Life is Easier If You're Handsome novel Chapter 286

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.

The moment Kim Donghu appeared, everyone lost their minds.

『Kim Donghu』

And when the third and final caption appeared, people screamed—it really was Kim Donghu.

ㄴWhen the name popped up with his face, goddamn 😂😂😂

ㄴKim Donghu is wine—how does he just keep getting hotter with age

ㄴHe doesn’t look like a boy anymore—just pure grown man vibes

ㄴCome. Into. My. Heart.

ㄴMa’am. Please calm down.

ㄴWait, was Kim Donghu still cutting weight here? He looks a bit smaller than the others

ㄴ🤣 Of course he does, how many of those guys aren’t juicing?

ㄴSome of the "notable" contestants actually tested positive

ㄴAnd let’s be real, most of them probably use stuff 👍 Kim Donghu doesn’t, that’s why he looks smaller

ㄴYou think those veins pop out naturally? Y’all are way too naïve these days

ㄴThese days people have no shame, saying TRT isn’t roids 🤣

ㄴWhat’s TRT?

ㄴJust synthetic testosterone. It started as therapy but now it’s basically just doping

ㄴ👍 Got it

The energy was burning hot.

And of course, as if on cue, articles started flying out.

The embargo was lifted thanks to the promo video.

So the media fired full blast.

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

『<Musashi>, <The Pianist>, and now <Physical 300>? 2022 truly belongs to Kim Donghu』

『Epic entrance, feels like the emperor just arrived. Kim Donghu confirmed for <Physical 300>!』

『<Physical 300> main producer’s old quote resurfaces: "One promo is enough" — the meaning is now clear』

『How far will he go? Will Kim Donghu win <Physical 300>?』

『Everything he touches turns to gold—Kim Donghu, the Midas without a curse. Will this one hit too?』

With articles flooding in, people just wanted time to skip ahead.

ㄴYou hype us up like this and make us wait 3 weeks? What is this torture

ㄴTime, please move faster!

ㄴJust hit this button

ㄴClick

Finally, time flew by—three weeks later.

Netflix dropped Episodes 1 and 2 of <Physical 300> simultaneously.

All it took was a single YouTube promo.

Maybe it was the star-studded cast—

But the moment it dropped, it hit #1 globally on Netflix by default.

With contestants from all over the world, everyone rooted for their home country.

And with all that anticipation building—

– We will now begin the long-distance run.

The mission for Episode 1 was revealed.

The moment Kim Donghu’s hell train began to move.