Welcome to the tenth article in our series, “K-Pop Lyrics Explained”, where we take a look at the lyrics to some of your favorite Korean songs. Previously, we explained WonHo’s ‘Blue’, WEi’s ‘Starry Night’, Park JiHoon’s ‘Serious’, BTS’s ‘Yours’, SF9’s ‘Trauma’, WonHo’s ‘White Miracle’, WonHo’s ‘TANG!♡’ WINNER MINO, ‘My Universe’ featuring BTS and MAMAMOO MoonByul and ‘Shutdown’ by SEORI.
Today, we’re diving deep into BTS member V’s OST for “Our Beloved Summer”, a wonderfully moving alternative indie masterpiece, ‘Christmas Tree’.
“Our Beloved Summer” tells the story of high school sweethearts Choi Ung (played by Choi WooShik) and Kook YeonSu (played by Kim DaMi), who fall irrevocably in love with each other in their formative years, but are nonetheless torn apart when growing pains cloud their vision. Years later, they are brought together by the same documentary that sparked their love. This time they see themselves as complete individuals in their own right, perfectly imperfect.
V’s magical baritone makes the world of drama feel like a dreamland with how effortlessly warm and soulful it is. There couldn’t be an artist better suited to express the radiant glow of love we see in Ung and YeonSu than V.
The first verse poignantly highlights Choi Ung’s immovable love for YeonSu from a viewer’s point of view. YeonSu moves, but Ung always stays, worshiping her from near or far. The second verse reveals how just by virtue of YeonSu’s presence, Ung feels safe and alive, even if it means he has to wait for a few cloudy days before the sun appears again and in a call back to the first verse, “It always comes / As I believed“.
“Moon in the Midsummer Night / Whispering Stars / They’re Singing Like / Christmas Trees to Us”
From the calming moonlight that rains down on them on a summer night to the beautiful, subtle twinkle of the stars, nature itself is celebrating your love like a present under the Christmas tree, waiting to be unwrapped.
SBS
The first half of the drama works to build communication, the courage to speak up, and our two central characters know that the moment they open up to each other, they will inevitably find their way back to each other. As such, it’s incredibly significant (and also lyrical genius at its finest) that the song’s chorus is dedicated, quite literally, to the language of love.
“So I’ll tell you / A million little things / You never knew / Everything tangles inside / And I’ll tell you / A million little reasons / I’m falling / for your eyes / I just wanna be where you are it is.”
The only two Korean verses in the song reveal a deeper feeling than what has been expressed in the song so far, which further proves that the song is an absolute masterpiece. It’s almost as if V is broadcasting a secret confession: something that isn’t for everyone’s ears.
“Do you happen to know that? / There’s a side of you that only I know / Like the first snow on a summer night / An unbelievable miracle, a moment of surprise, it’s you”
SBS
The sheer vulnerability of the lyrics and the strength in the weakness that the lines “And someday, again / In the wind / Even if my heart flies / I will wait for you” reveal, takes this song to a whole new dimension. Needless to say, V is a master of his craft. Finally, the chorus repeats, echoing Ung and YeonSu’s endless desire for each other.
What did you think of ‘Christmas Tree’? Share your thoughts with Kpopmap in the comments section below!
