Chapter 43 – Episode 4: Burn the Mask
Behind the Gold: AUREUS Unfiltered – Episode 4
Live Global Viewership: 866,400,029
Studio Energy: Reset. On Edge. Expectant.
The camera fades in with a low, simmering hum—like breath held before a storm.
AUREUS is seated in formation again, the sleek black and gold chairs catching studio lights like thrones. The atmosphere feels… different.
Jeon Mira's usual playful smirk is tempered tonight. She's not here to tease them anymore. Not after what happened in Episode 3. Not after "Her."
Jeon Mira (clearing her throat):
"Welcome back to Behind the Gold: AUREUS Unfiltered. This is Episode 4."
The LED screen behind her pulses alive with fire-lit visuals.
TEXT: EPISODE 4 — BURN THE MASK
Jeon Mira (softly):
"This episode… is about truth. Not the kind you speak. The kind you try to bury."
A flicker across the screen.
A graphic appears.
Question 1 – "What is something about yourself you wish people never discovered?"
Minjae is the first to be called.
He laughs—at first.
Minjae:
"I'm not always confident. I just pretend I am. Sometimes I look in the mirror and have no idea who I'm supposed to be. So I just copy the version everyone loves."
Soft claps.
His voice cracks at the end, but he brushes it off.
Yeonwoo goes next. His answer is quietly devastating.
Yeonwoo:
"My biggest strength is pretending I'm okay."
A beat of silence. A glance exchanged among the members.
Rin:
"I act like I don't care, but I do. Way too much. Every hateful comment—every time someone says I'm not enough—it stays. I laugh it off. But it stays."
Eunjae:
"I fake my energy. People think I'm this golden retriever, but… I'm tired. All the time."
Hyunjae (flatly):
"I'm not who they think I am. Not fully. They love an illusion."
And then…
Jeon Mira (quietly):
"Jaeheon."
The camera cuts.
He leans forward, elbows on his knees, eyes lowered.
Jaeheon (voice cold):
"I wish they never found out I could smile."
A silence falls, ice-cold and endless.
Jaeheon (calmly):
"They expect it now. And every time I do it, it feels… fake. Like I'm betraying something. Myself. Her."
The word her doesn't go unnoticed.
Minjae bites his lip. Rin shifts uncomfortably. Yeonwoo looks down.
Jeon Mira:
"Was the first time you smiled… for her?"
Jaeheon:
"Yes."
And then he says nothing more.
The audience is frozen. The live chat explodes.
@burnthemask: this show isn't entertainment anymore. it's revelation.
@jaeheonssmilehurts: HE SAID IT SO CASUALLY WHAT DO U MEAN
@smilinghurts: the fact he regrets smiling… no one else would say this.
Jeon Mira (quietly):
"Let's move to the next question."
The screen lights up.
Question 2 – "What scares you the most… about yourself?"
Rin (whispers):
"That I'd burn the world down if I had the power."
Eunjae:
"That maybe this isn't who I am. That I lost myself somewhere along the way."
Hyunjae:
"That I feel nothing when people cry in front of me."
Yeonwoo:
"That I might give up one day. Just… stop showing up."
Minjae:
"That I'll never know if they love me or the version I created."
And finally—
Jeon Mira (to Jaeheon):
"Jaeheon?"
His answer is immediate.
Jaeheon (coldly):
"That I would do anything she asked. Anything. Even if it destroyed me."
No one breathes.
Not a single soul dares to move.
Because that wasn't a confession. It was a promise.
LIVE GLOBAL REACTIONS – TOP TRENDING
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BACKSTAGE CAM – LATER THAT NIGHT
The members are quiet in the dressing room.
The stylists are gone. No cameras.
Just them.
No one asks who. They know.
He isn't waiting for the world to understand.
He's waiting for her.