[REQUESTED]
BEAST (also referred to as B2ST) returns into the scene bringing yet another dark concept which fits amazingly well with their individual transformations after releasing singles "I'm Sorry" and "Will You Be Alright?" from the same album entitled "Hard To Love, How To Love." Considered as having one of the largest fanbases in the K-Pop world, BEAST once again have captured the hearts of many and probably are acquiring even more fans as we speak.
The music video is something I find myself pondering about for an hour now. It is definitely a dark one complete with the skulls, spiders, scorpions and everything that goes well with the concept. Although it seems like it is an easy concept to fill in, it really is not. In the video, they look completely frustrated and are in a state of enduring so much pain - the pain in which are completely self-inflicted. They offered us such a beautiful extended metaphor - a man is an eternal shadow of the woman he truly loves.
Whereas before when their love was at its height, they were "sunny days" and "flashing lights" - the ultimate reason why the man had an excuse to be by her side because when there is light, there is shadow. After she left, it was as if she had taken all those reasons away and together with the light, she vanished. The man who was once a shadow could not find a frame to literally lean on because the darkness has come, day and night "the sun is hiding" thus he is lost, confused and possibly frightened as well. What he could remember was only her parting voice and he begged for them to be erased but until he can find her, he will remain in the darkness with absolutely nothing to lean on.
What intrigued me is the fact that the metaphor itself is so devastating and yet it is (maybe) the purest form of love as well. He compared himself to that of a shadow of a woman he loves - he can never touch her or even look at her in the eyes. Even if she was to stick around and the lights are still there, he would always be distant. So it has occurred to me that he has been loving her from afar even if it means losing his dignity - there is no sign of his entity and him ever owning the woman whatsoever. Towards the end of the video, the boys are dancing in the field of ashes in a what seemed to be a post-apocalyptic scene so I reckon that they have come to a certain point of the story. Likewise, when one is turned into ashes, they will become insignificant in the later days and soon will be forgotten completely.
The song itself is haunting as it opens with a repetition of the word "shadow" and there is a favourable balance of the distribution of parts among the members. Junhyung's rap parts highlighted the core points in the plot and it brings the song a modern twist of what seemed to be a typical and yet a beautiful pop song. Yoseob and Hyunseung's main parts bring the whole song into a climax which I believe will also be the reason why one would hit the replay button. Gikwang, Dongwoon and leader Dujun are the main reason why the whole video is an extremely sexy one as they represent the manliness of the whole group this time round. A job well done, congratulations boys!
By Nani Azlan