I know that Winner is getting ready to drop new music like any second now, but in waiting for new music it is always fortunate when a group or artist has a catalog of exceptional work in place to keep fans satisfied while they wait. In my opinion, one of those past offerings has to be one of the most beautiful love songs ever written but, to my knowledge, never officially released: Kang Seung Yoon’s 0 더하기 1 [0+1] from the web drama series We Broke Up. Seriously. The first time I heard this song was in the context of the drama and it left a deep and emotional impression on me, one that remains to this day.
Before I began to really follow Winner, I came across the We Broke Up web drama and was struck by the music, specifically the sound and quality of Yoon’s voice. And although I was not really ready to delve deep into Winner at that time, I still went and grabbed all of Yoon’s early solo work he recorded prior to joining Winner, and did this even before I listened to anything by Winner. There was just something about him that demanded my attention. The web drama drew me in, the music made me stay.
Yoon plays Ji Won-young, a musician who falls in love with college student, Noh Woo-ri (Sandara Park). They move into together but eventually drift apart, each to pursue their own dreams and goals. In that pursuit however, they both come to realize that success and in Won-young’s case, fame, mean nothing when you are unable to share it with someone you love.
Yes, the story was perhaps typical as far as love stories go. You know, boy meets girl. They fall in love. They break up. Life doesn’t feel the same. They work towards reconciliation…or not. Life moves on. As commonplace as it may seem, the desire to see and especially hear more from Yoon kept me fully invested.
During a radio broadcast to introduce himself and his group, The Band I Do Not Know, Won-young sings the beautiful, 0+1. This happens post-break up. Woo-ri hears the broadcast and..the feels, tears and memories grab both her and us, the viewers. All I kept thinking was, ‘please let them get back together!!!!’ I am such a sucker for romance. It has been awhile since I watched it so I do not recall it being 100% clear by the drama’s end if they do, but I am going to say yes…yes Won-young and Woo-ri reconcile and give me my satisfactory happy ending!~^^
0 더하기 1 (0+1) ~ Audio clip from the web drama
We Broke Up aired in June-July 2015, and in August 2015, Yoon performed the song live although I am not sure where as there is no information given with the video I am about to share. I have always believed that whether or not we understand the lyrics, music in and of itself is a language that is vibrational and therefore felt. However, having the lyrics available for this one coupled with Yoon’s equally powerful delivery, socks a power punch straight to the heart. A vocalist is a storyteller who must convey the words so that we the listeners can take the journey of the story being sung. And in doing so, he/she must make the listener feel. 0+1 is melodically beautiful and lyrically poetic. It takes us on the journey of lost love and emptiness. He sings of the one being the light that fills the emptiness in him. The emptiness or feeling of being nothing (0) can be remedied. His 0 plus her 1, equals them. He asks, can she stay by his side so they . . . but more importantly, he (plus her) can be an us. ㅠ_ㅠ
This song brings the feels every time I hear it. Yoon is a wonderful vocalist, a beautiful storyteller and in 0+1, an exceptional songwriter.
[Make sure the captions are on!!]
By the way, you can watch all ten episodes of We Broke Up here.
[Image cr. as tagged; video cr. 100SYNAforKSY]
~♥~