Watch Super Junior’s KYUHYUN’s Poignant Single ‘Love Story’

Veteran K-pop artist and vocal juggernaut KYUHYUN soothes the troubles of yesterday in the new melancholic single “Love Story.” Leading the vocalist’s EP, Love Story (4 Season Project 季), the single acts as the concluding chapter to PROJECT: Season, a musical project in which a new track was released for every season. 

The winter edition sees the vocalist tap into the power of nostalgia, as he reminisces about a meaningful relationship from the past. Written and composed by SM Entertainment’s resident songwriter, Kenzie, “Love Story,” is a quintessential Korean ballad anchored by mellow piano notes and a dreamy bass arrangement, rustling up a soulful melody to alleviate your aching heart. The composition is almost wispy, with a mid-tempo rhythm that gradually becomes richer and potent as the track progresses.

The melancholic composition befits KYUHYUN’s breathy, emotive vocal range like a dream, allowing the listeners to experience the full extent of the emotional turmoil the track stems from. Trotting the rocky terrain which connects nostalgia and gloom, he opens the track elucidating an emotionally depressive state induced by loneliness: “When the night is getting colder little by little/ Strangely today, walking alone/ Makes me cry.” The track then proceeds to contrast the relationship with one you’d find in a classic novel, where love was found in the sweet-nothings that life has to offer until the couple stopped looking for it. It’s a poignant metaphorical style that beautifully helms the narrative of the track.

The music video is equally melancholic with a montage documenting the life of a couple who go from being enamored by each other to estranged strangers. Despite the eventual demise of their relationship, the female protagonist holds onto a set of Polaroid photographs that depict the love that the two shared. Engulfing her in a whirlwind of emotions, she finds herself sifting through the photos, unlocking the door to a bitter-sweet memory lane. 

KYUHYUN’s fourth EP Love Story (4 Season Project 季) marks the end of the vocalists’ season-inspired musical project. Led by “Love Story,” the six-track EP contains additional tracks named “Coffee,” “Together,” “Daystar,” “Dreaming” and “Moving On.”