"A Day as Joyful as Having Sons and Daughters"... The Happy Ending of the Restaurant Hit by the 'Gyeomryeong Nalbyerak'

The restaurant owner, who had expressed mixed feelings after soldiers canceled a group meal reservation due to the declaration of martial law, shared a heartwarming follow-up story, calling it a "happy ending."

President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law on the night of the 3rd, and around midnight on the 4th, martial law troops were preparing to enter the National Assembly main building in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier on the 4th, an online community 'FM Korea' posted a message titled "Ah, running a small business is tough in many ways." The author, Mr. A, who runs a restaurant, shared text messages with Captain B from an Air Force unit, saying, "The soldiers in training usually come once a month for a group reservation of 40 people, but due to martial law, the unit was ordered to return, and I received a text asking if it was possible to cancel at night."

According to the text messages disclosed by Mr. A, Captain B sent a message around 12:35 AM on the 4th, about two hours after the martial law was declared, saying, "Sorry for the late message, sir. We have received an urgent order to return to the unit due to martial law, so I’m really sorry, but it looks like it will be difficult to have the meal tomorrow." He added, "I’m very sorry, especially since you must have prepared everything in advance despite it being a holiday," and apologized repeatedly, saying, "I will definitely contact you to visit again when we come for training next time."

Text messages shared by self-employed person A, revealing the story of a group meal reservation for soldiers being canceled due to the emergency martial law. Online community

Mr. A responded, "As someone who has completed military service, I naturally understand," and accepted the cancellation. He continued, "It’s just bittersweet to see the group suffer because of an individual. Thank you for your hard work late at night." Captain B replied, "Thank you for understanding."

Sharing the story, Mr. A expressed mixed feelings, saying, "Everything was prepared, but knowing the situation, it feels awkward to ask for money. What fault do they have?" Yet, he could not hide his frustration, adding, "I have to throw away half of the prepared ingredients."

As netizens offered their condolences for the unfortunate story, Mr. A shared a follow-up, saying, "Captain B, who canceled around 11 AM, called again."

He said, "He said he would definitely come to eat and keep the promise, whether or not he returns to the unit." He added, "Actually, the fact that he contacted me in the early morning despite the busy situation with martial law was very touching. I was very grateful." He continued, "I hurriedly woke up my wife, who was feeling down, and she teared up. These days, daily sales are sometimes less than 100,000 won, so I was discouraged, but this made me feel very happy."

Self-employed Mr. A's story and photos left behind after the cancellation of a group meal reservation for soldiers due to the emergency martial law. Online community

Mr. A prepared enough food for the soldiers to eat heartily and said, "No leftovers remained, and some even had two or three bowls, so I felt very proud." He added, "I felt that the world is still warm. I sincerely thank Captain B."

Netizens who read the story showed support for Mr. A and Captain B with comments like, "From today, this restaurant’s name is 'Martial Law Restaurant,'" "It was sad, but it turned out so well," "Heartwarming," and "A famous restaurant that even martial law couldn’t stop."

Currently, the two original posts by Mr. A have been deleted. He explained in a separate post, "I deleted the previous posts because I was worried about causing trouble for the soldiers." He also expressed gratitude to netizens, saying, "Today is as joyful as the day my children were born. If anyone comes to travel nearby, please send me a message, and I will repay you."