Wheein’s Painting of Love: Revisiting “Good bye”

In 2019, MAMAMOO’s Wheein wanted to showcase that love takes on many forms. Her second solo release, soar, centered the title track “Good bye” around a severed relationship. Just as love brings cherished memories, heartbreak also leaves permanent scars. “Good bye” pairs itself with an equally emotional music video to depict love’s varied nature through a story of twists.  

The Music Video 

In this music video directed by ZANYBROS, actor Song Chaeyoon portrays a heartbroken woman grieving the loss of a relationship. She enters a household that contains many memories of her past relationship, and reminiscences while trying to ignore the reality. She weeps and lashes out in between the smiles and dances. She feels betrayed by the one she loves, but finds herself unable to let go of the affection that still lingers.

The lyrics of “Good bye” voice the character’s internal thoughts, documenting the heart-pounding excitement, the suspicious troubles, and the devastating split of the relationship. Although the speaker initiated the breakup, as implied by the line “they’re not words that I brought up easily,” she still feels torn. She grapples with this conflict and struggles to let go of their history.

Within the household stands a large painting, presumably created by the woman’s love interest, which she vandalizes in frustration. This is her breaking point. At the song’s peak, a man and woman come home — revealing that the household isn’t owned by the main character. She seeks an escape, and the woman who returned looks at the altered painting and an altered photograph of the new couple. Viewers are left with the second revelation that the main character loves another woman. 

The Message

Much like K. Will’s music video for “Please don’t…,” this music video recontextualizes its characters’ stories through a final reveal. Though “Good bye” doesn’t encourage breaking into the household of an ex-lover, it tells a story of a shattered romantic relationship between two women. This relationship provides a backdrop for a song applicable to all types of romances.

Wheein, who also painted the art pieces seen in the music video, desired to portray the diverse nature of love within a painting. Whichever form love takes, “it’s all the same love,” she said. “Good bye” portrays a woman dealing with the fallout of her feelings for another woman, but many people understand the anguish that exists in any breakup. Those who feel romantic love can sympathize without being in the music video’s exact situation. 

The idea of “it’s all the same love” binds these experiences together. JungKey produced and wrote this ballad, which came out beautifully with Wheein’s voice on top. Though Wheein did not write the lyrics herself, her emotions and intentions with the concept still shine through. “Good bye” is one of those experiences that will never leave.

Edited by Omani