Not sure if anyone has done this before (probably someone has), but I thought it would be fun to try to come up with an overarching narrative to connect Key’s solo Korean MVs, so here’s my stab at it. The MVs as listed here are not all in chronological order but rather in the order that best fit the storyline I created. I used both song lyrics and visual details from the MVs to craft this story.
I love Key’s artistry and how he tells stories through his music and videos, so if this post piques your interest at all, please check out his MVs, listen to his albums, and just appreciate the wonderful artist he is! He also just released his third full album, Hunter, which is amazing.
The Beginning
Forever Yours: Key has fallen in love, purely and intensely. His whole life has become dedicated to the one he loves, who he promises his heart to forever. We also hear that his love (voiced by Soyou) seems to reciprocate his feelings. The MV is filled with bright colors as Key flies through the sky in his retro car. There is a strong nostalgic feeling emphasized by the retro imagery. Overall, this provides a sense of hopefulness and safety. At the same time, we get some glimpses that all may not be well in Key’s relationship. He experiences turbulence and blinding flashes on his drive through space, perhaps indicating some as-of-yet unknown trouble in the relationship.
I Wanna Be: Key continues to deepen his relationship as he professes his desire to be everything for the one he loves. His love (portrayed here by Soyeon) has fallen for him just as intensely, so intensely that her dreams for the future and her desires have all changed to center around him. The bright colors from Forever Yours are carried into this MV, which has more futuristic interior design visuals. Instead of focusing on the just the present, Key is dreaming of the vibrant future he will have with his love.
One of Those Nights: As foreshadowed in Forever Yours, Key’s relationship is no longer going smoothly. It seems his love has broken up with him, but he is unable to let go. He is reaching a breaking point, feeling lost and weak. In the MV, we see flashes of Key’s happy memories contrasted with his present loneliness. No longer flying freely through space, he is firmly on earth, at times lost in the forest or trapped in a train car, at the mercy of the sun’s heat or rain the drips through his ceiling. He’s no longer imagining the beautiful future but is trapped in the present by the reality of his past.
Cold: A few months have passed, and Key’s heart seems to have hardened. He doesn’t want his love back, even as his ex begs him. Was Key actually the one to break things off, or is he simply the one choosing to end it for good as his ex tries to rectify her mistake? During the MV, Key stands stationary, but his eyes track his ex, and his eyes are not emotionless. They hold a resigned sadness, but for what? Perhaps the fact that his ex will think him cold and callous, when he truly still harbors feelings for her but must put himself and his own happiness first.
Good & Great: Key attempts to throw himself into his work in an effort to move on from his relationship. The MV shows the monotony of his work life as he struggles to convince himself that he’s doing okay and happy to be there. But reminders that he’s not okay keep popping up, making it impossible for him to stick to be a normal office worker.
Hate That: Key’s negative feelings from the end of his relationship have simmered into a loathing of himself and resentment toward his ex. In the MV, we see that he can’t bear to exist on earth as long as his ex (portrayed by Taeyeon here) remains there, so he boards a shuttle to space. But even flying as far as he can from her doesn’t give him relief from his emotions, because mentally, he’s still right there with her. Key can’t let go of his love, even as it twists itself into something sinister.
Bad Love: Instead of healing with time and space, Key’s feelings toward his broken relationship have grown more intense and irrational. He doesn’t believe his relationship was just a bit disfunctional; no, to him, it was completely toxic, a bad idea from the start. In the MV, Key’s outfits are more glamorous and flamboyant than we have seen previously, indicating how his sense of reality is decreasing. He tries to act the part and do his job like normal, but behind the scenes, he’s destroying his dressing room, unable to escape his own mind. Key has let his feelings consume him, and he can’t handle it.
Killer: As a last attempt to dull the pain of rejection, Key convinces himself that he was the one to ruthlessly kill the relationship. He was the toxic one, his ex the one left begging and broken. The MV’s color palette is fairly dark with occasional flashes of harsh brightness, providing a feeling of cold detachment. But from the anguish in Key’s voice, it’s clear that he isn’t anywhere close to being free from the pain.
Pleasure Shop: Feeling utterly exhausted and defeated, Key has lost hope in people and the world. The MV shows Key as a cyborg amid scenes of bright artificiality, a world covered in plastic and metal. To Key, everyone is a faker, every interaction is transactional. So he might as well shove down any scrap of emotion and be a faker too. Sure, he’ll serve the whims of others, but only if it there’s something in it for him. Maybe having people be indebted to him is the only way he can receive love.
Gasoline: After living his life transactionally for a while, Key has grown selfish and narcissistic. He thinks of himself as the best of the best, an unbeatable demigod, and everyone else is beneath him. In the MV, his outfits aren’t just glamorous, they’re gaudy and even inhuman. In the past, he couldn’t control his relationship, his emotions, his life, so now he’s taking control. Key is the ruler of his own planet, and everyone else is a worshiper just waiting for his command.
Hunter: All traces of who Key used to be have vanished. Gone is the Key who was purely in love, the Key who mourned his relationship, the Key who tried any method to relieve his pain. This Key is a twisted psychopath. The MV shows him brutally murdering himself, representing how he has lost his humanity. Now, he chooses to surround himself with those who will blindly follow him regardless of his harsh and bloodthirsty personality.
The End . . . for now
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