Lee Chae-min, a replacement, becomes a dark horse in a historical drama as a chef for a tyrant

By Jiyoun, Moon

Sep 01, 2025

Lee Chae-min, a replacement, becomes a dark horse in a historical drama as a chef for a tyrant
Lee Chae-min and Lim Yoon-ah have a photo time at the production presentation of tvN's new Saturday drama "The Tyrant's Chef" held at Sindorim the St. in Seoul on the 19th. Reporter Huh Sang-wook @sportschosun.com/2025.08.19/



With the enthusiastic support of actors Lim Yoon-ah and director Jang Tae-yu, Lee Chae-min is growing into the main character.

Lee Chae-min, who plays Lee Hun, a tyrant of absolute taste in tvN's Saturday-Sunday drama 『The Tyrant's Chef" (directed by Jang Tae-yu), has newly imprinted Lee Chae-min's name on the small screen by performing overwhelming charisma, emotional acting depicting sadness, and a romance full of excitement.

In the 3rd and 4th episodes, Lee Hun (Lee Chae-min), who brought Yeon Ji-young (Im Yoon-ah) into the palace on the day of the total solar eclipse, opened up to Yeon Ji-young and his cooking despite strong opposition from ministers and the plot by the concubine Kang Mok-joo (Kang Han-na). Lee Heon remembered his mother, Yoon, while watching Yeon Ji-young, and appointed Yeon Ji-young, who captured his taste buds despite jealousy and opposition within the palace, as Colonel Suragan's master, causing a stir. As the contest was contested by Kang Mok-ju's scheme and the test of Inju's Daebi (Seo Yi-sook), Lee Heon revealed his determination as a king with a harsh condition of saving only one victorious master and cutting the rest of his arms, while raising the tension of the play with a cold attitude toward Daebi the Great related to his mother's death.




Lee Hun, who found out that everything surrounding him and Yeon Ji-young was created by Kang Mok-ju, was then angry and marked a turning point in a new conflict. Meanwhile, Lee Heon fell into deeper internal confusion when his henchman Lee Jang-kyun, who was chasing the clues of Yoon's death, was forced to work. Yeon Ji-young appeared in front of Lee Heon, who was leaning on alcohol alone and swallowing pain, and Lee Heon completed a dramatic ending by giving a tearful kiss with the wounds of the past and emotions toward Yeon Ji-young intertwined.

Lee Chae-min, who played Lee Hun, a mad tyrant and the owner of an absolute taste in the play, depicted a person with revenge and solitude related to his mother's death in three dimensions behind the cruel monarch, and released curiosity about Yeon Ji-young, who presents new dishes that he has never seen, with a twist charm, announcing Won-seok's discovery from the first broadcast. On this day's broadcast, the delicate control of the boystone and the eyes shows the tyrant's harshness and dignity as a monarch, and the various taste expressions and the heart of becoming affectionate with Yeon Ji-young are being reborn as `Roco's Jewel.'

Lee Chae-min, a replacement, becomes a dark horse in a historical drama as a chef for a tyrant
Above all, even though it is the first historical drama challenge, it demonstrates its potential as a next-generation protagonist by demonstrating its power as a king, human anguish, and romance in a new phase by exerting weight and charisma appropriate to the genre. Lee Chae-min's performance is helped by the support of senior actor Lim Yoon-ah and historical drama master director Jang Tae-yu. As a rookie, the burden must have been considerable after the sudden substitution, but Lee Chae-min was also able to perform comfortably thanks to the presence of Lim Yoon-ah, who had prepared for the work for a long time and started filming first. Lee Chae-min "I hope that the seniors who filmed with me gave me a lot of feedback and helped me a lot in acting, so that part could be well captured on the screen." On top of that, he expressed his belief that the director's careful directing helped me a lot.




Director Jang Tae-yu was also satisfied with this performance, confessing that he was not an actor he thought of from the beginning, but he met later and was 120% satisfied. Director Jang said, `All actors do their best, but that doesn't lead to good results. But actor Lee Chaemin has prepared a lot, and that has led to achievementsHe praised ", raising expectations for his future performance.








lunamoon@sportschosun.com