Chapter 21 – The Games Beneath Gold
LIVE BROADCAST – "Behind the Gold: AUREUS Unfiltered" – Episode 2 Continues
Current Viewership: 32.4 million
The lights slowly brighten again, trying to break the weight of silence left behind by that single, haunting word.
Jeon Mira (trying to shake off the lingering mood):
"Okay! Okay… moving on before I cry on national television."
She fans her face exaggeratedly. The audience laughs, helping ease the heaviness.
Jeon Mira:
"Let's spin it up. New round—Rihan, you're next. Truth or dare?"
[ROUND 6 – RIHAN]
Rihan sits back with that usual mischief in his eyes.
Rihan:
"Dare. Hit me."
Jeon Mira grins and pulls a card from the deck.
Jeon Mira (reading):
"Send a voice note to the last person you texted saying, 'I just saw a pigeon and thought of you. Don't ask why.'"
Rihan:
"…You're evil."
Jeon Mira:
"Thank you."
[LAUGHTER – AUDIENCE & MEMBERS]
He sighs, presses record, and sends the message. Everyone watches, gleeful.
Rihan:
"If I get ghosted, it's your fault."
Jeon Mira:
"I accept full responsibility."
[LIVE CHAT]
@rihanrealness: HIS SUFFERING IS OUR JOY
@crackingaurum: pigeon soulmate arc incoming
[ROUND 7 – EUNJAE]
Eunjae:
"Truth."
Jeon Mira:
"What's something you've never told the fans?"
Eunjae hesitates. Then—
Eunjae (softly):
"…That sometimes I get scared we'll fade. That one day, this will end—and I won't know who I am without it."
The members go quiet.
Minjae looks over, concerned but respectful. Hyunjae pats his back gently.
Jaeheon:
"You'd still be you."
[AUDIENCE CHAT]
@eunjaestar: I'M SOBBING STOP
@sunsetlinegold: JAEHEON'S FIRST WHOLESOME LINE???
Jeon Mira, voice gentle now, nods.
Jeon Mira:
"Thank you for sharing that."
[ROUND 8 – YEONWOO]
Yeonwoo:
"Dare. Let's go."
Jeon Mira:
"Call someone random in your contact list and confess your love dramatically in Shakespearean style."
The studio bursts into laughter again.
Yeonwoo:
"…This is what I get for choosing dare."
He does it. With flair. And a fake British accent so over-the-top even Rin falls off the couch laughing.
[LIVE CHAT]
@yeonwoo_simp: LORD YEONWOO OF AUREUS, DUKE OF CHAOS
@aurum_shakesfeare: give this man an Oscar immediately
[END OF ROUND – CAMERAS ZOOM OUT]
Jeon Mira wipes her eyes from laughing.
Jeon Mira:
"Well, that wraps up our first half of Truth or Dare. But don't go anywhere—we have one more twist coming."
The camera pans slowly across each member.
Jaeheon doesn't speak.
He never does more than he needs to.
But the silence around him feels like a locked door—one that everyone wants to open, even knowing they never will.