Acquiring a seven-stringed zither was not an easy task.
Or, to be more precise, finding a suitable seven-stringed zither for this filming wasn’t easy.
The zither itself can simply be purchased.
But if it looked too modern, that would be problematic as well, wouldn’t it?
At the very least, it needed to resemble something one might have used between the 19th and 20th centuries.
If all else failed, we could push this scene back, procure the props, and reshoot.
But starting and stopping the shoot all costs money, and even if we had plenty of time, it’s always better to shoot as much as possible.
So the group decided to try everything possible before making a decision.
Fortunately, the shoot had two capable people on site.
Heavenly Yuah had been attentively listening to our discussion about the seven-stringed zither and seemed intrigued.
She mentioned she had a personal item stored.
With Nam Hyun-ho’s curiosity piqued as well, they formed a quick expedition, and thanks to Nam’s efforts, a usable zither was procured much faster than expected.
It was the zither Nam had sourced.
“Since we’re in the U.S., it’s impractical to use right away.”
“Delay the shoot by a few days—this is an authentic piece.”
“Heavenly Senior. Considering we already have one, is it necessary?”
“The one I own is significantly more vintage.”
“This piece is also an artifact-level item, preserved in my family for generations.”
“How did you bring something like that?”
“Even though it’s been preserved in the family, no one showed any interest in it. Something like that.”
“Stolen?”
“Yes.”
From Heavenly Yuah’s suggestion to wait a few days for her item, to Nam secretly stealing a zither from his home collection, the situation descended into chaos.
Not only were there two people able to bring zithers, but watching Heavenly Yuah lament over Nam’s zither made the situation somewhat amusing.
Despite his triumph, Nam’s demeanor was awkward.
There was one aspect that couldn’t be dismissed: the zither Nam brought was indeed a fine piece.
Not only was it antique, but its condition was excellent.
Given that musical instruments require more than just storage, it was clear this zither had been carefully maintained.
“I’ll need to return this as quickly as possible.”
Since Nam kindly brought the item, it would be best to treat it with care and return it promptly.
“Let’s do it. We’ll start the shooting.”
The shoot, which had briefly halted over the zither issue, resumed.
Ironically, though I found myself performing on the zither, I was quite satisfied with it and decided to present a commendable performance.
Under the guise of refining my mastery with diligent effort, my skills came to life as I recalled her dancing under the moonlight.
The song ‘Moonlit Beauty’ which I had composed for her, began to resonate in the modern era.
Despite its modern flair, which might not have resonated much with the era’s people, ‘Moonlit Beauty’ was her most cherished melody.
“Wow…”
Luna seemed especially moved by the piece, responding with an even more beautiful dance than before.
Under the melancholy yet captivating sounds of the zither, Wolhee danced in a way that assured me this scene would be discussed well beyond the series finale.
“…Cue… It was really… excellent.”
When Director Bang signaled OK, all the actors gathered around me.
They seemed impressed by my zither skills.
“Where on earth did you learn this?”
“It just happened.”
“I’ve never heard a melody like this.”
“Ah, so this is… an original composition?”
“An original composition? You’ve trained thoroughly, haven’t you?”
For some reason, Heavenly Yuah and Nam were particularly curious about the zither, asking where I had learned and what the piece was, making me uncomfortable.
Definitely people from Martial Forest, with such an interest in the seven-stringed zither.
And amidst all that, I could feel Luna’s piercing gaze.
Apparently pleased with the shoot, she was slightly flushed.
Regardless, it was clear I had successfully caught her interest.
The day’s filming ended later than scheduled due to the delays caused by the seven-stringed zither issues.
Heavenly Yuah, Yang Yuli, Yang Miju, and I—four personnel deployed by the company—made our way back to Flame Enter.
Even with four, it was quite a few people heading back to Flame.
Still, despite the crowd, two large black vans were more than enough.
“Lunorow?”
Upon our return, exhausted as we were, an absurd rumor awaited us.
Word was that rumors about me were beginning to spread.
Worse still, these rumors involved school bullying—an accusation entirely out of character for me.
“…Rising star B from K High School? This is probably…”
“It seems like a test.”
“Before we can counter directly, my notoriety isn’t quite enough, right?”
“Although I think they plan to build momentum with the rumor before striking.”
“Previously with Yoon Seo-eun, they sprinkled hearsay first, then released a story as if she had been caught.”
“Even though the situation is somewhat different, the approach will be similar. First, they’ll pile on nasty rumors to provoke curiosity, then use vague evidence to insinuate it’s you, tarnishing your reputation such that we can do nothing but watch you fall.”
“Because these types of rumors don’t resolve well even when explained, and many people forget the explanations anyway.”
That’s essentially the situation.
Rumors started circulating about a Rising Star B from K High School and her supposed schoolyard bullying, slowly gaining traction on various communities.
According to the company, this appeared to be deliberately aimed at me.
“Ah, this is it. From Moon Enter…”
“Yes. The best way to quietly remove an actor without fault would likely be to sabotage production. If one of the main actors gets caught in a school bullying scandal, the filming would have to stop.”
“And if this were to occur by design, I’d probably be the easiest target.”
“Yes, the other actors are somewhat different—”
That was intriguing.
The main cast of this drama, aside from Luna, consists of four people: me, Heavenly Yuah, Nam Hyun-ho, and Lion.
But if the blame of school bullying were cast, I would be the sole logical choice.
Heavenly Yuah doesn’t have a school history, having debuted at 14. And Nam Hyun-ho’s origins are unclear, making it impossible to fabricate any convincing story.
Even having an old yearbook would help, right? You’d need proof that they’re from the same school.
However, Nam’s past remains entirely unknown—supposedly because Changcheon has kept his early life private.
So that leaves Lion, who has been active for years with well-known high school stories.
Adding a school bullying scandal to his known history would simply not ring true, and he has no reason to cover up anything.
With this in mind, I fit the role perfectly.
A recent debutant with no apparent past, I am someone they can fabricate a history for, with no strong fandom to retaliate, all while occupying a prominent role that’s key to the show.
Using a fabricated school bullying scandal, they would test the waters, remind investors of my background, and expand the situation—yielding potentially favorable results.
“So what’s the plan?”
“Let media management team leader Hong Mi-ho explain.”
“Director of the Media Management Team…”
“She was also the first to notice the rumor circulating online about you.”
“Ah, I see. We might have been in serious trouble had she been just a little slower. Thank you.”
“I have a duty to do so. Monitoring your media presence began before this incident, with a focus on school violence concerns.”
“…Concerns? Why school violence?”
“Per the representative’s instructions.”
“Ah, I see. …Alright.”
While I don’t know the reason, they were monitoring for potential school violence rumors related to me.
I imagine that if this had gone unnoticed for even a little longer, it would have spiraled into something uncontrollable.
Even someone as unrelated to school violence as I am could have been struck without any opportunity to defend myself.
Thankfully, we noticed their intent before they could act.
“So what’s the plan to counteract this?”
“First, let’s confirm the facts. Have you ever been involved in school bullying?”
“No.”
“Do you have any friends who can corroborate that?”
“Hmm… It’s a bit challenging. I kind of drifted through school, so I don’t have close friends that I’m still in touch with.”
“I figured that might be the case.”
My response, acknowledging the lack of anyone to verify my school years, didn’t faze Team Leader Hong at all.
She handled it with such certainty that it made me feel strange.
Could I really look like someone without friends? First Heavenly Yuah, and now the company staff seem to think so.
Still, it was comforting to see Team Leader Hong so matter-of-factly handle this, suggesting the company had prepared something on their end.
It seems they had plans of their own, which differed slightly from what I had expected.
“This is the article to be released tomorrow.”
“Rising actor Park XX, a graduate of Gangseok High School. School violence scandal. Who’s this?”
“A newly minted actor.”
“Ah…”
“And after this article, another set will follow.”
“Kyungpook Arts High, Gangnam High, Gyeseo High… and K-Pop High too.”
“Exactly seventeen individuals. Once these random tabloid stories drop, anything else coming from them will just blend into the noise. People remember the first scandal most, and by the time they hit, the web will already be chaos.”
“The basic strategy is to flood the zone with other scandals, adding more complexity through various operations. Once the situation calms, no one will remember your rumor. Flame has determined that erasing this rumor completely from people’s minds is better than countering it.”
Intentionally spreading a scandal when rumors start to circulate is baffling enough.
Spreading multiple tabloid stories all at once will surely distract and muddy the waters for everyone.
Under normal circumstances, baseless attacks shouldn’t create much controversy, but with their built-up narrative, there’ll be some reaction.
By forcing those mentioned to defend themselves, the internet discourse will become chaotic. Even if they release their aimed-for article later, it would be lost in the noise.
Tabloid newspapers that spread falsehoods will, after some noise and chaos, likely close down, and Flame will handle the aftermath.
I presume they’ll manage it their way.
“But by doing this…”
“We are protecting only Baek Si-woo, our actor in the company. Other celebrities will be helped by their respective companies.”
“That’s fair enough.”
This company operates rather interestingly.
The notion to dilute my scandal by creating others is amazing, but to manage seventeen rumors at once—this level of competence, albeit twisted, is impressive.
“Is this really the correct approach?”
I can’t quite envision how this situation will conclude.
