'Can you even survive on that?' — a friend's remark leaves worker with W2.8m take-home pay feeling deflated

A worker in his 30s revealed his monthly take-home pay of 2.8 million won ($2,030) at a college reunion, only to be met with a friend's remark questioning whether that was enough to get by on.

The account was posted on Remember, an online community for office workers, under the title "Someone told me my salary is too low to live on."

The author, identified only as A, said he is a 34-year-old man. "I know 2.8 million won a month is not a lot," he wrote. "But aren't there more ordinary workers like me out there than people realize?"

He described what happened at a weekend gathering with college classmates. "At this age, talk of money, investment and real estate is inevitable," he wrote. "Suddenly everyone started sharing their salaries, and since I was the only one who hadn't, I ended up going along and mentioning mine too."

A friend who works at a well-known large company then said, "Prices are absolutely insane these days — can you actually live on that? After rent, you'd have nothing left. You must be really strapped for cash."

Caught off guard by what felt like open pity, A laughed it off and replied, "I have no debt and I eat well, so you don't need to worry about me."

But the feeling did not go away easily. He ultimately made an excuse and left the gathering early.

"I had been living contentedly without any complaints, but one person's comment suddenly made my whole life feel shabby," he wrote. He added that while he had been satisfied with his current job, since that day he has found himself opening and closing job listings for large companies.

Readers who came across the post offered a range of reactions. "Salaries shouldn't be shared in the first place," wrote one. "People who are truly wealthy don't care about or judge other people's pay," said another. Others encouraged him to change jobs and aim for a higher salary while he is still young, while some suggested the friend may have spoken out of genuine concern rather than condescension.