Jooyoung and Heize Capture the Summer Blues in New Duet “Love Distance”

The quintessential upbeat K-Pop summer track has just met its antithesis. Jooyoung’s July 3 release, “Love Distance (요를 붙이는 사이),” is the perfect alternative for the occasional rainy day.

Jooyoung could not have picked a better time to drop “Love Distance,” as South Korea enters monsoon (장마) season. Featuring HEIZE, the queen of R&B ballads, the track captures the not-so-sunny days—both of the season and of a waning relationship.

Many love songs fall on opposite ends of the spectrum: either crazy in love or painfully falling out of it. “Love Distance” falls right in the middle, when passion starts to dwindle and the space between two people grows. Rather than having a clearly delineated relationship with a destination, the two seem to be caught in a hazy fog that blends the days together and obstructs their view.

But there’s a lingering spark between HEIZE and Jooyoung. In HEIZE’s verse, she asks him to come closer and sit in front of her. One of the lyrics they both sing is: “When I glanced at the table, our eyes met like glasses bumping into each other.” Something clicks inside when their gazes cross, and yet they can’t muster up the courage to look at each other. This state of limbo leaves them metaphorically unwilling to leave their shared bed, though they’re facing opposite directions.

Unfortunately, we don’t get a romantic plot in the actual music video, but the soft, retro visual effects are the perfect third to complete the two’s satisfying vocal tones. In a home video film style, Jooyoung and HEIZE lounge around in an apartment, venturing outside when the weather lets up. Nothing incredibly exciting happens; rather, it embodies the homey, nostalgic comfort of rain.

Make sure to check out Jooyoung and HEIZE’s previous collaboration, “Tree Only Look At You,” off of HEIZE’s 2019 album, She’s Fine!