면은

Spoken stretch of 면 (if, when)

The same 'if' or 'when' as 면, with an extra syllable that adds a beat. It changes nothing about the meaning — it is a spoken stretch, the equivalent of drawing a word out, and you will hear it constantly and see it written almost never. It also carries the 'when it comes to X' use, as in the line about what Koreans used to picture when they thought of tteokbokki. If you are writing, use 면.

Register: spoken only, casual