"Honey, was our card hacked?"... I only spent 300,000 won, but the bill is 4.5 million won [How Much Is Enough]

[The Financial News] Sunday morning, February 1. Office worker Mr. A (42) is leisurely enjoying his weekend when his phone buzzes. It is a text from his credit card company with this month’s expected payment amount.
He glances at the screen and his eyes widen. [Total amount used: 4,580,000 won].
His mind goes blank. "I must have read that wrong." But when he checks again, the number of zeros is exactly the same.
Mr. A hurriedly calls his wife. "Honey, call the card company’s customer service! I think our card’s been hacked. I only used 300,000 won of allowance and some gas money—how on earth did it go over 4 million?"
What he gets back is not sympathy, but a look that says, "Seriously?" It was not hacking. So where on earth did his monthly salary disappear to? In this fourth installment, we dig into the "credit card bill mystery" that men in their 30s and 40s face every month.

The point that many men feel is unfair is clear.
"I never made any big purchases, so why?" they ask.
No one bought a luxury bag or went on an overseas trip. Yet when they open the statement, it is jaw-dropping. 10,000 won, 20,000 won, 5,000 won... an endless parade of small payments.
The "culprits" are the parcel boxes and delivery containers piled up at the front door. "Delivery platform A" 28,000 won, "Food delivery app B" 32,000 won, "Online grocery C" 45,000 won...
Office worker Mr. B (39) complained, "They say you do not notice your clothes getting wet in a light drizzle, but this is not drizzle, it is a water bomb," adding, "When I come home from work, the parcel boxes are stacked like a tower in front of the door. When I think that all of that is the result of my labor, I get hit with a harsh dose of reality." He even jokes, half in self-mockery, that it feels like he is living with a Coupang delivery driver.


So are wives really spending recklessly? Standing in front of husbands who suspect "hacking," they also have plenty to say.
Full-time homemaker Ms. C (38) countered, "Look closely at the statement. Do you see even one item where I bought clothes for myself? It is all the kids’ academy fees, diapers, rice, and milk." In this era of high prices, a single grocery run at the supermarket easily blows through 100,000 won. A single family meal out on the weekend can cost another 100,000 won.
From the wives’ perspective, "Husbands only remember the 300,000 won they spent on their own allowance, and they act like the 'survival costs' for a family of four are free," they say, expressing hurt. To them, 4.5 million won is not extravagance; it is the basic fee required for a family of four to breathe and live under the sky of Seoul.

The mystery is solved. There was no hacker—only the huge wave of rising prices and the living expenses needed to feed and support a family.
The suspicion is gone, but the fact remains that the bank balance has been reset to zero. Watching their salary pass through in an instant, breadwinners feel empty, yet they also console themselves by thinking, "At least our family got through this month without going hungry."
And to refill that empty account, on Monday morning we will once again squeeze into the packed subway on our commute.
How was your January credit card bill? Are you, by any chance, also suspecting that your card has been "hacked" right now?
jsi@fnnews.com Jeon Sang-il Reporter