Bon Appétit Your Majesty blends time-travel fantasy heart-fluttering royal intrigue and mouth-watering culinary artistry. Set between modern-day Korea and the grandeur of the Joseon dynasty it follows Yeon Ji-young, a gifted chef with a fierce will to survive. One moment she’s competing in a high-profile cooking contest the next a mysterious recipe book and a solar eclipse hurl her straight into the past straight into a king’s path. Caught between palace politics rebel threats and royal kitchens Ji-young’s skills might be her only way home.
Episode 1 Summary
The story opens in the regal yet tense atmosphere of the Joseon court. Guards drag a woman, Yeon Ji-young, before King Yi Heon accusing her of a grave offense and demanding her execution. But instead of delivering a death sentence the king shocks everyone by appointing her as the head chef of the royal kitchen. Ji-young while this outwardly composed silently vows to survive long enough to find a way back home.
From here, the tale takes us back to the present day 2025 where Ji-young is competing in a prestigious French cooking competition. The final challenge is to prepare a royal feast. In the last five minutes, disaster strikes: her stove malfunctions. Thinking quickly, she constructs a makeshift stove from rice straw. Against all odds she completes a venison steak and inspired by a dish served during King Yi Heon’s reign. Her creativity and flawless is execution earn her victory and a coveted role as head chef at a Michelin three-star restaurant.
Riding the high of her win Ji-young calls her father to share the news. He mentions that a professor friend in Paris will send her a precious Joseon-era book to deliver to him. The package arrives just before her flight back to Korea. On the plane a fellow passenger accidentally spills coffee on the parcel. Panicked, Ji-young rushes to the restroom to salvage it revealing an antique recipe book. On its back cover she finds a sentimental inscription from a man wishing for the return of a loved one.
Outside a solar eclipse of shrouds the sky. Suddenly the book begins to glow. A vortex opens and the Ji-young is pulled into it tumbling through the otherworldly tunnel before falling into a dense forest. Her landing is far from graceful. She triggers an animal trap and ends up dangling in a net high above the ground.
Meanwhile King Yi Heon is on a deer hunt nearby. Despite the warnings from his loyal eunuch Chang-eon about to rebel activity in the area the king remains unconcerned. Back at the palace Queen Dowager In-ju and the royal consorts express the unease about the king being for outside during an eclipse a time traditionally reserved for rituals.
In the forest Ji-young regains consciousness disoriented and terrified. Yi Heon in pursuit of a fox, fires arrows that accidentally cut through the net, freeing her. When he approaches, he mistakes her pale, unfamiliar appearance for that of a gwinyeo a ghostly woman from folklore. Just as he’s about to strike her down, an arrow from a hidden rebel finds its mark hitting the king.
Both Ji-young and Yi Heon lose their footing and plunge off a nearby cliff into the river below. Their fates is hang in the balance as the episode ends setting the stage for an unlikely connection between a modern-day chef and a Joseon king whose lives have just violently of collided.
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Episode 2 Summary
Episode 2 picks up with Yeon Ji-young and Gil-geum sitting helplessly by the river after their near-death escape. Their brief moment of calm doesn’t last long as the chaehong guards soon appear, arresting them and taking them to the residence of Governor Hong. Confused and terrified Ji-young struggles to process what’s happening until reality hits she has truly traveled back in time to the Joseon era. Her panic feels raw and real marking the first time she fully accepts her strange new reality.
Not long after, the chaehong inspectors arrive and sort the captive women into two groups those who will be presented to the king and those who will not. Ji-young and Gil-geum end up in the latter group, ordered instead to work in the kitchen and prepare a meal for the household’s essential guests. However with no ingredients and most of the kitchen maids having fled, it’s a near-impossible task.
When the governor’s son Hong Eon-uk, appears, Ji-young boldly strikes a deal. If she can impress the governor’s guests with her cooking he’ll release the captured women. Eon-uk agrees, but warns her that the guests Im Song-jae and his father, Im Seo-hong are notorious for finding fault with everything they’re served. Undeterred Ji-young decides to prepare steak but she quickly realizes that the meat is too harsh. Using her modern culinary know-how she invents a makeshift sous vide method to tenderize it demonstrating her resourcefulness even in the 19th century.
Meanwhile far from the chaos King Yi Heon finds Ji-young’s scrunchie near the river, realizing she’s been captured in the chaehong roundup. He silently sets out to track her down. Back at the governor’s residence Hong Eon-uk reveals he’s sent his daughter Mi-hyang away for safety, fearing she might be taken by the chaehong as well. But things take a dark turn when the guests arrive. Im Song-jae arrogant and cruel inspects the captivated women and rejects them one by one. During dinner, he and his father scoff at being served only a few cuts of meat and insult the cooks. To humiliate the governor Song-jae has his men bring out Mi-hyang whom he had captured while she was fleeing.
Furious and humiliated, Governor Hong can do nothing. Ji-young steps forward, begging the lords to at least taste her dish before punishing anyone. She promises to sacrifice her life if the food isn’t good, but if they enjoy it, all the women should be freed. The two men agree taste the meal and clearly love it though Song-jae lies and claims it’s flavourless. His deceit leads to Ji-young being dragged away to be beaten.
Just as the punishment begins, a commanding voice interrupts it’s King Yi Heon. Ji-young now realizes he truly is who he claimed to be. Hearing her defend her dish earlier, Yi Heon decides to judge it himself. He tastes the food and is impressed especially by the unique powder Ji-young made to mimic MSG. Intrigued by her modern methods he questions her about her background. Ji-young boldly admits she’s from the future but Yi Heon dismisses it as nonsense.
Nevertheless, he orders Song-jae to take Ji-young and Mi-hyang to the palace for further inspection. Later Yi Heon reveals his true motive to avenge his mother’s death. The entire chaehong operation was part of his revenge scheme. Governor Hong, connected to the tragedy, confronts Yi Heon for neglecting his duties, but the furious king banishes him for blasphemy.