There is no easy road that leads to Rome — this quote perfectly describes the career of BTS members in general and SUGA in particular. To achieve the success they have today, the idols had to go through countless hardships, truly with their “Blood, Sweat and Tears.”

If you only look at the luxury designer outfits, the lavish apartments, the immense wealth, and the mαѕѕive collection of achievements BTS now owns, you might never imagine the struggles they once endured.

These K-pop superstars used to spend their days practicing dance until they forgot to eat or sleep in damp basements, so poor that all seven had to share meals or fill their stomachs with free food from a kind restaurant owner near their company building. Even after debuting, they were still belittled and underestimated just because they came from a small, unknown company.

Stories about the group’s “zero” beginnings have become legendary both inside and outside the fandom. Yet, their personal stories are much less known.

You probably wouldn’t think that a decade ago, BTS’s rapper SUGA once earned less than $2 a day and had to choose between eating noodles or taking the bus home. But it's actually heartbreaking reality of his past life!

At one time, SUGA shared that before auditioning for Big Hit Entertainment, he worked as an underground rapper and an unknown music producer. He made music while doing part-time work at a recording studio but barely earned any money — only around $2 a day.

After finishing school and his studio work, he had to go back home. At the end of the day, when both his mind and body were exhausted, he was burdened with another painful dilemma: deciding whether to eat $1 noodles and save $1 for the bus fare home, or eat $2 noodles and walk two hours back home.

Even after signing a contract with Big Hit Music as a trainee, life was still tough since the company didn’t have much money either. To pay for his tuition and living expenses in Seoul, he worked part-time as a delivery man — and it was this job that led to his shoulder injury.

SUGA once spoke about the unfortunate α¢¢ι∂єит: “I had the α¢¢ι∂єит when I was delivering on a motorcycle. When I opened my eyes, I could see the wheels right in front of me. I got dragged into the wheels and couldn’t move because my shoulder was dislocated.”

He also recalled his severe mental breakdown at that time: “I had such dark feelings at the time. I stayed in my room for two weeks without even cleaning up. I couldn’t go out because I was scared. I kept thinking, ‘What will happen to my life? I couldn’t even go to college now. I had an α¢¢ι∂єит and hurt my shoulder.’ I was sad and confused.”

These experiences once again deeply reflect the poverty and painful hardships SUGA faced many years ago! Fortunately, his life took a new turn after that.

When Big Hit Music and Bang PD-nim learned about SUGA’s situation, they paid for all his tuition and medical expenses on the condition that he fully focused on preparing for his debut with BTS. In the early years after debuting with BTS, life was still difficult, but at least it became much better.

Especially since 2016, BTS’s continued success has transformed SUGA from an unknown musician earning $2 a day into a K-pop artist with a net worth of $50 million by 2025.

After more than 10 years, SUGA finally stood on his own across 28 stages during his solo world tour in North αмєяι¢α and Asia, performing in front of around 320,000 fans and grossing approximately US $57.2 million. As a music producer, SUGA also made a huge mark with BTS’s songs and collaborations with top artists such as IU, PSY, and Halsey.

But more impressive than anything else is how SUGA overcame adversity and still kept a warm heart after all those years of hardship. Back in 2014, he once promised fans that if he became successful, he would buy beef for them. Four years later, he fulfilled that promise by donating high-quality beef to 39 orphanages in the name of “ARMY.”

Over the years, SUGA has consistently made large donations — hundreds of millions of won — to charities, ¢αи¢єя treatment centers, and disaster relief funds. In fact, in July this year, SUGA made history by donating $3.6 million to establish a treatment center for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at Severance Hospital. It was confirmed as the largest donation ever made by an artist to a hospital or medical institution in South кσяєα.

SUGA has gone through a long journey of hard work to achieve the good life he has today, but he doesn’t enjoy the fruits of his success alone — he continues to share them with those in need. As the saying goes, “The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.”

After all, SUGA has left a deep impression on fans as a talented artist with great determination and a beautiful character. His story of overcoming adversity not only evokes deep emotions but also serves as a powerful source of inspiration for the younger generation to dream, to act, and to believe in themselves.