[OST Corner] When We Were Close

10 July 22, 2023July 22, 2023

by solstices

When it comes to love, life, and loss, My Unfamiliar Family ranks up high as my all-time favorite family and friends-to-lovers tale — and not just because of how much I love the leads Han Ye-ri and Kim Ji-seok, though that certainly plays a part. Beyond the actors’ nuanced portrayals, the characters were lovable and layered. From Eun-hee’s earnest candor to Chan-hyuk’s gentle patience, their strengths brought out the best in each other, though their shortcomings also clashed and led to conflict.

It’s that comfortable rapport of the past, and the willingness to acknowledge the mistakes each of them has made, that brings them back together after all those years since their falling-out. “When We Were Close” is the song that underscores their reunion as they take tentative steps towards rekindling their friendship, and I like that it doesn’t just focus on their reconnection or their romance. Rather, it reflects upon their shared history and the missteps made along the way, highlighting how far they’ve come and giving depth to their journey both alone and together.

When just a word
could bring a smile to our faces
I miss the us of the past
…
When just a word of comfort
brought us to tears together
I recall the us of the past

What I particularly love about this OST is how well it fits all the show’s characters, and the vignettes in its music video perfectly encapsulate that. It could be Sang-shik and Jin-sook’s song, expressing their longing for the warm and tender days before misunderstandings drove a wedge between them. It could be Tae-hyung and Eun-joo’s song, thinking back upon the peaceful times before the veil fell from the facade of their marriage. It could be Eun-joo and Eun-hee’s song, evoking the undercurrent of unwavering love that runs beneath the often-tumultuous relationship between sisters. It could be my song, or your song, too, because who hasn’t regretted the past or reminisced upon rosy memories?

To me, “When We Were Close” is a comforting OST about finding yourself and rediscovering past connections in the process. When I listen to the song, it feels like coming home to a warm hug that tells me everything will turn out all right. And when I think about the drama’s characters, and how they loved and lost but ultimately grew into stronger people from it all, it gives me the reassurance that I can do much the same.

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Tags: OST Corner

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1 Blue (@mayhemf)

July 22, 2023 at 2:53 PM

💙 one of my favorite couples.
I love this drama and whenever this song came I had so many feels. Thanks for writing about it.
I used to feel the ‘melancholic longing’ whenever I listened to it.

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2 Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️

July 22, 2023 at 6:13 PM

Thanks for bringing this one up @solstices, I just listened to it and whilst I have no memories of it, it really does fit for that drama. I really liked the drama at the time of watching but I didn’t collect OST tracks back then. Recently, I have at least one track to evoke a feel of each of the drama I have enjoyed. I have therefore saved this to my driving to work de stress playlist.

I do think it was a drama that had a lot of heavy themes and that is probably why I didn’t recognise the track or connect it with any one scene as I was so into the story I probably just found the music enhancing rather than being consciously aware of it.

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3 pohonphee

July 22, 2023 at 8:39 PM

Aww I love this couple.

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4 Kurama

July 22, 2023 at 10:53 PM

Just one picture of this drama and I want to rewatch it!

The song was perfect for this drama. It suited so well its thematic but specially the main couple. It was one of the best friendship - lover couple!

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5 PYC

July 23, 2023 at 12:02 AM

When My unfamiliar Family aired, I loved it without reservation. Now, three years on, I come to realise what a masterpiece it actually is with nothing comparable in the years since. It’s such a layered piece enriched with the complexities of what and how different relationships are shaped and changed. We’ve seen so may dramas starting with similar ambitions but unfortunately derailed along the way or never got there.

So, thanks for bringing this drama up and reminding its greatness - time for a re-watch.

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6 Emperor

July 23, 2023 at 9:23 AM

I'm glad that DB Staff remembers this song - this is the song that keeps making its way back on my YouTube Music playlist, whether I'm driving or working from my home.
My Unfamiliar Family has 3 main songs - Family (Bumkey), this one, and My Day (GB9). I love all three songs, and the drama itself! Seems like as the oldest of three siblings, I am somewhat attracted to drama with three siblings as its main characters, with this one and My Liberation Notes sitting on top of them all.

The drama features many qualities that I loved from a weekender drama, and intelligently putting everything together like a good "coming-of-age" film that, instead of a character, it is a "coming-of-age" situation for the whole family. And yes, seeing this post made me think of rewatching it again. I just realized the best way to watch this is to savor it slowly, like 3-4 episodes a day (My Unfamiliar Family, just like My Mister, is not the kind of drama you want to binge-watch).
Oh, and can we bring Kim Ji-Seok back as a main lead, please?

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Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️

July 23, 2023 at 12:25 PM

‘The drama features many qualities that I loved from a weekender drama, and intelligently putting everything together like a good "coming-of-age" film that, instead of a character, it is a "coming-of-age" situation for the whole family’👈🏾 this is a great summary of the drama thanks for sharing these thoughts.

I am also the eldest of three and I have never really thought about it but it is usually an only child or two children in drama families, but three friends is quite common.

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Isa is always time travelling

July 23, 2023 at 2:10 PM

I binge-watched My unfamiliar family about a year ago. I was totally hooked. There was something that made me keep watching it. Maybe the story and characters... peeled as an onion, giving us a little bit of new information about them episode after episode.