Times are changing.
And those who can’t ride the wave—or fail to even recognize it—are bound to fall behind.
Han Seongmun, CEO of Brilliant, really liked that sentence.
‘Catching the flow of society—that’s the heart of business.’
In 2012, the Korean school uniform market was worth about 400 billion won.
As of 2022, it’s around 200 billion.
The times no longer wanted uniforms.
The school uniform industry was clearly a sinking ship.
That’s why—
‘If there’s no sign of growth, drop it quickly.’
Han Seongmun shut down the school uniform business.
Articles claimed it had gone bankrupt or whatever.
But he didn’t really care.
Correcting them wouldn’t change anything anyway.
"Better to focus on a new business than one that’s already dead."
"Sorry?"
"I mean, let’s just focus on making good clothes."
"Got it!"
To his employee’s puzzled look, Han Seongmun replied casually, then briefly reminisced about the past.
– Ah man, you came all the way to this shabby little place. I’m so sorry.
– Of course I came. I was your only male school uniform model, after all.
– Ever since ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) we used Kim Donghu, no one else looked good enough.
– Haha, you’re really laying it on thick again.
A small farewell party to mark the end of Brilliant’s school uniform business.
A thank-you gathering for the people who supported them.
Back then, Han Seongmun was deep in thought about his next venture.
He’d shut down the school uniform line, but still wanted to stay in fashion.
The problem was, the big-name brands were massive.
He worried whether there was even room for him to sit in that narrow space.
But just then—
– I really liked how Brilliant’s uniforms felt custom-fit. That’s gonna be missed.
– ?!
The moment he heard Kim Donghu say that, an idea hit him like lightning.
Custom uniforms.
Custom clothing.
That was exactly what Han Seongmun did best.
‘The reason my uniform brand succeeded... was because Donghu wore it.’
People want to wear what celebrities wear.
They want to dress like the stars they admire.
It’s a universal feeling.
So what if he made custom clothes for celebrities — then released ready-made versions based on them?
The challenge was that you had to choose the right celebrity.
And you had to maintain perfect quality to back it up.
‘As long as I follow Donghu, why worry about choosing a celeb?’
Han Seongmun already had the best partner at his side.
So, he immediately called Choi Seokho.
Sold his car, mortgaged his house—just to match the signing bonus.
"Has it already been five years...?"
Looking back now, mortgaging the house was the best decision he ever made.
If that deal had fallen through, he wouldn’t be where he was today.
"Huh?"
"What do you mean ‘huh’? Give me the status report on the Physical 300 readymade set."
"Oh! Production is complete. Once Netflix drops Episode 1, we’ll launch it right then."
"Okay, good. That’s really good."
Han Seongmun glanced over his shoulder.
The CEO’s office.
Right behind his desk.
"The Physical 300 gear... it’s going to sell like crazy."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Executive Park, what’s our company motto?"
"To adapt and move with change..."
"No, not the public one."
"Always trust Kim Donghu."
"Exactly. That’s it."
Normally, CEOs decorate that space with giant windows or expensive decor.
But in Han Seongmun’s office, none of that mattered — the only thing on the wall behind his desk was a photo of Kim Donghu.
***
Three weeks before <Physical 300>.
Netflix launched a full-scale promo campaign, as if they’d been waiting for this.
They introduced the cast, and made 1-minute highlight videos for standout contestants.
There were 300 participants, so they couldn’t show everyone.
The goal was to focus attention on those who made a strong impression in the show.
And among them—
ㄴWhoa, even a marathoner? Sindre Halvorsen 😱😱
Sindre, who stood out in running.
ㄴThere’s a football player too?! And he’s active?! 😂😂
ㄴHow’d they even get him? How much money did they throw at this
ㄴThey just dumped the whole budget into this show 😂
An active NFL linebacker, Kade Walker.
ㄴThere’s a strongman too 😂😂😂😂😂
ㄴAngus has arrived 😱😱😱😱😱 dude’s insanely strong
ㄴJust being able to go head-to-head with a strongman is already wild
2021 World’s Strongest Man — Angus the Highland Wall.
Those were the three.
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