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Acting rookie Lee Chae-min recalls anxiety over Bon Appetit, Your Majesty
The Straits Times
|October 11, 2025
Byeon Woo-seok, the breakout star of Lovely Runner (2024), has become a rising star in an era when the K-drama scene is increasingly dominated by a saturated A-list.
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Once a B-list actor navigating the margins, the 33-year-old now represents the lightning-in-a-bottle phenomenon, a talent whose momentum can carry a series from domestic acclaim to global recognition almost overnight.
Into this narrative steps Lee Chae-min, the lead of Bon Appetit, Your Majesty, whose explosive popularity after his performance as a handsome yet exacting tyrant king has fuelled comparisons calling him the next Byeon.
The drama spins a layered premise. Ji-young (Yoona), a top chef transported back in time, must navigate the refined palate of Lee Heon (Lee), a Joseon-era king with a taste for perfection.
The series struck gold, peaking at a 20 per cent viewership rating to become tvN’s most-watched show in 2025 and claiming the title of the first non-Netflix original Korean drama to hit No. 1 globally on Netflix, according to FlixPatrol.
The role came to Lee under unusual circumstances.
This story is from the October 11, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.
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