From Dung Soup to Delight
Hansung Cheongmyeon, with its 600,000-unit ad model Ansimtangmyeon charging up ferociously, had surged ahead. Blending traditional Korean seasoning like doenjang with the umami-rich beef, it was reborn as a ramen with deep, intense flavor. As everyone knows, ramen has no limits. Doenjang jjigae, kimchi jjigae, budae jjigae, biji jjigae, even miyeokguk. Every Korean soup dish became an excellent recipe and source of inspiration for ramen itself. Thanks to that, the ramen of the future no longer remained just cheap, convenient meals. Instant food that shattered its own limits, gradually evolving into something from a new realm of cuisine.
In my previous life, ramen wasn't dismissed as mere food. "Ramen isn't food. Ramen is a culture." That kind of talk emerged because ramen possessed a vessel that could embody any recipe. As a domestic ramen researcher and developer, I'd tasted countless ramens around the world and arrived at one truth. What was it? 'A nation's ramen recipes capture its era and life.'
"Heh heh, to think you'd mobilize our soldiers to film a documentary. Well now, that's surprising, guh."
"I figured showing how soldier uncles live day-to-day would build massive empathy with the public. Then people would view our hardworking soldiers for the nation in a positive light."
"Heh, and slip in scenes of them eating Hansung Cheongmyeon at the same time?"
"Hee hee, killing two birds with one stone, right?"
The man before me was none other than Woo Jaeha, the Minister of National Defense. The top authority overseeing all Korean forces, wielding immense influence over the every move of hundreds of thousands of soldiers. And here he was, in a one-on-one meeting with a mere six-year-old girl.
"I wanted to give our soldier uncles a hearty meal with ramen, just like at home. So I think Hansung Cheongmyeon is actually perfect for military rations."
"Ahem, not a bad idea."
Hansung Cheongmyeon's doenjang was special. Unlike regular doenjang, it drastically reduced the thick texture and strong fermentation smell, incorporating dried tofu for a clean taste anyone could enjoy without burden. Layered with the deep beef broth base like Ansimtangmyeon, it was designed for a seamless flow from mouthfeel to swallow. So if a soldier scooped up a bite of Hansung Cheongmyeon... the nutty doenjang, clean tofu, and profound beef broth would bloom together in his mouth. Just like a bowl of mom's homemade doenjang guk straight from home.
The doenjang from Ando Momofuku in Japan had that same charm. I transferred the pre-prepared Hansung Cheongmyeon into an elegant bowl and set it before Minister Woo Jaeha.
"This is that Hansung Cheongmyeon?"
"Hee hee~ Give it a try first."
"Well then..."
He hesitated a moment before lightly picking up some noodles with his chopsticks. As steam rose gently from the bowl, carrying the subtle nutty aroma of doenjang, Minister Woo Jaeha's eyebrows twitched faintly.
"Heh... Doenjang ramen with no doenjang smell at all?"
Truth be told, the military had one persistent headache. Doenjang guk was an indispensable soup in their diet. Fine for small batches under four people at home, but in units, it was cooked for hundreds. Even veteran cooks with decades of know-how struggled to balance the flavor at that scale. Taste inconsistencies became routine.
I recalled my past life. Soldiers called doenjang guk "dung soup." The term basically mocked soups that tasted bad or looked off. Even among Korean soups, doenjang jjigae had the sharpest love-hate divide. Surprisingly many traditional Koreans hated that distinctive smell. After countless studies, Hansung Cheongmyeon minimized the smell while preserving the doenjang flavor—a balanced creation even haters could approach lightly.
"...Delicious. The homey doenjang taste is intact, but that signature smell is barely there. Even soldiers who hate doenjang could eat this. Heh, you've done us a huge favor."
"Really?"
"Yes. I feel Hansung's sincerity again. How could such ramen exist?"
But Hansung Cheongmyeon didn't stop there. There was one hidden truth I hadn't mentioned yet.
"Hee hee, Uncle Minister."
"Hm? What is it?"
Minister Woo Jaeha, savoring the broth, lifted his head slightly at my words.
"Hansung Cheongmyeon has another secret feature no one else knows about."
"Secret feature?"
"Yeah. Don't you think the doenjang in Hansung Cheongmyeon is too good to waste just on ramen?"
"What do you mean? Too good for just ramen?"
"I designed Hansung Cheongmyeon two ways. One as instant ramen... and the other as..."
The servants moved faster than before. Unlike ramen, a standard home-style doenjang guk was placed on the table. I immediately dissolved the exclusive doenjang powder soup packet from Hansung Cheongmyeon into it. Minister Woo Jaeha jumped in surprise.
"Wh-what are you doing? Why add ramen soup to doenjang guk?"
"Want to try it?"
"Heh, no way this could taste good..."
Skeptical but scooping up a spoonful anyway, he tasted the soup-mixed doenjang guk. A moment later.
"Gasp!"
He shot up from his seat. Eyes wide, he couldn't continue eating for a while, savoring the aftertaste like fine wine before slowly swallowing. Then he scooped another spoonful.
"It's exactly like homemade doenjang guk..."
"Right? Even in mass production, wouldn't the soldier uncles love it?"
"...!"
Was this the gaze of a man smitten at first sight by a beautiful woman? Minister Woo Jaeha's eyes toward the doenjang guk changed instantly. His pupils trembled wildly. It was a groundbreaking discovery.
"Sergeant Park, the company clerk said mess assembly in 10 minutes!"
"Oh yeah? So what's breakfast today?"
"Today's breakfast is high-quality rice, kkakdugi, seasoned soybean sprouts, and..."
Sergeant Park, lounging on his bunk, half-listened to his junior until a suspicious sound hit his ears.
"What? What'd you say the soup is?"
"Dung soup, sir."
"What? Fuck, dung soup again? Dung soup for breakfast?"
"Uh, well..."
At his junior's hesitation, he irritably sat up.
"Hey! Gimme money, go buy Hansung Jjapaghetti from the PX right now. This is too much—how many times a week is dung soup?!"
"Hee hee~ PX isn't open yet, Sergeant Park."
"Funny?"
"Hep!"
"Wanna assemble with you above, me below?"
"N-no, sir!"
"Then go now!"
"B-but..."
Soon, Sergeant Park clearly felt his patience nearing its limit. His junior's responses grated more than usual today.
"Fuck, is this how a last-year sergeant acts? Wanna see a real assembly before chow? I'll make your last days hell?"
"No, Sergeant Park, it's not that—the clerk said you specifically have to attend mess assembly..."
"Argh, that guy's on my case again? Haah, the army's a total shitshow. Shitshow!"
Not long ago, a huge incident flipped the entire battalion. Some PFC snitch reported seniors skipping meals, so now officers led mandatory mess assemblies.
Sergeant Park hit the PX whenever he could for Hansung ramen. Jjajangmyeon was impossible in the army otherwise. Hansung Jjapaghetti recreated that black bean sauce and oiliness—his sole lifeline.
He hated the army chow. Who makes this crap for humans? If the cook was his junior, he'd smack him.
"Haah, shitshow. Total shitshow! Latte is..."
Muttering as he assembled for mess, the sour mood made juniors wary. Then a familiar voice.
"Sergeant Park, here?"
The company clerk he never wanted to see.
"Sergeant Park. Present. For. Mess!"
"Good. No picky eating—gotta eat well to stay healthy, right?"
"Yessir..."
"Everyone's here, let's head to chow!"
Dung soup again today. Tomorrow too, probably? A last-year sergeant eating this crap daily? Sergeant Park sighed, arriving at the mess hall. But a bizarre sight greeted him.
Normally, faces twisted at dung soup. Yet here they were, devouring it like they hadn't eaten in days.
"Wh-what are you guys doing?"
"What's up, Sergeant Park?"
"No... that's dung soup, right? Especially you, Corporal Kay—didn't you hate doenjang? Why eat it?"
"Ah! Sergeant Park, you haven't heard?"
"Heard what?"
"From today, our unit adds special doenjang soup from Hansung to the doenjang guk? Clerk said we're a test unit."
"F-for real? That Hansung special doenjang sauce is that good?"
"Try it, sir? It's legit."
"Reaaally?"
Filling his tray figuring he had nothing to lose, Sergeant Park sat and picked up his spoon. Darker than usual dung soup.
"Huh? No smell? What? No doenjang?"
Muttering, he took a spoonful.
"Wh-what is this?"
Sergeant Park stared at the dung soup in shock. This wasn't the dung soup he knew.
"It's... too delicious..."
First time since enlisting. Soon, he polished off his tray and yelled.
"Hey, kitchen staff! More dung soup—no, doenjang guk?!"
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Actual side dishes eaten by soldiers from the 1980s. (Rice, kkakdugi, seasoned soybean sprouts, doenjang soup...)