When I first saw the title “Dear My Crazy Soulmate,” I assumed it was a love song.
Then I saw one very short line in the song info:
For Yoo In-na.
“Dear My Crazy Soulmate” was released on September 10, 2026, as part of IU’s digital single From This Star (이 별로부터). IU wrote the lyrics herself, and the song was released alongside “From This Star” as a double title track.
The two songs are also expected to appear on IU’s upcoming sixth full-length album.
But that little “For Yoo In-na” was the part that caught my attention.
IU and actress Yoo In-na have been close friends for more than 15 years. They first met while appearing on the SBS variety show Heroes back in 2010, and their friendship has been pretty well known ever since.
Once I knew who the song was written for, some of the really specific details in the lyrics started making a lot more sense.
The Funny T-Shirt and Blue Moon Necklace
The lyrics mention a funny T-shirt Yoo In-na gave IU and a necklace with a Blue Moon on it.
I liked seeing something as specific as a funny T-shirt make it into a song. It gave me a tiny glimpse of the kinds of gifts they actually exchange with each other.
Those aren’t the kinds of details you need to invent when you’ve known someone for that long. You already have years of random little things to pull from.
And apparently, Yoo In-na has been showing up in IU’s music for a lot longer than I realized.
This Isn’t the First Song IU Wrote With Yoo In-na in Mind
I found out that IU had written about Yoo In-na years before “Dear My Crazy Soulmate.”
Her song “You (너)” goes back to 2016, when Yoo In-na was busy filming a drama and the two couldn’t talk as often as usual. IU wrote the song while missing her friend, and it was eventually released on her 2021 project Pieces (조각집).
I didn’t know that before looking into this song.
So “Dear My Crazy Soulmate” doesn’t feel like a random friendship song that appeared out of nowhere. There’s already a much older piece of IU’s music connected to Yoo In-na.
Ten years later, she’s writing about her again — only now the song is imagining them getting old together.
“you and I” Becomes “YOO IN NA”
IU had a little fun with the lyrics in a video she posted too.
She took “Sure you and I, we best soulmate” and changed it to “Sure YOO IN NA, we best soulmate” while sharing photos of the two of them together.
The similar sound of you and I and YOO IN NA lets her slip her friend’s name right into the line.
Now I have a feeling I’m going to hear YOO IN NA every time the original part comes on.
Growing Old Together 👵
The lyrics also talk about IU wanting to become weird old ladies with Yoo In-na someday.
The MV follows two older friends, played by veteran actresses Kim Young-ok and Na Moon-hee. IU also appears in the video as a police officer.
Watching the older friends alongside the lyrics made me wonder if IU and Yoo In-na will be anything like them decades from now.
Still doing weird things together and laughing after all that time sounds like a pretty great friendship to me.
And then there was one MV detail I completely missed.
I Learned About “2288” From UAENA
There’s a prisoner number in the MV: 2288.
While looking up other interpretations of the song, I watched some YouTube videos made by UAENA, IU’s fandom, and that’s where I learned that the number has a connection to IU and Yoo In-na too.
According to those fan explanations, 2 is Yoo In-na’s favorite number, while 8 is IU’s favorite number.
The T-shirt and necklace were easy to notice in the lyrics. I definitely didn’t expect a prisoner number to be connected to the two of them too.
It made me wonder how many other tiny details fans who have followed IU and Yoo In-na for years probably noticed immediately while I completely missed them.
🎧 Today’s K-pop Recommendation
IU – “Dear My Crazy Soulmate”
If you’ve already listened to the song, I’d watch the MV too. There are little details that make a lot more sense once you know who the song was written for.
Do you have a crazy soulmate you can still see yourself laughing with decades from now? 🫶