Hidden Love: OST “Having You”

I’m working on Episode 7 and I noticed that a new song was dropped in this episode.

“To Have You” (or “Having You” or “I Have You”)
Sung by Zhao Lei

To come up with this translation, I compared the subs from different youtube videos, google-translated the Chinese words, and inferred the connection between the lyrics and the airport scene.

If you want to give credit to the translation, just use @Peachy Blossom Backup Channel. Leave me out of it. I’m just cleaning up the words as I see fit, and free-style interpreting them because I can’t stand nonsensical ballads. Like rap music, they give me a headache.

I’m sure @grace will come up a better interpretation.

Sometimes,
We are like streetlights waiting in the distance.
Holding fast to memories of tenderness,
(we are) slow to feel

(I take it to mean that he was admitting being too slow to detect and perceive the changes in her because he was clinging to memories)

Time says,
Many encounters lead to love.
Even when this winding road seems endless,
Deeply buried hearts (eventually) end up
Embracing forever and walking together.

Maybe in a crowded corner,
Love might slip away.
You have given me everything.
Maybe it’s because of fate
That regret is here to stay.
It’s enough to have you to share happiness with.

I wish I have the words
That can reach you across the distance in an instant.
The words from my heart are
Wholly meant to give you happiness,
And give you confidence to walk.

Maybe in a crowded corner,
Love might stray away.
You have given me everything.
Maybe it’s because of fate
That regret is here to stay.
It’s really enough to have you.

Maybe in some undetermined time and space,
I can once again lean on your shoulder
And give my all to you.
Maybe if I had reached out to you earlier.
And saved you with an embrace….

(aha! I take it that this is the real regret that he’s been talking about in the previous stanza. He didn’t get to her sooner.)

It’s enough to have you with me.

My comments:

a. There’s a change in the lyrics every time the persona (or singer) said it was enough “to have” her.

At first, he said, having her with him “to share the happiness” was enough for him. Then, he said, having her — just her — was REALLY enough. But in the end, he said having her WITH HIM was enough. It’s up to you to ponder on those words and their nuance.

b. Also, when he talked about regret, he didn’t mention what his regret was all about.

It was only in the last phrases of the song where he pinpointed the source of his regret. And that was his failure to reach out to her and save her in time.

If we’re to apply the lyrics to JiaXu (the singer is male, anyway), it won’t be a stretch to say that his regret is leaving her alone for far too long, and not saving her from the heartbreak. There may be more interpretation but that’s it for me, for now.

c. Okay, will work on my Episode 7 write-up.

8 Comments On “Hidden Love: OST “Having You””

  1. @packmule3, thank you for this subbed text and your translation, too.

    You say it’s from Duan Jiaxu’s point of view and I completely agree that makes sense over the long term. I believe it also can be seen from Sang Xi’s thoughts in the immediate time of the airport scene. Like the entire drama, there are reflections and twists.

    In the first stanza, the time must have felt even longer for her, because the feelings she had for him were more concrete earlier, in my eyes. “He doesn’t like me, he says I’m too young.” DJ confirms, “He did the right thing. You’re too young right now.” SZ protests, “But I will grow up. But when I grow up he’ll fall for someone else.” I think she was obliquely asking him to wait for her.

    SX has a flashback of all of the good times they shared together and the help he gave to her over and over – ‘You have given me everything.’ The ‘memories of tenderness … slow to feel’ may reflect her sense that what meant so much to her, meant less to him. “I just wanted to ask him whether he remembered our promise.”

    ‘The words from my heart are wholly meant to give you happiness’ – she sucked her misery in and presented him with the bear he once gave her. “I wish you happiness every day.”

    ‘Maybe if I had reached out to you earlier…’ regrets because if she had been able to express herself better before DJ moved away and got a (perceived) girlfriend, it may not have happened. “I guess this lady is your ‘someone better’.

    I noticed that as she returned to her room at the end of the episode, there was a drawing of a Disney-type castle on her wall. The shot expands to include a teapot on a side table. This seemed a good use of props to show how a dream or fantasy contrasts with day to day reality. But I may be overthinking.

  2. Thank you!

    I was trying to comment this afternoon but I couldn’t get my thoughts collectively while on the way to niece’s school performance. ☺️

    I like this instrumental bgm especially against SZ’s heartbreak scene at the airport. It really brought out her sadness and devastation.

    The lyrics are nice again. I can imagine the distance and slow to feel to refer to SZ growing up. Her regret that she’s young and can’t do anything but to wait.

    She’s happy that she’s able to spend time with DJ but if that’s all that’s meant to be then so be it.

    I like your take on the song too @Fern. 🥰

  3. I couldn’t resist taking a closer look at the lyrics now that you have brought it up. I don’t have time for now for the other conversations on Hidden Love while I’m on a mini project studying Hanfu for 2 days later…I’ll come back to those later but here are my comments on the lyrics.

    First few lines, my edits in italics
    “Sometimes, we are like streetlights waiting in the distance.
    Our memories tell us that we need to hold on tightly to the first tenderness.
    Feeling it, slowly.

    The essence of first stanza is that like streetlights, they are a far apart. And because of their distance from each other, they would need to remember the first encounters they had with each other and savour it…or let the memory of it be experienced slowly, gently, thoroughly.

    The other part that would do with some adjustments is this part:
    “I wish I have the words that can reach you across the distance in an instant.
    I will speak of my feelings without reservation.
    For the sake of happiness.
    With a look of certainty, I will press on.

    I’m slightly confused by his confusion of hope and regret. It’s like his own internal struggle as to whether to go all out and pour out his inner most feelings to her or to be contented with what he already has.
    “It’s enough just to have you.”

    The other lyrics that I am interpreting differently
    “Maybe because of fate
    the regret is here to stay.”
    I read it as fate makes regret 停留
    Now those two words can mean these things:
    1. Stay for a period
    2. Stop
    3. Remain
    4. Stop flowing
    I would like to take the interpretation that because fate keeps beckoning to them, giving them opportunities to meet, the regrets stop and that’s why he is so happy to just have her. That’s enough, more than enough. Because the opposite story would be that, they would not meet ever again.

  4. Thank you, @grace. That is helpful. Best wishes on your study of Hanfu.

  5. 👏👏👏 Thanks for this, @Grace. You cleared up a few things. I couldn’t get what he was talking about from the music videos.

    I looked up this singer’s other works to get an idea of his composition style. He’s into metaphors alright.

  6. Hanfu???

    You’re sewing a dress? Or are you studying textile and creation of a hanfu?

    Interesting….

  7. Thanks, @Fern, I’ll add this to my write-up on Ep 7.

  8. Just a simple presentation of Hanfu and their characteristics for a small event. Because there is so much history to it and insane variety of styles, my eyes are going 😵‍💫. Appreciating these beautiful traditional costumes more! Ha..helps me look at those costume drama with different eyes now.

    Will go check out the mv from ep7 soon. Curious about the setting of the song

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