THE MYSTERIOUS DARK LADY.EPISODE -2

Episode 2: FIRST PHASE OF INTRO ABOUT The Hunt for the Mysterious Lady

The three were very surprised at the thought of that well, which might be connected to the book they had seen. It was midnight. Since they weren’t sleepy, they left their room and started searching for the book their grandmother had been reading the previous week. They only remembered what the cover looked like.

They went near the bookshelf and almost knocked it over in their attempt to find it. Akai noticed a small hidden shelf at the corner. He tried to open it but failed. Booyi came over and suggested Akai look below, thinking there might be some kind of security lock.

They searched again and finally discovered a secret button. Their efforts paid off — they unlocked a hidden compartment. Inside was a letter containing just five mysterious words: "I love you, Cool Dandy." The children were shocked. Who was Cool Dandy?

They completely forgot about the book and sat down to wonder about this new mystery. They couldn’t ask anyone in the family, especially since Grandma had strictly warned them not to discuss serious matters. Still, the children believed the book might hold all the secrets Grandma was hiding from them.

Their next option was to sneak into Grandma’s room. But they didn’t have the courage to enter without her permission. So they quietly returned to their room…Tenchu was so curious that she somehow gathered the courage to enter Grandma's room. She tiptoed in quietly. Grandma was asleep. Tenchu slightly moved toward the table and noticed too many books stacked neatly. Her task was to find the right book cover in that darkness without opening or displacing any books—because Grandma was so sharp and observant, she would know if anything had been touched.

Realizing the difficulty, Tenchu went back to the room and called Booyi and Akai. She brought a mirror along with them. Booyi and Akai were clueless about what she was up to. Tenchu took the mirror, aligned it with the moonlight, and angled the reflection toward the bookshelf. Holding the mirror carefully, she sent the other two to check the table.

Akai and Booyi hunched over and began giving their eyes the task of finding the secret hidden book. They faced more difficulty as their hands were useless in the search. But somehow, by spotting a thin strap, Akai found a book. Carefully, Akai took it out—but it wasn’t the one they were looking for. Still, he noticed something unusual: the author’s name on that book.

Tenchu gave a signal, telling them to hurry up as her hands were aching badly. Due to the flickering light, Akai couldn’t read the author’s name properly, so he kept the book back in its place and continued the mission. But Tenchu gave up. Booyi stepped forward and took her place. Tenchu took Akai’s position and called him a “foolish dumb.” Akai, frustrated, left and went back to his room, forgetting all about the author’s mystery.

Tenchu resumed searching, but failed again. Feeling bored, Booyi looked around. Thanks to his keen observation, he noticed a strap of a book peeking from under Grandma’s pillow. He realized the book wasn't on the table—it was hidden under the pillow! Wanting to inform Tenchu, he moved the mirror, which accidentally disturbed her investigation. Angry, Tenchu came near and snapped, “Why are you becoming dumb day by day?”

Booyi stayed quiet and simply pointed to the thin strap. Now they realized—it was the same strap Akai had seen before. They returned to their room, knowing it was impossible to take out the book while Grandma was present. They told Akai everything and fell asleep.

The next afternoon, the three woke up and were shocked—it was already 2 o’clock! They freshened up and realized they were alone at home. Grandma had gone to visit the neighbor grandma to chat. The young detectives decided it was the perfect time to invade Grandma’s room again. They entered, opened the pillow, but—unfortunately—the book was gone.

Booyi and Tenchu grew tense, afraid Grandma had found out they’d entered her room the previous night. But Akai remained quiet, lost in the thoughts he’d had at midnight.

Booyi and Tenchu remembered their blunder. Yesterday, when Booyi turned off the mirror, Tenchu had accidentally placed the books upside down. To recheck, they went near the table. Their suspicion was right—Tenchu hadn't kept the book in the right position. Akai didn’t bother to interrupt them and stayed focused on the mysterious thought he’d been carrying since midnight.

Feeling tense, Tenchu and Booyi sat down in silence. Akai now came near the table and saw them sitting quietly. His eyes moved over the table, and upon realizing that Grandma had already discovered their mission, he too sat down beside the other two. They all thought everything had gone in vain and that Grandma wouldn’t let them continue their investigation any further.

They stood up, ready to leave the room, when suddenly Akai’s eyes landed on the table once more. He moved closer. And now came the twist—the book he had seen yesterday was lying on top of the table. It had been displaced by Tenchu the night before.

With a jolt of surprise, he grabbed the book and looked at the author's name—suddenly recalling the mystery that had occupied his mind since last night. He immediately called out to Booyi and Tenchu. Both of them, still wearing sad expressions, came forward.

Akai told them to look at the book. Tenchu and Booyi replied, “That’s not the mysterious book,” but Akai insisted, “Read the author’s name.”

The previous night and even that morning, Tenchu had ignored the author’s name. But now, seeing it clearly, both Booyi and Tenchu’s faces lit up in shock and amazement. The author’s name was written as Dandy.

To be continued in the next part…