Korean

아직도 여전히
니가 난 그립고 또 그립네
아직도 여전히
함께한 추억이 날 맴도네
어쩌면 그때 널 잡았다면
아니 그때 너를 막았다면
아직도 여전히
우리는 아직도 친구일까 어땠을까

Dear my friend 어떻게 지내니 넌
나는 뭐 잘지내 알다시피 뭐 응
Dear my friend 나 솔직히 말할게
난 니가 존나게 미워 아직도
여전히 기억해 함께였었던 지난 날
대구로 함께 놀러갔었던 우리 시간과
수많은 날 둘이면 세상도 무섭지 않아
말하던 우린 지금 전혀 딴 길을 걷지 damn

그때 기억나? 아 아마 신사였나
둘이서 소주를 기울이며 나눴던 우리 대화
세상을 씹어 먹을거라던 우리 둘의 포부
원대한 꿈을 품었었던 우리는 어렸었지 꼴랑 나이 스물이야
갑작스러웠던 연락두절
한참이 지난 뒤 모르는 번호로 왔었던 너의 부모님의
그 짧은 전화 한통에 곧바로 달려가 봤지
서울구치소 안양은 너무 멀었지

아직도 여전히
니가 난 그립고 또 그립네
아직도 여전히
함께한 추억이 날 맴도네
어쩌면 그때 널 잡았다면
아니 그때 너를 막았다면
아직도 여전히
우리는 아직도 친구일까 어땠을까

니가 변한건지 아니면 내가 변한건지 uh
흐르는 시간 조차 미워 우리가 변한거지 뭐
야 니가 밉다 야 니가 싫다
야 이 말을 하는 이 순간 조차 난 니가 그립다
매주 갔었던 서울구치소 면회길
왕복 세시간쯤 됐었던 먼길을 혼자서 나섰지
너의 재판날과 너의 출소날
눈이 펑펑오던 겨울 흰 두부 똑똑히 기억나
그리고 간만에 본 넌 전혀 딴 사람이 돼버렸고
눈이 풀린 채 넌 말했지 *을 해볼 생각이 없냐구
난 화가났고 또 욕을 했네
유일한 친구였던 너를 되돌릴 방법은 없고 너는 괴물이 돼버렸네
내가 알던 넌 없고 널 알던 난 없어
우리가 변한건 비단 시간 때문이 아닌걸 난 알아
니가 알았던 난 없고 내가 알았던 넌 없어
우리가 변한건 비단 시간 때문이 아닌 걸 덧없어

아직도 여전히
니가 난 그립고 또 그립네
아직도 여전히
함께한 추억이 날 맴도네
어쩌면 그때 널 잡았다면
아니 그때 너를 막았다면
아직도 여전히
우리는 아직도 친구일까 어땠을까

아직도 여전히
니가 난 그립고 또 그립네
아직도 여전히
함께한 추억이 날 맴도네
어쩌면 그때 널 잡았다면
아니 그때 너를 막았다면
아직도 여전히
우리는 아직도 친구일까 어땠을까

어땠을까

English

Even now, as always
I miss you and then miss you again
Even now, as always
The memories of us together linger around me
Perhaps, if I had held on to you then
Or if I had stopped you then
Even now, as always
Would we still be friends, what would it be like?

Dear my friend, how are you?
Well I’m doing fine, as you can see, mhm
Dear my friend, I’ll be honest with you
I still f*cking hate you
I still remember the days we spent together
All the times and the countless days we spent having fun in Daegu together
If it’s the two of us together, even the world out there isn’t scary
That’s what we said, yet we’re walking completely different paths now, damn

Do you remember that moment? Ah, it was probably in Sinsadong?
The conversation we shared while drinking soju 
Our ambitious plans to eat the whole world up
Carrying this lofty dream inside us, we were young and just 20
It was a sudden loss of contact
After a long time, a call from an unknown number belonging to your parents came
With that one short phone call from them, I ran right away
The Seoul Detention Centre, Anyang was so far away

Even now, as always
I miss you and then miss you again
Even now, as always
The memories of us together linger around me
Perhaps, if I had held on to you then
or if I had stopped you then
Even now, as always
Would we still be friends, what would it be like?

Is it you who changed?*
Or is it I who changed?*
I even loathe the time that’s passing, we’ve both changed, I guess*
Hey, I resent you. Hey, I hate you. 
Hey, even in this moment as I’m saying this, I miss you
The path I took to visit you at Seoul Detention Centre every week
I went out by myself on that long three-hour round trip 
The day of your trial and the day of your release
I clearly remember the winter it snowed heavily, the white tofu**
And I saw you after so long, you’d become a completely different person
With hazy eyes, you said, “Have you ever thought of trying - ?”
I got angry and then swore at you
You had been my only friend but I had no way to change you back
You’ve become a monster
The you I knew doesn’t exist, the me you knew doesn’t exist
I know the change in us wasn’t simply because of time
The me you used to know doesn’t exist, the you I used to know doesn’t exist
The change in us wasn’t simply because of time, it’s all so fleeting

Even now, as always
I miss you and then miss you again
Even now, as always
The memories of us together linger around me
Perhaps, if I had held on to you then
or if I had stopped you then
Even now, as always
Would we still be friends, what would it be like?

Even now, as always
I miss you and then miss you again
Even now, as always
The memories of us together linger around me
Perhaps, if I had held on to you then
or if I had stopped you then
Even now, as always
Would we still be friends, what would it be like?

What would it be like?

Translator’s Notes:

* References to Spring Day lyrics.
** In Korea, white tofu is eaten after you’re released from prison because it symbolises a clean slate.
It is also because in prison, you eat 콩밥/kong-bap which is rice+beans, and there is a saying, that “교도소 간다 (to go to prison)” is the equivalent of “콩밥먹으러 간다 (to go to eat rice+beans)” and tofu is made out of soybeans, so eating it symbolises a transition that you’re no longer soybeans, and instead turning into tofu.