Chapter Text
Haechan was tired.
Not just "I need a long nap" tired, but the kind of exhaustion that crept into his bones after months — or years of just barely getting by.
The café he worked at was cozy enough, the owners kind and they were kinda close enough for them to allow free coffee and lunch during work hours, but no amount of free coffee or occasional compliments could change the fact that his paycheck barely covered rent, utilities, and whatever sad leftovers he managed to scrape together for meals.
A degree in music sounded romantic and passionate at eighteen, but now at twenty four, drowning in student loans and endless bills it mostly just felt like a cruel joke. Tonight was no different.
He lay back on his bed, one arm slung over his eyes as if darkness could block out the overdue electricity bills taped to his fridge, or the text from his boss saying "sorry guys, salary would be delayed again because of a family emergency, j have to travel back to our city, I'll make sure to send it this week" But he doesnt even have anything in his refrigerator except his leftovers.. but sure, Haechan understood, he really did. The world wasn’t cruel by design, sometimes it was just messy and unfair.
but understanding didn’t pay the bills.
He shifted, kicking at the thin blanket tangled around his legs, staring up at the cracked ceiling like maybe it had answers he didn’t, like it would just magically hand him a bunch of money and say "here you go babes. dont stress too much" ugh, if only.
That's when he remembered it.
That app.
It had popped up on his feed a few weeks ago — half social media, half... whatever the hell you called it when people basically flirted or performed for tips and donations. He remembered rolling his eyes at first. the app was mostly used by girls finding lonely rich guys to spoil them or lonely rich guys tipping for attention. It seemed like a sugardaddy website that would lead to you matching with creeps who'll just ask for feet pics. But, the reason it was kinda trending was because of its other features that are just like different social medias blended up together. There were private messaging options, livestreams, donation links, even random "boosts" people could buy to get noticed more.
Haechan didnt pay it much attention back then. The idea of being lusted over by strangers for money made his skin crawl a little, honestly. But... now? Now with rent going up and an empty bank account? He groaned into his pillow. "I’m NOT seriously considering this, but...." he mumbled.
But he was.
Because at this point, what other option did he have? He's already posted bookings for singing gigs at bars and events and no one has ever hit him up yet.
Grimacing, he rolled over, grabbed phone off the nightstand, and opened the app store. His thumb hovered for a moment before he typed in the name.
SugarRush.
Of course it had a name like that. Without letting himself think too much, he hit download. The loading bar crawled forward agonizingly slow like it was judging him. Once it was installed, the welcome screen blinked at him — all pastel colors and friendly fonts. "Find connections. Find opportunities. Find someone who gets you." Sure. sure. Whatever that meant.
Haechan bit his lip, feeling a little ridiculous, but still, he tapped Sign Up. He told himself he didn’t have to actually do anything. He could just... look. See how it worked. See if maybe he could survive this month without selling a kidney.
After he created his account Haechan stared at the app's blank profile page, thumb hovering over the upload button.
He wasn’t trying to be narcissistic or anything he wasn’t that kind of person.. but, objectively speaking? He was kind of cute. Like, nice face, nice smooth skin when he wasn’t breaking out from stress, hair that looked good even when he didn’t try. And his body? Not like Bella Hadid, but he filled out shirts pretty well.
He’d heard it before, from random customers at the café, from drunk strangers in line for lattes at 9 p.m., from old friends who said, "You could totally be an idol if you weren’t busy being broke."
Still, staring at himself through the camera roll lens was... different. He scrolled through his photos, wincing at each one.
Too posed.
Too sleepy.
Too much forehead.
Too sexy? Wait—no. That one’s okay.
“God,” he muttered, tossing his phone onto his stomach. “What am I doing?” But then he remembered the $51.27 sitting in his bank account. He remembered the landlord’s message about the rent increase. He remembered the way his stomach growled when he had to skip dinner again because ramen was all he had left.
"Okay, practical. We're being practical," he told himself out loud. He picked up his phone again. "I’m hot and broke. We’re leaning into both." He selected a few decent pictures one where he was holding a mug and laughing, another in a black tank top that was flattering but not too thirsty, and one mirror selfie that toed the line between casual and “hey, I know I look good.”
For his bio, he kept it simple:
Username: haechyuck_6
Bio: struggling "artist" with good music taste and a cant-help-it pretty face. be nice^^
Tags: music, chill talks, late-night rants, café energy
Next, the app prompted him to link a payment method. He sighed and typed in his bank info like he was signing away his dignity. His bank balance popped up at the top corner — an insulting reminder.
He blinked at the number. $51.27 Wow. Just enough for rent, groceries, and payment for his loans.
With his profile set up, Haechan didn’t post anything right away. He just lurked. Scrolled through the app, peeking into other profiles like a newbie at a party who doesnt know anyone but is trying to fit in.
Most of them were girls. Gorgeous, polished, soft selfies and aesthetic bios. Some were already on livestreams — chatting with viewers, singing, cooking, dancing, doing nothing at all but still raking in donations by the second.
Some guys were on there too — the pretty-boy types or gym bros flexing in bad lighting with those inspirational qoutes plastered on top that just tells you that they were definitely the problem in every relationship theyve ever had. Haechan wasn’t really sure where he fit in between the two. Still, something about it all made him curious.
This place was strange, but not entirely unwelcoming. There were rules, community tags, and even pinned posts with “tips for new creators.” He bookmarked a few just in case.
His fingers hovered over the “Create Your First Post” button.
But not yet.
Not tonight.
For now, he just watched wide-eyed, mildly horrified, and slightly intrigued.
Maybe he'll post something.
Maybe when its 2 A.M. on a work night.
Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.
Or maybe it would be the worst decision of his life.
Either way, he was already in, now he just has to sleep and try to not think about his piled up responsibilities and suck it up tomorrow and go to work.