Seoul’s weather this month has been more capricious than ever, its moods shifting more wildly than the Nasdaq. One day, the sun blazes down, delivering the hottest May day on record in Korea (at least since temperatures have been measured); the next, rain falls endlessly, only to be followed by a cool day that demands long sleeves and a jacket.

After several muggy, stifling days, yesterday turned unexpectedly brisk. Lucky for me, as I went mountain climbing with a friend after leaving work at noon. At the summit of Namhan Mountain, beneath a cloudy sky and squinting against a sharp wind, we shared a bottle of Riesling. Everything felt sweet: the wine, the weather, the smell and sights of nature.

Sunday is my day to sleep in. Even after waking around ten today, I stayed in bed, reading the latest issues of The New Yorker and The Atlantic on my iPad. My window was awash in azure, as a cloudless sky poured golden sunlight into my room. It was the perfect setting to listen to Schumann’s Dichterliebe, especially “Im wunderschönen Monat Mai, (In the Wonderful Month of May),” the loveliest ode to May ever composed.

It was also the perfect setting to revisit Jin’s Echo album, particularly the buoyant, sun-drenched “Nothing Without Your Love,” a song whose mood and sound recall Jin’s “Moon.”

But the resemblance is not just musical. As I’ve mentioned before, I always look at the lyrics before listening, and the parallels between these two songs were immediately apparent. In “Moon,” Jin’s ode to ARMY, Jin sings that he was drifting aimlessly until he found ARMY, and how that connection brought him meaning and direction.

“Nothing Without Your Love” also dwells on a symbiotic bond. Of course, while “Moon” is explicitly dedicated to ARMY, Jin has not stated that “Nothing Without Your Love” is as well; nevertheless, the song’s themes of love, gratitude, and finding identity and purpose through another still echo that deep connection. 

In both songs, Jin begins by describing a time before this love, where he felt anonymous or incomplete:

In “Moon,” he sings,

“난 이름조차 없었어

내가 널 만나기 전까진”

(“I was anonymous, 

until you came into being.)

In “Nothing Without Your Love,” he confesses,

존재하는 (existing) 이유들조차 (even the reasons) 

몰랐었던 (not know) 나를 (me) 완성한 (round out/come bring/complete) 

널 (you) 만나고 (after meeting) 깨달았지 (realize)

(“Even the reasons for my existence 

were unknown to me, only to realize 

when you—who made me whole—came.”)

Jin then expresses how the arrival of the beloved brings light to a previously empty world:

In “Moon”:

“넌 내게 사랑을 줬고 

이제는 내 이유가 됐어”

(“You offered me love. 

You’re now my reason for existing.”)

In “Nothing Without Your Love”:

공허했던 (empty, forlorn) 나의 세상에 (my world) 

낯선 (unfamiliar, strange, nameless) 네가 (you) 다가왔을 때 (approach) 

그제야 (then) 날 (me) 찾은 듯해 (seem to find) 

I’m nothing without your love

(“In my world where I existed purposelessly, 

you, a stranger, stepped into it; 

right then, I seem to have found who I am.

I’m nothing without your love”)

Both songs culminate in a pledge of unwavering devotion:

In “Moon,” Jin promises:

“네 주위를 맴돌게 

네 곁에 있어 줄게 

네 빛이 되어 줄게 

All for you.”

(“I’ll circle around you. 

I’ll stay by your side. 

I’ll be your light. 

All for you.”)

In “Nothing Without Your Love,” the chorus and outro plead:

“You are my life, you’re all of me

빛나는 추억 속에서

영원토록 남아줘

I’m nothing without your love”

(“You are my life, you’re all of me.

In my resplendent memories,

please stay there forever.

I’m nothing without your love.”)

While “Moon” is Jin’s heartfelt promise to remain ever near—to circle, to stay, to be a constant light—“Nothing Without Your Love” gently asks for the same devotion in return, yearning for the beloved to stay by his side forever. But, in both songs, the center of gravity shifts away from Jin himself; it is the beloved, whether ARMY, a partner, or the listener, who becomes the heart of his universe. His very existence, purpose, and unwavering devotion revolve entirely around them.

Lyrics:

Verse 1:

Even the reasons for my existence

were unknown to me, only to realize

when you–who made me whole–came.

Pre-Chorus:

In my world where I existed purposelessly,

You, a stranger, stepped into it;

Right then, I seem to have found who I am.

I’m nothing without your love.

Chorus:

I’m thinking ’bout you, I’m thinking ’bout me

In this endlessly long night,

please be my shining light.

I’m nothing without your love.

You are my life, you’re all of me.

In my resplendent memories,

please stay there forever.

I’m nothing without your love.

Verse 2:

When I wander through endless darkness,

like a ray of light at the tunnel’s end,

you guide me radiantly.

(guide me, guide me, guide me.)

Pre-Chorus:

You are my everything.

you are my reason.

Deeply falling falling on and on and on.

I promise you—

you are the whole world to me.

I’m nothing without your love.

Chorus:

I’m thinking ’bout you, I’m thinking ’bout me

In this endlessly long night,

please be my shining light.

I’m nothing without your love.

You are my life, you’re all of me.

In my resplendent memories,

please stay there forever.

I’m nothing without your love.

Post-Chorus:

I’m nothing without your love.

I’m nothing without your love.

I’m nothing without your love.

I’m nothing without your love.

Outro:

I’m nothing without your love.