Lee Chae-min’s tightly coiled performance in tvN’s "Bon Appétit, Your Majesty" had viewers glued to the screen ― and his all-in romantic streak has audiences swooning.
In the Sept. 21 episode of the weekend drama (directed by Jang Tae-yoo, written by fGRD), Lee’s character Heon fights to save Ji-young (Yoona), who’s been framed for the attempted assassination of the Grand Prince. When Heon finally lays his feelings bare, his confession leaves a lingering ache long after the credits roll.
Watching the woman he loves suffer sends Heon over the edge. His eyes well up at the sight of the battered, imprisoned Ji-young ― yet he turns ice-cold as he stares down Queen Dowager Ja-hyeon (Shin Eun-jung), who doubts Ji-young, and mastermind Kang Mok-ju (Kang Han-na). Even as danger closes in, his faith in Ji-young only hardens.
Determined to clear her name, Heon puts himself on the line. After tireless efforts ― and with the Grand Prince regaining strength in time thanks to a remedy from Grand Queen Dowager Inju (Seo Yi-sook) ― the immediate crisis lifts. To comfort Ji-young, Heon performs the traditional Cheoyongmu dance, then completes the moment with a jade ring and a heartfelt plea: “I hope you don’t go back.” Cue the swoons.
Lee Chae-min threads the needle between a tyrant’s fury and unwavering devotion, calibrating raw protectiveness and tender melodrama with precision. With expressive eyes and a trembling voice, he renders Heon’s emotions in full, pulling viewers completely into his orbit. In the jailhouse gaze alone, worry, grief and rage flicker across his eyes ― and that ring-closing scene sends the romance into overdrive.
No surprise, then, that the applause from living rooms is only getting louder.
[Photo: tvN Bon Appétit, Your Majesty]
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)