Hansung's Little Monster (1)
In the car speeding down the road, I pulled out my notebook and pencil. We were on our way to Hwanggeum Noodle Factory. I was seizing this brief moment to thoroughly analyze one company.
Why did Daehan Yakult enter the ramen market?
In my previous life, I was a ramen researcher and developer. That's why, along with my work at Changbong Foods, I'd investigated several other ramen companies over a few months. Especially since I was a major YouTuber with 13.8 million subscribers, it was easy to meet key people and hear their stories.
Daehan Yakult had a solid position in the domestic probiotic drinks and health food market even in the 1980s. But the beverage and health food sectors were already fiercely competitive, with slow growth rates, so the company needed to look to new business areas for long-term expansion and revenue growth.
'That's where their ramen division came in, aiming for market diversification.'
Entering the high-growth ramen market. Minimizing initial costs and risks by leveraging their existing distribution network. Linking into the ramen market on the trusted Yakult brand. Despite being a latecomer, Daehan Yakult's challenge led to massive success starting with Paldong Bibim Ramen.
At the time of Paldong Bibim Ramen's launch, the very concept of rinsing ramen in cold water and mixing it with the sauce wasn't well-known. Ramen is a popular product for all ages and genders. Naturally, many kids encountered it, and they'd often rinse the hot noodles in cold water to cool them down.
Catching this trend, Daehan Yakult quickly jumped into developing cold ramen. I rested my pencil on the bridge of my nose and thought quietly.
'If the history of ramen had changed, how far would Daehan Yakult have developed things?'
In the original history, Paldong Bibim Ramen first hit the market in June 1984.
"Mix it with your right~ hand, mix it with your left~ hand!"
Armed with that familiar CM song, Paldong Bibim Ramen quickly lodged itself in consumers' memories and became the representative summer snack.
'This round will be a battle of who releases first, too.'
That said, just like before, I planned to add one more twist. Fortunately, the massive success of Hansung Cheongmyeon had fattened my wallet once again. 7 billion won. That was the royalty that had just poured into my account this time.
A mere six-year-old kid raking in tens of billions at once. Well, more money is always better, so it wouldn't hurt to get a little greedier and completely dominate the bibim ramen market this time.
The moment we arrived at Hwanggeum Noodle Factory, I didn't even catch my breath before heading straight to President Kim Bokhyeon and sitting down across from him.
"Noodles for cold ramen?"
"Yes. For the new product, I'm thinking of developing bibim ramen that's refreshingly cool for the hot summer."
"Bibim ramen, huh…."
"For that, the noodles are crucial. Because if they get mushy or soggy, no matter how tasty the sauce is, consumers won't be satisfied. The key to this bibim ramen is chewy, springy noodles that hold their texture."
"Hmm…."
It was a tough problem. Even for President Kim Bokhyeon, who prided himself as the best in the domestic noodle-making business, creating noodles that stayed chewy after boiling in hot water and rinsing in cold water wouldn't be easy at all.
But then.
"I've got something in mind for that."
"Pardon? You, you do?"
No way? In this era, someone besides me had thought of cold noodles?
"You know it too, right? How our employees love janchi noodles."
"Ah!"
Come to think of it, janchi noodles often appeared at the in-house cafeteria run by Hwanggeum Noodle Factory itself. But janchi noodles are a noodle dish centered on hot broth. So eating them in the scorching summer was pretty tricky.
"The factory temperature is way higher than outside. Our workers like janchi noodles, but eating a steaming bowl in the sweltering heat is pretty much impossible."
Kim Bokhyeon paused in thought, then added, "That's why I've been researching ways to eat janchi noodles cold for a long time. Sure, you could add ice, but it takes forever for the noodles to chill that way. Lunch breaks aren't infinite, after all."
"True enough."
Plus, dumping ice for the entire staff every time was surprisingly labor-intensive. And costly, too.
'Managing ice isn't a walk in the park either.'
Heh~ I never dreamed President Kim Bokhyeon would solve my dilemma so neatly.
"Can I see those noodles now?"
"Of course. You're not just any investor—you're our biggest one, Seoyeon."
"Hehe~ Thanks to you, Uncle President, this product development will go smoothly too."
If we nailed it, we might even beat Daehan Yakult to market with bibim ramen.
President Kim Bokhyeon carefully placed the tub of noodles in front of me. Inside, the neatly arranged noodles were piled high. They looked no different from regular noodles at first glance, but the moment I picked up a strand with chopsticks, I spotted the difference right away.
"These aren't somyeon noodles—they're ramen noodles?"
"Exactly. Ramen's our main product at Hwanggeum Noodle Factory, isn't it?"
"Wow~ How did you even think of this?"
Kim Bokhyeon shrugged and chuckled softly. "Nothing special. Noodles all start from the same flour dough, after all."
He lightly lifted the strand in his hand and continued. "The key is the dough mix and aging. And how you form the gluten structure. To keep the texture whether hot or cold, you need to weave the internal structure tightly."
I nodded slowly as I listened. That was exactly the structure I'd hoped for in these noodles.
The noodles President Kim Bokhyeon showed me matched the ones from Paldong Bibim Ramen by 99%.
'As expected… He's called the industry best for a reason.'
I pulled out the liquid sauce prototype I'd made earlier from my bag. Seeing the large amount of liquid sauce, President Kim Bokhyeon asked, "What's that?"
"Ramen sauce. So far, we've focused on powder sauces. But for bibim ramen, it needs to be liquid, not powder. Think of this as the prototype."
"Whoa, the smell alone is incredible!"
I could hear his saliva glands working overtime. The bibim ramen I'd made at the Seongbukdong mansion. The one I'd shown Dr. Lee. They were all made with regular noodles.
If the real bibim ramen's flavor is 100%, what I'd shown them was less than 30%.
Splash—!
I quickly scooped up the boiled noodles and rinsed them multiple times in cold water. Until the sensation at my fingertips changed. The slick surface washed away, and each strand came alive sharply.
Shake—!
I vigorously shook off the water. Then poured in the pre-prepared liquid sauce.
A tangy vinegar scent pierced my nose first. Followed by the sweet, savory depth of gochujang spreading subtly. The aroma of garlic and sesame oil blended in last, instantly transforming the air above the bowl.
Swish—! Slurp—!
I lifted and dropped the noodles with chopsticks, coating them evenly. The red hue seeped into every strand. The glossy noodles scattered like they were alive, without clumping.
"Ta-da! Seoyeon's bibim ramen, complete!"
"Whoa…."
President Kim Bokhyeon stared blankly at the bowl. The symphony of bibim ramen sauce wafting to his nose. Without me even telling him to eat, he slowly picked up his chopsticks.
Slurp—!
"Gasp!"
The moment the noodles entered his mouth, his eyes flashed.
"Th-this!"
"How is it? Tasty?"
"Incredible. I was off my food from the heat lately, but this bibim ramen…."
Normally, he'd chew slowly, analyzing the noodle's condition. But this time, he forgot all that and just focused on eating.
At the cafeteria, he was always the last to finish. Yet here he was, devouring that huge bowl in under five minutes.
Setting down his chopsticks, Kim Bokhyeon's face mixed shock and satisfaction.
"Seoyeon."
"Yes, Uncle President."
"Sell this right now. It's a hit. First time in my life I've had noodles this chewy and springy. My stomach's full, but I could keep going forever."
"Hehe~ That's the charm of bibim ramen. There's no one who's never tried it, but no one tries it just once—it's the legendary noodle dish."
Just one thing left.
'The company making ramen CM songs at this time has to be that one.'
On the way here, I'd jotted notes in my notebook, and now I pored over them. It was packed with the names and traits of the top CM song producers dominating the ad world back then.
Changbong Foods headquarters. The moment Seo Jieun returned from Daehan Yakult, she went straight into a meeting with Division Head Jang Sehun.
"What? Daehan Yakult set up a ramen division?"
"Yes. I heard it directly from Director Yoon Hak-su, so it's definite."
"Damn, they've lost it. Do they think ramen's a pushover?"
"Doesn't seem like it. And surprisingly, they seem pretty prepared."
"They're prepared?"
"Yes. They asked if I knew anything about cold ramen."
"Cold ramen? What's that…."
Recalling her conversation with Yoon Hak-su, she explained the situation in detail.
"It seemed like a product they developed by changing the cooking process entirely. When you soak noodles in cold water, they don't cook, right? I was curious how cold ramen would cook the noodles."
"Ramen eaten cold…."
Jang Sehun furrowed his brow deeply. Though back-to-back project failures had narrowed his standing in the company, his experience hadn't vanished.
"Maybe a rinsing method?"
"Rinsing?"
"Yeah. I read about it in the newspaper once. Kids burning their tongues on hot ramen. Here, it was in this article…."
He finally dug out the paper.
"It's right here. See? Parents rinsing hot ramen in cold water to cool it for their kids. In my view, 'cold ramen' means boiling the noodles in hot water and rinsing them repeatedly in cold water."
"Ah…."
"That's why fixed ideas are scary. People think ramen always means hot water. It's a simple idea, but hard to come up with on your own."
Only then did Seo Jieun clap her hands. She finally understood what Yoon Hak-su meant.
"Uncle! Then?"
"You felt it too, right? The showdown between Hansung and Daehan… It's gonna be fun, don't you think?"
"Fun? What do you mean?"
"Think about it. Hansung hits a home run every time they release something. Makes you wonder just how far that Hansung will go."
"Hansung has…."
"Yeah. That little monster you mentioned. I wonder if even that monster knows about cold ramen. That's what I'm curious about."
What seemed simple at first glance came with countless trials, errors, and technical hurdles when you tried to implement it.
Seo Jieun's expression hardened instantly.
"What if… that Hansung monster already knows about cold ramen?"
"Then we compromise."
"Compromise?"
"Yeah. You think we'd compete head-on with an unbeatable monster? Better to pull them to our side. They design the product, we produce it, and pay them royalties on a cut of the sales. Done."
"!"
Jang Sehun grinned slyly.
"Jieun, even in a tiger's den, stay sharp and you'll survive. You get me?"