The Tax Trap of Side Hustles
Four nights and five days.
All told, including the time spent in airports and on the plane, it had been about a week before I finally made it home.
Christmas in New York was nothing short of fantastic.
I’d seen a Christmas tree so huge it rose higher than a three-story building. Snow-covered Central Park and Times Square were beautiful beyond words.
The people were great, too.
Tourists and locals alike seemed softened by the season, all of them carrying that easy year-end warmth and a little more time to spare. And now that I’d mastered English, even the small talk had been fun.
I could see why everyone said New York was a place you had to visit at least once before you died.
“Still, home really is the best.”
There’s no place like Korea for a Korean.
Slurp-!
As soon as I got home, I ordered braised kimchi pork and pumped my bloodstream full of kimchi broth.
“Ahhh, that’s good!”
I even asked for it extra spicy, higher than usual.
When the food made me break out in a fine sweat at my forehead, it felt like this was what real food was supposed to be.
I didn’t usually eat that much kimchi, but after nothing but greasy American pizza, hamburgers, and fries, I missed it like crazy.
“Ah, this is good.”
I missed Korean food so much that I cleaned the bowl of a medium three-serving portion I normally wouldn’t have finished halfway through, and only then did I feel like I could live again.
But that fullness quickly turned into post-meal drowsiness.
“It’s barely 1 p.m., and I’m already sleepy...”
By the time my body had just started to adjust to the time difference in America, this was brutal.
Thinking about the time zone, it was around midnight in New York right now.
“If I sleep now, I feel like I’m really screwed.”
I’d probably wake up around 10 p.m.
Even if tomorrow was Sunday, I’d be out of my mind by the time Monday rolled around and I had to go to work.
“Better to hold out a little longer today.”
At the very least, I needed to sleep after the sun went down if I wanted to correct my body clock.
But if I stayed home and watched TV or messed around on my phone, I’d probably just fall asleep helplessly.
And suddenly making plans to go out felt awkward, too.
In the end, there was only one choice.
I should go to the workshop.
I dragged my sleepy body over to the workshop.
***
Auxiliary Talent Keywords
(1) Fragrance.
(2) Coffee.
(3) Cocktail.
(4) Frying.
(5) Fermentation.
“What should I pick?”
It had been one of the keywords that came up in America, but I still hadn’t made a decision.
And for good reason.
[Auxiliary Talents can each be purchased for 25,000,000 won.]
“Who knew you’d have to buy them with money.”
At this point, the damn system felt like some greedy landlord trying to squeeze every last won I had out of me.
Side Hustle Account
-Balance: 42,126,450 won.
“I can learn them, sure...”
But once I thought about paying money to learn something, I couldn’t decide so easily.
If I think of it as an auxiliary talent, it probably isn’t the kind of talent that completely changes your life the way a main talent would.
And yet, it was too good to just pass up.
All five keywords were tempting.
Fragrance probably had to do with perfume, or something along those lines. Coffee would be barista work, cocktails would be bartending. Frying was exactly what it sounded like: fried dishes. Fermentation seemed like an area that could apply to makgeolli, alcohol, or foods like kimchi.
Whatever I choose, it all looks useful.
Still, I decided to put it off for now.
I wasn’t even using my video-editing talent properly yet, so it wouldn’t hurt to get that ready first and decide my path after that.
I don’t want to regret deciding too early, and once I commit, it starts to feel like work is piling up on me.
I didn’t want my side hustle to turn into homework.
At least it doesn’t look like there’s a time limit.
Right. I’d think about it slowly.
With that conclusion, I closed the auxiliary talent window.
“Haaah...”
It had barely passed 3 p.m., and sleepiness was crashing over me like a tidal wave.
Still, I had to endure it.
So what should I make for YouTube content, anyway...?
After walking through the flea market in New York, the thing that had caught my eye most was jewelry crafting.
It was beautiful by default, and the idea of mining raw stones, turning them into glittering gems, and then watching someone wear them felt deeply satisfying.
But I think this might get too big.
Back in New York, I’d already done quite a bit of research on jewelry crafting.
It needed more than a few pieces of equipment.
In fact, most of it wasn’t general-purpose equipment like a table saw or a sewing machine, but specialized tools made specifically for jewelry work.
And that wasn’t all. The processes themselves were incredibly complicated.
Maybe I could keep up quickly if I studied, thanks to the talent...
But the real problem was risk.
Because of that damn craftsman’s mindset, if something went even slightly wrong, I’d have to scrap the whole thing.
Even when I was making leather goods like wallets and bags, the raw materials I’d thrown away had easily topped 10 kilograms.
And just thinking about how much fabric I’d wasted making Yu So-ra’s outfit still made my stomach ache.
And now I was supposed to craft jewelry?
If a tiny speck or scratch appeared, I’d have to treat it as a failure and toss it, even if it was something I could still sell as a second-rate item.
The cost is going to be bigger than the payoff.
In the end, I decided to give up on jewelry crafting.
Then what’s my next option?
There were still plenty of kinds of crafts I could do.
Textile craft, paper craft, stone craft, metal craft, and so on.
Something with low risk, but also something that would look good on YouTube when I filmed and edited the process...
I was buried in thought, searching on my phone, when—
Click-!
“...Huh?”
I flinched.
I’d nodded off without even realizing it?
Looking out the window, I saw that the sun had already gone down.
“Damn it.”
I’d only dozed for a moment, and three hours had gone by.
I’d love to sleep more...
But if I slept now, I might really wake up at 3 a.m.
And there isn’t even a bed here, so I can’t sleep properly anyway.
The moment I thought that, an idea flashed through my head.
Wait. A bed...?
Couldn’t I make one myself?
The first things that came to mind were woodworking and stone craft.
I’ve heard stone beds are good, but...
Unfortunately, stonecraft wasn’t the kind of thing you could really do in a workshop like this.
Even getting raw stone up to the third floor in a five-person elevator would be impossible.
More than anything, I personally wanted a soft mattress more than a stone bed.
If I make the frame out of wood and just buy the mattress to put in it, that should be fine.
Besides, anything built from wood was familiar to the general public, so I knew there was decent demand for it on YouTube.
Let’s film woodworking and edit it into a video.
I made my decision.
First, I’ll order the lumber...
***
Monday morning.
Last week at this time, I would’ve been enjoying a bagel and coffee in America.
Now that I was back from a dreamlike vacation, going to work again only seemed to make my Monday blues worse.
The only good thing is that I worked at the workshop yesterday, so I might be a little less wrecked.
Even so, I felt like I needed caffeine, so I bought coffee.
“Six iced Americanos and six hot ones, please.”
I headed to the office with coffee in both hands.
Everyone was gathered together, chatting about something lively.
“Good morning.”
“Oh, Assistant Manager Kang’s here?”
“Whoa, it’s the New Yorker!”
“Haha, everyone, drink up.”
“Oh? What’s with the coffee?”
“I bought it so we could all have some.”
I’d been on vacation, and the team had probably had a rough time while I was gone. This was my way of paying them back a little.
“Wow, thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”
“Nice balance, too. Half hot, half iced.”
“Thank you, Assistant Manager.”
“Oh, right. I also bought a few chocolates from America.”
I couldn’t think of much else worth buying as souvenirs, so I’d filled the gap with snacks.
That turned into an impromptu snack break.
“Thanks. I’ll eat them well.”
“My daughter will love these.”
“Senior, I’ll take these to my girlfriend.”
“Sure, sure. There’s a variety here, so take more if you want.”
“Ohhh, thank you.”
Souvenirs added up when there were this many people, but there wasn’t much choice.
I’d seen enough seniors get cursed out for trying to save a few bucks, so it was better to just buy plenty.
“By the way, what were you all talking about? You looked really cheerful.”
“Ah, Finance got in touch today. They’re wrapping up year-end tax settlement.”
“Already?”
“Yeah. They started while Assistant Manager Kang was on vacation. They said they’ll only be collecting simplified documents in January, so they want us to submit everything in advance. You should probably prepare yours today.”
“Looks like I should.”
Deputy Park and Manager Choi were already sitting together and browsing away.
“If I get a refund this time, I’m changing my phone.”
“I was going to blow mine on a game, but... my wife happened to see the expected year-end refund.”
“Oh dear, so she’s taking it?”
“We’ll split it fifty-fifty and call it even. I was going to buy a +9 weapon, but I guess I’ll settle for +7.”
“Oof, that’s a big difference in performance. Shame.”
“Family peace comes first. What’s the point of buying the +9 if you’re too busy reading your wife’s mood to even use it?”
“True, true.”
Year-end tax settlement, huh...
How much would I get back?
“Assistant Manager Kang.”
Just then, Kim Bu-jang called me over.
“Can you come in for a moment?”
“I’ll be right there.”
As I was about to set my coffee down at my desk, he gave a small smile and waved me off.
“It’s not work. You can bring the coffee.”
“Ah, yes!”
When I went into the manager’s office, he greeted me with a familiar, friendly smile.
“Still working hard on your side hustles these days?”
“Yes. After work and on weekends, too.”
“What are you doing now? That emoticon thing you made last time? Wasn’t it? I’ve heard it’s famous around the company that Assistant Manager Kang made it.”
“The emoticon was mine, yes. Including that, I’ve been trying out a bunch of things whenever I can.”
“You’re doing well.”
“That’s thanks to you, sir.”
“What did I do?”
“You gave me the seed of side work, and I went off and looked into it myself, didn’t I?”
I meant that sincerely.
If not for Kim Bu-jang, I wouldn’t have become interested in side hustles at all.
And if that were the case, I wouldn’t have gotten this system either.
I do think I should repay him someday...
But once I actually tried to buy a gift, the pressure was obvious.
If I gave him something expensive, that would definitely be a problem, no matter how private the company was, because he was still the one handling my evaluations.
But if I gave him something cheap, it would feel stingy rather than grateful.
So I kept putting it off, stuck in the middle, wondering what in the world I should get him.
“Are you still doing deliveries, sir?”
“Yeah. On weekdays I do deliveries after work, and on weekends I run quick service.”
“Quick service?”
“The pay’s better than deliveries.”
“Ah... I see.”
The world of side jobs really was diverse and endless.
“Anyway, I called you in because it’s tax season, and something’s been nagging at me.”
“What is it...?”
“You know freelance income gets filed under comprehensive income tax, right?”
“Huh?”
“Year-end tax settlement only handles the salary you earn at our company, so you’ll get a refund there. The problem is the comprehensive income tax you file next May.”
“...!”
“A side hustle is extra income on top of your salary, right? That means you’re already in a higher tax bracket from the start. If you calculate things wrong, it’s common to end up owing more in May than you expected. Then, if you have to rush to pay the tax, it can be a real pain. I’ve seen a few people around me take out loans just to cover that bill. So I wanted to warn you to be careful.”
“Ah... thank you.”
“Yeah. That’s what I was worried about, so I called you in.”
Kim Bu-jang smiled and picked up his coffee.
“I’ll enjoy it. Go on.”
***
The expected year-end refund came out to a full 1.8 million won.
It wouldn’t be exact until I added the extra documents after January started, but still.
Damn it, that wasn’t the real problem.
My head was starting to pound.
Comprehensive income tax?
I’d been so excited about making money on side hustles that I hadn’t thought about taxes at all.
No, until now, the only taxes I’d ever really thought about were national pension and health insurance deductions from my paycheck.
This year’s earnings aren’t pocket change, either...
The money I made from emoticons alone was over 150 million won.
The novel contract brought in 40 million.
Add in the smaller bits and pieces, and I’d easily clear 200 million.
Not to mention my full-time salary of 40 million and my performance bonus, which brought that income to around 50 million.
So the money I made from side hustles starts getting taxed from the 50 million won bracket?
I ran it through a comprehensive income tax calculator.
“E, eighty million won...?”
What the hell.
Taxes alone were coming in at a brutal 80 million.
Side Hustle Account
-Balance: 42,126,450 won.
If I pool everything I have right now, I only have about 40 million...
And if I factor in the credit card bill from the trip to America...
Maybe I’d have around 30 million.
Of course, I also had money saved in the account for my main job.
And some money had gone into the workshop’s deposit, too.
But pulling all that out just to pay taxes felt like being robbed of actual cash.
And taxes weren’t the only thing I had to worry about.
I still have to prepare for moving, too.
The place I was living now was public housing.
I’d only been living there for four years out of the ten I was allowed, but public housing had its own rules, and it had to be maintained through renewal every two years.
But if my income rose and I crossed the threshold, renewal wouldn’t be possible.
And the re-signing is next year, of all times.
Which meant it would happen after the comprehensive income tax filing.
In other words, I’d get kicked out.
Dammit, I thought making money would make me happy. Turns out earning it isn’t the end of it.
When I’d seen rich people whining about taxes, I used to think, “If you make a lot, just pay it. What’s the big deal?”
But now that I’m the one who has to pay, my head hurts...
I could understand their feelings just a little now.
Should I just live in the workshop?
If I brought in a bed, there probably wouldn’t be any practical problem with living there.
No. Then my work-life balance is really going to collapse.
The place where I work and the place where I live had to stay separate.
Better to move somewhere cheaper.
Since the workshop was in a rough neighborhood already, I might be able to find something cheap nearby.
First, I need to get ready for taxes.
Let’s not suffer too much.
Worrying because you made too much money was a happy kind of problem.
That was what I told myself, at least for a moment.
Damn it, 40 percent tax?!
No matter how I looked at it, my stomach still turned.
***
On my way home from work, Choi Kang-san called me.
“You moved?”
-Yes. I wanted to invite you over for a housewarming party, so I called.
“When is it?”
-Next Saturday.
“...“
Something about this felt off.
“I’m not the only one coming, am I?”
-There won’t be many. Just a few people from our agency and some of my friends... maybe around twenty people?
“I’m not going.”
The answer came out instantly.
“I’m bad with large groups.”
Especially if they were all celebrities, right?
An introvert surrounded by a crowd full of overflowing charisma wasn’t built to survive.
-Aw, but Hyung-nim can’t skip my housewarming.
“I’ll come separately then.”
-When?
“How about today?”
-Today?
“I was planning to have a drink anyway.”
I was going to soothe my aching stomach from the damn taxes with chicken feet and soju.
-Oh, then do you want to come over to my place?
“Is that okay? You don’t have plans?”
-Nope. I was bored today anyway. I’ll order food. Do you want anything special?
“How about chicken feet?”
-Perfect. I’ll order the boneless kind with broth.
“What’s the address? Did you move far?”
-It’s still Gangnam, just a different apartment. I’ll text it to you.
“Alright. See you later.”
***
Crash-.
“Hyung-nim!”
The door swung open hard, and Choi Kang-san welcomed me with obvious delight.
“Wow, we’ve been seeing each other a lot lately.”
“Haha, yeah. Come on in.”
I set down the soju and beer I’d bought at the convenience store.
“I was going to buy a housewarming gift, but... there wasn’t a supermarket nearby, and the convenience store didn’t even have tissue.”
“Oh, you really didn’t need to bring anything.”
“No, I did. You’ve done a lot for me. I’ve got your address now, so I’ll send something next time, even if it’s later.”
“Really, it’s fine. Just sit down first.”
Even if he said that, I was still going to send something later.
He’d received a draft beer machine worth nearly 4 million won, so if I just left it at words, then I’d be the bad one.
I wasn’t shameless enough to do that.
“Anyway, this place is nice...!”
At a glance, it looked like it had five rooms.
No, maybe six if you counted the dressing room?
Even the living room seemed bigger than the place I lived in.
“And the furniture is amazing, too.”
The TV looked like it was over 100 inches.
There were luxury sofas, a branded giant speaker system, a four-door refrigerator, and more.
No wonder he was one of the top celebrities in the country.
“With all this, though...”
There was just one problem.
“Why is this like this?”
Spicy braised chicken feet and soju glasses were set out on the living room floor.
And on top of that, they’d laid newspaper across the marble floor, which made it even more surreal.
“Didn’t you buy a dining table?”
“Ah, about that... eheheh.”
He scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.
“I ordered one from Italy, right? But while they were shipping it by boat, they ran into a storm and the container fell into the sea.”
“Oh no...”
“So I heard the news today and got a refund. That’s why we’re like this today. Please understand.”
“There’s nothing for me to understand or not understand. I’m just grateful you invited me.”
He went still.
Something suddenly came to me.
“Kang-san.”
“Yeah?”
“You got the refund, but you haven’t ordered a new one yet, right?”
“No. I have to buy a new table and chairs. I’d ordered them as a set to match the table, so I refunded the chairs, too.”
“If you’re okay with wood instead of marble, should I make you one?”
“...Oh?”
His eyes went wide.
“Hyung-nim, you can make tables, too?”
“Yeah. I’m planning to focus on woodworking for a while anyway.”
I’d already ordered a huge amount of lumber to make a bed frame.
Even accounting for the craftsman mindset, I’d probably still have plenty left over.
“If you’re okay with it, I was thinking I could make it as your housewarming gift.”
“Seriously? That would be amazing!”
He pulled out the leather wallet I’d made from his back pocket and said,
“I’m honestly super satisfied with this, too.”
“Why are you carrying your wallet around at home...”
“Ah, I just changed out of my clothes after going out earlier.”
Choi Kang-san laughed sheepishly.
“Anyway, I’d love that. A solid wood dining table? That has such a vibe.”
He even snapped his fingers.
“Then let’s do this. I’ll give you the exact amount I got refunded for the table I ordered from Italy.”
“No, you don’t have to do that...”
“Good lumber is expensive. And it’ll probably take a while to make, too.”
“No, the money is fin—”
The thought of those damn taxes flashed through my head, and the rest of the sentence died on my tongue.
“Well, if you mean making it cheap, I don’t know about that...”
“Ah, then make it expensive.”
“What are you even...”
“I was going to spend that money on a table anyway. If I’m paying you, then all you have to do is make sure the quality matches.”
Still, it nagged at me.
When he noticed me hesitating, he thought for a moment, then spoke again.
“Hyung-nim, then let’s do it like this.”
He made the suggestion with a serious expression.
“I’ll order the dining table at that price, and you make me a set of chairs that matches it as my housewarming gift. How about that?”
That let Choi Kang-san keep the kind of taste he wanted without feeling awkward about it.
And it saved my pride, too.
“...Deal!”