The results were beyond anything they could have expected. By noon, Lux & Co.'s campaign had gone viral. Their social dia accounts were flooded with notifications—likes, comnts, shares, and reposts pouring in from every corner of the internet.
Articles from major news outlets began appearing, praising the fresh approach and applauding Minjae's powerful presence in the pictures.
Influencers also talked about how excited they were at the collection's clean and refined aesthetic. They talked about how it was a much-needed change from the flashy, exaggerated styles currently dominating the market.
"There's already 50,000 likes on Wintergram," Soohe reported breathlessly, her eyes gleaming with excitent. "And our account gained over thirty thousand new followers since this morning."
"Pre-order requests are coming in fast, too," Hwan added, barely able to contain his grin. "They're asking when it's opening up. This is insane."
"It's unbelievable," Yoona said, her voice thick with emotion. For the first ti, her doubts had completely dissolved.
"Schedule the release of our collection on a much earlier date by next week and double-check our stocks," Yoona instructed. "Also, open the pre-orders imdiately once the release drop."
"Already on it," Sohee replied with a proud smile.
-----
anwhile, Minjae was at his apartnt, scrolling through his phone as notification after notification popped up on his screen.
New followers. ssages. Comnts. People were talking about him non-stop and his na, once again, was circulating all over social dia.
His Wintergram account, which had been slowly growing over the past few weeks, had just gained another massive following. He had gained over ten thousand followers in a single morning.
"Damn…" he whispered to himself, his eyes wide in disbelief.
It was surreal.
All he had done was show up to the photoshoot and follow their guidance throughout, but the response was overwhelming.
After a while, his phone rang with ssage notifications.
[Jihoon: Hyung! You're blowing up! Congrats! Everyone's talking about you. You deserve this. Don't forget to treat to another lunch next ti! 🎉🎉]
Then, another ssage ca in.
[Yura: Congrats, Oppa! Your pictures are all over my feed. You look amazing!]
Minjae chuckled softly, his heart feeling lighter than ever. Jihoon and Yura really put their ti into ssaging him for this one. He appreciated the gesture.
Minjae replied to both of them saying his thank you.
He continued scrolling through social dia. Even though he already muted his notifications, his phone was still practically buzzing nonstop.
It was nice in the best way possible.
Minjae decided to check Lux & Co.'s official page out of curiosity. As expected, his photos were plastered all over their profile, accompanied by stylish captions and hashtags that were now trending online.
He tapped on the post and scrolled through the comnts.
"Who is this model? He's stunning!"
"I've never been interested in Lux & Co. before, but now I am. This collection looks so good."
"Minjae's visuals are insane. He's a perfect fit for this campaign."
"I need these clothes. Like, now."
"Why does he look so natural and classy at the sa ti? Lux & Co. did a good job on this one."
The corner of Minjae's lips rose to a smile. He was genuinely happy to look at the people's reaction. It felt as if his efforts for the last weeks had been paid off.
However, of course, it's not all about him at the end of the day. The whole purpose of this shoot was to gain publicity and sales for the brand.
His phone vibrated again, and this ti it was a ssage from Yoona herself.
[Yoona: I just wanted to personally thank you, Minjae. The campaign is performing way beyond our expectations. You did an amazing job. Let's keep this montum going. 😊]
Minja quickly typed a response.
[Minjae: Thank you so much, CEO! I'm really grateful for the opportunity you gave . I'll do my best to keep this up.]
A few minutes later, his phone rang. It was his manager, Donghyun.
It seed like he'd have to talk to a couple of people for today.
"Minjae! Have you seen the numbers? This is huge!" Donghyun's voice was practically shouting through the screen.
"Yeah, I saw… It's kind of hard to believe."
"Well, believe it! You're officially Lux & Co.'s rising star. This campaign is getting you a lot of attention. And I've already received a few inquiries about a potential partnership. People are interested in you, Minjae."
"Partnerships?"
"Yep. And this is just the beginning. Once Lux & Co. drops the collection, things are only going to get crazier. We need to be prepared."
Minjae just sighed and nodded. Though on the inside he was also excited.
"I understand. Just… let know what I need to do."
"That's the attitude I like to hear. Also, Chanhyuk wanted to inform you that there'll be a eting in 2 days regarding your drama. You don't have any schedule at that ti so it won't be a problem."
"Alright. Thanks, hyung."
"Thank you for working hard. Keep it up."
After hanging up, Minjae fell back onto his couch, staring up at the ceiling with a wide grin on his face.
This was such a good way to start his day.
The rest of the morning passed in a blur for him as received more notifications and ssages from fans. He replied to a few comnts on Lux & Co.'s post before taking a break from his phone.
But just as he was about to put his phone down another notification popped up.
It was a ssage from an unknown number.
"Who is this?" Minjae frowned. With curiosity, he opened the ssage.
[Unknown Number: Congratulations on your successful campaign launch. You did well. But don't get too comfortable. The entertainnt industry is a brutal place. One wrong move, and everything you've built could co crashing down and I can't wait for that to happen to you.]
Minjae frowned even more as he stared at the ssage, his fingers was slightly frozen above the screen.
Who would send sothing like that?
And why now, of all tis?
- - -
Unknown Location.
A man sat alone in his dark room, the curtains shut tight as if he didn't want any sunlight to pass through the windows. His room was ssy, with scatterings of empty canned sodas and pockets of chips.
In the dark room, there was only one source of light. The man's open laptop.
The man was sitting in front of his desk, scrolling through social dia. It was Minjae's.
The walls around him were covered in photos—pictures of various artists torn from magazines, printed screenshots, candid shots from fan etings.
So had funny drawings on them, so were marked with red ink with words like "Overrated" or "Pathetic" across their faces while others were crossed out entirely.
And on one side of the room's wall, there were fresh posters of rising actors and singers. New news articles were also pinned to the walls, containing information about the person.
The pictures were all different but they all seed to have one thing in common: their rising success over the last few months.
And Minjae's face was among them.
A few printed photos of his recent Lux & Co. campaign are already plastered onto the board above the man's desk. There were also a few pictures of Minjae from his shooting in Jeju.
The man scrolled through Minjae's profile, his eyes were fixed on every new post and comnt. People wouldn't stop praising Minjae—calling him talented, good-looking, perfect for the campaign.
"Ridiculous," he muttered as lips curled in disgust. "They act like he's so kind of genius."
He clicked through more posts, his grip on the mouse tight. Every article and every complint only made his anger grow.
Minjae was everywhere. His na was popping up in every conversation and every headline for the past few hours.
It was like the world couldn't get enough of him.
The man's gaze flickered to one of the photos on his wall. It was a past article featuring Minjae's rising popularity. The words "The Next Big Star?" was circled aggressively in red ink.
"No," he whispered to himself, fingers clenching into fists.
"He doesn't deserve this."
The man reached for his phone, eyes sharp with resentnt. His fingers typed quickly.
[Unknown Number: Congratulations on your successful campaign launch. You did well. But don't get too comfortable. The entertainnt industry is a brutal place. One wrong move, and everything you've built could co crashing down and I can't wait for that to happen to you.]
The man stared at his phone as he clicked the send button. His breathing was shallow and his eyes remained unblinking as he watched the screen.
He knew Minjae had probably read the ssage by now. The thought made his lips twitch into a cruel smile.
"Just like all of them…" he whispered as he stared at the pictures plastered everywehere on his screen.
"They were everywhere once. Everyone thought they'd stay on top." his voice trembling with sothing close to madness.
He glanced at Minjae's face, his jaw tightening.
"But they didn't."
The man's eyes narrowed, his fingers twitching with the urge to destroy sothing.
"You'll be just like one of them."
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