[A Sip of Books] OTD Corporation Son Changhyun's 'Buying God's Taste'

Some sentences encapsulate the entire content of the book itself, while others instantly reach the reader's heart and create a connection with the book. We introduce such meaningful sentences excerpted from the book. - Editor's note

Arc & Book, a bookstore combined with a lifestyle shop; Ddinggul Store, a small brand department store; Seongsu Yeonbang, a complex cultural space; Ddinggul Market, a popular late-night delivery platform... All these hot places were created by one person. People call the author, a space creator, the 'Midas touch.' The intense process is captured in the book. The author says that the faster you execute and fail, the more experience you gain and the more capable you become. "You don't fail because you go bankrupt; you fail because you give up. As long as you don't give up, I believe it is a continuous process toward success."

I want to create spaces that consider history and context, spaces that can give new meaning, even if it takes time. I believe that is the right thing to do. I am constantly challenging myself to prove that it is right. Above all, I enjoy that work._p.31

If you are someone who confidently says you would never be unhappy even if you lose everything else to do what you love, then you can start that work._p.36

The desire to do something, I think this can be a stronger strategy than any other. To some, it might look like madness. Just as a hungry or thirsty person instinctively seeks food and drink to survive, I have no choice but to move forward._p.44

This is work that could change the world, so how fun and meaningful it must be. Fun comes first, and meaning comes next. If you try to fill meaning first, it will be less fun. If it’s less fun, you can’t keep doing it._p.48

Startups are a battle against rejection. Convincing investors or consumers is not easy at all. The moment you give up is failure. In that sense, I have not failed._p.54

I think it became a space people love because I created a space, not just a place. A space is where life’s events unfold, like the place where you were stood up by a lover or where you met your lifelong partner for the first time. I hoped the spaces I created would become the backdrop of someone’s memories._p.107

How you overcome it is more important. After failure, I take on even bigger challenges. Usually, people shrink back and stop after failure. But I rather expand my work. Failure becomes a good driving force._p.137

OTD Corporation Son Changhyun’s I Buy Your Taste | Written by Son Changhyun | Gimyeongsa | 212 pages | 13,800 KRW

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.