Chapter 10 – "24 Hours to Live"
Behind the Gold: AUREUS Unfiltered – Episode 1 (Continued)
LIVE BROADCAST
Viewers: 21.3 million and climbing
The stage glows with golden light as the camera pans across the seven idols once more, each framed like they were born for spotlight—yet tension brews just beneath the flawless polish.
Host Jeon Mira, now sitting at the edge of her chair, holds up card number four.
Her smile is cheeky.
Her eyes? Deadly curious.
Jeon Mira:
"Alright boys—question four. Let's say you only had 24 hours left to live… what would you do with your final day?"
The crowd gasps lightly, not expecting such a shift in mood.
LIVE CHAT:
@glassrosegold: wait… oh this one's gonna HURT isn't it
@hyunwoos_halo: buckle up y'all
@taeyangzoned: pls not Jaeheon answering last again I'm not ready
Minjae is first to respond.
He drums his fingers on his knee, the smile slipping into something more thoughtful.
Minjae:
"I'd spend it at home. No phones. Just food, my family, and one last stupid karaoke night."
Rin (grinning):
"You can't sing."
Minjae:
"Exactly. They'll remember me screaming 'Bohemian Rhapsody' until the very end."
Audience laughs.
Jisung bites his lip, eyes wide.
Jisung:
"I'd go skydiving. I mean, if I'm gonna go out, I want to fly at least once."
Hyunwoo:
"I'd cook with my mom. Her recipes. Just us in the kitchen. That's all."
@angelichyunwoo: HYUNWOO PLS 😭
@fluffyjisungie: bby wants to fly i'm sobbing
Sori doesn't blink.
Sori:
"I'd book out a jazz bar, pour whiskey, play piano till I drop."
Rin:
"…That's darkly poetic."
Sori:
"So is life."
Taeyang smirks.
Taeyang:
"I'd film a 24-hour vlog. Say all the things I never dared to. Expose the entertainment industry. Flame some old managers. End with fireworks."
Jeon Mira:
"Bold of you to think the Wi-Fi would hold up."
Now all eyes settle on Jaeheon.
He sits motionless, fingers interlaced, gaze lowered. The room stills. The audience—even virtual—seems to hold its breath.
Jeon Mira (gentle now):
"Jaeheon?"
A long pause.
Then, his voice—quiet, low, unwavering.
Jaeheon:
"If I had 24 hours left…"
He exhales slowly.
"I'd go to my brother."
Everyone stills.
Jaeheon (continuing):
"I'd help him wrap up what matters. Tie up what I'll leave undone. Then I'd write music."
Another pause.
Jaeheon:
"One last song… maybe ten. Maybe twenty."
The host leans forward, intrigued.
"Would you release them?"
Jaeheon:
"No."
He finally raises his eyes to the camera—piercing, emotionless… and yet something flickers beneath.
Jaeheon:
"I'd send them to someone."
Jeon Mira:
"Someone…?"
Jaeheon:
"She isn't part of this world. Not the one we live in."
The air tightens like a wire pulled taut.
Jaeheon:
"I've written over a hundred songs for her. If I had 24 hours, I'd send her every single one."
A beat.
Jaeheon (softly):
"And then I'd burn them."
DEAD SILENCE.
Jeon Mira, for once, loses her words.
She scrambles for composure.
Jeon Mira:
"…You really never make it easy for me, huh? That was…"
Sori (murmuring):
"Chills."
Taeyang (to Rin):
"Did he just confess or… emotionally annihilate the world?"
Rin (blinking):
"I don't even know if I exist anymore."
LIVE CHAT EXPLODES
@obsidian_waltz: A HUNDRED SONGS????
@hiddenhearts: he'd BURN them???? WHAT DO YOU MEAN
@jaeheon_is_art: "Not part of this world." Who IS SHE????
@gildedtruths: HE LOVES HER. AND HE'S NOT TELLING US. 😭😭😭😭😭
[BACKSTAGE – PRODUCER ROOM]
"Did he say he'd burn the music?"
"That man is a walking enigma wrapped in heartbreak."
Ratings spike to 23.8 million.
[MEDIA ARTICLE DROP – MINUTES LATER]
AllKExclusive: "Jaeheon of AUREUS: 'I Wrote Over 100 Songs for Her. I'd Burn Them All.'"
Excerpt:
In a shocking answer to what he'd do with 24 hours to live, the idol's haunting declaration stirs questions no one dares ask—who is she?
FAN POV: @writestarsinink
"No idol has ever made me cry with a hypothetical until now. Jaeheon doesn't just love—he creates galaxies and erases them."
BACK ON STAGE
Jeon Mira clears her throat.
Jeon Mira (smiling weakly):
"Well… with that devastating mic drop, let's move on before I start crying on live TV."
She raises card number five.
The gold lights shimmer.