A Man with a Share: From Watermelon Farmer to Aerospace Engineer, the Wonders of a Life Built by Steadfast Days

Author Gong Geun-sik · Publisher Woongjin Thinkbig · Publication Date 2026-07-30 · ISBN 9788901300313

Book Introduction

From a middle-school graduate watermelon farmer to an aerospace engineer,
On a life that eventually arrives, even if you don't pick up the pace

At the late age of forty-two, a middle-school graduate watermelon farmer, who had been tilling the soil in Chogang-ri, a small rural village in Yeongdong, Chungcheongbuk-do, suddenly left for Russia to study. Dr. Gong Geun-sik, who enrolled at the prestigious Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, known for producing many Nobel laureates, graduated at the top of his class with both a bachelor's and master's degree, and finally earned a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering, proves that a "late start" does not necessarily mean failure.

Even amidst hardships like being mistaken for a spy in an unfamiliar classroom and facing expulsion due to language barriers, he was able to persevere in his studies because he had a firm belief that today's honest sweat would eventually build tomorrow's self. This book shows how daily study and effort, steadily accumulated in a world that often chases only immediate results and profits, can save and transform a person's life. Instead of a grand success story, the author's wisdom, learned through firsthand experience from the ground up, gently but reassuringly taps on the hearts of those weary from speed and competition.

What you truly desire
Ultimately, you know best

It had been over 10 years since he started watermelon farming. The author was a diligent and faithful farmer. As his reputation for high-sugar watermelons grew, people came from all over the country to learn his cultivation methods, and lecture invitations followed. His daily routine of heading to the greenhouse at dawn and studying at night school had become familiar and stable. But strangely, even when harvests were good, he wasn't as happy as before. The question, "Is this really the path I want?" was growing in his heart.

Then, in 2002, Typhoon Rusa hit the village. His mother's lifelong cultivated land and 100,000 pyeong of watermelon fields were swallowed by muddy water overnight. In the wake of losing everything, the author unexpectedly realized what he could never give up: his yearning for "study." Even on the day the typhoon covered his fields, he didn't miss night school. Instead of dwelling on despair, he quietly began to rebuild his life. He took one step at a time towards the life he truly wanted, rather than merely living as circumstances dictated.

After supporting both of his younger siblings through college, there was no longer any reason to postpone his own dream. Finally, at the age of forty-two, he left farming behind and began the second act of his life.

"We all have our own part!"
A record of the most honest life turnaround,
dedicated to all who think it's too late

The author, as an educator teaching students at a university and a senior who has faced life's harsh storms head-on,
prepared this book hoping that those who are wandering will not doubt themselves but move forward with conviction. The sincere stories in the book not only provide motivation in the pursuit of dreams but also offer the steadfast courage to walk quietly by the compass of one's own heart, instead of being swayed by the opinions of others or the cruel speedometers set by the world.

The moments of sweating while growing watermelons, and the nights spent awake in the harsh cold of Moscow, all, in retrospect, were a process of patience where the rocket, destined to launch into the vast universe, was fueled. Dr. Gong Geun-sik's life, which began as an ordinary rural farmer and later found his own trajectory, has been spotlighted by major media outlets and broadcasts, and has resonated across generations with the message, "It's never too late in life," becoming a widely shared narrative for a long time.

This book offers courage to take a step forward, rather than impatience, to those navigating the daunting tunnel of preparing for academics, employment, and the second half of life. The author's story, that new possibilities can be opened if one doesn't give up, regardless of the starting line, will be the most honest proof that we, who are currently wavering, can also succeed in our respective places.

Table of Contents

Recommended Reading: Everyone Has Their Own Part
Prologue: From a Man Who Looked at the Ground to a Man Who Looked at the Sky

Chapter 1 [Inertia] When the Direction Is Unclear, Questions Begin
: When Familiarity Holds Me Back

A Violent Storm Pushes the Boat to Sea
Carrying Fertilizer Sacks Instead of a Backpack
Until the Seed of Learning Sprouted in My Field
The World Changed Quickly, But I Stood Still
* Life Study Method 1: If You Don't Grow, You Shrink
When Life Pushes My Back First
Days When I Started Walking Again, Very Slowly

Chapter 2 [Acceleration] The Stopped Pendulum Begins to Move Again
: Small but Persistent Forces Create Change

The University Classroom, My Small Spaceship
* Life Study Method 2: If You Start Late, the Method Must Be Different
All the Bridges I Crossed Were Built by Someone Else
The One Who Planted the Seed, the One Who Made the Flower Bloom
Using My Own Heart as a Standard, Not the Eyes of Others
Life's Second Act Begins

Chapter 3 [Uncertainty] Adversity Opens Another Path
: How to Endure an Unpredictable World

A Late-Bloomer Foreign Student Dropped in an Unfamiliar Land
Life Often Foul Plays Without Warning
There Is Not Just One Right Answer
If You Repeat and Repeat, the Fog Lifts
Preparation Is Done While Walking
* Life Study Method 3: Imitate, Repeat, Create
The Path I Have Walked Leads Me

Chapter 4 [Superposition] Ultimately, Life Taught Me
: My Self, Where Multiple Possibilities Coexist

At the Moment of Choice, Sometimes It's Necessary to Be Selfish
If You Thought It, Act On It
A Life Honesty Endured Does Not Wear Out
My Mother, My Mother
* Life Study Method 4: There Is No Greater Weapon Than a Parent's Belief
Stopping Is Not the End, But Preparation for a New Beginning

Chapter 5 [Leap] Launch Towards Your Own Universe
: Unseen Accumulation Changes Me

If You Work Hard, Someone Will Surely Notice
If You Have Something You Love, You Won't Despair
* Life Study Method 5: You Must Breathe to Run
About a Life That Fulfills Its Role
The Cycle of Learning, Life Is Not Proven by a Straight Line
My Own Universe That I Dream Of