chapter 8: the Archive of Forgotten Melodies

The streets of Seoul blurred as BTS ran, their breaths ragged, their hearts hammering against their ribs. Hana led them through a maze of alleyways, weaving through the city like she had memorized every hidden path. Behind them, the low hum of The Silence’s helicopter loomed, its searchlights cutting through the night.

Jungkook’s pulse pounded in his ears. They had just discovered something impossible—an erased song buried inside Moonlit Echo. And now, they were being hunted for it.

Hana stopped abruptly near an abandoned underground tunnel. The entrance was partially hidden by vines and rusted metal gates, the kind of place most people would overlook.

“Inside,” she ordered, pulling out a keycard and swiping it against a small, dust-covered panel on the wall.

A beep. A click.

The gate groaned open, revealing a descending staircase swallowed by darkness.

“Where are we going?” Jimin panted, glancing over his shoulder.

“The Archive of Forgotten Melodies,” Hana said. “It’s the only place where erased music still exists.”

Namjoon hesitated. “How does that even work? If something’s erased, how can it still be here?”

Hana’s gaze flickered toward him. “Music isn’t just sound. It’s memory. And memories never truly disappear.”

The weight of her words sent a chill through them.

The helicopter’s searchlight flashed dangerously close.

“Go, now!”

One by one, they slipped into the tunnel. The second they were inside, Hana slammed the gate shut. The lock reengaged, sealing them in darkness.

For a moment, only their breathing filled the space.

Then—soft blue lights flickered to life along the walls, illuminating the narrow passage ahead.

“Keep moving,” Hana urged, leading them deeper underground.

The further they walked, the more Jungkook felt the air change. It wasn’t just colder—it felt charged, like the echoes of songs long forgotten still vibrated in the silence.

Then, the tunnel opened into something vast.

The Archive.

The room was enormous, stretching endlessly in all directions. Towering shelves filled with old records, handwritten sheet music, and ancient instruments lined the walls. Floating orbs of light hovered above, casting a ghostly glow over everything.

Jin let out a breath. “This place is insane.”

Yoongi stepped closer to a shelf filled with old vinyl records, running his fingers over the spines. Some had titles scratched out, others were completely blank.

“These are all… lost songs?” he murmured.

Hana nodded. “Every melody The Silence has tried to erase ends up here. Some of them are dangerous. Some were buried for a reason.” She turned to them. “And one of them holds the second half of Moonlit Echo.”

Jungkook’s fingers curled. The missing song was here.

And if they wanted to know the truth, they had to find it before The Silence found them.

g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g namaste

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