It’s a Sunday, so let’s travel back in time. Today, I’ll take you back to 2012, the year BtoB made their debut. Despite being in their 14th year since their debut and having launched their own label in 2024, BtoB remains an active and influential group in the music industry. Their last comeback was just one year ago.

Their debut single, titled ‘Insane’ in English, is name ‘비밀’ (which translates to ‘secret’) in Korean. The song’s lyrics delve into the emotions of longing and emotional turmoil experienced in a relationship.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the notable lines from the song: 

널 첨 본 기억은 흐릿하고

사랑이란 그네는 멈췄고

다신 돌아오지않을 기찰타고

“My memory of first seeing you is blurry,

the swing called love has stopped,

and I’m riding a train that will never come back.”

Vocabulary & grammar breakdown

1. 널 첨 본 기억은 흐릿하고

• 널 = contraction of 너를 (“you,” object marker)
• 첨 = shortened form of 처음 (“first / at first”)
• 보다 → 본 = past attributive form (“that I saw”)
• 기억 = “memory”
• –은 = topic marker
• 흐릿하다 → 흐릿하고 = “blurry / faint” + connective –고 (“and”)

→ Means: “The memory of first seeing you is blurry.”

2. 사랑이란 그네는 멈췄고

• 사랑 = “love”
• –이란 = contraction of –이라는 (“called / that is”)
• 그네 = “swing”
• –는 = topic marker
• 멈추다 → 멈췄고 = past tense + connective –고

→ Structure: N + (이)란 + noun

= “the swing called love.”

3. 다신 돌아오지 않을

• 다시 → 다신 = contraction meaning “never again”
• 돌아오다 = “to come back / return”
• –지 않다 → 돌아오지 않을 = future negative form

→ Means “that will never come back.”

4. 기차를 타고 (corrected spelling: 기찰 → 기차)

• 기차 = “train”
• –를 = object marker
• 타다 → 타고 = “to ride / take” + connective –고

→ “riding / taking a train.”

BtoB’s debut song has such a strong emotional narrative that it is no wonder that they later became a group famous for their emotional expression. Who is already looking forward to the next big comeback of BtoB?