"Bon Appetit, Your Majesty" features Lee Chae-min aiming to surpass the 15% viewership mark with action that follows head royal chef Lim Yoon-a's dazzling cooking.
On the 13th, tvN's weekend drama "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty" (directed by Jang Tae-yu, written by fGRD) released still cuts of Lim Yoon-a and Lee Chae-min from episode 7, which will air that night at 9:10 p.m. "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty" is a survival fantasy romantic comedy drama about a chef who time-slips to the past at the peak of his career and meets the worst tyrant and an owner of absolute taste, with Lim Yoon-a giving a passionate performance as Yeon Ji-young, who rises from chef to head royal chef, and Lee Chae-min starring as the king who becomes the tyrant, Lee Heon.
Among the preview stills released by the production team are images of King Lee Heon (played by Lee Chae-min) trying to save head royal chef Yeon Ji-young (played by Lim Yoon-a) from attackers. This has raised expectations for Lee Chae-min's swordsmanship action and explosive charisma as his robe flutters.
In "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty," King Lee Heon is living precarious days because of factions quietly plotting rebellion centered on his uncle, Prince Je-san (played by Choi Gwi-hwa). Previously, he nearly lost his life to a mysterious arrow in Salgot-yi Forest, and even the safety of someone who secretly joined forces with him to uncover the truth about his mother's death has become threatened, tightening the squeeze on Lee Heon day by day.
In particular, during the cooking competition with Ming dynasty envoys that concerns the pride of the royal household and the safety of the people, the rebel faction is secretly colluding with the opposing side and even plotting to rig the contest. Interest is focusing on how Lee Heon will overcome this crisis, and this time he reportedly draws his sword himself to protect the woman he wants to keep safe, Yeon Ji-young (played by Lim Yoon-a).
In the released photos, Lee Heon and Yeon Ji-young face masked assailants on a remote mountain path in a desperate moment. Terrified by the razor-sharp blades closing in on them, Yeon Ji-young looks frightened while Lee Heon solemnly draws his sword to confront them, heightening the tension.
Above all, Lee Heon has realized his feelings for Yeon Ji-young and has begun to see her not as the head royal chef but as a woman. In the midst of all the conspiracies and power struggles, attention is drawn to Lee Heon's fierce sword fights to protect someone precious. Questions grow about why the two suddenly face a life-or-death crisis overnight and whether Lee Heon will be able to save Yeon Ji-young.
Recently, "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty" recorded a peak viewership of 12.7% in episode 12, which aired on the 7th (Nielsen Korea, paid TV households), and has been spotlighted as a top-performing broadcast drama. As the drama is composed of 12 episodes, expectations are high that it will comfortably surpass the 15% viewership threshold often considered a big hit for TV dramas.
Among the highlights of the first half are the visual splendor of the cooking that wins the culinary survival contest and the details brought to life by Lim Yoon-a as she becomes the head royal chef in Joseon. Director Jang Tae-yu's aesthetic sense, praised for his successful works such as Wind's Garden, Tree with Deep Roots, My Love from the Star, Hyena and Flower That Blooms at Night, added to the praise.
Lee Chae-min's action is expected to amplify the emotional lines between the male and female leads. The king's longing for the head royal chef is expected to blossom to the point that it includes the 'Mangunrok' introduced early in the series, adding spectacle to the action. The production team even described it as "Lee Chae-min's combat mode solely for Lim Yoon-a." The romance that blooms through action adds to expectations for an upward viewership curve for "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty."
[photo] OSEN DB, provided by tvN.
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