After dominating weekend TV throughout the summer with its addictive cooking sequences, emotional romance, and sweeping historical tension, Bon Appétit, Your Majesty emerged as one of 2025’s biggest drama sensations. And at the center of its success is the original web novel, Surviving as Yeonsangun’s Chef, written by author Park Guk-jae.
Starring Im Yoon-ah and adapted by Studio Dragon, Bon Appétit, Your Majesty became a certified cultural phenomenon praised for its strong performances, vibrant storytelling, and mouthwatering traditional dishes recreated onscreen. As soon as the finale aired, fans immediately demanded a Season 2, naturally shifting attention back to the web novel that started it all.
The original story follows Yeon Ji-young, a modern Michelin 3-star chef who time-slips into the Joseon era during the reign of the notorious tyrant Yeonsangun. While time-travel narratives are common in Korean fiction, the striking combination of a contemporary master chef and a feared historical ruler gave the novel a unique twist. Its detailed culinary descriptions and alternative-history elements captivated readers, and later inspired a drama adaptation and even a webtoon reboot.
Eyes Magazine sat down with author Park Guk-jae to discuss the drama’s success, the origins of the novel, and whether Season 2 might truly happen.
How Surviving as Yeonsangun’s Chef Was Born
When asked how it feels to see his completed novel rediscovered after the drama’s explosive popularity, Park Guk-jae responded humbly. “Honestly, the web novel wasn’t a huge mega-hit during serialization,” he said.
“But I’m happy that the drama brought new attention to it. I heard it became the most successful miniseries this year. I’m simply grateful.”
Despite the novel’s eventual success, Park Guk-jae revealed its beginnings were surprisingly simple. “ There wasn’t some grand reason I started writing,” he shared. “I wasn’t a web novel writer or even a reader. I just wanted to write something. I thought, ‘Let me write what I know and create something appealing to a broad audience.’”
Writing with Adaptation in Mind
Park Guk-jae explained that adapting the novel into a drama was always a possibility he kept in mind. “Even from the early chapters, I imagined scenes visually,” he said. “Many readers commented, ‘This feels like a drama.’ People even made fan-casted versions.”
Multiple production companies reached out, but one key condition mattered most: “I wanted a company capable of actually producing a drama adaptation. That was the difficult part, but eventually I met the current production team.”
Remarkably, the drama rights were acquired even before the novel reached its midpoint an extremely rare case in the industry.
Casting the Live-Action Leads
Fans praised the drama for its striking resemblance to the original characters something Park Guk-jae wholeheartedly agrees with. “Im Yoon-ah was perfect. Yeon Ji-young is an almost impossibly ideal character: a genius chef, compassionate, resilient. In a novel, that works but in live action, it needs credibility. Im Yoon-ah made it believable.”
As for actor Lee Chae-min, who played the drama’s crown prince Yeonhee-gun: “I hadn’t imagined him at first, but he was wonderful. The drama’s prince was sweeter and more charming than the original Yeonsangun, who was more dangerous but secretly caring. Both versions worked well.”
Why the Story Works in Novel, Drama, and Webtoon
Park Guk-jae attributes the series’ multi-format success to its alternative history framework.
“It’s a reinterpreted historical fiction that’s the charm,” he explained. “I researched endlessly: history, food, culture. Real historical records, folktales, and even legendary figures like Jang-geum, Gong-gil, and Jo Gwang-jo appear. It’s familiar yet exciting.”
Season 2 Possibility: “We Already Have the Synopsis”
Fans repeatedly ask the same question will there be Season 2?
Park Guk-jae confirms the possibility is real: “I have a lot to tell in Season 2. The synopsis and basic structure are already done. Details are still being developed.”
He also revealed ambitious plans: “If we move forward, the goal is to release Season 2 of the original novel, drama, and webtoon simultaneously.”
“If Season 2 happens, the side stories could form the early arc especially the mystery of how the tyrant ends up in the modern world.”
Spin-offs and a Larger Universe
Park Guk-jae is already shaping an expanded world: “There are many characters I could develop. I’m building the universe, so spin-offs are possible.”
Park Guk-jae revealed that multiple new projects are in development both similar and entirely different from Yeonsangun’s Chef.
Closing the interview, Park Guk-jae expressed sincere appreciation: “I’ve received more love than I deserve. The production team, director, and global attention all aligned perfectly. I want to repay readers and viewers by creating stories that make them happy.”
He added: “Please enjoy the original novel as well. There are many stories the drama couldn’t include and they connect directly to why Season 2 is possible.”
Sources: Eyes Magazine,Naver Web Novel,tvN
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