< 46. Between tax evasion and tax avoidance (3) >
***
The enemy’s attack, as always, was a surprise.
The tax investigation notice clearly stated that it would begin a week later, but Minjun was actually called in the very next day. The excuse was no different than usual: a schedule change due to internal circumstances at the headquarters.
Because his true intentions were obvious, Minjun postponed his meeting with the princess and responded to the command center’s call first.
‘I sent a notice because I was required to give advance notice according to the law, but this is a common tactic where they rush in without giving them time to prepare.’
He heads to Boramae Park early in the morning. He opens the door to the supply closet just as he did when he met with the doctor a few weeks ago.
Squeak!
I stepped into the cognitive distortion barrier, avoiding the gaze of the CCTV and the surrounding pedestrians.
“Nice to meet you.”
Inside, a human with an ordinary appearance was waiting for him. Of course, I don’t know what his actual race is. Those who appear as investigators usually hide their race and abilities. He introduced himself as the 2nd Platoon Commander of the Overseas Tax Evasion Tracking Unit and immediately extended his hand.
“Since we’ve come to Earth, we should greet each other in an Earth-like manner, right?”
You’re doing all kinds of crazy stuff.
The obvious intention was to lower the hurdle in my heart. I grumbled to myself and reluctantly shook his hand. Of course, I didn’t show it.
“Please take a seat. The last tax audit was 500 years ago, wasn’t it? The process hasn’t changed much.”
“Yes, all the records are already in the committee database.”
Therefore, the way this research is conducted cannot be the same as on Earth.
This means that there will be no unnecessary harassment, such as asking to find old data that no longer exists or to resubmit existing data after organizing it into a format that is easy for them to view.
“Yes. The first review was completed before the notice was sent out. Today is a Q&A session about the parts we saw and were curious about. Please answer honestly and sincerely. Please feel free to do so.”
Don’t feel at ease. If they catch you, they’ll send an assassination squad right away.
No matter how hard Minjun flew and crawled, there was no way he could survive the army that the committee was moving. If he had the power to do so in the first place, he wouldn’t have been arrested. Minjun thought so, even though he didn’t remember anything.
“Shall we begin?”
The man asks in a calm tone.
“When you were dispatched to dimension #91-002, you were assigned to guard the Imperial Crown Prince. In addition to the committee compensation, you were paid in talents by the Imperial government. However, according to the data here, the talents you received were much less than the talents contracted from 198 to 203 of the Imperial calendar. Can you explain?”
“I was not able to teach me the thunder, and the Belbec was limited to the woman. I will testify the same as me.
“You were very close to the head of a corporate state in dimension #33-411. It is illegal for a prisoner to deposit talents into an account in the name of a country or entity over which he has actual control without the approval of the committee.”
“The old man only said that he wanted to adopt me as his son, but the adoption never actually took place. Therefore, I have never inherited a single share of the stock of the said corporation, nor have I ever participated in its governance. For more information, please refer to document 660-19-91811.”
“The dragon you interacted with before being dispatched here is now your employer?”
“There was absolutely no corruption or tax evasion in the process. He chose Earth, not because of my request or recommendation, but because the Earth’s immigration procedures are so easy and lax. By the way, I also obtained the committee’s approval before signing a contract with him. Please check this document.”
“The balance of your inmate account has increased rapidly recently. What do you think is the reason?”
“Because there have been a lot of incidents recently on Earth… especially in my area, Korea. Well, to be exact, it’s my employer’s area of jurisdiction.”
As I said those last words, I had a slight doubt in my mind.
‘Come to think of it, aren’t all the recent incidents at the level of shaking that guy’s position? Like a heavy one-two punch.’
The red dragon is under so much stress that it is binge eating meat for the first time in hundreds of years, as the details of the incident have not been completely covered up.
Minjun’s thoughts didn’t linger on that topic for long because the company commander immediately moved on to the next question.
“Then, next is···”
After spending half a day like that.
“This concludes our interview for today. We will contact you if additional interviews are needed. Please note that even if the tax investigation is closed without charges, we will not notify the inmate.”
Minjun opens the creaking iron door and comes out, mentally exhausted.
The spring sunset was unusually red. The last time I came, the cherry blossoms had just started to bloom, but now they have completely fallen and the green leaves are thick. How many times on Earth have I seen spring? Each day passes quickly, but the time that piles up is heavy and boring.
I recall the conversation we had while walking for a while.
‘What on earth are you trying to catch by starting this?’
The captain’s questions were close to nitpicking. They were questions that anyone could raise, but they were all easily refuted. I could only see them as a waste of time.
‘You didn’t even ask me what I was worried about.’
Could Dell and Jenkinson’s proposal be considered tax evasion?
Actually, that part wasn’t even touched.
‘Are you just here to threaten me?’
When I arrived home with all these thoughts in my mind, an unexpected feast was laid out for me.
“What is all this?”
When Cathy suggested we have dinner at her house, I told her to do so, and Lakefield, Dongcheol, and Jeongpal all showed up. But the variety of dishes spread out on the table was unusual.
‘Even the Ming emperor wouldn’t have eaten this lavishly.’
The expression “my legs are about to break” is appropriate. There is so much of it, it’s just too much.
“Minjun! Why are you so late?”
“Have a seat and eat, bro. This was all made by Cathy.”
Minjun’s pupils trembled.
“Cash?”
“Woof··· Woof···!”
I heard a strange sound and turned my gaze to see Dong-cheol shedding tears like chicken poop. He had his mouth full of food.
“Why are you crying again?”
“You··· are too··· my···. Sob sob.”
It seemed like he was forcing himself to eat it because he was afraid of getting angry. Minjun clicked his tongue inwardly. Then, Cathy offered it to him again.
“What are you doing? Sit down quickly.”
I politely declined.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t have much of an appetite today···.”
“All of this was made in that frying pan.”
Minjun sat quietly at the table.
He had forgotten that he had lent her the frying pan because his mind was full of Bradley’s death, the tax investigation, and the Princess Vermi case. He couldn’t help but tremble at the omnipotence of the frying pan as he took a bite of the sirloin steak without refusing any more. He had once again experienced the power of the divine tool that had saved even Cassie.
‘They’re discontinuing such a luxury product!’
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If I don’t have enough savings to pay the living expenses later on… I guess I can sell that and make up for it when I have a so-called ‘break-even’.
‘Since there’s only one of those left in the universe anyway, it’ll probably have a premium.’
The topics of conversation around the table were not much different from usual.
Cathy grumbled that the immigration office atmosphere was strangely chaotic these days and everyone was on edge, Lakefield recommended a new book by his favorite dwarf author, but Minjun (inwardly) gritted his teeth at the explanation that the main character was in prison. Dongcheol, who had stopped crying from emotion, smiled bashfully and ate, seeming to understand half of what was being said and the other half not. Meanwhile, Jeongpal expressed his concern that ghosts have been gathering in groups and asking for help from volunteers these days, and that their behavior is unusual.
While listening to the conversation absentmindedly, Minjun suddenly had a thought.
How far can this relationship go?
He has moved to seven worlds over the past 800 years, and will soon be 100 years on Earth. Statistically, it would not be strange if he were to receive a transfer order within the next few decades. At that time, will Ye Min-jun be declared missing or dead? How will those who knew him react when that happens?
In a society of single-lived species like humans, it is common to see acquaintances leave first because of their short lifespan, but leaving everything behind and leaving oneself behind is something else entirely.
Under a false identity, he continues a relationship that could end at any moment, regardless of his will. That is the life he has lived all this time.
‘Anyway, most of these problems will be solved once we gain freedom.’
His bonds spanned seven dimensions, and many of those he knew were still alive. Once he found his freedom, once he gained the right to move between dimensions at will, there were many he wanted to meet again.
Of course, it won’t happen right away. Even if I were given freedom today, wouldn’t I have to stay on Earth for a while? That thought crossed my mind.
Minjun took a sip of his beer, thinking that he should focus on the present, where he was sitting.
***
It is often said that the most ideal boss is the smart and lazy type. On the contrary, the worst type is the stupid and diligent type.
Dotes, an alien working in the core organization of the committee, thought this. His new boss, who had just been appointed to his current position, was neither the best nor the worst. If anything, he was a smart and diligent type.
He read through every single line of the periodic report that Dotes had left floating in the air, meticulously but very quickly, not forgetting to ask sharp questions here and there.
Dotes didn’t let his guard down because he knew from the first meeting that he would be completely robbed if he didn’t prepare thoroughly in advance.
“hmm?”
The boss pointed out one thing.
“this···.”
The title was as follows:
– Report on the results of the tax investigation on inmate ‘Asif-666’.
The boss is a mid-level member of the committee. One of his duties is to review materials in advance to be submitted to the vice chairman.
If a human were to describe its appearance, it would be described as a long snake covered in brown hair all over its body. However, the part where its head was attached was rolled up like a cochlea.
He mutters.
“Asif-666 is still alive?”
The last time I heard about it was about a hundred years ago. At that time, it was not under his jurisdiction, so I didn’t pay much attention. Considering the life tax and retirement allowance that had been set, I figured it would be disposed of soon, so I quickly erased it from my mind.
But that name is now listed in the report.
“Why did you suddenly conduct a tax investigation?”
I finished reading the document without even waiting for an answer. The answer I wanted was right on the next page.
– ···(omitted) Therefore, the command dispatched the best psychic among the soldiers under its command and made short-range contact with the subject for 14 hours by local time. Due to the nature of the prisoner, deep-level psychoanalysis was impossible, but a precise analysis of the mental waves confirmed that no recovery of memories related to identity had occurred. The future plan is as follows. First···(omitted.)
The boss, who was quickly reading through the document, understood the situation.
“It seems that one of the delegates personally gave instructions.”
It was an order that went straight to the headquarters without going through him. It made sense, considering who the target was.
The data explained it this way. It was confirmed that the prisoner in question had contacted the princess of Endellion, and a certain representative expressed concern after suddenly seeing that his account balance had increased several times over. They were concerned that his erased memories had been restored and were affecting him.
The boss, who had finished speed-reading, spoke as if he did not understand.
“No matter how fair the law must be enforced, it was a mistake to sentence such a dangerous person to reeducation through labor. Don’t you think so?”
Dotes hesitated to answer, not understanding the question’s intent. Then, the boss made a gesture suggesting that he relax.
“Are you currently in favor of the labor reform system?”
“I, a low-level employee, have no right to express my opinion. Since it is an existing system, I can only assume that there must be a reason why it was created this way.”
It was an ambiguous answer.
“You probably don’t know. In fact, it hasn’t even been a thousand years since the current form of labor reform was established. It means that there are still many areas of improvement that need to be made. This system was born during discussions among the ancient races that served as executives of the committee. The question that was discussed was this.”
He speaks as if he is asking a question to his subordinate.
“Can evil be cured?”
“Treatment?”
The conversation turned to an unexpected topic, and Dotes began to listen with interest.
His superior was a ‘Kavite’, one of the ancient races, and he knew quite a few anecdotes that other races did not know.
“After the existence of the soul was proven, we learned that the elements that determine the nature of an intelligent being are more than just the chemistry of the brain. The soul’s nature, the brain’s computational patterns, the spiritual records, and the brain’s memories all interact to create the self.”
“I know.”
“Then why do those who are called evil appear? How can evil people atone for their sins and be rehabilitated? Let’s say we invented a magic pill that can erase the evil in the intellect. If we take it, the evil person becomes a good person, sincerely reflects on the sins he has committed, and from then on, only does good things… To put it more conservatively, let’s assume that he becomes a person who never commits evil.”
“Is there such a medicine?”
“Of course not. If there was something like that, wouldn’t they have switched the medicine given to the prisoners with it?”
He returns to the main topic.
“If such a drug exists and can cure evil, what is the point in making a cured criminal pay an additional penalty? He is already a good person. Is there any reason to torment a being who can contribute to the public good of society if released instead of killed or imprisoned? I wonder if there is any meaning to it other than relieving the desire for punishment.”
“······It’s difficult.”
“Since such a drug has not yet been invented, this discourse remains only a hypothesis. However, a race called Endellion did invent a similar technology. It was about a thousand years ago. It was a technology that temporarily sealed the memories of the spirit and flesh.”
“Ah, so that’s the technology that’s being applied to the current labor reform!”
“Yes, but there were differing opinions on how to utilize the technology. Endellion, the idealists, insisted on sealing the criminals’ memories and then releasing them as free people.”
“That sounds very dangerous.”
“There was some logic to it. If the result of releasing them did not harm society, they were given the choice to regain their memories. Also, if they committed a crime, it was because their soul was inherently evil, so other measures could be taken.”
“Well, now that I hear it, it sounds plausible.”
“Our opinions differed. The standard of evil itself is ambiguous, and there is no way to scientifically measure the nature of the soul, so we argued that criminals should be severely punished. If it is not economically feasible, we should throw them into the Abyss, and if it is economically feasible, we should erase their memories and use them as slaves until their minds wear out, and then dispose of them.”
“So the current labor reform system is a compromise between those two opinions?”
“The opinions of extremists like the ‘Tod’ tribe, who mercilessly eradicate the souls of criminals, were also reflected in some cases. Of course, considering the talent consumed when erasing souls, it is not a good method. Some souls cannot be completely eradicated with our technology, and we all learned from the case of ‘Asif-1’ what kind of disaster can occur when trying to forcibly eradicate such souls.”
After explaining up to that point, the boss finally told me why he brought up this story.
“I don’t know what Asif-666’s crimes are. Only administrators above the Evanjul level can view them. This is what I know. He is a black magic master who regularly pays a living tax of 2,000 and a retirement allowance of over 5,000,000. All other records have been deleted, covered up, or blocked.”
Dotes’s eyes widened.
“The founder of black magic? His name is not known for sure. But is that a serious crime that warrants a fine of 5 million?”
“Wasn’t Endelion, who invented the recoilless propulsion engine, not punished? Those who abused it are the problem. Isn’t the same thing with black magic? It’s not a crime to create black magic, but to do something terrible with it. Anyway, I can’t even imagine how terrible a crime that deserves a severance pay of 5 million is. Should we really keep someone like this alive?”
“······But there’s nothing I can do. What if soul erasure is difficult?”
“At least I wonder if it wouldn’t be better to let it go ‘freely’ like it is now.”
Let’s take a moment of silence and say:
“And if, although it is unlikely, he actually saves up 5 million in retirement funds, should we let him go?”
Dotes did not answer.
Then the boss realized that he had been taking up too much of his subordinate’s time.
“This has become a long story. I know you are busy, but I have one more request. I would like you to report to me regularly about this inmate from now on.”
After talking to his boss for a long time, Dotes, who had only ended up with more work, grumbled and left. Left alone in the room, the Cavite boss thought about it for a while longer.
‘5 million···.’
Pot!
A crystal of milky light appears before him. It is a substance that is somewhere between a spirit and a physical body.
The committee was created in response to the ‘discovery’ of how this is created.
A universal currency that only the Committee knows how to handle properly.
Talent.
When a bank directly under the Commission lends talent to another dimension, the ‘real currency’ does not move. The transaction is implemented only through the movement and modification of data within the Commission and the relevant dimension system. Instead of lending the currency itself, it lends the right to purchase goods and services equivalent to that value.
So even if the committee lends the Earth a million talents, the actual money is quietly sleeping in their bank. It is difficult and tricky to handle, so there are few tribes that want to withdraw the actual money.
‘Asif-666 is not an ancient race, is he? Five million is too much for someone like him to have. What would happen if he were to collect that much and then withdraw it as real money instead of using it for freedom?’
Of course, the possibility of that happening was very slim.
But after receiving the report about Asif-666 today, Kabite felt strangely uneasy.
‘I guess we should talk about it at the tribal council.’
He stared at the talent as if in a trance for a while, thinking about bringing up this agenda at the Cavite meeting, which was separate from the committee meeting system.
As far as he knew, the most beautiful light in the universe was there.
< 46. Between Tax Evasion and Tax Avoidance (3) > End
