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This song hit my heart when I first listened to it. It’s a track included in the SKZ-Record series.

Bang Chan’s lyrics combined with Seungmin’s gentle vocals created “Goodbye”, containing no flamboyant words, yet leaving listeners touched for a long time.

1. 

“If I could change the rhythm of time / I’d go back and forth a million times”

"Goodbye" features almost no repeated lyrics. Unlike many pop songs that reiterate the same chorus, it continuously moves forward. Every single line is from the deepest part of Chan's heart. It starts with the fantasy of rewinding time, moves to constantly blaming himself for saying goodbye, and culminates in finally gathering the courage to tell his parents, "Dear Mom and Dad, I'm sorry I tried." Only at this point do listeners realize that all the unspoken words before were meant for his parents. This reflects reality, that when facing parents, people often find themselves unable to express so many of their emotions.

The lyrics also alternate constantly between memories and reality. One moment presents a picture of holding hands in the past; the next snaps back to the present, leaving only endless regret and guilt. Using the detail of "squeezing hands five times" as a secret code is exceptionally clever. The things we desperately miss later in life are usually the small moments we failed to cherish in the past.

2. 

“I wish I could turn back the time”

"Goodbye" stands out not simply because it belongs to Stray Kids, but because it captures a shared dilemma faced across the entire K-pop industry.

Many trainees leave home when they’re young. Foreign trainees arrive alone in an unfamiliar country at a young age, forced to restart everything in language and culture. Chan is one of them. He left Australia for South Korea as a young boy to become a trainee, watching people around him come and go while only being able to return home a few times a year.

Yet those who succeed still remain a tiny minority. Far more people “gamble” their entire youth on a future with no guaranteed outcome, only to end up without a single chance to stand on stage. They argue with their families, missing out on companionship and so much time that can never be recovered.

I have always wondered, is it truly worth it?

I don’t know. Pursuing our dreams requires so much courage.

3.

“Told you good night / but you're spending all-nighters alone”

Every time I write a music review, I incorporate literary elements. My choice of song this time carries a personal bias, just as the author wrote it with personal sentiments in mind. Hearing this line makes me want to talk about my favorite author, Shi Tiesheng (史铁生).

When I read his Autumn Memories (秋天的怀念) and The Albizia Tree (合欢树) in elementary school, I could not fully understand them. It was only after reading I and the Temple of Earth (我与地坛)  in high school that I truly felt a sense of resonance. I love him words and diction, simple but touching. I have always preferred the most direct feelings and prose, even though many friends describe my writing style as plain.

What kind of season is autumn? It is the season of falling flowers.

Shi Tiesheng wrote, "Her heart was in too much pain. God saw she could not bear it, so He called her back." He also wrote, "She walked alone in the courtyard, past me, past the places I frequented, her steps aimless yet hurried..." This image of a mother enduring pain alone while "I" realize it only in hindsight perfectly mirrors the song's lyric: "Told you good night, but you're spending all-nighters alone." The emotion conveyed in "Goodbye" transcends both space and time.

What does the albizia tree represent? It represents the mother, serving as a vessel for love and regret. "One day when that child grows up and recalls childhood memories, he will remember those swaying tree shadows..." What his mother gave him was unconditional love. But what about us? We strive for success, always thinking that once we achieve it, we will give back to our families. Yet we often suddenly realize that that day passed many years ago, and the person with whom we wished to share our joy is nowhere to be found. People truly learn to cherish only after saying goodbyes.

Recently, I have seen many people reanalyzing the idiom "marking the boat to find the lost sword." Thinking carefully about it, everyone is engaged in that exact act. Returning to old haunts is merely an attempt to retrieve the sword from years past after the boat has already passed mountain after mountain. Shi Tiesheng wheeling his chair around the Temple of Earth to search for his mother's footprints was carving a mark on the boat; our returning to our hometowns to look at the fully grown albizia trees is also carving a mark on the boat.

Does time really wash away longing?

4. 

“I'm sorry I tried / To stay the same but to my demise”

Why do so many people share good news and hide away struggles?

As someone who has been abroad for four years with many more years ahead, I resonated with Chan's lyrics the moment I heard them. Nowadays, every time I return home, the days can only be counted by fingers. I am sorry I could not be there with you. I sacrificed so much for my so-called dreams. What must a person lose for the sake of a dream? We always talk about next time, the future, or doing things later, but how many futures do we actually have?

The truth is there was not even a proper farewell. When I left to pursue my goals back then, I didn’t say a proper goodbye to my middle school classmates. Sometimes now, waking from a dream and trying to gather those fragmented memories, I find it impossible to piece together the time and people from back then.

Everyone moves forward; only we seem trapped in memories. The same goes for my hometown. Chatting with friends a few days ago, I felt that we had been left behind by the times. Not in terms of technology or development, but in terms of time itself. The world changed and people changed, while we remained anchored to the day we left.

There are far too many occurrences in this society that go against our wishes. Recently, I learned the word "impermanence." Time is impermanent. Whether viewed through philosophy, physics, or ordinary daily life, unpredictable things happen continuously, and we have no choice but to accept them.

However,

“The things around me have broken me up but still / I'll always love you”

The impermanence of reality may have shattered us, but love is the one thing that remains permanent.

If you have read this far, please express your love to those around you. Cherish time and cherish the people you have. It is truly the easiest, yet hardest thing to do in our lives.