At this point, Kang Sung Jae (Park Ji Hoon) has become the poster boy of Gangrim Outpost. His reputation as a chef, preparing meals that go beyond what is typically associated with military messes, has made national headlines. He has not only helped salvage the base’s reputation for serving inedible food, but he is also being credited with boosting the morale of his fellow soldiers.

But with great power comes even greater responsibility. When on leave, he is confronted with his mother’s struggling food truck business. Can he use his skills to help? And on his return to the base, he faces an even greater challenge when the entire cadre is deputed for combat training.

There are also tensions simmering in camp, but can Sung Jae save the day again? Here are three defining moments from episodes 5 and 6 of “The Legend of Kitchen Soldier.”

Warning: spoilers below!

The tteokbokki trial

In the last episode, we saw Sung Jae being warmly embraced by reporter Jung Min Ah (Jeon So Young). It is very cute to see Sung Jae being teased by his comrades, but there is also a touch of envy. After all, who would have thought this strange fellow actually had a girlfriend? An embarrassed Sung Jae says Min Ah is not his girlfriend, while she turns around and tells everyone that she likes him immensely.

The TV report has made Sung Jae a celebrity of sorts and the Gangrim Outpost a culinary hub. Sung Jae is granted leave for a week and allowed to visit home. On his way back to Seoul, he is informed by the Guardian (VR console) that instructions won’t be possible beyond the military restricted area. He doesn’t make much of it until he arrives at his mom’s food truck.

When he tries his mother Gong Su’s (Seo Jung Yeon) tteokbokki, it is too hard and pungent. Sung Jae tries to create his own version but fails as well. At home, he tells his mother and sister that he is very good at grilling but doesn’t succeed either. With the Guardian being on low frequency, what does he do?

It is time he relied on himself rather than on an external device. He finds his father’s old diary, which lists where he sourced his ingredients. He insists that they should get fresh produce as well as freshly kneaded tteok instead of resorting to online shopping. But it seems the dish both mother and son are trying to create continues to lack flavor.

On a lunch outing with Min Ah, he sees a long queue outside a tteokbokki cafe and insists on eating there. Run by an eccentric former marine (Jin Goo), the small place is brimming with customers, and the tteokbokki tastes better than anything he has ever had. He requests the owner to teach him. However, he is assigned the task of chopping onions and frying. Frying ingredients is what he does under the supervision of the chef. His earnestness is endearing, and one wants him to win. But it seems he still hasn’t made much headway.

Also while home, we get a glimmer of the boy Sung Jae was before his father passed away. He was a happy-go-lucky person, who is now shouldering big responsibilities, but is game for it. It is Min Ah who tells him that everyone around him thinks he is amazing; it’s just that he doesn’t know how good he is.

On his last day, he is complimented by the chef and given a box to take home, a gift for working hard. The box contains persimmons, and that’s when Sung Jae realizes this is the ingredient that was giving the tteokbokki its unusual flavor. Sung Jae wasn’t handed down a recipe. He is taught that great food is created from perseverance rather than shortcuts.

He teaches his mother, and though he has spent his entire holiday slaving away in the little cafe, he is satiated. The family’s tteokbokki trial is a success, and he leaves home relieved that both his mother and sister will be fine, and of course there is Min Ah, his biggest cheerleader, rooting for him.

It is a warm feeling as the entire family being so invested in getting the tteokbokki right showcases how strongly they are bound to each other. The victory also feels about much more than the food. Without the constant guidance of the VR console, Sung Jae is forced to trust his own instincts, and in doing so, he discovers that he is far more capable than he gives himself credit for.

Bromance in the barracks

An interesting development is how Sung Jae has also become one of the most popular guys in the dorm. Initially labeled weird and strange by most, his sincerity and kindness have won him the admiration of his comrades. Being a team player and clear-hearted has made him a favorite of sorts. This is clear when the seniors in the dorm pool their money together and give him a holiday allowance to take home. The unspoken gesture is heart-warming and speaks far louder than words.

Of course, Dong Hyun (Lee Hong Nae) is miserable, since his much-awaited leave has been sidelined with Sung Jae being considered before him. But the soldiers are in agreement: if anyone deserves leave, it is Sung Jae. The officers also explain to Dong Hyun that Sung Jae was enlisted soon after his father’s demise and couldn’t grieve. The compassion is heartwarming, making it clear how much Sung Jae has come to mean to everyone.

However, Sung Jae’s absence means the mess is at the mercy of Dong Hyun’s cooking skills. His mood, further darkened by being denied leave, has made the food even more inedible than before. It seems Sung Jae comes to his rescue even in his absence. He knows his senior is upset and feeling terrible, so he leaves behind his recipe book with a fellow soldier, hoping it would help him.

Though Dong Hyun pretends he doesn’t want Sung Jae’s amazingness rubbed off on him, he is clearly relieved. Rest assured, he takes on the challenge of cooking ingredients he has repeatedly been warned not to touch, given his tendency to mess things up. The broth he serves is one of the best ever, so much so that the entire battalion is left in shock as well as surprise.

As Sung Jae’s return is celebrated, there is a minor hiccup. All leaves have been canceled, and the battalion has been called in for live combat training.

Dong Hyun is gutted since his leave has been canceled once again, but the real challenge is something else entirely: how do you cook in the wilderness? At least Sung Jae and Dong Hyun are in it together.

The curious case of the Arancini rice cakes

The entire battalion has been deputed for the KCTC event (Korea Combat Training Center). But it is far trickier for Sung Jae, as the Guardian tells him this is the time to boost the soldiers’ morale and lead them to victory. The training is designed like a real wartime exercise, with the enemy camp represented by the Vipers, a formidable battalion.

However, the harsh outdoors, limited resources, and lack of equipment make this by far the biggest challenge yet for both Dong Hyun and Sung Jae.

The first meal is a disaster, with the entire battalion struck down by severe food poisoning, and Hwang Seok Ho (Lee Sang Yi) threatens both Dong Hyun and Sung Jae with disciplinary action once the training is over. Meanwhile, the Vipers have already identified their location and destroyed much of their resources, with several officers falling to the enemy.

Dong Hyun and Sung Jae are warned that, come what may, they must never abandon their kitchen trailer. But after the food poisoning incident, most of their supplies have been thrown away, while fresh provisions are yet to arrive. How exactly are they supposed to survive?

Though Sung Jae earns praise for quickly deciphering the enemy’s movements, the cooking crisis remains unresolved. Hwang Seok Ho even warns him that his military career could be over once the exercise ends.

When Sung Jae suggests that they should seize enemy supplies, Cho Ye Rin (Han Dong Hee) agrees. Though she has bent protocol, if the exercise is to be treated like a real war situation, someone has to make the call.

The team manages to secure rice, rock salt, and sauce. But what does one make of that along with the dry supplies left in the pantry? The Guardian coaxes Sung Jae to try something. Since the troops are constantly on the move, he creates food packets for them, though they look far from appetizing. However, drawing on what he learned while tirelessly frying ingredients at the tteokbokki shop, he transforms the rice into crispy arancini rice balls, seasoning them with sauce and rock salt.

What makes Sung Jae such an engaging protagonist is that every time he is cornered, he finds a way out. Faced with food poisoning, dwindling supplies, and the threat of disciplinary action, he refuses to give in to adversity. Instead, he adapts, improvises and somehow manages to turn a handful of basic ingredients into a morale-boosting meal for the entire battalion.

Everyone eyes the rice balls with suspicion. But when the notoriously picky Hwang Seok Ho takes a bite, he is instantly transported. The arancini rice balls are a hit, and Sung Jae is finally out of the doghouse.

But there are tensions brewing. Ye Rin is pulled up for defying orders, though Hwang Seok Ho stands up for her. And it seems there may be an enemy within their own ranks. As Sung Jae overhears one of Hwang Seok Ho’s rivals, Captain Han Mi (Lee Min Gu), discussing something suspicious about Ye Rin over the walkie-talkie, it becomes clear that life isn’t quite as simple as a plate of arancini rice cakes.

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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.