I asked ARON what had changed about him most in 10 years. His answer was his sense of responsibility—about making albums, about dancing and singing, about practice and the team.

How are Noah and Kkotsooni doing?

ARON: They’re the same as always. Noah never used to listen to me, but these days he’s behaving himself a bit better. And when he sits on the couch, he sits like this. (demonstrates) Like a person. Almost like he’s copying me. It’s so funny.

You said that you are raising Noah in English and Kkotsooni in Korean. Is that a result of the time you spent in the US?

ARON: I used English with Noah ever since he was a little baby, so he’s used to that. But I adopted Kkotsooni a little later, so Korean is definitely easier for her. Seeing as Kkotsooni is a little older, though, she’s a little hard to train. She only knows “sit” and “spin.” (laughs)

I imagine you got to spend a lot of time with them recently while you were taking a break from your work.

ARON: Yes. I mostly stayed at home with them. A while ago I made a bar for my home out of wood. I bought all the materials, assembled them together, and painted them all by myself. It was pretty fun, and the time flew by. I think I was able to really recharge, having some alone time without having to worry about anything. I just put everything on hold and I never had to worry about what I’d do the next day. It was great to have some time to focus on me exclusively.

Even though you couldn’t be there for NU’EST’s ninth-anniversary event, 9ood cafe, on V LIVE, you left some comments. Were you watching the show the whole time?

ARON: I watched the whole thing from home. At the time I kept thinking how I wished I could’ve been there with them. I felt really apologetic to the members and to the fans that we couldn’t all celebrate the ninth anniversary together. But I still wanted to reach out, even if it wasn’t much, so I asked the staff, “I’m watching the show. Could you tell them I said this and this?”

The other members made the 9ood cafe invitation and wrote a message card for you, but it really seemed like you wrote it yourself.

ARON: Exactly. MINHYUN wrote that for me. That’s pretty much exactly what I would’ve said. (laughs) We’ve been together almost 10 years, so I wasn’t surprised he knows me so well, and I loved it. I was really grateful.

It’s been seven years since your last full album, so this one must feel particularly meaningful.

ARON: We put a lot of thought into it so we could have better songs and cooler performances. We started working on the album last fall.  We took a long time polishing things up because we wanted things to be the best they could be, and the finished product sounds really good thanks to that. The songs are all great, first of all. And the choreography turned out amazing, especially for my solo song. (laughs)

Your solo song “I’M NOT” feels different than your previous solos, “GOOD LOVE” and “WI-FI.” Like you placed your focus more on melancholy.

ARON: I actually almost cried while recording it. It was pretty hard. (laughs) It’s the kind of song I like to listen to, but not a style I sing in much, so that was a challenge. I stayed up every night for a few days recording it, to the point that I lost my voice. I tried really hard to sing “I’M NOT” well because I wanted to show a little bit of a different side of me. I wanted to show that I can do something other than R&B, and most importantly, I wanted to express myself.

What exactly did you want to express?

ARON: Regular, everyday Kwak Aron, and ARON from NU’EST. I wanted to show both their views at the same time. Because I’ve had a rough couple of months. (laughs) It’s all about how, even when I’m in a rough patch, if I’m up on stage or meeting fans as NU’EST ARON, I feel good, like, I’m okay, I can make it.

When the lyrics change from, “It’s not bad / My mind don’t change either,” in the second chorus, to, “Don’t feel bad / Don’t change my mind either,” at the end, it almost sounds like you’re saying it to yourself.

ARON: You’re right. I wanted to sing something that would boost my spirits, like, Don’t feel bad, you can do it! And I wanted to direct that “don’t feel bad” message to the listener at the same time. It’s about me, but everyone who listens to it can relate, right? That’s my favorite part about that song.

You wrote the lyrics with BAEKHO. What did you two talk about while working on it together?

ARON: It’s difficult for me to write lyrics entirely in Korean, so I got a lot of help from BAEKHO and another songwriter. I’ve been talking a lot lately about what I’m thinking and the way I feel, and I think BAEKHO had a bit of an easier time understanding what I wanted to say because he’s always with me so he knows what I’m going through. It probably would’ve been hard to write the lyrics with someone I don’t know, but because it was BAEKHO they came to me easier than I expected. And I think they ended up being more honest, too.

What’s the reason you were so open about your feelings in this song?

ARON: I have a hard time talking about my feelings openly with other people. I’m kind of shy. I wanted to talk about myself through song because I thought I could express myself more comfortably that way.

The fans really seem to like the subtle facial expressions and poses you do on stage.

ARON: I heard they like it when I look brooding. I think they like it because it makes me look a little different than usual. Maybe the fans like when I look brooding or dark because I’m usually so playful and cheery. I’m thinking about what kind of face to make at what part of this performance, even now. (laughs)

How did you feel about the music and choreography for the single “INSIDE OUT”?

ARON: At first I was a bit worried because it’d been three months since I last danced, but once I got started my body moved all by itself. (laughs) The choreography’s not perfect yet so I’ve been practicing hard. I tried to give of a sort of sexy vibe with the title track. (laughs) So I focused very closely on my breathing: How can I sing this so people pick up on my emotions better? I kept thinking about that and recorded it a whole bunch of times.

It feels like the rhythm is key for your vocal parts, which must present a challenge. What is your approach like?

ARON: Yeah, it was really hard at first, so I was always concentrating closely while recording and put all my effort into practicing over and over. But now I feel like the rhythmic parts have kind of become my signature. I feel used to it now. It’s a little easier.

BAEKHO said he has a different way of directing each member when he’s in charge of recording but that he tends to pay you a lot of compliments.

ARON: Yes, because I’m usually not overly confident. If I’m told that I’m doing a good job, I suddenly feel confident enough to do better. A little while ago, BUMZU said to me, “ARON, you sound the best out of anyone on this album.” Maybe he was just saying that, but it sure made me feel good to hear it. (laughs) I also heard a lot of people say the reason my voice sounds so good is that I had some time off. (laughs) “ARON, did you practice your singing? When did you get this good?” (laughs) I wasn’t off practicing by myself, but I listened to a lot of songs and sang along to myself while at home, which probably helped.

You couldn’t see your fans last year, but you said you were happy to at least host To.Night on Naver NOW.

ARON: I was so happy to have a new way to communicate with the fans. I felt like I somehow became closer with them after hearing about the details of their daily lives and talking with them on To.Night. I loved it.

On To.Night, you were quick to read the situation and followed a well organized structure.

ARON: I think my previous experience in radio helped out there. It became second nature to me to keep an eye on the time and check the monitor. I was amazed that my Korean got good enough that I could do To.Night. When we debuted, I wasn’t that fluent in Korean.

Now you can even do the “yodel-ay dance” and “sugar, salt and vinegar greetings” that you were too embarrassed to do before. And you’re a lot better at acting in skits, too. (laughs)

ARON: Ah. (sighs) That’s because I make REN do a lot of weird things too. He’ll do anything, but if I ever say no I feel bad. (laughs) I found acting hard, too. I couldn’t really do it. I’m too shy. But L.O.Λ.E like it, and seeing REN really get into it made me want to try a little harder. And I think my confidence went up as a result. But anyway, I think on To.Night I was just being myself. Min Ki and I always bicker and I think everyone could see that. It was really fun, all thanks to Min Ki. (laughs)

When Hoppipolla’s I’ll was on your show and he and REN were talking excitedly and out of control, you were at a loss for what to do.

ARON: (laughs) I kept making eye contact with MINUE like, “Uh… Um…” It was fun because Min Ki was having such a good time, but it was a bit hard to host. (laughs) It was like, We have to move on, but this is really funny. Do I put a stop to this or let them keep going? While the song was playing and we weren’t being recorded, I told Min Ki, “Stick to the script!” (laughs)

Your love for REN really shows.

ARON: He’s so cute! (laughs) Everyone else in the group looks fairly grown up but Min Ki seriously looks like a baby so I feel like I want to take care of him. Plus he’s good at taking my pranks and I’m good at taking his, too. We play jokes on each other a lot so we end up bickering a bit more than the other members.

REN said he thought you made the trending photo comparison labeled “grad photo of the celebrity as a first born son entering his rebellious teenage years.” What exactly do you two usually talk about that could lead to that kind of misunderstanding? (laughs)

ARON: My KakaoTalk messages with Min Ki are usually all dumb pictures. (laughs) Sometimes when I’m on break I’ll look through pictures of Min Ki, and if there’s a weird one I’ll send it to him. And then say, “Looking good, Min Ki.” (laughs) Min Ki probably yelled at me when I sent him that graduation photo. Like, “Hey!” (laughs) Ah, Min Ki’s so funny. I love it.

I imagine you have a lot to say about being a teen. You said most of the rock songs you played on your “Aron on Saturday, Saturday Night” broadcast were songs you heard while growing up. (laughs)

ARON: Oh man… I was (thinks) pretty angry when I was young. (laughs) I had a lot of complaints about the world. My mom must’ve had a hard time because I never listened, either. Then I started high school and realized I’d better get myself together and started to actually study. Up to that point I spent most of my time riding my bike with friends or playing basketball.

What was it like having yet another way of communicating with your fans, this time through “Aron on Saturday”?

ARON: I did that show because I wanted to play the music that I grew up listening to in the States for my fans. Every time I played a song, the fans already knew it. It was surprising but it made it more fun. I have the most fun when I’m talking with fans. That’s when I’m happiest. It’s not like I’m entitled to have people who support me. So I feel really thankful that I have so many people I can communicate with like this. And seeing how much we went through in the first five years after our debut, it’s pretty clear how much our fans mean to us.

It’s been a long time since NU’EST garnered a lot of attention with their first number one, but I guess you still remember those times.

ARON: Yes, I still do. I feel the same way now as I did then. That hasn’t changed, and I’m always thinking about how grateful I am. I randomly saw the M Countdown video where we cried after getting our first place a while ago. (laughs) When I saw it this time, I felt like I cried a little too hard and too openly. Ah… I should’ve tried to look a little cooler when I cried.

Now that you’ve been with the members for 10 years, is there anything you’re still looking forward to?

ARON: We’ve already done almost everything together, but I want to do another concert. If we could do another concert—I’d probably cry. It’s weird—I never used to cry at all, but I cry more now that I’ve gotten older. (laughs) The most important thing to me, though, has always been that we keep the NU’EST name. Even now. I think about how much they mean to me, the members and the team.