Ch.286Motto

The times are changing.

Those who cannot ride the flow or fail to recognize it are bound to be left behind.

Brilliant’s CEO, Han Seongmun, was particularly fond of this phrase.

‘Riding the social current is the essence of business.’

In 2012, the Korean school uniform market was worth approximately 400 billion won.

Now in 2022, it’s down to about 200 billion won.

The current of the times no longer favored school uniforms.

The uniform market was clearly a sinking ship.

Therefore.

‘Quickly abandon any business that shows no signs of rising.’

Han Seongmun closed his school uniform business.

News articles claimed he went bankrupt, but he didn’t particularly care.

Correcting them wouldn’t change anything anyway.

“It’s better to focus on emerging businesses than ones that have already disappeared.”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing, let’s just focus on making good clothes.”

“Yes, sir!”

After giving his employee a casual response, Han Seongmun briefly recalled the past.

-Oh my, coming to such a humble place, I feel terrible.

-I had to come, I was your only male uniform model after all.

-Once we had Kim Donghu as our model, no one else caught our eye.

-Haha, you’re really flattering me again.

A small party he had organized to thank everyone when closing Brilliant’s uniform business.

At that time, Han Seongmun was deeply contemplating his next business venture.

He wanted to stay in the clothing industry despite closing the uniform business.

But with major brands having such broad shoulders,

he worried whether there would be enough room for him to sit properly.

But right at that moment.

-I really liked how Brilliant uniforms felt custom-made, it’s a shame.

-?!

Han Seongmun had a flash of inspiration upon hearing Kim Donghu’s words.

Custom uniforms.

Custom clothing.

That was precisely what Han Seongmun was most confident in.

‘The reason my uniform brand succeeded was… because Donghu wore them.’

The desire to wear clothes like famous people.

The urge to imitate the outfits of admired stars.

These are emotions everyone has.

What if he created a business making custom clothes for celebrities,

and then produced ready-made versions for the public?

The challenge was choosing the right celebrities,

and maintaining perfect quality in the clothing.

‘If I just follow Donghu, why worry about which celebrity to choose?’

Han Seongmun already had his best long-term partner right beside him.

So he immediately called Choi Seokho,

and sold his car and mortgaged his house to secure the contract money.

“Was that already five years ago…?”

Looking back now, mortgaging his house was definitely the right decision.

If that contract had fallen through, he wouldn’t have made it this far.

“Yes?”

“What do you mean ‘yes’? Report on the mass production of Physical 300 ready-made clothes.”

“Ah! Production is complete, and we’ll start selling once Netflix gives us the signal after releasing the first episode.”

“Okay, good. Very good.”

Han Seongmun glanced behind him.

The CEO’s office.

Right behind the desk.

“The Physical 300 clothes will sell incredibly well.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Director Park, what’s our company motto?”

“Moving with the changes…”

“No, not the public one.”

“Always believe in Kim Donghu.”

“Yes, exactly that.”

In that space where typically large windows or expensive interior design would be concentrated,

Han Seongmun had nothing but photos of Kim Donghu hanging on the wall.

+++++

<Physical 300> 3 weeks earlier.

Netflix launched a massive promotional campaign as if they had been waiting for this moment.

Introducing the participants,

Creating one-minute videos highlighting noteworthy contestants.

They couldn’t introduce all 300 participants,

so the goal was to draw attention to those who stood out in the program.

Among them, those gaining attention were:

ㄴWow, even marathon runner Sindre Halvorsen is participating OMG

Sindre, who had excelled in running.

ㄴThere’s even an American football player, and he’s active too lolol

ㄴHow did they get him? How much money do they have?

ㄴThey really went all out with the budget

Active NFL linebacker, Cade Walker.

ㄴThere’s even a strongman lololololol

ㄴGod Angus has arrived OMG This guy is insanely strong

ㄴJust competing with a strongman in terms of strength is lol

2021 World’s Strongest Man, Angus the Highland Wall.

These were the three.

With the videos being released via live streaming,

no one knew who else might appear.

People thought one of these three would likely win.

Then, at the end of the video.

BOOM!

Suddenly, with majestic background music, the screen changed.

ㄴIt’s like a FIFA character introduction lolololol

ㄴThey were all like that but this one suddenly has extra emphasis

ㄴWho’s coming that deserves this?

ㄴIf someone can beat these guys, is it some active combat sports athlete?

Viewers were curious about who could warrant such an introduction.

And then.

『Actor』

As soon as the first word appeared.

ㄴ????????

ㄴNo way no way no way no way

ㄴNo way he’s really appearing here? lololololololol

ㄴImgonnaeatoutforlunchImgonnaeatoutforlunchImgonnaeatoutforlunchImgonnaeatoutforlunch

Viewers instantly sensed who it might be.

Someone with the title “Actor” who would appear on <Physical 300>.

It was already obvious without saying.

And then the second caption:

『Boxer』

ㄴHere he comes here he comes here he comes

ㄴDo people asking if it’s Tom have brains? Do people asking if it’s Tom have brains? Do people asking if it’s Tom have brains?

ㄴAh, welcome GOAT

ㄴAh… just ^AnyDramaHeAppearsInHasMinimum30%RatingsWithPeaksOver40%MoviesWinCannesGoldenPalmWheneverHeAppearsItsAHugeEconomicBoon^

ㄴWhy is the Dongman Great Scripture getting shorter?

ㄴThis is the latest version lol, they’re planning to revise and rewrite it

People had already guessed who would appear,

and YouTube live chat began scrolling frantically.

For a Korean program,

nothing was sadder than having no Korean contender for the win.

Since Westerners typically had the advantage in physical competitions, people had given up hope.

ㄴBut what if it’s Kim Donghu?

ㄴKim!

ㄴDong!

ㄴHu!

ㄴYou’re using such an old meme lol, so outdated

ㄴMen are like wine

ㄴYeah yeah hello hello, he’s Tarzan and Batman

ㄴYeah that’s true, he’s pulled a light aircraft

Suddenly, a Korean.

And not just any Korean, but one portrayed as the ultimate favorite to win.

Everyone couldn’t contain their excitement when Kim Donghu appeared.

『Kim Donghu』

And as the third and final caption appeared,

people cheered, confirming it was indeed Kim Donghu.

ㄴThe way his face appears with his name, so perfect lolololololol

ㄴKim Donghu is like wine, how does he get more handsome with age?

ㄴHe doesn’t look like a boy at all anymore, just a young man

ㄴPlease.enter.my.heart.

ㄴLady, why are you like this?

ㄴIs this before Kim Donghu normalized his weight? He looks smaller than the others

ㄴLolololol of course he looks smaller, how many of them aren’t using PEDs?

ㄴSome of the highlighted contestants have been caught using PEDs

ㄴAnd others use them implicitly, Kim Donghu doesn’t so he looks smaller

ㄴDo you think those veins come naturally from just eating bread? Kids these days are so naive

ㄴKids these days have no conscience, claiming TRT isn’t steroids lol

ㄴWhat’s TRT?

ㄴIt’s forced testosterone doping, originally for medical purposes but now it’s just considered doping

ㄴOh I see

The atmosphere was heating up.

Of course, articles were released as if they had been waiting.

With the embargo lifted due to the promotional video,

They fired off articles immediately.

『Kim Donghu in <Physical 300>?! It can’t get any hotter than this!』

『After <Musashi>, <Pianist>, now <Physical 300>?! 2022 is Kim Donghu’s year』

『Majestic presentation, like an emperor has arrived. Kim Donghu confirmed for <Physical 300>!』

『<Physical 300> main producer’s past statement highlighted: “One promotion is enough” – The meaning revealed』

『How far will his talents go? Can Kim Donghu win <Physical 300>?』

『Success with everything he touches, the unaccursed Midas touch, Kim Donghu! Will he succeed again?』

Amid the flood of articles,

people couldn’t wait for time to pass.

ㄴIs it reasonable to make me this impatient and then wait 3 weeks?

ㄴTime, please flow quickly!

ㄴIf you press this button

ㄴ*presses*

Finally, time flew by and 3 weeks later,

Netflix released episodes 1 and 2 of <Physical 300> simultaneously.

Despite just one YouTube promotional video,

perhaps due to the star-studded cast,

It immediately ranked #1 worldwide on Netflix.

With participants from various countries,

people hoped contestants from their own nations would perform well.

And with such expectations,

-We will now begin the long-distance running event.

The first episode’s mission was revealed.

It was the moment Kim Donghu’s hell train would be revealed to the world.