Divorce : This is a Trivial Matter

30

Lisa examined the paper, then said to Teacher Luo, "I'll check with Minho."

"Oh, good." Teacher Luo nodded and smiled. "By the way, Teacher Lisa, you look very lovely today."

Lisa laughed, put Minho's test on her desk, then turned and walked out of the office. In the classroom, the Chinese representative was leading everyone in the reading of a text. Lisa went in through the back door and knocked on Minho’s desk. “You, come to the office with me.”

The boy’s heart thudded. Had he done something recently to warrant a parent-teacher conference? Was his red scarf too casual? He followed Lisa into the office, trembling uneasily. She sat down, looked up at him, and asked, "Who signed your mathematics paper?"

Minho paused, then said honestly, "My uncle."

"Your uncle, is it?" Lisa smiled. "Your uncle named 'Octopus Ball'? You're sure it's not 'Dorayaki'?"

Minho: "..."

He lowered his head and took a look at the math paper on the table. The two words "Octopus Ball" blinded his eyes.

A deep sense of powerlessness welled up inside Minho's heart. How could his uncle have been so stupid!

He snuffled and looked deeply introspective. "I'm sorry, Teacher Lisa. I was wrong. I did so badly on the exam that I didn't dare take it home to sign. I ran across someone holding a signing ceremony and I had him sign the paper for me."

Lisa: "..."

This little friend was putting up quite a fight for his uncle.

"Teacher Lisa, I have realized my mistakes from the bottom of my heart. I will take the paper home and ask my uncle to sign it again."

He picked up the paper and attempted to leave. She snatched the paper out of his hand and smiled at him. "This is quite serious. I may have to contact your mother abroad."

Minho: "..."

Sorry uncle. I can only help you this far.

Back in the classroom, holding his test paper, Minho took out his mobile phone and sent his uncle a text message. "To my stupid silly uncle: Good job dropping the ball ^ _ ^"
When first period was over, he received a reply from Eunwoo. "What?"

Minho sent a photo of his paper's signature. Ten seconds later...
Uncle: .................................
Minho: o(n_n)o~
 
As Lisa was preparing for her next class, the phone on the table vibrated. Caller ID showed that it was Eunwoo. She blinked, picked up and walked to the window. "Eunwoo, what's up?"
"Err...... If I told you I was a huge fan of Octopus Ball, so I imitate his signature, would you believe it?"

Lisa cocked her head. "If it makes you feel better."

Eunwoo: "..."

He was silent for a while before telling her, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to deceive you. My family looks down on writing novels; they feel it isn't a proper job. I was afraid you'd think the same, so I pretended to work in a hotel."

"Why would I think so? You haven't stolen or robbed. You rely on your own labor to make money, which is much better than being a rich second generation, eating and playing while sitting idle. Besides, being a writer isn't a profession just anyone can do.”

Eunwoo was overjoyed. “Do you really think so?”

Lisa shrugged, “I don't have the time to spare on cheering you up.”
He laughed. Then she added, "But why didn't you tell me that you were working at the hotel while writing novels on the side?"

Eunwoo: "..."

He... hadn't thought of that.
Coughing drily, he asked in a suave tone, "Could I invite you out to dinner this evening?"