Whispers In The Moonlight

The discovery of the key filled me with both excitement and apprehension. As Min-jun and I walked out of the library that evening, the weight of the tiny object in my pocket felt monumental, as if it carried the answers to all the mysteries surrounding the journal—or maybe even more questions.

The cold night air nipped at my skin as Min-jun and I stood under the lamppost outside the library. He looked down at me, his face calm but his eyes burning with determination.

"What do you think it opens?" I asked, pulling the key out and holding it between my fingers.

Min-jun studied it for a moment. "It's old, that's for sure. Maybe a chest? Or a lockbox? We need to figure out where it belongs."

---

The next morning, I brought the journal and the key to Hye-jin. She was the only other person I trusted with something this big.

Hye-jin's eyes lit up as she inspected the key. "This is so cool! You're like a detective in one of those mystery dramas."

"Except this is real," I said, sitting down at her desk. "We need to find out where this key fits, and the journal doesn't give us much to go on."

Hye-jin flipped through the journal, her lips pursed in concentration. "Wait," she said, pointing to a faded sketch on one of the pages. "Doesn't this look like an old clock tower?"

I leaned closer, squinting at the drawing. She was right. The sketch showed a tall, narrow structure with a clock face at the top.

"That's the abandoned clock tower on the edge of town!" Hye-jin exclaimed.

---

That afternoon, Min-jun and I made our way to the clock tower. The structure was even more imposing in person, its weathered stone walls looming high above us. The air around it felt heavy, like it was filled with secrets waiting to be uncovered.

"This place gives me the creeps," I admitted, shivering as I stared up at the clock face, which had long since stopped working.

Min-jun smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. I'm here with you."

We found the entrance boarded up, but Min-jun managed to pry open one of the wooden planks just enough for us to slip inside.

The interior was dark and dusty, the air thick with the smell of old wood and rust. Sunlight streamed in through cracks in the walls, casting eerie shadows on the floor.

"Do you see anything that looks like it could fit a key?" I asked, my voice echoing in the empty space.

Min-jun scanned the room, his eyes sharp. "Over here," he called, motioning for me to follow.

He had found a small wooden chest tucked away in the corner, almost hidden beneath a pile of debris. The lock on the chest was old and rusted, matching the key perfectly.

With trembling hands, I slid the key into the lock and turned it. The mechanism clicked, and the chest creaked open.

Inside, there was a bundle of papers tied together with a piece of twine. On top of the stack was a small, hand-drawn map.

"A map?" Min-jun said, picking it up.

I untied the twine and spread out the papers. They were filled with handwritten notes, sketches, and what looked like journal entries.

"Whoever wrote these must have been trying to solve the same mystery," I said, my heart racing.

Min-jun pointed to a name scrawled at the bottom of one of the pages. "Do you recognize this name? Kim Sang-woo?"

I shook my head. "No. But maybe Hye-jin will know. She's good at finding stuff like this."

---

Dear Diary,

Today, Min-jun and I unlocked an old chest in the abandoned clock tower and found something incredible—a map and a stack of papers written by someone named Kim Sang-woo.

I don't know who he is, but I have a feeling he holds the key to understanding the journal.

The deeper we go into this mystery, the more I realize how much bigger it is than I thought. But I'm not scared—not with Min-jun by my side.

Love,

Eun-ji