Sea and Land in One Bowl
Ramen that held both sea and land in a single bowl. The money piled up in the bank vault amounted to a staggering 2 billion won. And that was without anyone's help—purely money I'd earned on my own. Stacks of 10,000-won bills towered higher than the hill behind our Bukchangdong mansion.
Kyah! I nearly lunged at the bundles of cash, but then I noticed Grandpa staring blankly at me. In moments like this, it was best to compose myself.
"Grandpa."
"What's on your mind, lass? If it's too much for you, this old man can hold onto it until our Seoyeon turns eighteen."
It wouldn't be bad to earn some solid interest, but I had other plans.
"I want to make more ramen."
"Ramen, you say?"
"Yes. Then Seoyeon can earn even more money than now, right?"
"Heh…."
Not long ago, China had begun its full-scale reform and opening up. At the 11th Central Committee's Third Plenum of the Chinese Communist Party, they designated four regions, including Shenzhen, as special economic zones. They allowed foreign investment and dismantled the people's communes in rural areas to permit individual farming. In a few more years, the pace of opening would accelerate even further.
China, with its market economy of over a billion people. With my knowledge of the future, I couldn't let that vast market slip away. To prepare, it was best to build up production facilities domestically to the max. Right now, we only had a few small factories, but someday, conveyor belts would run day and night, with steam and noodle scents billowing from the rooftops.
"Expanding production facilities…."
Grandpa mulled over my words several times, then suddenly stroked my head with his palm.
"A fine idea. For Hansung to survive, we need to sell one more bowl, don't we? You could leave the money with this old man and collect interest steadily, but as a proper granddaughter of the Hansung family, you should learn how to grow wealth first."
To expand facilities, we couldn't stick just to Hansung Jjapaghetti. We needed to launch another blockbuster ramen. And I'd already decided on it in my mind.
"Grandpa!"
"Yes?"
"Listen! I have a ramen I want to make!"
"Ramen?"
"Yes! I want to make it with that 2 billion won!"
Grandpa blinked at my words.
＊
Jjajang ramen held infinite possibilities. It was a flavor that could capture the public's taste more broadly than any other ramen. Depending on how you stir-fried the chunjang, the aroma changed. The thickness of the noodles altered the texture entirely. With the right ratio of oil in the soup mix, you could even mimic the taste of a high-end Chinese restaurant.
It was the 1980s now. An era called the golden age of ramen. Countless companies jumped into the ramen market, heating it up day by day. Among them, I planned to develop the ramen that paired best with jjajang ramen.
Of course, I already knew the recipe.
"So, little miss, you're saying you want to make a ramen that can be mixed with our Hansung Jjapaghetti?"
"Yes. I'm planning to develop a unique ramen that goes perfectly with Hansung Jjapaghetti."
"Is that really necessary? Hansung Jjapaghetti and Sichuan Hansung Jjapaghetti have completely different flavors, don't they?"
True enough. But this was just preparatory work for the future. It might seem like mere mixing fun now, but someday consumers would buy two ramens at once and mix them themselves.
I grinned.
"Have you heard of jjapaguri, Dr. Lee?"
"Jjapaguri?"
"Yes. Ramen is such a fascinating food. As various products come out, certain combinations start to pair perfectly. People will discover those pairings and find even more joy in the process."
"…!"
The 2 billion won from Grandpa. I planned to use it to stake a claim on future food culture. Ramen was different from other foods. When a consumer went to buy A ramen, they'd grab B ramen that paired well with it too. Jjapaguri perfectly tapped into that psychology. Sales would skyrocket several times over, naturally.
"Sounds fun. Ramen with ramen—it's a brilliant idea I never imagined."
Dr. Lee adjusted his glasses, nodding seriously now.
"Hansung Jjapaghetti is appealing with its sweet, hearty black bean base and oily richness. A good match would be a seafood-based, spicy, hearty broth ramen."
"Heh~ Dr. Lee, you seem to have a real talent for ramen."
Oddly, in my past life, there was no record of what ramen this Dr. Lee had made in the industry. Maybe his talent never bloomed and faded into obscurity?
My heart raced. Just imagining the impact my ramen would have on the world made me breathless. It wouldn't just be food to fill a meal. It would become play, culture, even a generational memory on dining tables.
Didn't someone in the future say it?
I agreed completely.
＊
Hansung Food had surpassed Nongwon and Sanmi to claim the top spot in domestic ramen market share—an incredible feat. The media was abuzz, calling it the comet of the food industry.
"Kuhahaha, kuhahat!"
The mansion echoed with Chairman Han Seongcheol's booming laughter.
"Seongu, did you see? I can't believe these results no matter how many times I look. Kuhaha!"
"Congratulations, Father!"
"Eh, what did I do? This is all Seoyeon's doing."
"But Father was the one who believed in Seoyeon."
"Well, that's true enough."
Han Seongcheol carefully clipped the newspaper headline about Hansung Food's good news with scissors. He placed it in an elegant frame and hung it meticulously in the center of his study wall.
Hansung Food Sales Surge 1,300% Over Last Year!
It was like a declaration of the Hansung family's revival, the bold letters gleaming within the gold frame.
"By the way, Seoyeon wants to make another ramen."
"Seoyeon does?"
Han Seongu recalled that his daughter had received 2 billion won from Han Seongcheol. For a moment, he was at a loss for words.
Han Seoyeon was only five years old. The age when kids should be getting pocket money from parents. It was unbelievable for a parent that a child still counting on her fingers was discussing factory expansions and new product planning.
"Yes. She says she'll use the 2 billion I gave her for the factory. Make it bigger, sell more."
"……"
No matter how elite the chaebol upbringing from a young age, talking business expansion and facility investment at five was unheard of.
The Hansung family's only daughter was different from other kids on a whole other level from the start.
"Father, isn't it too early? Seoyeon will be starting kindergarten soon."
"Quite right. I looked into kindergartens myself."
"You did it yourself, Father?"
Han Seongu's eyes widened. Han Seongcheol was the man who never attended his own children's events. Woo Shijang always handled it instead. Even for major family occasions, he prioritized the group over home.
For such a man to personally scout kindergartens for his granddaughter….
"Seoyeon is a smart child. Age is just a number. Doesn't a girl that brilliant need to skip the ordinary path?"
"But Father… what about her emotional development…."
"From what I've seen, Seoyeon's mental state is far better than the executives who just take my money and eat. And Seongu, it's time you learned something too."
At the back of the study hung a large map on a scroll. A massive map of the entire Republic of Korea, densely marked.
The Gyeongbu Expressway had opened in 1970. Incheon, Ulsan, Pohang, Busan—the nation's top trade ports. Countless red dots stood out clearly. It included the rail networks like Gyeongbu, Honam, and Jungbu lines. It was as if the blueprint for Hansung Group's future lay vividly before their eyes.
"Seongu."
"Yes, Father."
"Sometimes, looking at Seoyeon surprises even me."
"You, Father?"
"Yep. Seoyeon is a special child. Think she'll be content with just being number one domestically?"
"!"
"She probably sees this peninsula as a mere gateway. Then this Han Seongcheol must play to his granddaughter's tune."
"Father, you don't mean…."
"Kellkellkel."
Instead of answering, Han Seongcheol burst into hearty laughter.
＊
The ramen that paired perfectly with Hansung Jjapaghetti. I pulled out a cheat key from the future that had once been a massive hit.
Mixing half jjapa and half spicy broth ramen. A simple combo, but with guaranteed destructive power. When the sweet, salty black bean sauce soaked into the spicy, hearty broth, people would go wild for that familiar yet novel taste.
"Little miss, have you decided on a name for the new product?"
"Yes."
I looked at the ramen I'd developed with a seafood-based spicy broth at its core, my eyes sparkling. With just the right amount of MSG—the flower of flavors—it would captivate consumers' palates.
"The name of this new ramen we're launching is…."
I paused for a beat on purpose. It was the opening shot for my own ramen era, after all.
The name of that ramen was—