ZERO SUGAR

SUMMARY

Jude and Marcus met online, hiding their true identities — Jude as a runaway streamer escaping an abusive father, and Marcus as the son of a corrupt corporate family.
They formed a secret bond, confiding in each other.

Jude later discovers Marcus’ real identity at school but keeps it secret, growing obsessed and stalking him. Marcus, sensing something off, hires a student to track his stalker and learns it’s Jude.
Confronting him, Marcus realizes Jude is his online friend and keeps the photos as blackmail. Their connection turns into a complicated situationship.

As Jude’s streaming career takes off, Marcus grows paranoid about losing him and exposes the stalking photos under a fake account, destroying Jude’s reputation. Jude, desperate, unknowingly turns to Marcus for help.
Marcus offers him shelter under strict conditions, forbidding streaming and isolating him. Over time, Marcus becomes increasingly abusive, manipulating Jude into dropping out of school.
When Jude threatens to call the police, Marcus asserts his power, leaving Jude feeling hopeless and resigned to his fate.

SUCROSE ARC

Jude stalks Marcus in hopes of becoming closer without ruining what they had. Marcus, eventually finding out about Jude's erratic behaviour, holds evidence of Jude's stalking as blackmail.
They get closer after their initial conflict, until Jude's surging popularity leads Marcus to exposing Jude because of his possessiveness.
Unable to pay for his living expenses, Jude asks Marcus for help.

ASPARTAME ARC

Marcus lets Jude stay at his place. Initially, Marcus was lenient about rules and let Jude live a free life. As time went on, Marcus slowly starts becoming more restrictive of Jude's life.
Manipulation and abuse become prominent between the two. When Jude threatens to call authorities, Marcus manipulates Jude further into giving up.
When Jude's father comes over to Marcus' mansion seeking for money from his son, Marcus successfully murders him and frames it as "alcohol poisoning". Marcus tells Jude of his father's death, and uses Jude's weak emotional state to further break him down.

SACCHARIN ARC

During the night of Marcus' 20th birthday, Jude overhears fellow high school classmates talking about him.
He finds out Marcus has paid a student to take the photos of him; realizing Marcus was the one who plotted his downfall, Jude decides to end his life using a curtain rope.
Marcus, who walks in on this while he was checking in, gets flashbacks from his own attempt and violently acts against Jude.
Realizing Jude won't love him at all anymore after this, Marcus decides to end Jude's life himself.
Now living in a dull life, Marcus ends his life in a bathtub, the night before he was set to inherit the company.