The next morning, Jinseok's house.
Jinseok was giggling to himself as if floating in the air.
"lol...."
His gaze never leaves the chat screen on his smartphone.
In the chat screen, there was a KakaoTalk message from a female college student of the same age as me, a top-ranking student, who had decided to talk to me since yesterday and somehow the conversation had become more friendly.
[Message from Kim Mito: Jinseok, I'm dying from working overtime because of the piled-up guild work. If I were with you and Goldie, I'd be working happily and excitedly. (Hamster sticker with teary eyes)]
Wow, I only spoke informally to him, but somehow he seemed more friendly and affectionate towards me.
It's as if Mito and I have become even closer, like a female friend. To exaggerate a bit, it's like a green light flashing on a traffic light.
Jinseok mutters, his face flushed with excitement for no reason.
"Hehe, every day is fun these days... By the way, our lucky child, Goldie!"
Jinseok turns his gaze slightly.
Then, Goldie, the filial son, woke up from a deep sleep and tilted his head.
"Due?"
The golden hamster, with a body the size of a hamster, immediately curves its small mouth into a curve as if it likes the smiling expression of its parent, Jinseok, and responds with a cute cry.
"Duet, duet!"
Jinseok diligently strokes Goldie with his right hand.
"Hehe, our lucky guy!"
Then, with his left hand, he checks the information window across the sky.
In the information window, the information about Jinseok and Goldie that has been updated is recorded immediately.
[Jinseok Choi, Korean male, 23 years old, overall level B+ hunter, special skills: Monster Breeder (intermediate), Taming LV1, Parenting LV1, Monster Buff Card Deck LV1. Linked with his child Goldie]
[Monster Buff Card Deck Current Deck Layout (2/5): Nepenthes (Rare) / Basilisk (Unique) / Empty / Empty / Empty]
*
[Gold Slime, Amorphous Monster from the World of Edel, Legendary Grade, Overall Level SS, Linked with the Parental Stone]
[Goldie: Level 20 (50%), Special Skills: Protection LV6, Absorption LV6, Proliferation LV4, Radio Wave LV4, Brainwashing LV1, Demon's DLC Shop LV1] Unlocked Skills ???. Locked Skills: Fusion LV1, Synthesis LV1.]
[*Goldie's Overload Details: 5/5, Brainwashing skills cannot be used while overloaded.]
Jinseok checks the information window and analyzes it.
"Ahem, our Goldie has leveled up a lot now, so her growth is slow. And I still don't know how to use the locked skills, Fusion and Synthesis... Maybe I should obtain them through the DLC shop skills?"
Jinseok checks the Gungricha DLC shop skills.
[Mashin's DLC Shop, *0 days, 23:05 remaining until product reset]
[A: Monster Buff Card Deck - Price: 0 Karma - *Out of Stock.]
[B: Pro Hunter Stat Elixir - Price: 1,000 Karma]
[C: Pro Hunter Rank Elixir - Price: 3,000 Karma]
[D: Goldie's Overload Recovery Elixir - Price: 5,000 Karma]
[E: Mashin Sword Levatein - Price: 30,000 Karma - *Out of Stock.]
[F: Goldie's Skill Open Potion - Price: 100,000 Karma]
[G: The Right Hand of the Demon God: - Price: 500,000 Karma]
[*Currently, I have 280 Karma Coins.]
The skill shop still had a long list of tempting items.
Jinseok rests his chin on his hand and furrows his brow in thought.
"Hmm, the DLC shop resets after a day? I wonder how many new items will come in when it resets... And I guess I'll have to decide in advance what I want to buy from the DLC shop before then. Well, if you look at the DLC shop broadly, it's divided into three types!"
Jinseok thinks in his head.
The DLC shop was good for each individual item they sold, but overall, they were divided into three categories.
For example, there was the Pro Hunter-exclusive Elixir, an item related to Jinseok himself, a pro hunter; Goldie's Potion, an item related to his cute child, Goldie; and lastly, there was the equipment related to the Demon God, which was creepy but had overwhelming performance.
Selection and focus are important in anything, and the amount of Karma Coins available is limited, so you have to prioritize carefully.
Jinseok taps his forehead with his finger in thought.
"Hmm, what should I buy next? The safest option would be to use a potion related to our Munchkin Goldie to unlock her locked skills, but before that, I think it'd be good to raise my stats to aim for Pro Hunter A-rank. But then again, if I think about the future, I think buying expensive equipment like the Right Hand of the Demon God would be overwhelmingly effective... Hmm, maybe this is a happy dilemma!"
Since happy worries become more enjoyable the more you do them, it is best to decide them later and take your time.
Jinseok is excited and starts muttering to himself about his next concern.
"Ha, I guess it's because I'm a pretty successful hunter these days, so there are a lot of places where money comes in. Like my bank account that's now bulging like a balloon!"
Jinseok opens an account using his smartphone with great enthusiasm.
Then, the compensation for his hunter work was deposited in real time into his internet banking account.
It's hard to believe that he was a young man from humble beginnings who had been working part-time at a convenience store and delivery service just a few months ago.
[Dainty Guild Co., Ltd. deposited W2,000,000 as the weekly salary for the 4th week of June.]
[Hanbit Group Co., Ltd. has deposited W3,000,000 as the June sponsorship amount.]
[W1,000,000 was deposited as proceeds from the Epic Grade Magic Stone sold at the Pro Hunter Dongdaemun Market in Korea.]
[Transaction history for the past 5 days: +6 million won.]
The profit earned in just 5 days was 6 million won.
Jinseok cheers with excitement.
"Hehe, 6 million won just from working for 5 days? Plus, that's the amount I earn every day from my hard-earned hunter work... Now, if I add in the monetization of that damn YouTube channel that just got approved, how much more could I possibly earn?"
With the overwhelming pro-hunter work allowance that is worthy of the expression "goose that lays golden eggs," and the addition of the dark YouTube channel, if he hits the jackpot, the grand dream of a young man from poor background and becoming a building owner in Gangnam might come true within a few years.
It was around this time that Jinseok, feeling like he was drinking kimchi stew, hugged Goldie and started making boastful remarks.
"Ha, if my family becomes the owner of a building in Gangnam, we'll build a private playground for our lucky child, Goldie, right there in the building. And we'll buy the latest sports car to travel with, and take a family trip to a nice beach every week!"
"Duet, duet!"
It was then that it suddenly occurred to me.
Meanwhile, Jinseok's smartphone vibrates when it's not on.
...an important message from the Hunter Association.
Jinseok reacts and tilts his head in a slightly puzzled manner.
"Hey, what's this message from the Hunter Association this morning... Huh, what's this?"
The message was of a terrible nature, completely different from what Jinseok had expected.
Perhaps this is something that Korean office workers can relate to.
Jinseok's eyes widen in a moment of confusion.
"What the hell is this.... A pro hunter tax bill?"
He finds it hard to believe, and his hand holding the smartphone trembles like a poplar tree.
The message was recorded as follows:
[Choi Jin-seok's tax notice]
[This is a notice from the Hunters Association. Mr. Choi Jin-seok's comprehensive income tax payment to the Hunters Association for the first half of this year is W20,214,000. For more information, please call or visit the Hunters Association office located at the Gangnam headquarters...]
Jinseok blinks his eyes innocently and recites the amount.
"Hunters paid taxes too. By the way, how much are the taxes now? One, ten, hundred, thousand..."
As he checked the amount, his eyes widened in embarrassment.
"Damn it... The tax is a whopping 20 million won?!"
That's because the tax amount was a whopping 20 million won, so much so that the expression "tax bomb" was fitting.
It's not even 2 million won, it's a whopping 20 million won.
Jinseok collapses to the ground, feeling devastated.
"omg...."
Since Jinseok had recently purchased a single-family home worth about 50 million won and applied to move into Hanbit Apartment, he would have to empty out all of his 6 million won and take out a loan to pay the 10 million won tax.
Jinseok and Goldie immediately clutch their heads in pain.
"You fucking hell Joseon tax bomb?!"
"Dewuk...?"
It was a new homework assignment for Jinseok and his group: a tax bomb.
****
30 minutes later, a phone call.
On the other end of the phone, Joohee, a cute female junior and association employee, was giving Jinseok friendly advice.
... Today, for some reason, I feel a bit chilly.
[Huh... Jinseok oppa, the income tax you inquired about is completely fine. Including income deductions, it's 20.21 million won!]
Jinseok appeals with a pale complexion.
"Hey, Joohee... From my perspective, 20.21 million won in taxes seems a bit excessive."
however.
Joohee tells us something even scarier in a strangely cold voice.
[Huh... Jinseok oppa, it seems to me that taxes will be inflated even more later on, right?]
"Huh... You're saying you're paying 20 million won more?"
[Yes, for example, isn't the monthly sponsorship from Hanbit Group that Jinseok receives not subject to withholding tax? I'll check with the Hunter Association later, but if it's not subject to withholding tax, the tax will be even higher.]
"...."
[In addition, it was recently revealed that the monetization of the YouTube channel of Kkamang, which has 200,000 subscribers under Jinseok oppa's name, was approved... Of course, you should pay taxes according to the income generated there! Then, even if you can't do it, you can inflate it several times... After all, the duty to pay taxes is important, right?'
"...."
It was truly a tax bomb from the Hunter Association that squeezed the liver out of a flea.
Jinseok sighs deeply, feeling goosebumps.
"Sigh... As expected, taxes are typical of Hell Joseon. Is there no way to reduce taxes?"
It was Jinseok's self-deprecating muttering to himself.
But that was then.
Joohee, who had been feeling a bit chilly today, brightened up and made a suggestion.
[Huh... Jinseok oppa, I actually know a way to get those tax breaks, right?]
"Oh my, Joohee, is this tax break really true?"
[Yes, but I can't tell you that outright, right? Besides, there's still a debt I owe Jinseok oppa that I haven't repaid yet, right? Haha.]
"Oh, if it's a debt I can't repay to our Joohee..."
It was a time when Jinseok was innocently opening his eyes wide as he reminisced.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the phone, Joohee hesitates, seeming slightly embarrassed.
[Ugh....]
She immediately musters up her courage and gulps down her small voice before shouting out loud.
[Well, Jinseok oppa asked me for help with the joint demonstration and decided to treat me! He'll buy me a delicious meal and take me to an amusement park too!!!]
Jinseok and Goldie's eyes widen at the thought of a promise they had made with a cute junior female colleague they had forgotten about.
"...What if it's an amusement park?"
"Dewuk...?"