It is no coincidence that BTS, once rookies who were looked down upon, became global K-pop superstars. Their decade-long journey has been filled with countless drops of “вℓσσ∂, sweat, and tears,” yet they rarely ever complained about it.
Among them, SUGA seems to have faced the most hardships—financial, physical, and emotional—before debuting with the group. Had he not persevered at that time, had he not hidden his struggles with small lies from the staff and fellow members, BTS might have debuted with only six members.
The one and only lie in SUGA’s life was not just a turning point for him personally, but also for BTS as a whole. So while lying is generally viewed negatively, in this case no one could blame him; in fact, many were even more moved by his determination.
The story of this lie goes back to his trainee days at Big Hit. At the time, SUGA confessed that the company was financially struggling, so the trainee stipend was extremely low—barely enough to get by.
Although he kept producing and selling music to other companies, the situation was still very tough. In secret from both the company and his fellow members, he worked part-time as a food deliveryman on a motorbike.
One rainy day, he was нιт by a car, thrown to the ground, and severely injured his shoulder. More than the physical pain, the fear that BTS staff would discover this and cut him from the debut lineup was overwhelming. On top of that, he was burdened by tuition fees and unable to afford hospital bills, leaving him in crisis and not knowing what to do.
He recalled that traumatic 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 äċċïďệńẗ and ȟɥȑț my shoulder.’ I was sad and confused“.
When he returned to the practice room, he decided to lie to the BTS members and the staff, saying he had fallen down the stairs, just to ensure his position in the group would not be affected. Only much later did he gather the courage to reveal the truth—that he had lied because he didn’t want to give up on debuting.
Fortunately, the company eventually covered all of his hospital and tuition fees so he wouldn’t have to continue working part-time, and could focus solely on training and composing. He was able to debut with BTS as he had dreamed! And most importantly, he never had to tell another “lie” again, because the members understood and supported him in any situation.
For instance, when his shoulder injury later worsened, SUGA candidly admitted: "No matter how much you tape it or put som̾e̾t̾h ̾ing on it or ice it after it's over. It still ȟɥȑțs. I had to get shots in every city we toured in. I keep having to get shots. And then, during all those concerts and everything else in between my shoulder just gave out”.
At that point, he was able to honestly tell the members he needed to take a break for surgery. The members immediately agreed, even though they knew it would disrupt promotions and tours. Jimin even called him and said he hoped everything would go well before the surgery.
During every performance SUGA missed, BTS either covered his parts or intentionally left an empty space—his spot on stage. And on the very first day SUGA returned after his recovery, they gave him the spotlight at center stage, unable to hide their joy at performing together again as seven.
Looking back on these memories is deeply emotional for the journey BTS as a whole—and SUGA in particular—have endured. Fans only grow more proud of his resilience and shining character despite endless challenges. This story also stands as proof of the bond and mutual support shared among the BTS members!
