Ghost-Catching Marine, Emotional Story in Front of the 'Haebyeongdae Cake'

A Story of Receiving Consecutive Gifts at Restaurants and Bars

A story about a soldier on his first leave receiving consecutive surprise gifts at a restaurant has become a hot topic.

A soldier on his first leave after enlistment and his family received a surprise gift at a restaurant.
[Photo source='Because It's Painful, It's the Boss' capture]

On the 2nd, an online community called 'Because It's Painful, It's a Boss' posted a story titled 'Something I've Only Seen on the News.' The author, Mr. A, said he visited a sashimi restaurant with his nephew, who was on his first leave after enlisting in the Marine Corps, and received a 'sashimi cake' as a complimentary service from the restaurant owner.

He said, "(The owner) gave a surprise service because he is a soldier protecting the country," adding, "It turned out the owner’s son is also in the military. He must have been reminded of his son." The photo shared by Mr. A showed a plate with various types of sashimi with a pink candle in the middle, and a man in military uniform holding the sashimi plate and blowing out the candle.

The hospitality toward the nephew in uniform did not end there. After the meal, Mr. A and his nephew moved to a bar, where another 'surprise gift' followed.

Mr. A wrote, "The bar owner we moved to was a Marine Corps veteran," and added, "He gave a thoughtful service and said Marines are family, secretly giving my nephew some pocket money." The food served as a service was vanilla ice cream with the word ‘Haebyeongdae’ (Marine Corps) written on top in chocolate.

Mr. A even said that when he tried to pay after drinking, someone had already secretly paid the bill. He said, "As someone who runs a business, I am always touched by places that give preferential treatment to children, the elderly, and soldiers," and added, "I learned something new this time as well." He also said, "It’s heartwarming during these tough times for small businesses due to the poor economy."

Netizens who read the story left comments such as, "If it were me, I would also give special treatment to a handsome active-duty soldier," "I’m thankful and sorry for the young people sacrificing their prime years to protect the country," and "Since my son is about to go to the military, I want to buy coffee for young men in uniform."

Recently, stories of citizens paying for soldiers’ meals or business owners waiving food charges to accommodate soldiers have been continuously shared. In January, a woman in her 20s at a restaurant near Yongsan Station in Seoul paid for soldiers’ meals, which became a hot topic. In the same month, a man in his 20s at a knife-cut noodle restaurant near Eonju Station in Gangnam-gu also paid for soldiers’ meals, and the story gained high views on social media.

Last year, a cafe part-timer wrote a message on a drink lid saying, ‘Thank you for protecting the country,’ to support army soldiers. This story became known, and then-Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Min-sik personally expressed gratitude and wrote a recommendation letter for the part-timer’s internship application.