“Rose” by D.O., Thursday, July 29, 2021

D.O. is a member of one of the biggest acts in K-Pop, EXO, a group that debuted in 2012. The Korean pop group has members from China and South Korea, and from the start of their career, recorded in their hits both in Mandarin and Korean. The group originally consisted of eleven members, but several of three members have left the group. In the span of their nine-year career, members have gone on hiatus to perform compulsory military service for South Korea, while some of the Chinese members have had legal disputes with the group's record label. In South Korean pop music, male groups often are more successful than solo male singers. Still, male artists often diversify their careers with acting in dramas or films and solo careers. This can be essential for artists who are waiting for group members to finish military service. In these solo careers, the pop start is often able to create music much different from their main gig.

I MIGHT NOT HAVE A FANCY CAR, BUT I FANCY YOU. Doh Kyeong-soo, better known by his stage name D.O., has acted in dramas and movies since 2014, even starring in 2018's Korean War historical fiction-musical Swing Kids. Doh plays a North Korean prisoner in a South Korean prison camp. The multi-talented singer/actor learned how to tap dance for the role over the course of five months before filming. Despite being one of the most anticipated Korean films of the year, the movie underperformed at the box office. D.O.'s roles since have mostly been supportive. His debut EP, 공감 (Empathy) features mellow acoustic tracks like the lead single, "Rose." D.O.'s singing voice in EXO is at times gruff, adding '90s pop-rock sexiness to tracks. The song "Oasis" from their 2018 album Don't Mess Up My Tempo, is one of the best examples of this quality. Released on Monday this week,  Empathy is somewhat reminiscent of Harry Styles' 2019 album Fine Line. The lyrical translation of "Rose" is quite different from the English recording. The Korean version is more poetic, whereas the English version sounds like a CW teen drama. Note, however, that teenagers in South Korea cannot drive, and public transportation is much more common among young adults, particularly in Seoul and the larger cities.

IF YOU NEED A LOVER, LET ME KNOW.  Two years of community college could save about $50,000 at Mission College. Working around the home, staying away from the ungodly influences of a state school were other perks about those years as well. For Allan, it wasn't the secular courses at university that scared him. He felt he had a strong foundation from church that couldn't be undone by two semesters of Professor Sutton's Biology class. But course by course, Allan's narrow world began opening to the world of the social sciences, to literature, to history, to learning. He was also meeting people who had very different experiences. "I'm Wiccan," a woman who sat beside him in her mid-thirties said one day when they were talking after class. "I don't believe in organized religion, and I would much rather worship in the forest and practice witchcraft." Surprisingly to Allan, nothing bad happened after that encounter. No one turned up missing, no one experienced any curses. At community college there were Christian single moms, out of work truckers, late 20s university drop outs, and those like Allan, who came from high school. But unlike Allan, many of the kids came from public high school. With the exception of a few of the kids he knew from his Christian high school, Allan mostly kept to himself, talking to seat mates only when talking about the assignment. However, one day in Statistics class, Professor Clements broke the class into groups. They would have to work out advanced problems on their own time throughout the semester. Allan was grouped with kids about his age, Cody and Alec. They talked like they went to school together, but probably weren't close. Cody was always dressed in loose pants and backwards ball cap. Alec, on the other hand, was always well dressed. "I'm sorry guys. My shift starts in 30 minutes," Cody said. "We can keep going, if that's okay with you, Alec," Allan said. "Cool. Email me if you have anything to do." The conversation continued about the relationship between two variables in a made up product for a made up company. But without the must of Cody's lawn mowing jeans and with more moments of contemplation, broken by the sound of whispers in the empty library, a different light shined on Alec. Allan had seen this light on Alec in some moments in class, but he tried to ignore it. Allan had been authentically put into a situation with a fresh-faced young man he found attractive before any bodily imperfection could smear this image. Before he could say something that would strip him from his dreams. "I'm going to go home and do a little more work on this," Allan said, giving Alec his email address. Walking back to his car, Owen, a high school classmate asked Allan how he knew Alec. "We were just working on a project together." "Oh, good.  I thought for sure you two were on a date. But Alec's still probably lying to himself and pretending to date Paige." Allan laughed off the encounter. What else could he do? 

Official Music Video:

English version:

 

Read “Rose (English Ver.)” by D.O. on Genius

Read “Rose” by D.O. on Genius