EXO’s D.O’s Parting Gift with ‘That’s Okay’
At the same time as his departure, SM released his solo song through SM Station 3. This is D.O’s first solo track since 2014, ahead of his mandatory military enlistment set to July 1, 2019. The lyrics deal with personal happiness and send a message of assurance that everything will be fine.
The gentle pop/R&B song he wrote himself combines the warm sounds of the acoustic guitar with a minimal drum rhythm, and is a gift to fans. That’s Okay nudges emotions that make you feel sad for your own happiness.
Being a solo single, That’s Okay puts D.O’s slightly raspy voice on full display. It’s good how the song isn’t sung in a straightforward manner. There are some textural aspects present thanks to the melody and the way he ended some lines, allowing him to showcase some techniques that he never got a chance to show off with EXO releases. The way he harmonizes with himself is also beautiful, an obvious sign of a good ballad.
Knowing that is he is one of the main vocalists of the group, it is expected that the single would be a ballad. It is mainly acoustic, with guitars being the only instrument in the instrumental. The lyrics also don’t go into an emotional overdrive, with D.O telling us that time will heal all wounds, regardless of how deep they are.
The music video for this release is animation. I am not sure if there are any laws that prevent D.O from appearing in the music video (as Xiumin did for his single), given the complexity of military enlistment, but it would have been nice to see him one last time (before he goes away for two years). Even so, the animation is very nice — it about a guy who finds a sad-looking cactus and brings it home. His nurturing over time helped heal its limp nature and it regained some flowers. On the flip side, it was revealed that the guy lost his dog and this caused him to stay indoors. The flowering cactus ended up nurturing him over time, showing him that no matter what state you are in, there is always a way to get back up.
Here’s the lyrics:
숱하게 스쳐간
감정들에 무뎌지는 감각
언제부턴가 익숙해져버린
마음을 숨기는 법들
난 어디쯤에 와 있나
앞만 보고 달려오기만 했던
돌아보는 것도 왠지 겁이 나
미뤄둔 얘기들
시간이 가듯 내 안엔
행복했었던 때론
가슴이 저릴 만큼 눈물겨운 날도
매일 같이 뜨고 지는 태양과
저 달처럼 자연스레 보내
때론 울고 때론 웃고
기대하고 아파하지
다시 설레고 무뎌지고
마음이 가는 대로 있는 그대로
수많은 별이 그랬듯이
언제나 같은 자리
제 몫의 빛으로 환하게 비출 테니
숨기지 말고 너를 보여줄래 편히
네 모습 그대로 그래 괜찮아 괜찮아도
오늘 난 처음으로
솔직한 내 마음을 마주해
거울 앞에 서는 것도 머뭇대
이 표정은 또 왜 이리도 어색해
아름다운 건 늘 소중하고
잠시 머물다 아득히 멀어져도
늘 마주 보듯 평범한
일상을 채울 마음의 눈
그 안에 감춰둔 외로움도
잠시 머물 수 있게 해
그저 바라봐
부드러운 바람이 불면
마음을 열어 지나갈 하루야
때론 울고 때론 웃고
기대하고 아파하지
다시 설레고 무뎌지고
마음이 가는 대로 있는 그대로
수많은 별이 그랬듯이
언제나 같은 자리
제 몫의 빛으로 환하게 비출 테니
숨기지 말고 너를 보여줄래 편히
네 모습 그대로 그래 괜찮아 괜찮아도
두 손에 가득 채워질 추억들은
소중한 우리 이야기
진심이 담긴 마음이
시간이 지나 다시 기억할 수 있다면
말할 수 있을까
너도 행복했다고
너와 울고 같이 웃고
기대하고 아파했지
모든 걸 쏟고 사랑하고
마음이 가는 대로 있는 그대로
말하지 못할 고민거리
깊게 상처 난 자리
늘 같은 속도로 흘러가는 시간이
언제나 그랬듯이 씻어내줄 테니
흐르듯 살아도 그냥 괜찮아 괜찮아도
Romanized lyrics:
suthage seuchyeogan
gamjeongdeure mudyeojineun gamgak
eonjebuteonga iksukhaejyeobeorin
maeumeul sumgineun beobdeul
nan eodijjeume wa itna
apman bogo dallyeoogiman haetteon
doraboneun geotto waenji geobi na
mirwodun yaegideul
shigani gadeut nae anen
haengbokhaesseotteon ttaeron
gaseumi jeoril mankeum nunmulgyeoun naldo
maeil gachi tteugo jineun taeyanggwa
jeo dalcheoreom jayeonseure bonae
ttaeron ulgo ttaeron utgo
gidaehago apahaji
dashi seollego mudyeojigo
maeumi ganeun daero itneun geudaero
sumaneun byeori geuraetteushi
eonjena gateun jari
je mokse bicheuro hwanhage bichul teni
sumgiji malgo neoreul boyeojullae pyeonhi
ne moseub geudaero geurae gwaenchana gwaenchanado
oneul nan cheoeumeuro
soljikhan nae maeumeul majuhae
geoul ape seoneun geotto meomuttae
i pyojeongeun tto wae irido eosaekhae
areumdaun geon neul sojunghago
jamshi meomulda adeukhi meoreojyeodo
neul maju bodeut pyeongbeomhan
ilsangeul chaeul maeume nun
geu ane gamchwodun weroumdo
jamshi meomul su itge hae
geujeo barabwa
budeureoun barami bulmyeon
maeumeul yeoreo jinagal haruya
ttaeron ulgo ttaeron utgo
gidaehago apahaji
dashi seollego mudyeojigo
maeumi ganeun daero itneun geudaero
sumaneun byeori geuraetteushi
eonjena gateun jari
je mokse bicheuro hwanhage bichul teni
sumgiji malgo neoreul boyeojullae pyeonhi
ne moseub geudaero geurae gwaenchana gwaenchanado
du sone gadeuk chaewojil chueokdeureun
sojunghan uri iyagi
jinshimi damgin maeumi
shigani jina dashi gieokhal su ittamyeon
malhal su isseulkka
neodo haengbokhaettago
neowa ulgo gachi utgo
gidaehago apahaetji
modeun geol ssotgo saranghago
maeumi ganeun daero itneun geudaero
malhaji mothal gomingeori
gipge sangcheo nan jari
neul gateun sokdoro heulleoganeun shigani
eonjena geuraetteushi sshiseonaejul teni
heureudeut sarado geunyang gwaenchana gwaenchanado
And here’s the translation for the song:
My senses are numbing
Because of the thick emotions passing
Now I’m used to
Hiding my heart
How far have I come?
I only ran forward
So I’m afraid to look back
On all the pushed backstories
Like time passing
All the happy days
And all the heart-breaking days
I’m naturally letting them go
Like the sun and moon that rises and sets
Sometimes, I cried, sometimes, I laughed
I was hopeful, I was in pain
My heart fluttered, my heart numbed
I followed my heart, just as it is
Like the countless stars
Always in the same place
I’ll shine as much as I can
So don’t hide yourself but show me
You, just as you are, it’s alright, it’s alright
Today, for the first time
I faced my honest heart
I even hesitate to stand in front of the mirror
Why is my face so awkward?
What’s beautiful is always precious
Even if it stays for a moment and goes far away later
The eyes of my heart fill up the ordinary moments
As if it’s always looking
The loneliness hid inside
Makes me stay for a bit
I’m just looking
When the gentle breeze blows
I open my heart and another day passes
Sometimes, I cried, sometimes, I laughed
I was hopeful, I was in pain
My heart fluttered, my heart numbed
I followed my heart, just as it is
Like the countless stars
Always in the same place
I’ll shine as much as I can
So don’t hide yourself but show me
You, just as you are, it’s alright, it’s alright
The memories that fill our hands
Is our precious story
My heart is filled with the truth
If you can remember again after a time
Will you be able to say
That you were happy too?
I cried with you, I laughed with you
I had high hopes for you, I was pained because of you
I spilled out my all and loved you
However, my heart led me
All the unspoken worries
All the deeply paved scars
Time always passes at the same speed
It will wash it all away just like always
So you can just go with the flow, it’s alright, it’s alright
Let’s wait until the date he gets discharged from the military!
That’s All You Need to Know About EXO’s D.O’s Military Enlistment and His Single Song “That’s Okay”. I hope you get more information about your idol and Korean entertainment. There are a lot of more information about it in Byeol Korea. So, don’t miss it! If you have some questions or want to add additional information please put the comment below.
