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Chapter 9 - Father and Mom

Classroom

Teacher: "Children, this week's assignment is very important. You must write an essay titled 'What My Parents Do for a Living.'"

Yoonso, to himself: Easy. Mom is a freelancer… Sort of… And also… uh…

Teacher: "The essay should be detailed, at least two pages long. Use examples and descriptions!"

Yoonso, still thinking: Okay, two pages… Well… 'My mom works from home. All the time. I don't always know what she does, but it's called freelancing.' Done. Ha-ha.

Teacher: "Yoonso, did you write down the assignment?"

Yoonso: "Yeah, yeah! Of course!"

Teacher: "Good. Tomorrow in class, everyone will read their essays aloud!"

Yoonso, panicking: "WHAT?"

Evening at Home

Yoonso sat at the table, staring blankly at a piece of paper.

Yoonso: "Alright… Mom, what exactly do you do for work?"

Mom, lazily scrolling through her phone: "Freelancing."

Yoonso: "And what exactly do you do?"

Mom, shrugging: "Work."

Yoonso: "On what?"

Mom: "Various things."

Yoonso: "Do you realize that's not an answer?"

Mom: "Do you realize that freelancing means working on various things?"

Yoonso: "Have you ever even filed a tax return?"

Mom: "Oh, here we go… Your father and his accounting were enough for me."

Yoonso, to himself: Right, Father has his accounting, and Mom… has mysterious activities that make money, but no one knows how.

Yoonso: "Alright… What about father?"

Mom, looking away: "We're… taking a break."

Yoonso: "I'm not involved in this."

Mom: "Technically, yes. That's called 'financial literacy.'"

Yoonso: "That's called 'where's my allowance'!"

Yoonso, sighing: "Looks like I'll have to get creative…"

The Next Day at School

Teacher: "Alright, Yoonso, your turn to read your essay."

Yoonso, reading from his paper: "My mom is a freelancer. That means she works for herself. She does many important things that no one understands, but they make money."

Class, giggling.

Yoonso: "My father is busy with work."

Teacher: "Sounds interesting, Yoonso. And what exactly does your father do?"

Yoonso, freezing: "Uhh… accounting…? I do not know when I did not talk to him, he talked about accounting."

Class: "Pfff!"

Teacher, nodding: "Well, that's certainly an original approach. Good job."

Yoonso, sighing in relief: Phew, that was close…

Morty's Dark Arts shop. The necromancer Morty sits at a desk, flipping through a stack of papers. His familiar, the reptiloid Greg, peers over his shoulder.

Morty: …Fifty-three percent tax on dark magic?!

Greg: Plus fifteen percent for necromancy.

Morty: This is robbery!

Greg: It's taxes.

Morty: One day, I will raise an army of the dead and destroy the tax office.

Greg: That will be difficult. They have paladins.

Morty: Whispers. Damn it.

The door suddenly bursts open. Tax inspectors storm into the shop.

Inspector: Morty Necromantis! You've been evading taxes for three years!

Morty: Panicked. Three?! I thought it was two!

Greg: We overestimated our ability to hide.

Inspector: You have two options: pay your debt or—

At that moment, a heavy airbag falls from the ceiling, slamming into Morty and launching him into the wall.

Greg: …That wasn't in the plan.

Morty: Dazed. I saw the light…

Greg: That's a lamp.

Morty: I understand now… I need to start a new life!

Inspector: …Excuse me, what?

Morty: Eyes burning with determination. I will abandon dark magic! I will change! I will become… virtuous!

Greg: You hit your head.

Inspector: So… are you paying your taxes?

Morty: No, I'm going on a new path!

Morty throws a smoke bomb to the ground. When the smoke clears, he's still standing there.

Inspector: …

Greg: We forgot to open the window.

Morty: Quietly. Run.

They are about to jump through the window, but the league of heroes enters the room.

"There is a conversation necromantis"

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