Doenjang Ramen Showdown: Cheongmyeon's Military Triumph
Following the blockbuster success of Ansimtangmyeon, Hansung Cheongmyeon hit the market. The media jumped into the fray over the clash of these two doenjang ramens.
This time, for Hansung Cheongmyeon, we didn't hire actress Yoo Harin as our ad model. Instead, we used the military—600,000 ad models. We filmed a full-hour documentary capturing soldiers naturally eating Hansung Cheongmyeon. Not staged like a commercial, but the simple joy of one bowl emerging from the rough, rugged daily life of the barracks. Like soldiers standing watch at dawn, warming their chilled hands with steaming broth.
As expected, viewers loved it.
"Baby girl, how did you come up with this?"
Dr. Lee was staring at the VCR footage in a daze.
"A documentary... I figured you'd use the soldiers for something, but this..."
I'd initially planned something similar. But honestly, I wasn't confident about beating Ansimtangmyeon with ordinary methods. It was a product that had sold 15 billion units over decades. In raw numbers, even all the ramens I'd launched at Hansung combined fell far short of Ansimtangmyeon's sales.
"There was no other way to beat Ansimtangmyeon."
"So you're saying it's that formidable a ramen. Needing 600,000 people to take it down."
Less "formidable" and more that breaking its deep-rooted familiarity in people's daily lives was incredibly tough. I took a sip of sweet cocoa.
"Soldiers get regular leave, weekly outings, or overnight passes, right? Doenjang soup is polarizing—plenty of people born here secretly hate it. So I thought if a distinctly different doenjang soup appeared in military rations, they'd brag about it to their families."
"!"
In simple terms, a virtuous cycle. Something advertising could never achieve. Soldiers who enjoy the food in their units would eventually tell their families. Those families would try the ramen their soldier recommended, and if it suited their tastes, they'd spread the word to friends and acquaintances. In essence, 600,000 ad models each becoming their own media outlet. Not TV stations or newspapers, but far more powerful—word of mouth flowing person to person.
"I-is that possible... So you didn't just make an ad; you moved people themselves?"
Dr. Lee asked in awe-tinged tones.
"Then this round is our win too?"
"We'll see. I hope so, but Nongwon won't go down easy."
Of course not. In my past life, Nongwon dominated the domestic ramen market with overwhelming share. I remembered countless ramens from them. I wondered who was behind it there—surely someone who understood the market structure, just like me at Hansung.
Who could it be?
I glanced absently at the soldier on screen. The TV filled with one devouring not one, but five bowls of Hansung Cheongmyeon in a frenzy.
[Ramen's Gotta Be Hansung!]
Gurgle! My stomach suddenly rumbled loudly at the sight of him eating so heartily.
"Haha! Baby girl, shall we grab one too?"
Eek! My face flushed red at growling in front of him.
"Sh-shall we?"
Delicious food always tastes even better shared.
＊
At Nongwon headquarters, Seo Jieun called an emergency strategy meeting. The room was packed with key executives. Faces that usually stayed composed were tense today. The massive monitor at the front looped the documentary of soldiers eating Hansung Cheongmyeon.
[Ramen's Gotta Be Hansung!]
"......"
"......"
"......"
The soldier's praise for Hansung weighed down the room even more.
"Did you see it?"
She said curtly.
Ansimtangmyeon had been a mega-hit, easing Nongwon's cash crunch and paving the way forward. But that rosy future didn't last. Hansung Cheongmyeon's outlandish ad had overtaken it in a flash.
How do they think of this stuff? What kind of monster is at Hansung?
Seo Jieun ground her teeth in secret. What was needed now wasn't admiration, but a proper counter.
"Hansung used soldiers for a documentary. Not a hired ad with actress Yoo Harin, but building buzz from real consumers' mouths."
Murmurs rippled through the room.
Korea's security was unstable, with constant provocations from the North heightening tensions. Putting sensitive military figures front and center for corporate promo risked backlash. Yet Hansung pulled it off effortlessly.
"Director Jang Sehun."
Uncle in private, but Director in public.
"Yes. What is it?"
"Could you detail Ansimtangmyeon's sales status?"
"Of course."
Director Jang stood to speak.
"Ansimtangmyeon, our launch, saw daily average sales rise 7.8 times initial totals compared to all prior products combined. Especially in Seoul's major retail areas, inventory turnover improved dramatically."
Ansimtangmyeon, Korea's doenjang ramen, blended traditional fermented depth with beefy flavor for differentiation. It penetrated the market fast on clear positioning early on.
Who'd have thought it'd falter so soon?
"But right after Hansung's Cheongmyeon launch, those 7.8x sales dropped sharply. Even showing signs of decline."
"What's the cause? Why can't our Ansimtangmyeon compete?"
Seo Jieun answered, not Jang.
"Many reasons. But the decisive one, in my view..."
She placed a store-bought Hansung Cheongmyeon pack on the head table, unpacking components one by one before the execs.
"We infused tradition into Ansimtangmyeon. The doenjang soup emphasized Korea's unique fermented flavor perfectly. But Hansung minimized that fermentation taste, creating a new doenjang anyone could accept without resistance."
"!"
"And the concept for doenjang ramen is health. We used fried noodles assuming soup, but Hansung went with non-fried noodles..."
Her hand trembled violently there.
Another utter defeat.
"In short, Hansung's doenjang ramen has barriers far lower than our Ansimtangmyeon. Even doenjang haters could eat theirs without issue."
She squeezed her eyes shut.
＊
"That's my girl!!"
Dad swept me into a hug and danced like Grandpa. He'd clearly been worried sick over my weird doenjang ramen idea. Without proof from my other ramens, even his only daughter might not have gotten backing for such a reckless challenge.
Dad was Hansung Food's president, after all. One CEO decision affected hundreds, thousands of lives.
"What do you want, sweetie? Daddy'll make it happen!"
"Then let's have a family picnic! You, Mom, and the nanny too."
"Sounds good? We've been too busy for family outings lately."
It was Hansung Food's critical moment. Expand factories. Develop new products. Acquire companies. One body wasn't enough.
Just a month ago, rankings were:
Now?
Hansung plastered the rankings. Once seen as a money pit in the group—every project failing, returns underwhelming—there were even open calls to shut down Hansung Food. Now? A golden goose, a steady cash cow.
What will Nongwon do next?
They won't collapse. Even as a historic hit, Ansimtangmyeon wasn't their peak; my memory held several bigger ones. Especially that undisputed No. 1 in Korean ramen history?
"Spicy god..."
"Huh? What'd you say, sweetie?"
Dad asked, so I shook my head.
I'd just been babbling like a baby.
"Hehe, nothing. Just super excited thinking about the picnic."
"Then we better hurry!"
Dad grinned, stroking my hair tenderly. Lately, family and Grandpa all loved petting my hair. He even called his secretary to push back all schedules.
Well, three years till that ramen drops. Plenty of time to build Hansung Food steadily as planned.