyung?" I ask while following him.

"I don't like them."

"Why?"

"You'll see. You're too young to understand." he said while holding me on my shoulder.

My. I don't know we have other members of the family. I'm glad that somebody will help my mom to the shop. Is this the reason why hyung is mad? Is it because we have additional in the family? My thought was cut off when mom continues talking.

"For the meantime, Young Saeng will stay with us while he's finishing his one more year in College." referring to the guy who always wears poker face.

"She'll visit him whenever she has time."

So, mom just wants to tell to us that we have a companion to deal with. A brother... Well, I'm nothing against on it--but, I noticed the darkness of my hyung's face when he heard that my newly found older brother will stay with us.

I'm curious.

Hyun Joong's POV:

After eating lunch and Minki ran inside the room to finish his homework, mom told me that we have visitors.

"No. I want you to be with me and know them."

Mom remains quiet and then she looks away before she answers my question.

"The visitors I have today are... your hyung and noona."

I blink twice.

Did I hear her right? I spent my fourteen years knowing we are just two but suddenly my mom confessing we're four and I got noona? That's new. I can't remember so well that we have, really.

She sighs deeply and held my hands.

"Hyun Joong, don't tell to Ren this situation as he'll never understand it right now." I remain quiet.

I frown but looking down to my feet.

I look up at her in a stun... Trying to process what my mom said.

WE ARE THEIR HALF-BROTHERS. So it means we are from the second man she married. WE are the second family.

"Why are they are going to visit? Are they coming to insult you that abbuji left." I said in an angry voice.

"Joong-ah, I am telling you this right now because you are old enough to understand the situation. You need to accept this. Your hyung will stay with us for one year to study."

"What??? Why need to be in one roof if they can stay out of here?! They stayed away along ago and now they invaded our peaceful family?! I don't like eomma!" I vigorously shake my hand from my mom's grasp.

"They will never ask if they can, Hyun Joong. Even you like it or not, they will stay with us and that's final!" mom said in a stern voice.

I just can't accept that easily!

I thought we're just two. I stomp my feet and storm out the house and stays outside without helping her doing house hold chores. I lift and held up the guitar that Auntie Annie gave to me. It's a treasure for me this kind of instrument because we can't afford to buy even a second hand guitar.  To find my inner peace, I start plucking every string to get it.  It was already half an hour while I'm playing the guitar when Minki walking towards to me.

"Why are you out? Did mom ask you out?" he asks.

I continue strumming my guitar when I ask him if Mom required him to be out and he answers no. He said that mom needs our presence in front of those... those... whatever they call to themselves. I didn't say anything to Minki, I just look at him, sighs as I'm standing and walk towards the house. So they're there. I scoff to myself.

"I don't like them." I simply replied.

"Why?" he asks again.

"You'll see. You're too young to understand." I said while holding his shoulder.

Mom's right. You don't need to know right now.