The Tyrant's Chef Episode 4 Recap, Yoona's Touching Cooking Leads to Lee Chae-min's Surprise Kiss

Yoona wins a high-stakes battle with food that evokes tears and memories in The Tyrant's Chef episode 4.
Lee Chae-min's king breaks down and then kisses Yoona.
Both actors lead the buzzworthy cast list for the series.

The fourth episode of tvN’s captivating weekend drama, ‘The Tyrant's Chef,’ delivered an emotional powerhouse, masterfully blending culinary artistry with deep-seated royal intrigue. The plot thickened as Kang Mok-ju (Kang Han-na), driven by jealousy and ambition, successfully manipulated the Queen Dowager (Seo Yi-sook) into orchestrating a high-stakes cooking competition designed to eliminate her rival, Yeon Ji-young (Yoona). Knowing the trap was set, the tyrannical King Lee Heon (Lee Chae-min) attended anyway, cryptically stating, "I'm looking forward to seeing the new Queen Dowager's performance and whether he can restore Grandma's lost appetite." The stakes were life-or-death, or more precisely, arm-or-freedom, as the loser would have their limbs severed.

While the seasoned royal chefs presented elaborate dishes, Ji-young, a Michelin-starred chef from the future, took a shockingly simple route. With the theme being “filial piety,” she prepared a humble soybean paste stew. The initial reaction was disbelief, with Lee Heon openly expressing his disappointment, asking, "Is it just soup?"

However, the dish’s true power was revealed upon tasting. The Queen Dowager, after taking a spoonful, was utterly transfixed, her stern demeanor melting away. She halted Mok-ju, who was screaming,

"Stop talking nonsense and get to the point. Or I'll cut off your arm! This dish is filled with filial piety."

The simple stew, incorporating pickled radish for a refreshing kick, unlocked a flood of childhood memories of her own mother before she entered the palace. Overcome with emotion, she shed tears and confessed.

"It's amazing. How did she know this taste? I was about to scold her for being filial, but she actually made me a dish that was a testament to filial piety."

Ji-young’s gambit, a dish filled with sincerity rather than extravagance, had completely won over the most powerful woman in the palace.

A Tense Victory and a Moment of Unexpected Intimacy

Despite Ji-young's clear victory, the tyrant’s nature is unpredictable. Lee Heon declared, “From now on, the one in charge of Suragan is Yeonga Ji-young,” but immediately pivoted to punish the losing chefs by demanding their arms.

A horrified Ji-young bravely intervened, using the day’s theme against him.

"The topic of today's competition was filial piety. The Queen Mother has maintained her health by eating the food of these two concubines. Wouldn't it be unfilial of the Queen Mother to cut off their arms?"

"Are you trying to teach me a lesson right now? Do you truly wish to die?" he furiously response.

Then, it was met with her unwavering courage. "I want to live. They want to live too. We were just competing to find the best dish, so I don't understand why that's a death sentence."

With the Queen Dowager’s support, the punishment was withdrawn, solidifying Ji-young’s precarious yet powerful position.

The episode’s most talked-about moment, however, arrived later. After Lee Heon suffered a seizure upon learning a subject linked to his mother’s death had passed away, he retreated into a drunken stupor. Ji-young, having discovered his mental struggles, comforted him with a plate of soybean paste pasta, a dish her own father made for her when she was upset.

This shared moment of vulnerability over family loss created a profound connection. A deeply intoxicated and emotional Lee Heon, weeping, laid her down next to him and whispered, "Just stay still for a moment." In a shocking cliffhanger that has set forums ablaze, he then kissed the utterly surprised Ji-young, foreshadowing a dramatic shift in their complex relationship.

It’s no wonder this drama continues to dominate the conversation. For its first week on air, “The Tyrant's Chef” confidently rose to No. 1 on Good Data Corporation’s weekly list of the most buzzworthy dramas, a ranking determined by analyzing news articles, blog posts, online communities, videos, and social media. The show’s leads also swept the top spots on the most buzzworthy cast members list, with Girls’ Generation’s Yoona securing the number one position and Lee Chae-min impressively following right behind at number two.

The story follows Yeon Ji-Young (Yoona), a talented and cheerful French chef who wins a prestigious cooking competition only to find herself mysteriously transported back to the Joseon era. There, she crosses paths with the absolute tyrant, King Yi Heon (Lee Chae-min). Despite his brutal nature, he possesses an extraordinary sense of taste and is immediately captivated by her cooking. He forces her into the palace to cook exclusively for him, leaving her dream of working at a Michelin 3-star restaurant in Paris behind. Now, she must navigate deadly palace politics, the schemes of the greedy concubine Kang Mok-ju (Kang Han-na), and the machinations of the king’s powerful enemy, Prince Jesan (Choi Gwi-Hwa), all while serving her unique fusion royal cuisine to the most dangerous man in the kingdom.

Source: tvN's The Tyrant's Chef, news.nate, Soompi, AsianWiki