"Like this" by 박혜진 Park Hye Jin


Note: The following lyrics and translations are from genius.com.


The song starts with the line:

  
    나는 오늘도 이렇게 눈을 떠
  

On genius.com, this line has been translated as, "Today, I again opened my eyes like this." It is repeated throughout the song, perhaps to illustrate the repetitive, everyday moment of waking up. Although it is a simple action and lyric, it is accompanied with entrancing, ethereal sounds, making those waking moments feel much more visceral.

The chime at the start of the song feels as if you are waking up to a warm, gentle alarm. Then the beat gradually builds up during the following verse:

    좋아해 좋아해
    
    (Like. Like.)
    
    널 좋아해 널 좋아해
    
    (Like you. Like you.)
    
    너를 좋아해 난, 너를 좋아해 난
    
    (I like you. I like you.)
    
    너를, 너를
    
    (You, you.)
  

It seems the first thoughts in your waking moment are of someone you have feelings for. The thoughts start out as fragments of sentences, as if you are still in a sleepy state, then they progress into more coherent thoughts as you continue to wake up. However, the repetition of the you experience these thoughts as if you are entering a trance.

Then the beat intensifies while still accompanied with the delicate chime in the background, which, to me, altogether induces a delicate yet deep, profound feeling…

The lyrics continue:

    나는 오늘도 이렇게 눈을 떠
    
    (Today, I again opened my eyes like this.)
    
    나는 너를 좋아해 너는 나를 좋아해
    
    (I like you. You like me)
    
    나는 너를 생각해 너도 나를 생각해
    
    (I think of you. You think of me, too.)
    
    나는 오늘 이렇게 눈을 떠
    
    (Today, I again opened my eyes like this.)
    
    이렇게 눈을 떠 이렇게 이렇게
    
    (Opened my eyes like this, like this, like this,
    
    like this.)
  

You are fully in a trance now. You opened your eyes like this, like this, like this, like this… Each time Park Hye Jin says, "Like this," I imagine a recurring moment of blinking awake and having an almost out-of-body experience every time, as she starts to overlap her vocals—

    나는 오늘도 이렇게 눈을 떠
    
    (Today, I again opened my eyes like this.)
    
    그래 난 바보야 어쩔래 어쩔래
    
    (Yeah, I'm dumb. So what)
    
    나는 오늘도 이렇게 눈을 떠
    
    (Today, I again opened my eyes like this.)
    
    어쩌나 어쩌나
    
    (Oh, my God. Oh, my God.)
  

It feels like an overlap of not only vocals but also of various thoughts and emotions. You act like you don’t care, saying, "Yeah, I’m dumb. So what," but it is betrayed by a voice in the back repeatedly saying, "Oh, my God."

Overall, the lyrics are very simple and sparse, yet full of impact when combined with Park Hye Jin's soothing vocals and her choices of sounds.

rotating pixel art of a CD with animated music notes