The secret of a former pharmaceutical wholesaler earning 10 million won a month, who became the owner of the region's No. 1 funeral hall after becoming a late-blooming college student at 42

There was once a pharmaceutical wholesaler who was on a path to success, earning 10 million won per month. This is the story of Park Chang-deok, who operated his business from the mid-to-late 1980s to the mid-1990s. However, with the implementation of the separation of prescribing and dispensing in 2000, the business became rapidly difficult, and he eventually had to quit. The turning point in his life came at the late age of 42. At his wife's suggestion, he entered the Department of Funeral Service, beginning to design the second act of his life as a "late-blooming college student of the class of '03."

"It was scary, but I took the challenge" Late-blooming studies and scouting started at age 42

The process of choosing a new path was not smooth. In the video, Park confessed his feelings at the time, saying, "When it actually came time to enroll, I was so scared." This was due to the fear regarding the professional nature of the job, which involves facing someone's end. It was his wife who gave him courage. Encouraged by his wife, he enrolled and studied more intensely than anyone else. He devoted himself to his studies to the point of recording a 4.0 out of a 4.5 GPA.

These efforts led to results. Even before graduating, during the first semester of his third year of university, he was already scouted as the general team leader of a large funeral hall. It was a position that usually requires more than 10 years of experience. As a former businessman, he began to build his expertise as a funeral director through this opportunity.

Overcoming the death jinx to turn a funeral hall on the verge of closing into the region's No. 1

While establishing himself as a funeral director, Park received a mysterious phone call. It was a proposal to take over a funeral hall. However, that funeral hall was a place with a "death jinx," where both the previous founder and the second representative had passed away at the age of 57. Furthermore, it was in a dire condition on the verge of closing. Since Park was also 57 years old when he received the proposal, he hesitated greatly.

It was his wife once again who gave him strength at the decisive moment. At his wife's words, "Whether you die once or die twice, you will do well," he decisively decided to take over. The result was amazing. The funeral hall, which was last in regional sales, returned to a normal track within two years of operation and achieved a dramatic reversal by recording the No. 1 regional sales in three years.

Park competed with differentiated services. He provided an "All-in-one" service, where the representative of the funeral hall accompanies the deceased to the crematorium for the first time in South Korea, taking responsibility for the entire process up to the placement stage. Additionally, he showed a sincere attitude toward the deceased and the bereaved families, such as making temporary prosthetics for the deceased who lacked prosthetic limbs to assist with the encoffinment. This sincerity led to the trust of customers, which directly led to the success of the business.

"Even if you have 10 billion won, it is futile if you cannot use it in time" Becoming a guardian angel for animals after retirement

The reason Park, who was continuing successful operations, suddenly announced his retirement was due to the realization he gained while facing "death." He said he felt the futility of life through the wills left by those he met in the hospice ward. According to the video, many people leave regrets about not enjoying life more, saying, "I have lived too busily."

Having witnessed that "whether you have 10 billion won or 100 billion won, there are many people who pass away without being able to use it in time," he decided to live the rest of his life happily. Currently, he has given 7,000 pyeong out of approximately 30,000 pyeong of land as a home for animals and lives with abandoned animals. While caring for animals hurt by humans, such as former racehorses, meerkats, and abandoned dogs, he is practicing his wish to "give the children freedom and live happily together for the rest of my life."