아직 네 향기가 남아 있어

The line, explained

After someone leaves, the room does not empty all at once. Their scent stays in the air a little longer, and that is what this line holds on to: 'Your scent still lingers here.' Korean has a perfect ending for something that remains after the action is over: -아/어 있다. It describes a state, not an event. The person has gone, the leaving is done, but the result is still sitting there, which is exactly why it hurts.

아직 means still or yet, and it sets the tone: this should have ended by now, but it has not. In a negative sentence it means 'not yet', as in 아직 안 왔어, they have not come yet. Here, in a positive sentence, it means 'still'. 네 is 'your', a squeezed 너의, which singers often pronounce 니. Together, 아직 네 sets up the whole song: something of yours is still here.

향기 means scent or fragrance, usually a pleasant one, like perfume, flowers or freshly washed hair. With the subject marker 가 it becomes 향기가, the thing that is still here. The ㅇ at the end of 향 is a nasal 'ng' sound, so it is hyang-gi. A plainer word for smell is 냄새, but that can sound neutral or even unpleasant. In a love song, it is always 향기, because the memory is a sweet one.

남다 means to remain or to be left over. Add -아 있다 and it becomes 남아 있다, 'is left, remains', describing the state after something stayed behind. The rule is the same vowel rule you use for -아요/-어요: 남 has ㅏ, so it takes -아. In casual present it is 남아 있어, and the ㅁ slides over to make na-ma. Do not confuse it with -고 있다: 남고 있다 would sound odd, because -고 있다 is for actions in progress, not leftover states.

Sing it low and slow: a-jik ne hyang-gi-ga, then na-ma i-sseo, letting the last syllable fade. Then swap what is left behind: 온기가, your warmth; 흔적이, your traces; 목소리가, your voice; 사진이, your photo. Every one still takes 남아 있어. You will also hear -아/어 있다 in daily scenes: 문이 열려 있어, the door is open; 꽃이 피어 있어, the flowers are in bloom. Each one is a moment frozen after the action.