Legendary Superstar

The sun had barely risen when Lux & Co. dropped the main campaign of their collection. It was supposed to be uploaded in a specific time, but the company wanted to surprise the people with it.

"The Future Has a New Face"

Attached with that caption were a few pictures of Minjae, together with a short video of what happens behind the shooting

The internet was caught off guard with it.

As the sun rose to the sky, the video and the campaign also started trending on multiple platforms.

XYZ exploded with hashtags #LuxCore, #MinjaeForLux, #EleganceRedefined. Wintergram reels also began circulating edited clips of the campaign with Minjae's pictured on it.

Everyone was surprised by it. The teasers didn't do justice for Minjae. The campaign pictures were much better. It was stunning.

"Who is this guy? I can't take my eyes off him."

"I wasn't expecting that. Lux & Co. really did something different this time."

"Did they just release this while I'm sleeping? Whatttt!"

"Okay guys. This is actually good. I like the clothes on the second picture."

"That close-up of Minjae in the 5th picture? Instant chills. He's got it."

"Didn't he just debut? This is lead-model-level performance. I'm impressed."

"Woah. The expressions on are on point."

"Time to splurge for my boyfriend."

"Woah! Me and my husband's anniversary are just next week. Maybe it's time for me to buy him some gifts."

Fashion bloggers and insiders also started posting about it. Some praised the direction and styling of the pictures while others focused on Minjae himself. They called him the star of the campaign.

One article from The Modist Journal, one of the most well-known blogs in fashion, even headlined: "From Rookie Actos to Runway Icon: Minjae's Surprising Rise with Lux & Co."

Back at Lux & Co.'s headquarters, the atmosphere in the meeting room was palpable.

The digital marketing team surrounded the large LED screen that was mounted on the wall. In there, a real-time analytics for their campaign were running nonstop. Graphs showing their post's engagement with people were spiking up.

Their likes and follower counters were also rolling at a great speed and their notifications kept increasing every few seconds.

"Woah! He's trending on every platform," someone whispered in awe, surprised by it.

"The heck? Our engagement rate is two times higher than our last campaign!" another added, with his eyes glued to the dashboard.

It was truly a miracle that they didn't expect.

The creative director, Mr. Hwan also leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed. A small smile was on his lips.

"This was a good call," he said simply. "The surprise drop really worked."

Next to him, the head of their PR nodded, Yonhee, barely able to look away from the monitor.

"Minjae is also killing it. We've got bloggers, influencers, and even stylists reposting everything."

They had really taken a risk on this one. Minjae was relatively new in the industry. Honestly, even they thought that it was too early to put him at the center of their main campaign. But now?

That risk was paying off, more than what they imagined.

"All right," Hwan said, standing up. "Let's not waste the momentum. Open the pre-orders now just like what CEO Yoona instructed."

The tech team moved quickly, switching screens and tapping into the backend of their website.

A simple banner was added to the homepage:

[Pre-Orders Now Open.]

With this announcement, the items from their shoot were also released in specific quantities.

Their Social Media team also posted the update.

And then, like wildfire, it spread.

Within seconds, hundreds clicked on their site.

A few seconds after more followed.

The site traffic spiked to record numbers and order notifications came flooding in.

"Uh… guys?" one of the IT staff spoke up, hands hovering nervously over his keyboard. "We might have a problem."

"Huh?"

"Why?"

"Did we do anything wrong?"

"Were they errors?"

"Nope… that wasn't the case." The IT staff spoke with widened eyes,

The site lagged for a moment then froze.

Orders stopped coming through and their homepage went blank. Completely blank.

And then the dreaded alert appeared on the screen.

503 Service Unavailable

The IT staff went completely silent. Others rushed to him to see what happened, they were scared and nervous.

However, when they saw what happened on the screen, their jaw fell to the ground.

"Service Unavailable?"

"Huh? A blank screen?"

"Don't tell me…"

"It crashed?"

"Huh? IT CRUSHED?"

Their reaction was a mix of disbelief and great shock.

"It just… couldn't handle the load. Too many people at once." The lead developer stared at the server log.

Hwan blinked in disbelief. Slowly, a laugh escaped from his lips. It wasn't mocking or frustration. Instead, it was a laugh that speaks of disbelief and pride.

"Well," he said, glancing around the stunned room, "this is a first."

They had a hit.

They just had a hit!

Minjae wasn't just the star of the campaign.

He had just launched Lux & Co. into an entirely new spotlight!

"Restart the servers," Hwan said, still smiling. "And prepare for the press. Apologize to the buyers on our page and check our inventory immediately."

Yonhee was already typing away on her laptop. "I'll coordinate with our content team for a formal apology. Something casual but a sincere message acknowledging the crash."

"Should we still keep the preorder post up?" One of the social media managers raised her hand.

"Yes," Hwan nodded. "But pin the update and keep them informed of our stocks. The demand is there. I hope we can get this sold out.

Minutes later, a post went live on all their socials:

"To all Lux & Co. supporters, we are overwhelmed, literally. Our site experienced an unexpected surge in traffic after this morning's campaign release. We're working hard to bring everything back up. Thank you for the love, and thank you for your patience. #LuxCore #MinjaeForLux"

Meanwhile, the inventory team began checking the numbers and reports started coming in.

"Sir, 40% of our limited collection is already gone," one said.

"Some sizes are already sold out in under 3 minutes," another added.

The room erupted in excitement. A once-in-a-blue-moon marketing miracle was happening right before their eyes and they can't believe it!

"Has CEO Yoona been notified?" Hwan asked.

"She's on a flight to Milan," Yonhee replied. "But I sent a report and a clip of the analytics dashboard. She's going to lose her mind."