20cm
Updated: 2 days ago
⋆ Genre: Slow R&B
⋆ Producing Credits: Jordan Kyle, Shin Hyeon
⋆ Writing/Composing Credits: Jordan Kyle, Shin Hyeon, Jayrah Gibson, danke, Slow Rabbit, ADORA, "Hitman" Bang, Hiss Noise, Bobby Chung, Joni
ABOUT/MEANING: “20cm” uses physical growth to capture the subtle emotional changes that occur as childhood gives way to adolescence. Looking back on someone he has known since they were young, the boy notices how much has changed as they have grown up, including his own dramatic increase in height. As their bodies have matured, so too have his feelings, transforming a once-familiar childhood relationship into something newly romantic and difficult to define.
That change creates a tender tension between familiarity and discovery. “You” is still the person who has been beside him for years, yet he now experiences that closeness differently, becoming increasingly aware of wanting to care for, comfort and remain close to them. Growing up has not necessarily created distance between the two; instead, it has changed the meaning of a relationship that once seemed simple.
Within The Dream Chapter: MAGIC, “20cm” reflects adolescence through one of its most intimate transformations: discovering that relationships can evolve as you do. The physical growth referenced in the title becomes a visible measure of how much the boy himself has changed, while his growing feelings reveal the less visible ways he has matured. What began in childhood remains familiar, but growing up allows him to recognise something within it that he could not understand before.
WIDER DISCOGRAPHY CONNECTION: While “Can’t We Just Leave the Monster Alive?” expresses anxiety about what might be lost through growing up, “20cm” presents another side of that change. Here, physical and emotional growth allows the boy to recognise new feelings within a relationship that has existed since childhood. Growing up may change something familiar, but it can also reveal possibilities that were not visible before.
LYRICS - ENGLISH TRANSLATION
Oh~ oh baby, let's go
Since we were young, we stuck together
During the hot summer, in the short time, we didn't see each other
I’ve grown taller
My voice has become lower
I feel awkward from head to toe
We are as awkward as my grown height
(To you) a friend,
I start acting like a man
Every night, without a sound
My height and my feelings towards you seem to grow side by side
(My heart when I look at you)
My heart
(It's very different from before)
My feelings that have grown
I try to hold them back
But they keep getting ahead on their own
(A little bit further apart)
You don't know
(Our 20cm difference)
When we’re next to each other
The scent of your shampoo tickles my nose
I want to gently pat your head
(As you look up at me)
I want to tickle your chin
The number of your fluttering eyelashes
One by one like a math equation
I want to memorize them all
Every night, without a sound
My height and my feelings towards you seem to grow side by side
(My heart when I look at you)
My heart
(It's very different from before)
My feelings that have grown
I try to hold them back
But they keep getting ahead on their own
(A little bit further apart)
You don't know
(Our 20cm difference)
The books on the top shelves of the library
I’ll take them out for you
When you need tteokbokki
CONTEXT/EXPANATION: Tteokbokki (떡볶이) is a popular Korean dish made with chewy rice cakes, most commonly served in a spicy-sweet red sauce made with gochujang (red chilli paste).
When you need someone to be on your side,
If you just look up
At that place, I will always be
I didn’t know, your scent
Your voice, your small hands
Were all so special
(My heart when I look at you)
(It is very different from before)
I'm surprised at my height and my shoulders,
They have grown to perfectly fit you
(The distance between you and me)
(I want to get closer)
So, would it be okay
If I come a little closer to you?
Just a little bit closer to you
Woah yeah
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