Chapter 9 – Quiet Terror
"Behind the Gold: AUREUS Unfiltered" – Episode 1 (Continued)
📺 Live Viewers: 18.1 million
The silence that followed Jaeheon's answer still clings to the stage like fog.
But Jeon Mira, a seasoned host, knows how to pull a room forward without losing the mood.
She lifts her next card, reading the gold-embossed text.
Jeon Mira:
"Alright. Question six—let's go a bit abstract this time."
[She glances up with a curious smile.]
"What's your most irrational fear?"
The lights gently pulse again. The digital fan chat slows just a beat, waiting.
There's a subtle shift among the members. Irrational fears—suddenly, things feel more personal again, but oddly lighter after the gravity of regret.
Jisung(hesitant, eyes wide):
"Elevators. I know it makes no sense, but I hate being inside small ones. I always think it'll get stuck mid-floor."
Minjae snorts, leaning into his mic.
"He makes us take the stairs half the time. Even in twelve-floor hotels."
LIVE CHAT
@floormirage:
jisung honey i will carry u up the stairs MYSELF 😭💪
@softaureus:
he's baby and we STAN irrational fears
Taeyang(grinning):
"I'm not even kidding—mannequins. The ones in high-end stores that look like they're about to come alive? Hate them. They're judging me."
Rin:
"You screamed in Paris."
Taeyang(mock-offended):
"IT MOVED. I SWEAR IT TWITCHED."
Sori(deadpan):
"Dolls with blinking eyes."
A beat.
"I used to have nightmares where they whispered my name."
Minjae:
"You all need therapy."
Hyunwoo(thoughtful):
"Empty swimming pools at night. Don't ask me why. It just feels…wrong."
Minjae(grinning now):
"Birds. Especially the ones that walk instead of fly. Like pigeons. They know things."
Jisung(giggling):
"You ran from one in Milan!"
LIVE CHAT
@citypigeon94:
PIGEONS KNOW THINGS 😭😭😭😭😭😭 MINJAE U LEGEND
@chaosonscreen:
this is the crack content i signed up for
Rin(soft voice, eyes narrowed):
"Being forgotten. Not in a fame sense. Just… erased. Like you were never really here."
The tone dips suddenly, and the others glance at him.
Sori:
"…That's not irrational. That's poetic."
All eyes naturally drift toward the center again.
To Jaeheon, unreadable as ever.
His fingers are steepled. One leg crossed over the other. He doesn't move for a moment. Then, slowly, he speaks.
Jaeheon:
"A shadow."
[The room stills.]
"Not the ones cast by light. I mean the shadow of who I would've been if I had made… different choices."
He pauses.]
"That person… watches me sometimes. In mirrors. In silence."
A beat of stunned silence. Even the audience doesn't quite know how to process that.
Jeon Mira, for once, is quiet. She gives a half-smile—more curiosity than comfort.
Jeon Mira:
"You're… poetic too, it seems."
Jaeheon(shrugs slightly):
"It's not poetry. It's fear."
LIVE CHAT EXPLOSION
@heisntreal_:
WHO SAYS STUFF LIKE THAT??? JAEHEON IS NOT A REAL PERSON
@darkparadigms:
the shadow of who he could have been???? this is some existential crisis GOLD
@aeon_writer:
no bc what if he's talking about his life before debuting… what if he regrets becoming an idol 😭😭😭
[MEDIA STORM – REAL TIME]
StarFeed Entertainment – HEADLINE:
"Jaeheon's Shadow Self: Existential Confessions of AUREUS' Coldest Idol"
NetizenBuzz Roundtable Article:
Fans now speculate the idol's past life before stardom. One thing is clear—Jaeheon's fears aren't surface-level.
GildedKPopForum:
✦ Thread: "Let's talk about Jaeheon's SHADOW fear – hidden genius? Haunted past? Or… something else?"
[FAN POV – USER: @lingeringpolaris]
"When he said his fear was a shadow of who he could've been… I felt that. Maybe he left behind a life we'll never know. Maybe he lost something. Someone. Jaeheon's silence speaks louder than all their songs."
Back on set, the host leans forward, smiling.
Jeon Mira:
"Six questions in, and I feel like I still know nothing about some of you."
[She looks directly at Jaeheon.]
"But maybe that's the point."
The camera lingers on him.
Jaeheon doesn't respond.
Doesn't smile.
Doesn't blink.
But for a moment, as the lights shift—
his eyes reflect something deeper.
Not fear.
Not regret.
A flicker of something already lost.