With all the latest things that happened, Kang Sung Jae (Park Ji Hoon) has earned his stripes at the Gangrim Outpost. As the chef with the Midas touch who has boosted the morale of his comrades, his dedication has also earned him favor amongst the battalion. Sung Jae has been promoted to the rank of Private First Class and is now hailed as a combat hero after his performance in the training program.

Sung Jae has the skills to navigate the tricky tasks in the kitchen as he creates innovative and delicious meals. But the Guardian sets him up for a tougher assignment. He has been assigned the “help me comrade” button, but to access it he needs to win the trust and friendship of those around him. The task may seem simple, since Sung Jae is an amiable sort, but he tends to get pushed around. He needs to strengthen himself as well as empower those around him.

In the latest episodes of “The Legend of Kitchen Soldier,” we get an insight into how Sung Jae proves himself not just as a soldier, but as a human being.

Warning: spoilers for episodes 7-8 below.

The hamburger treaty

Sung Jae and Yoon Dong Hyun (Lee Hong Nae) are the new heroes of the battalion. It is proven that the food poisoning during the training was not caused by the negligence of the two cooks, but rather by contaminated water supplied to the battalion. Sung Jae, after wiping out the Vipers, is promoted, and Dong Hyun is finally granted his much-awaited leave.

Sung Jae is now in charge of the mess in Dong Hyun’s absence. Newly promoted and with the smile badge unpinned from his uniform, Sung Jae is determined to excel in his new innings. Dong Hyun, who in his own gruff way has always supported and backed Sung Jae, tells him that he needs to stand up for himself against the bullies at the base.

The troublemaker in question is Corporal Kim Gwan Chul (Kang Ha Kyung). Gwan Chul has made his dislike for Sung Jae obvious from the start. With Sung Jae being the new favorite of Gangrim Outpost, his resentment is even more apparent.

Sung Jae is happy to carve out his new chapter as chief cook, but his peace is shattered even before the first dish reaches the table when Gwan Chul is assigned to the kitchen as additional manpower.

The Guardian informs Sung Jae that he has a week to win over Gwan Chul as a friend; otherwise, he will be demoted in his quest to become the best chef. This seems like mission impossible, since Gwan Chul has already started intimidating Sung Jae in his own way.

Gwan Chul refuses to help and instead keeps helping himself to the pantry and the mess stock. He slacks off and, during meal times, serves generous helpings to his friends while leaving the younger soldiers with leftovers and almost nothing.

Gwan Chul threatens Sung Jae that if he dares to complain or snitch about him to Sergeant Major Park Jae Young (Yoon Kyung Ho), he will make his life a living hell.

Sung Jae, as we know, is a sensitive person and one who picks up on vibes. He wonders why Gwan Chul is the way he is. He overhears talk in the dorm that Gwan Chul was once assigned to the mess. He casually tells Gwan Chul that he was surprised to learn he had once worked there too, but is immediately snubbed and told to stop snooping.

Curious, Sung Jae probes further to figure out why Gwan Chul left the mess. Park Jae Young tells Sung Jae that he reminds him of Gwan Chul when he first arrived at the base. A soft-spoken young man with no parents, Gwan Chul had been lovingly raised by his grandmother, who sold hamburgers. He was such a mild-mannered boy that they pinned the smile badge on him when he first arrived.

However, after his grandmother’s demise while he was on military duty, Gwan Chul’s personality underwent a seismic shift. His grief turned to anger, and he despised the army and its protocols for keeping him away from her. His regret turned into rebellion, and since then, he has been constantly defying the system and its orders.

Sung Jae feels for Gwan Chul. Both are dealing with the grief of having lost the people they loved the most. While Sung Jae internalized his loss and channelled it into creating something, Gwan Chul has turned his pain into destruction.

Sung Jae starts researching how to recreate the hamburgers that Gwan Chul’s grandmother made. Park Jae Young tells him they tasted like home, the traditional bakery kind. He keeps experimenting and serving them to Jae Young, who tells him they are still lacking something essential. Sung Jae uses his “help me, comrade” switch and calls Dong Hyun, who tells him the burgers had both a sweet and savory taste. He discovers the missing ingredient: jam. It’s the sweetness which is missing in Gwan Chul’s life.

Sung Jae’s compassion and empathy are endearing. He genuinely feels for Gwan Chul. He hasn’t judged him, not even once, but instead has wanted to heal and soothe the hurt beneath the prickly and angry exterior.

When he serves him the burger, he is rudely snubbed by Gwan Chul. But that is when the floodgates open — the pent-up hurt, the longing for his grandmother’s warmth, and the fear of being alone. It’s an emotional moment when Gwan Chul takes a bite and imagines his grandmother’s hand serving him the burger. But instead of his grandmother, he sees Sung Jae’s face, until he hears his grandmother gently tell him that all the wrong he does will eventually come back to him and to go back to being the way he was.

Though Gwan Chul doesn’t say anything, the Guardian informs Sung Jae that the likability meter is at 100 percent — he has found a friend.

Gwan Chul is an example of how angry people are often the ones hurting the most. No one so far has understood him the way Sung Jae did; all he needed was a hamburger to tell him he wasn’t alone and unspoken support from someone who wasn’t judging him.

Comrade camaraderie

Gangrim Outpost and Sung Jae share a common fate: they shine in the face of adversity. After winning the top tally in training, the morale is high until a typhoon isolates the base with negligible supplies on hand. Though in the doldrums and cut off from the world, it’s the kinship amongst the soldiers which comes to the surface.

Commander Hwang Seok Ho (Lee Sang Yi), who has the reputation of just shooting orders and trying to impress seniors, doesn’t think twice when he tries to avert a dangerous collision, which would have proved fatal for Sung Jae, by taking the blow himself. He fractures both his hands, and the bandages are his badge of honor. It gives an insight into the man he is; he cares deeply for his men, but acts nonchalant.

But the main issue is the depleting supplies. With no electricity in the base, it’s impossible to refrigerate ingredients, and with the bridge having washed away there is no way they can get anything. To make matters worse, the phone lines have been disconnected.

The morale is down, hunger at its peak. As they complain about the terrible food, Gwan Chul is the one who steps in. With a newfound friendship between Sung Jae and Gwan Chul, they think of ways to innovate. Sung Jae has an idea: why don’t they use the supplies of Park Jae Young’s dry squid? But how do they ask him since it is his personal stash? With the help of the Guardian, Sung Jae gets Gwan Chul to go get the packets, since the latter is more confident than he is. The squid is included in Sung Jae’s version of seafood paella, much to the delight of the soldiers, who feel they have been transported to Spain. Sung Jae remains motivated, and his sincerity that none of the soldiers be dissatisfied when they are served by him remains strong.

Subsisting on combat rations, Sung Jae decides to bravely open Dong Hyun’s locker, since he knows the diet-conscious senior has boxes of chicken breast stashed away. Though all are aware of upsetting Dong Hyun, they are in it together for survival, and at this point anything works.

Seeing the enthusiasm that Sung Jae has instilled in everyone, Sargent Major Park Jae Young announces he will go out into the woods and collect herbs and mushrooms. Hwang Seok Ho forbids him, being his senior, saying that Park Jae Young needs to adhere to protocol. But Park Jae Young defies him and returns with wild herbs and mushrooms, which are soon transformed into a wild vegetable bibimbap under Sung Jae.

In the meantime, Dong Hyun, who is ironically bored on his holiday, is missing the base and cuts his leave short to join the rescue operations in rebuilding the bridge. It’s adorable how he shows a bit of jealousy at the budding bromance between Sung Jae and Gwan Chul.

What is heartwarming is how everyone instinctively begins looking out for one another. Whether it is Gwan Chul helping in the kitchen, Park Jae Young risking punishment to forage for food, or Dong Hyun cutting short his leave, the outpost no longer feels like a collection of individuals, but a family. Somewhere along the way, Sung Jae’s sincerity has become infectious, bringing together people who would otherwise have little in common.

From boy to man

There has been a remarkable change in Sung Jae’s personality. The timid, unsure boy who enlisted now appears confident. The accolades and validation coming his way have not made him arrogant, but rather have made him more sincere and determined. His team of friendly comrades is gradually on the rise, with Dong Hyun, Gwan Chul, and Park Jae Young being most fond of him.

Though honest to a fault and very conscious about never crossing the line, Sung Jae has been distressed ever since he overheard Captain Han Min (Lee Min Gu) planning to eliminate and destroy Cho Ye Rin (Han Dong Hee). Han Min has threatened Sung Jae that if he dares discuss what he heard, he would destroy him.

Sung Jae nervously agrees and has remained quiet, but it’s been bothering him. He’s aware of the manipulative ways of Han Min, who had also misreported that Gang-rim had sufficient supplies when they were struggling, all in an attempt to undermine Hwang Seok Ho.

Ye Rin, who is investigating the poor supplies and the scam, is also being closely watched by Han Min. Ye Rin has always stood up for the soldiers, and this is when we see another switch in Sung Jae. He goes and warns Ye Rin about what he had heard, asking her to be alert. But she brushes him away, not wanting a junior to get involved in the politics of the barracks. This is the first time we see a new maturity in Sung Jae. It is quiet resilience and fortitude.

Seeing the way his seniors, fellow soldiers, and the base have enveloped him in warmth, he is willing to stand up for them even if it means taking on an influential role. But is Sung Jae up for this challenge? Han Min is a shrewd and calculating opponent, and the temperatures are just beginning to rise once again at Gangrim Outpost.

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Puja Talwar is a Soompi writer with a strong Yoo Yeon Seok and Lee Junho bias. A long time K-drama fan, she loves devising alternate scenarios to the narratives. She has interviewed Lee Min Ho, Gong Yoo, Cha Eun Woo, and Ji Chang Wook to name a few. You can follow her on @puja_talwar7 on Instagram.