« A Good Goodbye »

After watching Hwasa’s performance of « Good Goodbye » at the Blue Dragon Festival Awards with her co-starring partner, Park Jeong Min, I was for some reason deeply touched. More than I can explain, I was profoundly moved. Whether watching the live performance at the event or the music video, I could feel the deep sense of parting with a former lover.

The song’s lyrics, the intonation of her voice, the acting of Park Jeong Min, everything was perfect. The song is about a breakup, yet the way she sings makes you feel like it’s a « happy ending. » This made me question: What is a happy ending, anyway? When we were children, the fairytales taught us a happy ending was the prince marrying the commoner, or vice-versa, and they lived happily and had many, many kids.

The reality is often very different: the marriage rarely happens, or it doesn’t last many years. Perhaps you never find someone you want to marry that much, or you have kids and they don’t grow up with both parents for various reasons. We have such a narrow-minded point of view on what a happy ending truly is.

Recently, I was listening to the Alex Cooper episode of « Call Her Daddy » with Kim Kardashian. Kim stated that she cannot call her relationship with Kanye West a failure because, after more than 15 years and four beautiful kids, she simply couldn’t label it as such. I realized she was absolutely right.

The same way I found comfort in Hwasa’s song is the same way I understand the meaning of what Kim said. Many times, we as humans are limited by our own way of thinking. We have a tendency to compare the way we see life to societal norms, familial norms, and our own perfected images from childhood.

But life is more nuanced than that. Life is nuanced, and our own story is different from even our twin’s, if we had one. A « Good Goodbye » after a meaningful relationship is not a failure. Yes, it is absolutely painful, but not a failure. We should remember and say « Good Goodbye » when it’s possible.

Unfortunately, sometimes you can’t have a good goodbye, but a goodbye is always a chance for a new chapter. Parting way with someone you still love but know it could never work, is painful but also not a failure, it’s the beauty of life.

With LOVE, MalyneViMuse (on a rare positive day lol)