Alright, let's solve this problem step by step. We have 8598 and 5242, and we're subtracting the second number from the first.

Step 1: We'll start by subtracting the digit 2 and the borrow 0 from 8 in column 1 and get 6.
6 is the first digit of our result.

Step 2: We'll start by subtracting the digit 4 and the borrow 0 from 9 in column 2 and get 5.
5 is the next digit of our result.

Step 3: We'll start by subtracting the digit 2 and the borrow 0 from 5 in column 3 and get 3.
3 is the next digit of our result.

Step 4: We'll start by subtracting the digit 5 and the borrow 0 from 8 in column 4 and get 3.
3 is the next digit of our result.

So, 8598 - 5242 = 3356.