Whenever I saw shorts, I always thought about picking it up as a hobby, but I just never had the time to cook anything myself since I was so busy.

But I’ve been focusing on my health lately and working out, and it felt like cooking for myself would be a healthier choice.

Then, once September rolled around, I ended up with a little bit of free time, so I decided to start cooking instead of getting delivery.

Part of the inspiration for that came from K, too.

He showed off his own signature recipe on the TBS show “LOVE it!” and seeing that made me want to get good enough that I could cook without needing shorts!

By the time I finish my day, get in, wash up, and start cooking, it can get to be pretty late a lot of the time.

But honestly, even though it’s late, I’m still having so much fun with it that I have a “I got this!” attitude. And a lot of times when I get a break during work, I’ll look up ideas for what to cook later.

Cooking’s so fun that the time just flies by.

Cleaning up is still a chore, though. (laughs)

I feel like I use way more paper towels than I expect to, so I’ve been trying to cut back on that!

Exactly. (laughs)

So, when I first started cooking, I had to buy all the seasonings and kitchen tools from scratch.

I’ve ended up with more and more kinds of seasoning over time.

Now I’ve got around 20 different kinds.

I mainly shop at supermarkets, and even then, you get subtly different versions of the same kind, and the flavor changes depending on which you use.

That’s been fun.

I buy different types of soy sauce in particular.

I love buying them since there’s low-sodium soy sauce, soy sauce infused with slapjack tuna broth, and on and on. It's like I’m collecting trading cards but with seasonings instead. (laughs)

The very first thing I made by myself from start to finish was karaage.

I honestly couldn’t tell if it even tasted good, but then the guys tried it and were like, “It’s good! Not bad at all.”

I was happy about that.

I mean, the frozen food version is good too, but I was desperate to try freshly fried karaage, so I gave it a whirl.

I cut the meat, mixed in the seasoning, and fried it in oil.

I recommend a mix of soft flour and starch.

I found it gives it a nice, crispy texture! Making karaage was a big learning experience, and it gave me the confidence to take on cooking as a hobby.

I mostly watch shorts and think, “I should try making this today!”

Anything you could cook has so many different recipes for it, so I’ve been working out my own using flavors and seasonings I like. My algorithm usually shows me a lot of pasta and grilled fish. Barbecue, too.

I end up seeing a lot of things you can make in the microwave, too, but I’m more into recipes that are a little more involved, so I move onto other shorts to cook from.

If there’s one I think looks decent, I jot it down on a notepad I have at home, then refer back to it when I’m making something later on.

When I was a kid,

there was this restaurant I really liked, and I wanted to be a chef there.

I have this memory of going to a family restaurant with my family after we went swimming together.

That’s a really happy memory for me.

That must be why I dreamed of becoming a chef. (laughs)

I used to go visit my grandma on summer vacation and help her or my mom make Hamburg steak or curry.

I think Hamburg steak was probably the first thing I ever tried making, actually. I remember kneading the ground beef with my sister to get all the air out of it.

Lately, they’ll get in touch with me and say things like, “How did you make that?” or “I can’t believe it!” (laughs)

I use chicken a lot when I’m cooking,

so my parents are always giving me tips like, “When you use chicken, make sure you grill it thoroughly.

You gotta do it like this!”

There’s definitely something fun about making Western cuisine, which is why I even saved a ton of pasta recipes while I was in Korea!

I personally find aglio e olio pretty tough to make, so I’ve been practicing making tomato-based pastas and seafood pasta first.

What I love about Western cooking is how just one seasoning can completely change the flavor. Trying out different ones and comparing the taste has kind of become a part of the hobby.

It’s challenging, but it makes me want to gain a deeper understanding, which I think actually makes Western dishes the most fun.

I think the most important thing is to make sure you don’t use too much oil and to get the water so it’s just right. You can’t add too much or too little.

You have to find that place where it’s just right—then you get this contrast where they’re nice and crispy on the bottom and soft and juicy on top. It gives them this great mouthfeel.

It’s why I asked YUMA to measure exactly 60 ml of water for me on “Go ONE!!!”

Another thing is to eat it with ginger.

I use ginger a lot in all kinds of dishes—it never gets boring, and it kind of feels like an upgrade?

I use a little bit of minced ginger from a tube.

That’s my little secret. (laughs)

Tomato cheese chicken jorim!

Honestly, since I’m usually the one eating the food I make, I just think to myself, “Good enough!” and move on, but when I made that, I was genuinely impressed with myself. (laughs)

I mixed canned tomatoes and milk together, which gave it this rosé flavor, and it wasn’t spicy at all, so I thought, “This would be amazing with some pasta in it!”

I like how, when I post pictures of my cooking and share them with LUNÉ, they must think,

“Wow, he still finds time to cook with that busy schedule!” (laughs)

I actually didn’t care much about how the food looks when I’m not going to take a picture before eating it, but then the rest of the group got on me about how I’m making this amazing food but can’t even take a decent photo of it. (laughs)

That started to make me want to take better photos and make it look nicer for LUNÉ.

I tried placing perilla leaves on my pasta, for instance.

Right now I’m interested in how to make the plating look good. If I get a chance, I’d love to buy more plates and experiment with the presentation.

I’m definitely the type of person who likes quick results and to be able to see things right in front of me.

I’ve also been working out lately, but you don’t see immediate results with that, so sometimes I wonder whether I’m on the right track or not.

With cooking, though, not only do you see exactly how you’re doing as you make it, but it looks great in the end, too, so it feels like an interest that really suits me.

Normally, I get bored of things just three days in, but cooking is so much fun, and every time I do it, I feel like I’ve accomplished something.

It’s the kind of hobby that becomes more enjoyable and in-depth the longer you stick with it.

Other than singing and dancing, which are already a big part of my life, cooking is my number one right now. (laughs)

Umm … Well,

I love nabe, and it’s super fun to make because of all the seasonings and stuff you can add.

There’s no one dish I’ve mastered yet, but I feel like nabe might bring out my sonmat.

I’m this outgoing, energetic person, but there’s sort of something about nabe where it has this calm, I-type [introverted] MBTI? (laughs)

And since I’m an E [extrovert], it’s totally opposite.

I think that makes for good chemistry—the appeal of an outgoing person making calm, quiet nabe.

I’m really interested in jjigae.

I like doenjang jjigae, and budae jjigae, too.

And I only had it a few times, but kongguksu is seriously amazing. I’ve thought about making it before.

Also, back when I was a trainee, I went to see EJ’s family and his parents made us tteokguk.

It was such a heartwarming moment.

EJ felt happy eating it, and I really felt the warmth and kindness of his family from eating there with him. Plus the tteokguk was amazing.

I actually ended up going to his house twice. (laughs)

I guess you could say the food I make has that taste of home.

I feel pretty confident about making dishes that feel full of love and affection. (laughs)

JO in particular eats what I make a lot, and I usually ask him how he likes it. What got the best reaction from him was oyakodon. He tends not to dive right into delivery food, but he digs right in when it’s something I made and then gives me his feedback. (laughs)

I like how those little gestures speak louder than words to show me how much he enjoyed it.

Nothing gives me more of a boost than when the guys eat my food and say it tastes good. I’m happy when the food tastes good to me too, obviously, but it doesn’t have the same impact …

Sharing my food with them and hearing their feedback, or showing it off to LUNÉ—that’s what I really like about cooking.

I used to make curry with my mom and grandma a lot when I was little. I loved cutting the vegetables into big chunks.

It was tasty, too.

Making that same kind of curry with the group felt like being right back at home.

I kept thinking about how great it’d be to invite them all to my home someday. It made me happy to see the cooking I did as a kid connecting with the present day.

I’ve seen a lot of Japanese cooking shows with these tall, handsome guys. So … and this is kind of embarrassing, but sometimes when I’m cooking, I catch myself thinking, “I guess I’m cool?” (laughs)

I haven’t heard the other group members say anything about me looking impressive while cooking yet, but I’d love it if LUNÉ were to say it. (laughs)

I seriously hoped LUNÉ would follow my lead!

It’s fun and encouraging to see them deciding what to cook for dinner and then sending pictures of what they made.

Not that cooking comes without plenty of challenges, but once you get into it, it helps you develop healthier habits and can make for a good hobby.

I’ll be sure to check out anytime LUNÉ posts their take on cooking to Weverse! (laughs)

There was a time recently where I messed up while making Hamburg steak. I guess I didn’t get rid of the air inside the meat properly, and it all fell apart.

I’ll have to try it again.

I hope to do a better job next time and to be able to take a nice photo of it. But I feel like making mistakes is part of what makes cooking fun.

I don’t stop—just think, “It didn’t turn out today, but I bet it’ll be different if I switch up the seasoning!” and keep updating it.

I’m the kind of person who keeps going until he succeeds, and even once I finally do, I want to do even better the next time. (laughs)

I’m more ambitious now after three years, and I’m happiest when LUNÉ enjoys what I do.

That’s why I’ve been working so hard on both singing and Korean.

And there’s quite a few LUNÉ in particular who’ve said they became fans because of my voice, and hearing that kind of response really pushes me forward.

I gained a lot of experience and confidence leading up to “緣 DAY,” and I wanted to show them what makes me special and what I’m capable of on my own.

I thought that if I performed solo, maybe something about me would change. I was super nervous, actually, but seeing all the lights on stage while I was singing was just so beautiful, and I feel like that’s why I was able to do a good job up there.

NICHOLAS told me, “You looked good—you looked happy,” and hearing that one sentence made me incredibly happy.

I want to be impressive not just on the outside, but on the inside—a grounded adult. (laughs)

It’s easy to be swayed by others if you don’t have your own opinions.

I think it’s important to ask myself,

“What do I need right now?” and learn to make good decisions. That’s why I make an effort to genuinely listen to other people’s opinions.

And, seeing as I’m getting ready to debut in Korea,

I’m treating it like I’m at the starting line again—the same mindset I had when we were first preparing for “Under the skin.”

There’s a line in the lead single that goes, “I come alive / I come alive.”

In the same way, I want to approach this as a challenge to show LUNÉ how much I’ve grown to give them some great performances.