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[Runner's High] Runner's high is the feeling of euphoria that runners can experience. The term was first used in a 1979 paper by American psychologist A. J. Mandell. It refers to a feeling of happiness brought on by the physical stress of exercising amid stimuli from the surrounding environment. — Samsung Medical Center Sports Medicine Center Resources For the past week or two, I've been going on long runs outdoors regularly. I've tried to make running a habit several times before, but each attempt fizzled out when I made excuses about the weather or my other workouts. This time feels different. Lately I've discovered a kind of enjoyment in running that I hadn't felt before, and I think it might become part of my daily life, like going to the gym. The biggest change is that I've slowed down and started running farther. I used to go out aiming for 2 km and run as fast as I could manage. That was only somewhere in the 4:40s per kilometer (all paces below are per kilometer), but it felt like I was dying. On days when I wasn't feeling well or misjudged my pace, I couldn't even finish the 2 km without stopping. I can't remember exactly what prompted it, but at some point I decided to run longer distances more slowly, and I started aiming for 5 km. The first few times, I went out too fast and ran out of steam around the 3 km mark. Gradually, though, I learned what pace would let me run the full 5 km, and since then my goal has been to bring that time down little by little. Once I started running, I naturally began watching related YouTube videos, and I've learned a lot from them about running form and pacing. When I increased the distance to 5 km, the first problem I encountered was pain in my shins. The muscle, apparently called the tibialis anterior, would tighten up and start hurting after just 1–2 km. It lifts the front of the foot so the trailing foot doesn't drag on the ground, which means it gets a lot of use when running. I figured I simply hadn't trained this sport-specific muscle yet, much like the forearm muscles used in climbing. I thought I'd have to wait for it to get stronger by running often or doing isometric exercises with a resistance band. Since it's tucked between the shinbone and the muscles behind it, it's hard to reach with a massage, too. Easing the pain quickly didn't seem likely. But the problem turned out to have a surprisingly easy solution: changing my running form. Until then, I'd been landing on my heels. Someone on YouTube recommended landing on the middle of the foot, a technique called a midfoot strike, so I gave it a try. Since the foot has an arch, it feels more accurate to describe it as letting the whole foot touch down at once. To do that, I naturally lean my upper body a little farther forward, too. After I changed the way I landed, the pain in my shins dropped noticeably! Before, my shins would tighten up so badly I couldn't run, even before I was out of breath. Since switching, that hasn't happened, and on today's run they went beyond hurting less—they barely hurt at all. Another thing I've been paying attention to lately is the angle of my neck. Watching running videos eventually led me to a documentary about marathoner Lee Bong-ju's training, lol. He was running up ahead while his coach followed slowly in a car, calling through a megaphone for him not to lift his chin too high. I realized I was lifting mine quite a bit when I ran, too. Tucking it in made breathing much easier. When I get tired during a run, I habitually raise my chin, so I have to stay alert and consciously keep it down the whole time. Between the simple in-in-out-out breathing rhythm, how my feet land, and the angles of my upper body and neck, I'm realizing that running takes a surprising amount of concentration. If my mind wanders, my form slips or I lose my pace. So I keep my music low enough that it won't distract me and focus all my attention on running. As with anything I've only just started, my times are improving day by day. At first I was in the mid-5:40s, but a few days ago I got down into the 5:30s. Changing my pacing strategy helped a lot. I used to start out at a 5:30 pace, then fall behind as the run went on, huffing and puffing. I'd feel sad watching my pace get slower and slower. Then, about three days ago, I changed my strategy: start a little slower than my target pace and gradually speed up toward the end. That made the run feel easier even when my time was similar, and eventually it helped me set a new personal best. Three days ago, I ran 28 minutes 17 seconds (a 5'38" pace); the day before yesterday, I played soccer; and yesterday, I ran 28 minutes 9 seconds (a 5'37" pace). So I went out today thinking anything under 28 minutes would be a huge success. Instead, I shaved off a whole 31 seconds and finished in 27 minutes 38 seconds! I started at my usual 5:40 pace, then picked it up after the halfway point until the pace read 5:32–5:33. Somehow I felt confident that today I could hold that pace to the end without running out of steam—and I did. Runner's high was a big part of it, too. Last time, I started my sprint with 250 m left and still had energy to spare. So this time I picked up the pace at the 4,500 m mark, and somewhere between 4,600 and 4,700 m, I experienced runner's high. It was my first time. I'd known the term “runner's high” for ages. In the past, when my mind went blank during a run and I stopped noticing how hard it was, I'd wondered if that was what people meant. But now that I've actually experienced it, there's no mistaking it. A wave of goosebumps ran down my spine, like when you watch a great scene in a movie, only more intense. My mood lifted with it, and I covered the remaining distance at a very fast pace with relative ease. I looked it up, and apparently runner's high typically happens after running for about 30 minutes at a heart rate of at least 120 beats per minute. That fits my experience pretty well. They say that once you've felt runner's high, you risk getting hooked on it like a drug... That won't happen to me, right? Though I am planning to go running again tomorrow. Hahaha. Luckily, nothing seems wrong with my body yet. But if I get injured and still try to run, please talk me out of it. Oh, and if anyone wants to run together along the Han River, get in touch. Pushing my limits is my main reason for running, so I couldn't do group runs every day if they kept me from running at my own pace. But meeting up now and then to run and work up a sweat together sounds nice, doesn't it? ︙ Maybe I'll introduce my gear here, too. Not that there's much to introduce. I don't have a smartwatch; I just run with my phone in my hand. I track my runs with Nike Run Club. People online recommend Strava because it's easier to export your data, but I use Nike because I need it to read my pace aloud. (I just checked, and Strava does that too? But it doesn't have enough options, so I'll probably stick with Nike.) I've set it to read out my distance and pace every 250 m, but not my total time. I wear a T-shirt and shorts with a zip-up jacket over them. I brought gloves for the first time today but didn't wear them. It'll probably get insanely cold again soon, though… All I carry is my phone and a transit/debit card for getting home. I could just run 2.5 km and turn around, and then I wouldn't have to walk a long way or take public transit. But there's something about retracing your steps that you just don't want to do, you know? So I al

--> How beautiful a powerful yet controllable force can be I have one more reason to love Seoul. Today’s fireworks felt like they were comforting me. I’d always thought comfort couldn’t change my circumstances, and that ultimately I was the one who had to change. Besides, I’d never imagined fireworks could comfort me. Was it my up-and-down mood today? The sound, which felt more resonant than last year? Or was I simply exhausted from playing so much soccer? Probably the last one. I should finish writing this and get to bed. This was my second time watching, after last year. Once again, what I liked most was that it left me wanting for nothing. Other fireworks shows, like performances by top-tier idols at university festivals, leave me thinking, “That’s it?” But here, just when I thought, “Is it over? Well, that was plenty,” the fireworks would burst out again, often even more intensely. It happened several times. So I never feel disappointed when it’s time to turn away and go home. I don’t think all the other fireworks shows I’ve seen combined could measure up to the Seoul International Fireworks Festival. They might not even measure up to a single year of it. I assumed a show like this would naturally rank among the world’s top fireworks festivals, but when I looked it up, it seems even the Busan Fireworks Festival is bigger in scale? I guess I still have a lot to see when it comes to fireworks. The Busan festival is in a month—should I go? The fireworks are as varied as they are grand. Even the movements of individual fireworks differ: free fall / drifting slowly downward / hovering in midair / shooting off in various directions. The shapes they form are more varied still: a sphere of one color / a sphere with different colors inside and out / a ring around a sphere / a waterfall / a dragon (hovering in midair) / a flower / a star / a smiley face / a heart / a smiley face turning into a heart. Oh, and they added a cat! I don’t remember seeing that last year. 🐱 It must be hard to control which way shaped fireworks, like the smiley faces, are facing when they burst. So they look like this: 🙃 🙂 🙃 🙂 But that was last year, when I watched from the front near Yeouinaru. This year I was north of the river and a little off to the side, so 🙂 🙃 🙂 🙃 they looked all squished like this, haha. I watched from north of the river this time because I’d been playing soccer at Hyochang Stadium just beforehand. The fireworks started going off toward the end of the third quarter. The stadium sits on somewhat elevated ground, so I’d secretly hoped I could watch from there, but I could barely see the tips of the fireworks between the buildings. It wasn’t really a place to watch the show. So as soon as the game ended, I rushed out toward the river. The Korean team’s show was originally scheduled to start right when our game ended, but thanks to a slight delay, I don’t think I missed much. The view was actually best when bus 0411 rounded the traffic circle at the north end of Wonhyo Bridge, but I couldn’t get off there. Instead, I walked to the entrance to Seongchon Park (37.5302N 126.9532E) and watched from there. It was very close. I measured the delay between the light and sound (heh), and it came to 2.3 seconds. Taking the height of the fireworks into account, that means I was within about 600–700 meters of them. The pedestrian overpass and buildings blocked part of my view, but what overwhelmed me was the sound. It was incredibly loud. At the final climax, the sound of the mass of red fireworks went beyond awe-inspiring—it was almost frightening. Yesterday gave me a new rule for watching fireworks: get close, even if it means sacrificing some of the view. The thunderous sound fills your chest. It’s like watching a rocket launch in person. A video might have a better angle, but the one thing it can never capture is the sound. The explosions don’t sound quite as good in the official replay , but it includes the background music I couldn’t hear on-site. That’s why I watched almost the whole thing, from start to finish. DAY6’s “Feeling Good” at 05:50 is especially legendary. Anyway, I’m deeply grateful to Hanwha for bringing us this joy every year. I want to build a company that has the capacity to contribute to society, beyond simply making a profit. See you again next year, Seoul fireworks! body { background-color: #1D1D1D; color: #DCDCDC; } .title-1 { color: #EE7629; } .title-2 { color: #31BB96; } .title-3 { color: #F4DA34; } .title-4 { color: #EE7486; } .title-5 { color: #8989C8; } .title-6 { color: #F2997F; } .title-7 { color: #89D1D2; } .smile { display: inline-block; font-size: 20px; } .smile-container { display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center; } .smile-container:before { content: "펑"; margin-right: 2px; } .smiles-container { display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center; gap: 6px; justify-content: center; } @keyframes firework { 0% { transform: translate(-50%, 60vh); width: 0.5vmin; opacity: 1; } 50% { transform: translate(-50%, 0vh); width: 0.5vmin; opacity: 1; } 100% { width: 45vmin; opacity: 0; } } .firework, .firework::before, .firework::after { --top: 60vh; content: ""; position: absolute; top: 50%; left: 50%; transform: translate(-50%, -50%); width: 0.5vmin; aspect-ratio: 1; background: /* random backgrounds */ radial-gradient(circle, #ff0 0.2vmin, #0000 0) 50% 00%, radial-gradient(circle, #ff0 0.3vmin, #0000 0) 00% 50%, radial-gradient(circle, #ff0 0.5vmin, #0000 0) 50% 99%, radial-gradient(circl

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People sometimes ask me about the tech stack behind BuyBus, so I thought I’d put it all together. This will probably be obvious to experienced developers, but I’ve tried my best to include everything. I hope it’ll be useful to anyone who’s vaguely imagined building something similar but hasn’t known where to start. There are three diagrams in total. The one at the top is an overview covering my development environment, the server, users’ devices, and third parties like AWS, Google, and PayPal. The two below it zoom in on the server and client parts of that overview, respectively. All three are vector graphics, no less! I generated the detailed server and client architecture diagrams automatically with an npm package called dependency-cruise, and made the overview myself in Figma. Figma’s auto layout let me draw the nested elements neatly, but I wasn’t sure what to do about the arrows: vanilla Figma doesn’t automatically update an arrow’s endpoints when the elements it connects move. Then I installed a plugin called Arrow Auto, and it worked like a charm. Figma rules. The automatically generated server and client architecture diagrams look a bit intimidating, but they’re not as hard to make as they look. You make server requests and client pages for the features you need, split things into separate components when they need to be reused, search Google for a library when you suspect one already does what you need, and so on. Before you know it, you end up with this. The arrows overlap so much that it’s hard to follow any one of them, so I’d suggest just looking at what components there are and which external libraries I used (the red boxes). overall server details client details

I walked the entire Seoul City Wall in a day. It all started when a friend posted on Instagram that they’d completed the circuit. My heart raced as soon as I saw it. As a Seoulite, I couldn’t not do it. The weather was good, and I wanted to go right away, so I found someone to join me. Five days later—yesterday—I completed it. A few friends were interested, but most couldn’t come because our schedules didn’t line up or they weren’t confident they could do the whole circuit in one go. That left one friend. But even they dropped out about halfway through. I understand—they had to leave for work early this morning. I hope you get to finish the rest when you have time. Thanks for sticking around through lunch So I walked the remaining half alone. I set off from Sungnyemun Gate at 9 a.m. and went clockwise. I forgot to get my stamp at the Donuimun site, though, so I paid the price for my mistake by doing the Sungnyemun–Donuimun stretch twice. That meant I finally finished at Donuimun. At first, I’d planned to start at Sungnyemun and go counterclockwise. I’d be taking photos toward the city center, so passing Heunginjimun in the morning and Donuimun in the afternoon would keep me from shooting into the sun. But I decided it would be better to tackle the steepest stretch, between Inwangsan and Baegaksan, early on, and changed my plan to clockwise. In hindsight, that was a sensible choice. Another bonus was getting to look out from Namsan near the end of the journey and see both the route I’d traveled and the northern half of Seoul it encircles. Since the place to pick up your completion badge is at the Donuimun site, I’d also recommend starting there and going counterclockwise. Hid my face because I looked a wreck after running out of energy The map and completion badge Pick up a map at one of the stamp stations at the four main gates (or, for Sukjeongmun, at the nearby Malbawi Information Center), collect all the stamps, and show proof photos taken at four spots—Inwangsan, Baegaksan (Cheongundae), Naksan, and Namsan (the beacon mound)—and you’re done. At Donuimun Museum Village, they gave me the badge after looking at just the map. I’m going to the Hanyangdoseong Historic Site Museum tomorrow to get my certificate, so I imagine they’ll check the photos there. I walked for eight hours and over 40,000 steps that day, and climbed the equivalent of nearly 300 floors. I think it’s the first time in my life I’ve passed 40,000 steps. Luckily, aside from some tightness in my calves, I don’t have any other symptoms today. How do I feel about it? Incredibly accomplished! I feel like I’ve finally become a true Seoulite. There’s the physical achievement, of course, but I’m also delighted to know the city I live in better. Knowing an area’s place names and landmarks, and which way to go to reach them, gives me a quiet sense of security and satisfaction. This might sound obvious or silly, but when thoughts like “Ttukseom. I could take an express train to Seonjeongneung, then the Suin–Bundang Line up there. Or I’ve got plenty of time—should I just ride halfway around Line 2?” or “The certificate pickup is at Namsan Park... The National Museum of Korea isn’t that far. I’ll knock out the National Gallery exhibition while I’m at it.” (That’s my plan for tomorrow.) come together effortlessly in my head, I feel like a true Seoulite. But even though I moved here over ten years ago, I spent most of that time in a dorm or in Daejeon, so I knew surprisingly few Seoul place names for someone who’d been here that long. Since graduating and living in Seoul full-time, I’ve learned many more, but I rarely had reason to go north of the river, so much of that area was still a blur. That made this circuit of Hanyang all the more helpful. One new discovery: I’d only ever seen Jangchung Arena on Infinite Challenge , but I finally walked right past it. Now I can enjoy the telepathy special even more! Of course, I’d already been to some of the places I passed. In fact, I’d been to most of them. But I got to see them from an entirely new perspective. I’d visited Inwangsan, Namsan, and Naksan before, and the walls there are still plainly intact. Yet I’d mostly seen them as just walls, not as fortifications. This was the first time I’d really thought of them as parts of one enormous wall encircling Hanyang. A surprising amount of the Seoul City Wall remains in the built-up parts of the city, too. Even on a bridge over Cheonggyecheon, the railings where it intersects the wall are made to look like ramparts. Lately I’ve been discovering north of the river the beauty of an old city center that European cities so often have and Gangnam doesn’t. Now I feel like I’ve found one more reason for it. ︙ It was dizzying to think that people built something this long when all they had to power the work was human and animal strength. My respects to those who were conscripted to build the Seoul City Wall... Apparently, if a section collapsed, people had to come all the way from the provinces to rebuild it 🥲 ︙ While talking with my parents over dinner about this kind of grueling adventure, I learned that my dad had once planned to cross the Nakdong River on a raft he built himself in college. He said he never actually did it, so I asked if he’d like to try it with me now. He just laughed... but I wasn’t joking. His own experience cycling around Jeju Island at about the same age also played a part in my decision to do the same thing, which I followed through on the year before last. Looks like going out of our way to make life hard for ourselves runs from father to son. From here on, it’s just a photo dump. Care to watch my party trick? I’d seen the 2222 bus at Konkuk University Station. Apparently there’s no 3333 or higher Not a care in the world, are you, kitty? You can live a fulfilling life with an attitude like this parking barrier’s <img src="

BuyBus finally made its first sale. It’s been 51 days since I started the project and 31 days since launch. stats for nerds That’s after about 5,200 lines of JS (3,500 frontend + 1,700 backend) and 42 git commits. As of today, two days later, the code has already passed 6,000 lines. It’s not just BuyBus’s first sale. It’s also my first income from a startup in the year since I finished my lab internship last September, cast off all the shackles and constraints of the world, and devoted myself to starting a business (or did I just put the shackles on?). My goal this year was to earn 1 million won purely from “my own business,” and this is a big step toward it. I'll never forget your name, D****. --> The notification came completely out of the blue the evening before last, as I was crossing Yanghwa Bridge on my way to run along the Han River. Rather than jumping for joy, I felt a sense of relief, as though something weighing on me had finally lifted. My vague idea that people might buy something like this had been confirmed in real life. I couldn’t just celebrate, though. I’d treated keeping the project lean as its highest virtue, so I’d made everything up to the point of purchase (and confirmation) airtight, while leaving plenty of holes in what came after. I had to fix an error on the purchase history page, create a purchase confirmation email template, and make the backend send it automatically upon confirmation. I ended up going to bed at 5 a.m. that night. Good thing I’d eaten a hearty 400 g of pork neck after getting back from my run. I crave meat so much after exercise. Normally it’s more like, “Oh, that sounds good,” but right after lifting or running, it’s, “If I don’t eat some, I’m going to die.” I’ve been so busy working that I’m writing this at a pace of about one paragraph a day. Two paragraphs ago, I said it was the evening before last, right? Now it’s been five days. Anyway, I successfully bought and uploaded the ticket, sent the email, and wrote a boarding guide. I added a feature for viewing terminals on Google Maps and put up a related Instagram post. I’ve nearly finished contacting the university exchange student channels I could find, so now I need to look into advertising through language institutes and social media like Instagram. To prepare for that, I also need to create and post plenty of content in advance. I need to figure out how to reduce the fees charged by the payment gateway, too, and write a guide for cases where passengers have to collect a ticket on-site without a QR code. There’s a lot to do. I’ll be spending this year’s Chuseok with BuyBus. ︙ I’ll never forget your name, D****. Like the song I was listening to then: Now that I found you, I have the reason to carry on. P.S. So far, I’ve sold tickets for 20 people across seven purchases. Granted, several purchases were by the same people. Could this actually work?

Summer The front seat on the right side of a city bus A thick, juicy beef patty that hasn’t been cooked to a crisp Villa Erbatium Mossy Glen Impressionist oil paintings with people in them A conifer forest glowing darkly in the faint sunlight What do these things have in common? ⋮ They all give me a quiet sense of satisfaction. You could say they’re my kind of thing. When I browse Instagram, I come across people around my age who are far better than I am at recognizing, exploring, and documenting their tastes. Looking at their feeds, I can see a subtle sensibility running through their posts—something quite different from the usual Instagram aesthetic. I have a lot of respect for people like that. Lately, I’ve been thinking more and more about how important it is to identify exactly what you like. There are a few benefits: It keeps you exploring new things. You inevitably get used to old favorites. In seeking fresh experiences, you deepen your knowledge and widen your circle of acquaintances. It makes you grateful for chances to experience the things you like (summer comes around again!). That leads to a life full of happiness. It helps people remember you as a more fully rounded person. Which would stick in your mind longer: Geonhee Lee, an aerospace engineering student, or Geonhee Lee, who gets excited about rocket reentry technology? Speaking of discovering what you like, this app came up in an Instagram ad recently. I thought its name, Eorat (“Oh, wait!”), was really clever. There are levels to personal taste—not in the sense of good or bad, but in how much effort it takes to discover a particular preference. The items above, for example, are listed in order of increasing effort. I learned that I like summer more than winter simply by living through the seasons. To find out that I liked Mossy Glen, I had to go out of my way to ask a friend what perfume they were wearing the other day. If I hadn’t been able to visit a Canadian national park, I might have gone my whole life without knowing that I love conifer forests glowing in faint light. There are things you already know you like, and others you discover unexpectedly at some moment in life, thinking, as the app’s name suggests, “Oh, wait—I like this?” Some you can discover only by seizing a rare opportunity. Others remain out of reach no matter how hard you try, unless the world gives you the chance. My goal is not to miss a single chance to discover something I like, as long as the world makes it possible. This way of thinking probably began when I started climbing in February last year—or perhaps the year before. I saw a friend’s story looking for someone to go with and tagged along out of curiosity. Climbing went on to become my biggest hobby for over a year. I would never have taken it up on my own. Until then, I’d pictured climbing as scaling a high cliff while hanging from a rope, and extreme sports like that weren’t for me. But the type of climbing I tried on my first day—bouldering—involved no ropes. The goal was to solve problems rather than climb high, and I loved it. I was amazed by how different the reality was from what I’d imagined. I thought about all the fun things in the world I might have passed by out of vague assumptions or indifference, and resolved not to miss them anymore. That was part of why I tried bungee jumping on a recent trip to New Zealand. Watching someone else jump from the observation deck did send my adrenaline surging, but the main reason I went ahead without hesitation was that, if I might like bungee jumping more than I expected, this was the perfect chance to find out. (Or so I tell myself to justify spending 70,000 won per second. Haha.) I didn’t come away thinking, “I can’t live without bungee jumping now,” but I did learn how much I like it and how much time and money I’d be willing to spend on it. That knowledge means a lot to me. ⋮ Once you’ve identified something you like, it’s just as important to remind yourself of it now and then. If it’s something you can’t easily enjoy in everyday life, you’re bound to forget about it even if you love it—like a song buried deep in an old playlist. The easiest way I can think of to start doing that is to decorate your room. In teen movies, don’t the main characters always have posters of movies and bands on their walls? All the posters on Tony’s wall in the British series Skins . To be honest, Skins is more of a teen-downfall drama than a typical teen drama, but I included it because I really love the show. Keeping the things you love where you can see them every day can make life richer. I’ve moved around a lot—especially lately, when I’ve been living like a grasshopper—so I haven’t done much decorating myself. But I have done one thing: I bought a wire grid at Daiso and put up Life Four Cuts photo strips and travel photos I’d taken over the years. I already knew those photos so well that I could roughly describe their framing and poses without looking. Yet simply seeing them often gives them far more meaning than they had tucked away in a corner of my bookshelf. Being reminded that there are people I care about, who care about me in return—people who are my kind of people—makes life feel a little less lonely. Is there a photo of you here, or one you printed for me? If so, you mean a great deal to me. I’m skeptical about the metaverse, but another option is to fill my computer and phone wallpapers—which I look at far longer than my walls—with things I love. This wallpaper has held its place for over a year. I took the photo at the moment I discovered my love for “conifer forests glowing darkly in the faint sunlight.” Would a rotating selection of photos fit the point of this post better?

Two weeks ago, I gave my first-ever lecture—and, as luck would have it, in a class at my alma mater with nearly 90 students. I was barely keeping my wits about me, but Changhyun, who takes the class, filmed it, so I have a record of this precious experience! Thank you so much. Lately, I’ve been jotting down a line or two in my notes app whenever I have a thought about entrepreneurship. This was a great opportunity, partly by choice and partly by circumstance, to organize those thoughts and share them. I simply used the guest lecture topic listed in the syllabus as my title. It’s an impossibly broad question, but I hope this presentation—an overview of what I’ve experienced and thought about during my year of trying to start a business—offers a good answer. It’s been ages since I watched a video of myself presenting. Sigh. I should practice now and then, even when I don’t have a presentation coming up. I said “now” 65 times in a talk that was barely 20 minutes long lol. Even for an unscripted, freestyle talk, that was too much. If I ever gave a presidential inaugural address, my vision for South Korea would probably just be “now.” The beginning of the video is cut off, and the slides aren’t all fully visible, so I suggest listening to the audio and referring to the transcript below for the full content. Transcription software has gotten really good: even though the audio is quiet, it got almost every word right. I think it cut the time it took me to write this post by several times. Clova Note is the best. This is a lecture you couldn’t hear anywhere else, even if you paid hundreds of millions of won. Obviously—I’m never doing it again. It was only the second class, but apparently it really was Week 3 because the semester started on a Friday. * Clova Note generated the keywords and summary below. They turned out better than I expected, so I’ve copied them here. Just read them for fun. Keywords BuyBus API networking entrepreneurship trial and error bus schedules KLMS class KAIST refund business idea business payment complaints chatbot climbing launch booking service code AI Summary Guest lecture on entrepreneurship (00:00) As someone trying to start a business, I sent the professor a long text asking whether I could at least get the course materials. The professor unexpectedly called to ask more about the business. Since the class was discussion-based, he suggested I come talk about it, and that’s how the guest lecture was arranged. KLMS redesign for remote classes (01:24) KLMS underwent a major redesign in March 2021. The university redesigned it with good intentions, to make remote classes easier for students, but the first version had many inconveniences. I made and released a Chrome extension to improve it. The response was better than expected, and its user base grew to around 1,700 people on campus at its peak. Developing Nupjuk! was probably the biggest reason I decided to try starting a business. A service for international tourists (04:16) There’s a world of difference between making a free program people appreciate and use, and making something they’re willing to pay for. I saw a news report about the difficulties international tourists face in Korea and spotted a business opportunity. I thought that if I integrated a payment method international visitors could use, bought tickets on their behalf, and charged a fee, I could turn a profit as soon as I made a sale. The pitfalls of automation (07:28) I wanted to talk about the thoughts—or, to put it generously, the philosophy—I’ve developed through all the trial and error of trying to start a business. I wanted to explain why you can’t limit yourself to glamorous businesses, and why automation isn’t always the answer. The downsides of automation (12:21) When the automated process was given a slight delay, people were more likely to use Samjjeomsam than when it finished immediately. It’s an interesting example of how too much automation can backfire. I tried to apply this perspective on automation while building BuyBus. The phrase “separate consultation” gave me pause. With Google APIs, you can apply and use them right away at a set rate. Here, I expected that after clicking “Apply,” I’d have to describe my intended use and expected usage, wait for someone to review it, and then be told how much to pay. The fragility of scraping code (14:55) I wrote scraping code using a fragile approach that could break as soon as the page structure changed, even slightly. I think it helps to gather as much information as you can scrape. I realized how important connections are when trying to run a business. Silicon Valley entrepreneurship course (17:51) After taking a Silicon Valley entrepreneurship course and starting a business, I decided to make the most of my connections. There are many things to consider when running a business, but I think the most important is whether it’s legal. const slidesData = [ { transcripts: [ `안녕하세요, 오늘 "창업이란 무엇인가"를 주제로 강연하게 된 이건희라고 합니다. 만나서 반갑습니다. 7주차에나 잡혀있는 특강을 갑자기 오늘 한다고 해서 놀라셨죠. 저도 많이 놀랐습니다. 저도 이 강연 잡힌지 이제 3일 됐거든요. 주말 동안 열심히 준비해봤는데, 어떻게 된 일인지 곧 말씀을 드리겠습니다. 제가 학교를 다니면서도 이렇게 많은 사람 앞에서 발표를 할 기회가 없었던 것 같은데요, 영광입니다.` ]}, { transcripts: [ `먼저 제 소개를 간단히 할게요. 저는 KAIST 학부 18학번으로 항공우주공학과 전산학을 복수전공했고요, 올해 2월에 졸업 후 현재 외국인을 위한 버스 표 예매 대행을 아이템으로 창업을 "시도"하고 있습니다.` ]}, { transcripts: [ `이 에브리타임 글 모두들 보셨을 거에요. 이 글을 보고 본 과목을 수강하게 되신 분들이 대부분이 아닐까 하는데, 저도 자주는 아니지만 가끔 에브리타임을 들어가보다가 교수님께서 쓰신 이 글을 보게 됐습니다. 근데 지금 창업을 시도하고 있는 입장에서 제게 너무나 큰 도움이 될 것 같은 거에요. 근데 저는 지금 서울에 상주하고 있는 데다가 학교 출입도 자유롭지 않아서 강의를 직접 들으러 오기는 힘들거든요. 그런 상황에서 그냥 강의 자료라도 받을 수 있을까 해서 교수님께` ]}, { transcripts: [ `장문의 문자를 써서 보냈습니다. 저는 좀 겁이 났거든요. 왜냐하면 여러분은 이 수업을 듣기 위해서 등록금이 집행이 뻔히 되고 있는 상황에서, 저는 어떻게 보면 무임 승차를 하겠다고 한 거니까. 되게 저자세로 들어가서 답장을 기다리고 있었습니다.` ]}, { transcripts: [ `근데 교수님께서 갑자기 전화를 하신 거예요. 그래서 받았더니, 제가 문자에는 간단하게 써놨었거든요: 버스 표 관련 사업을 해보려고 하고 있다. 그 사업에 대해서 더 물어보시더니, 그런 사업을 해보려는 입장이라면 거기에 많은 궁금증이 있을 테고 어차피 수업도 문답식으로 이루어지니까 와서 이것에 대해서 얘기를 나눠보면 어떻겠냐 해서 정말 갑작스럽게 이 특강이 잡히게 됐습니다. 그래서 아까 소개해 주신 대로, 저는 이제 정말 많은 시행착오를 겪고 있는 전혀 성공하지 않은 사람이고요, 오히려 그래서 이 수업에 더 적합하다고 생각을 하기 때문에 그 점 감안해서 잘 봐주시면 감사하겠습니다.` ]}, { transcripts: [ `제가 일단 창업을 시작하게 된 계기부터 말씀을 드릴게요. 고학번분들은 아실 텐데 21년 3월에 KLMS가 한번 크게 개편이 됐었어요. 비대면 수업을 아직도 할 때에 학생들이 이제 수업을 좀 더 편하게 들을 수 있도록 학교는 좋은 의도에서 개편을 했는데 이게 초기 버전에서는 불편한 점이 되게 많았어요.

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