The Heartbreaking Story Of How BTS’s Suga Went From Earning $2/Day To $8,000,000 In 6 Years — Prepare Your Tissues
With a net worth of $8,000,000 and an impossibly fast rapping style, BTS‘s Suga is turning heads and dropping jaws everywhere he performs.
Who would have thought that less than a decade ago, this idol with a worldwide popularity had to choose between eating or riding a bus home?
He made music by working part-time at a recording studio but earned nothing.
Every day, he’d ask himself if he should eat a 1,000-won noodle so he can take the bus home?
Or should he treat himself to a 2,000-won noodle walk home for 2 hours?
Today, with 70+ songs under his belt, Suga used to be active as an underground rapper (and producer!) before he auditioned for a company that wasn’t part of the “big three” back then.
Although he didn’t win, he still got 2nd place in the rap competition that this company, Big Hit Entertainment, hosted.
Looks like his career is finally getting traction as he was signed to join the company as a producer/trainee!
But even when he was already a trainee, he still did a part-time job as a delivery guy to make ends meet.
He got into an accident while making a delivery — that’s why he suffered from an injury.
I had the accident 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.
– Suga
After telling this story to his company, the Big Hit paid for Suga’s tuition fees so he didn’t need to have a part-time job anymore.
Training with the company for three years, he was originally supposed to be a music producer. Good thing he was convinced into joining his group, eventually!
It was during these three years that he formed a strong bond with one of his co-trainees, J-Hope — he even mentioned that he chooses to be with him because he motivates him.
[He] is also very energetic. I don’t usually have a lot of energy but he always gives me energy.
– Suga, talking about J-Hope
To which his close friend replies and talks about him:
He acts like he doesn’t care about the other members but he actually takes care of them behind them.
– J-Hope, talking about Suga
Aside from experiencing lack of money, this strong-willed idol also suffered from the lack of support in his passion to pursue music.
Because of this, and also because of battling several mental health issues such as depression, OCD and sociophobia, Suga made it a point to raise awareness and educate people on mental issues that are plaguing today’s youth.
Anxiety and loneliness seem to be with me for life. I put a lot of meaning on how I would work it out, but it seems like I have to study it for my entire life.
– Suga
Despite all the troubles he needed to overcome and the challenges he needed to face, Suga has risen from the ashes as a stronger, braver and better person.
With a net worth of $8 million dollars (and rising!), Suga is a philanthropist who has donated 100 million won ($88,160) to the Korea Pediatric Cancer Foundation, a center that helps children with cancer.
In 2014, he promised fans that he’d buy beef for his fans if he became successful. He fulfilled this promise four years later as he donated high-quality beef to 39 orphanages under the name “ARMY”.
His close friend J-Hope also gives back to the community, having donated to the Child Fund Korea multiple times: $133,000 in December 2018 and $89,000 in February 2019.
Because of BTS’s passion for inspiring the youth, the whole group was awarded the fifth-class Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit by the President of South Korea in October 2018.
With their group frequently being featured in Billboard, it’s no wonder that BTS has 250+ awards under their name — and they’re just getting started.
