Chapter 50 – "The Curtain Falls"
Behind the Gold: AUREUS Unfiltered – Episode 10 (Final Episode)
Live Broadcast — Global Viewership Peak: 1.9 Billion
#AUREUSFinalEpisode #JaeheonFinalTruth #GildedCurtain
[Opening – Host Jeon Mira]
"Welcome to the tenth and final episode of Behind the Gold: AUREUS Unfiltered.
Today… no dares. No laughter. No noise."
Her voice is softer tonight.
"This is the last question. One final mirror. One last curtain call.
And it's the same for every member."
She turns to the seven members sitting quietly.
"What is something you've never said out loud—
but if you don't say it now, you'll regret it forever?"
Silence falls.
It's different tonight.
The lights feel heavier.
The gold in the room doesn't glitter. It waits.
[Member 1 – Minjae]
"I wish I told my mom I didn't hate her."
"I was just scared. Of being forgotten."
[Member 2 – Hyunjae]
"I pretend to be the happy one so no one leaves me first."
[Member 3 – Rin]
"I… almost quit before debut. I thought I wasn't enough."
He laughs softly.
"I'm still scared I'm not."
[Member 4 – Sungchan]
"I miss the old me. The version before the world saw me."
[Member 5 – Taeyoon]
"I keep waiting for someone to ask how I'm really doing.
No one has. Not once."
[Member 6 – Daejin]
"I wanted to be the leader.
Not because of pride—because I thought if I wasn't useful, I'd be left behind."
And then…
The room turns.
To him.
To the one who always breaks the silence.
The one whose pain everyone watches in slow motion.
[Member 7 – Jaeheon]
He looks straight into the camera.
Not at the fans.
Not at the audience.
At her.
Even if she never looks back.
His voice is calm.
"I'm sorry."
Silence.
"For not running after you.
For standing there like a coward… the night you walked past."
"You'll never know how much I wanted to follow you."
His words break gently, like the tide.
"You would've hated me for it. I would've ruined your silence.
But still—
I should've run."
"Even if you never loved me.
Even if you never looked back."
"Even if it ended me."
[POV: Anastasia Celeste Volkov]
The screen flickers.
She watches again. In full.
Alone. Always alone.
The AI suggests biometric patterns of stress. She dismisses them.
But her voice is low.
"You say it like it would've destroyed you."
Her fingers brush the edge of her chair.
"But you're still breathing."
"You didn't run."
[Back to Studio – Host Jeon Mira]
She bows her head slightly.
"And that's the end of Behind the Gold: AUREUS Unfiltered.
Thank you for watching…
for listening…
for staying."
[Global Reactions – Flash Quotes]
"He didn't just confess. He bled."
— New York Times, Global Entertainment Column
"Jaeheon's last monologue wasn't romantic—it was regret turned immortal."
— SeoulView Magazine
"Every fan knew. But hearing it out loud? We cried like it was the end of something holy."
— @aureus_xheart, fan post
[Closing Visual – Screen Text]
"Even if you never loved me… even if it ended me."
— Jaeheon Kang, AUREUS