"Bon Appetit, Your Majesty" has been running hot at the box office, reaching a peak rating of 17.3%. While it continues to generate buzz, maintaining a high rank on Netflix, Park Young-woon, who plays the royal guard Shin Su-hyeok, quietly protecting King Lee Heon (Lee Chae-min) in the drama, is catching viewers' attention.
Shin Su-hyeok has played a key role in heightening the drama's tension with economical movements and a sharp gaze. He keeps watch over those who enter before the king, and his willingness to throw his body in dangerous moments to protect the king naturally suits the description "the king's steady shield."
In episode 9, Su-hyeok greeted Jang Chun-saeng, who landed in the palace courtyard on a large bamboo glider to deliver a pressure cooker to the royal chief cook. As expected of a leader of the royal guards, Su-hyeok, ahead of the wary guards, gave a look mixing expectation and tension, asking, "Did you bring it?" Then he shouted, "Make way! This is someone the sovereign has permitted to enter the palace!" and the royal guards opened a path in unison, letting Jang Chun-saeng pass. It was a short line, but Su-hyeok's presence as the leader of the royal guards dominated the scene's atmosphere, leaving a vivid impression despite his brief appearance in this episode.
Also, when a Ming envoy demanded the royal chief cook as a gift, tensions inside and outside the palace were on the verge of exploding. At that moment, Su-hyeok swiftly drew his sword with the royal guards and stayed by the king's side, maximizing the drama's urgency.
In episode 10, he appeared alongside King Lee Heon, who went out to rescue Ji-young, who was imprisoned. Su-hyeok guarded the king as he tried to rescue Ji-young, exuding an intimidating presence that raised the drama's tension even higher.
Park Young-woon previously showed charisma leading 120 episodes as chaebol third-generation Wang Ji-hoon in the MBC daily drama Third Marriage. But in this Bon Appetit, Your Majesty, he showed a completely different face as a historical royal guard. With sharp eyes and the heavy aura of a warrior, he overwhelmed the screen, displaying such extreme charm that even fans said, "I didn't know it was the same actor."
The martial energy emanating from his 189cm tall frame added realism to the royal guard Shin Su-hyeok character, making him more convincing to viewers. Park Young-woon, an actor who can change the atmosphere with a short line and who boasts a presence that dominates a scene, is attracting attention for his performance in upcoming episodes.
[OSEN]