Chapter 15. Sorting Out My Bank Accounts
The next morning, while watering the kitchen garden, Eun-chae was suddenly struck by a thought.
'Come to think of it, how much do I have left between my severance pay and everything else?'
Between getting everything in Seoul sorted out and dealing with all the paperwork, it had been a long time since she'd properly checked the state of her own bank accounts. She set down the watering can, went up onto the veranda, and opened her laptop.
She logged into online banking and checked her balances. She opened all three accounts side by side: the one her severance pay had been deposited into, her personal account that she'd been using little by little for living expenses, and the business account she'd opened a few days ago.
As she checked each number, Eun-chae copied them into her notepad.
*Severance pay (initial amount)* *Living expenses (two months)* *Initial business expenses (fire extinguisher, bedding, pet supplies, etc.)* *Remaining balance*
She tapped away at the calculator, subtracting everything she'd spent so far from the severance pay she'd originally received. It had gone down more than she'd expected.
"Gran."
Grandma, who was coming out of the kitchen, turned to look at Eun-chae.
"What?"
"I calculated how much of my severance pay I have left, and I've spent a lot more than I thought."
"What did you spend that much on?"
Eun-chae showed her the laptop screen.
"The initial expenses, like the fire extinguisher, bedding, and pet supplies, really added up. And I had to pay some penalties while I was closing out my place in Seoul."
Grandma peered at the screen.
"So how much is left?"
Eun-chae pointed to the number. Grandma narrowed her eyes for a moment as if calculating.
"At that rate... you can make it six months."
"Six months? Is that enough?"
"Once the guesthouse starts bringing in money, you'll have more breathing room. You're spending on initial costs right now, so of course the balance is going down."
Eun-chae felt a little relieved by that, but seeing the numbers still left her conflicted.
"Gran, but I don't have any other income besides this. What if I don't get any bookings?"
Grandma pushed the laptop back toward Eun-chae and said, "That's why you need to manage your bookings well. That's also why you're going to the village kimchi-making gathering."
"What does going there have to do with bookings?"
"Word of mouth from the people around here matters most. Look at the woman next door. She says the whole neighborhood already knows about you."
Eun-chae nodded. Come to think of it, both her first and second guests had booked through a reservation platform, but she felt she couldn't ignore her relationships with the people in the village either.
"Then I really need to go to the kimchi-making gathering this time."
"That's right. Getting to know people's faces is part of doing business."
Eun-chae closed the laptop and reorganized the remaining balance and expected expenses in her notepad. She couldn't tell whether six months was plenty of time or whether she'd have to stretch it thin.
"Gran, what should my goal be for these six months?"
Grandma sat down on the veranda and answered, "First, make sure bookings start coming in steadily. Once word gets around and you build up some reviews, things will run on their own after that."
"Reviews? I don't have a single one yet."
"That's why you need to take good care of every guest. One good review is worth more than ten ads."
Eun-chae wrote that down in her notepad too. *Reviews are important.* She wondered if she should send review requests to the two groups of guests who had already stayed there.
"Gran, should I message the guests from last time and ask them to leave a review?"
"You can. Just don't make it sound like you're rushing them."
Eun-chae opened the reservation platform app and checked the chat windows with the newlywed couple and the family of four. Carefully, she composed a message.
*"Hi! Thank you so much for staying at our guesthouse last time. If you could leave us a review whenever you have a chance, it would mean a lot to us :)"*
After pressing Send, Eun-chae returned to the screen showing her bank balance.
"Gran, I'm supposed to keep the business account and personal account completely separate, right?"
"It'll make things easier when you file your taxes later. Mix them together and it'll be a headache."
"When do I have to file taxes?"
"Your comprehensive income tax is due in May of the following year. Sales tax is every quarter."
Eun-chae's mind grew tangled at the answer. She'd thought the paperwork was over, but a new mountain called taxes was still waiting for her.
"Gran, can I really do all this by myself? Calculating the taxes and filing everything?"
"You can hire a tax accountant at first. That's what I used to do."
"How much does a tax accountant cost?"
"You'll have to look into that too. But don't begrudge paying that much. If you file incorrectly, you'll lose far more later."
Eun-chae added that to the list as well. *Look into tax accountants.* The boxes for things to do before opening were slowly filling up again.
"Gran, once I do all this, I'll really be a business owner, right?"
Grandma gave a short laugh.
"You already are, Boss."
"I'm a business owner~"
Eun-chae hummed as she tidied up her laptop. Grandma gave a small snort of laughter at the sight.
"Don't get too excited. You've still got a long way to go."
"I know. But for some reason, it really hit me today."
Eun-chae opened her notepad again and gave the day's notes one final look. Her bank balance, expected expenses, and looking into a tax accountant were all written down in neat, full lines.
"Gran, how do I find a tax accountant?"
"There's one in town. He was the one I used to use, but I don't know if he's still practicing."
"Do you have his number?"
"It should be in my address book."
Eun-chae went to the kitchen and brought back the old address book. It was the same one she'd used to find the real estate agent's number a few days ago. As she flipped through the pages, she found an entry that read, "Tax Accountant Park - Director."
"Gran, here it is."
"Let me see."
Grandma checked the number and nodded.
"That's him. Even though it's been a long time, his number probably hasn't changed."
Eun-chae called right away. After the phone rang a few times, someone answered.
"Hello, this is Tax Accountant Park."
"Hello, I run Sandeul Haven Guesthouse. I heard my grandmother used to rely on you a lot."
"Oh, are you Kim Mal-soon's granddaughter?"
"Yes, that's right."
"It's been a long time. I heard you inherited the guesthouse?"
"Yes, I started running it recently. I'd like to get some advice about taxes. Would that be possible?"
"Of course. Come by the office whenever it's convenient."
Eun-chae finished the call and hung up. Things had gone more smoothly than she'd expected, and she felt relieved.
"Gran, I made an appointment for a consultation next week."
"Good. Once you get that taken care of, you'll feel better."
Eun-chae moved *Look into tax accountants* to the In Progress column in her notepad. Looking at the page, she felt a fresh wave of pride.
"Gran, everything's really new to me these days, but it's fun seeing things come together one by one."
"That's the fun of living."
Grandma stood up and gave Eun-chae's shoulder a light tap.
"What should I make for dinner tonight, Boss?"
"Gran!"
Eun-chae laughed and shot her grandmother an exasperated look. Warm afternoon sunlight settled over the yard.
While preparing dinner, Eun-chae checked her phone when she heard a notification. It was from the reservation platform.
*A new review has been posted.*
Eun-chae stopped washing her hands and tapped the screen. It was a review from the newlywed couple who had stayed last time.
*"It was such a quiet and cozy place. We were touched that the owner even made us a planter using lettuce she had grown herself in the kitchen garden. The chrysanthemum tea smelled wonderful too. We'd love to come back!"*
Five stars were lined up in a row.
"Gran! Gran, look at this!"
Eun-chae ran into the kitchen and held out her phone. Grandma looked at the screen while holding a ladle.
"Oh, five stars."
"This is our first review. Our very first one."
Eun-chae read the review over and over right there. It amazed her that the guests had remembered each and every thing she'd prepared for them.
"You were right, Gran. All the little things I worried over came back to me like this."
"See? Once you get one review, the next ones come much easier."
Eun-chae took a screenshot of the review and saved it to her photo album. She wondered how many more would pile up later.
As she set the table, Eun-chae looked back over the day. Sorting out her bank accounts, scheduling a consultation with a tax accountant, and getting her first review. A lot had happened in one short day.
"Gran, today was a really productive day."
"Tomorrow will be even more productive. There's the kimchi-making gathering too."
"Oh, right. How many days until then?"
"Four days."
As Eun-chae spooned rice into her bowl, she thought about four days from now. It would be her first real chance to meet the people from the village. She was a little nervous, but strangely, she was looking forward to it.
After finishing her meal and washing the dishes, Eun-chae walked around the yard once before going to her room. The lettuce in the kitchen garden had grown quite a bit by now. She hadn't expected the tiny sprouts she'd planted at the beginning to grow so much.
'I wonder if I've grown that much too.'
With that thought, Eun-chae went into her room. One by one, stars were beginning to appear outside the window.
Author's Note I wanted to cover some of the practical realities while Eun-chae sorted out her bank accounts, and include the small achievement of getting her first review. As promised, the next chapter will continue with the kimchi-making gathering episode.