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Bon Appétit, Your Majesty (also called The Tyrant’s Chef) is a new historical K-drama climbing the charts on Netflix. Since the first two episodes dropped, the drama, based on Park Guk Jae’s web novel Surviving as Yeonsangun’s Chef, has gained a massive fan following. The story follows a modern-day chef who time-travels to Joseon and ends up cooking for the king. The leads, Girls’ Generation’s YoonA and Lee Chae Min, have an 11-year age gap, but their chemistry has fans hooked. Viewers can’t stop talking about their real-life romances and ideal types. So here’s the breakdown of who’s dating whom.
YoonA plays Yeon Ji Yeong, a French cuisine chef who lands in the Joseon era after winning a cooking contest. She then encounters a ruthless king who demands she cook new dishes every day in order to survive.
Over the years, the singer-turned-K-drama star has been linked to plenty of actors. Nicknamed the ‘Nation’s ideal type’, her on-screen pairings with Ji Chang Wook and her King the Land co-star 2 PM’s Junho made plenty of noise. But the only relationship she ever confirmed was with actor Lee Seung Gi. Dispatch broke the news on New Year’s Day in 2014, a huge deal at the time since Seung Gi had openly called YoonA his “ideal type” for years. The two parted ways in 2015.
YoonA has always been one of the most popular idols in Korea. At one point, it felt like every second-gen idol or actor named her as their ideal type, from 2 PM’s Nichkhun, Taecyeon, Junho, and Chansung, to BIGBANG’s Daesung, and Super Junior’s Leeteuk. When she starred in The K2, dating rumours with Ji Chang Wook blew up, but nothing was ever confirmed. Despite all the buzz, YoonA’s dating history stays surprisingly short. Right now, she’s single.
Also read: Real history behind Netflix’s Bon Appétit, Your Majesty: A reimagining of the brutal Joseon-era king
Lee Chae Min plays Yi Heon, the tyrant King of Joseon, who hires YoonA’s character as the royal chef after tasting her food and ends up falling in love with her.
Unlike YoonA, Lee does have a confirmed relationship. After starring together in the tvN K-drama Ilta Scandal (Crash Course in Romance), Lee revealed that he is in a relationship with Ryu Da In. Their romance went public in March 2024 after photos of them holding hands on the street went viral. The couple later admitted they were dating. They even showed up together at a cast gathering, and fans supported them for being open and confident. Recently, their matching “couple rings” proved they’re still going strong. At the wrap party of Bon Appétit, Your Majesty, Lee Chae Min was seen wearing a silver ring identical to one Ryu Da In posted online.
In an interview post confirmation, Ryu Da In herself admitted she tried to keep the relationship private, but gave up after photos leaked. “My personality is free-spirited, and I don’t hide things, so you might not believe me, but I really tried to hide it. I didn’t expect such attention. If I weren’t hiding it, I wouldn’t have worn a mask. I wore a mask and glasses, but the sighting still came out,” she said, adding, “Thank you for your support.”
Kang Han Na plays concubine Kang Mok Ju. She has been linked with a few names, including Darren Wang, Kim Do Wan, and EXO’s Suho, but none of her relationships have ever been confirmed. As of now, she is considered single.
Choi plays Prince Je Seon, a royal family member plotting to seize the throne. Unlike his younger co-stars, his love life is steady. He married in 2009 but held the wedding ceremony in 2015 after his acting career finally took off. Choi Gwi Hwa has been part of blockbuster hits like Train to Busan, Taxi Driver, and Criminal City 2. He and his wife share two kids.
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