The emergence of a dark horse in historical dramas. Actor Lee Chae-min has dominated the home theater with tvN's "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty."
In the tvN weekend drama "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty" (written by fGRD, directed by Jang Tae-yu), Lee Chae-min, who plays the tyrant Lee Heon with absolute taste, has left a strong impression in the home theater with overwhelming charisma, emotional acting depicting sadness, and a romance filled with excitement.
In the broadcasts of the 3rd and 4th episodes, a new phase was reached as Lee Heon (Lee Chae-min) brought Yeon Ji-young (Im Yoon-a) into the palace after meeting her during a solar eclipse hunt, despite the fierce resistance of the officials and the schemes of the concubine Kang Mok-joo (Kang Han-na). Lee Heon recalled his mother, the disgraced Queen Yoon, upon seeing Yeon Ji-young, and appointed Yeon Ji-young, who captivated his palate, as the head chef, stirring things up despite jealousy and opposition within the palace. When a competition arose due to Kang Mok-joo's scheme and Queen Dowager In-ju's (Seo Yi-suk) test, Lee Heon displayed his resolve as a king by presenting the cold condition that only one victorious chef would be spared while the others would lose an arm, heightening the dramatic tension with his chilly attitude toward the queen dowager connected to his mother's death.
After realizing that everything surrounding him and Yeon Ji-young was a scheme concocted by Kang Mok-joo, Lee Heon was engulfed in rage, marking a turning point of new conflict. Meanwhile, when his loyal subordinate Lee Jang-kyun, who had been investigating the clues surrounding the disgraced Queen Yoon's death, encountered trouble, Lee Heon fell deeper into inner turmoil. Standing alone while relying on alcohol to swallow his pain, Lee Heon was visited by Yeon Ji-young, who presented a tearful kiss, intertwining past wounds with his feelings for her and completing a dramatic ending.
Lee Chae-min, who plays the insane tyrant Lee Heon, a man possessed of absolute taste, has depicted a multidimensional character imbued with vengeance and loneliness intertwined with his mother's death, while also revealing curiosity toward Yeon Ji-young, who presents new dishes unseen before. From the first broadcast, he has announced the discovery of a gem. In the day's broadcast, he showcased the tyrant's ruthlessness and the dignity of a monarch through delicate control of voice tone and eye contact, conveying diverse expressions of taste while densely depicting his growing affection for Yeon Ji-young, simultaneously elevating the tension and excitement of the drama, transforming into a "gem of romantic comedy."
Above all, despite it being his first challenge in a historical drama, he demonstrated the appropriate weight and charisma for the genre, completing each scene and showcasing the power of a king, human anguish, and a romance entering a new phase, proving his potential as a next-generation star. Lee Chae-min's passionate performance, which has been garnering hot topics each episode, can be seen on tvN's "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty," airing Saturdays and Sundays at 9:10 p.m.
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