[Exclusive Interview] This Time, It’s a K-Dessert Variety Show! A Meet-Up With the Five Muses of “Bite me Sweet” ① Im Seong-gyun

This time, it’s all about K-desserts! 〈Bite me Sweet〉(Bite Me Sweet, hereafter 〈Bamis〉) is a variety show where five famous female pastry chefs from across Southeast Asia and five rising Korean male celebrities team up in pairs of two to create creative desserts using K-style ingredients. In the end, the winning team earns the chance to open a pop-up store in Singapore under their own names, titled ‘BITE ME SWEET’.

This project comes from the global strategy of ‘Studio C.R.’—the company behind MBC’s ‘Start! Video Travel’ and more. In 2024’s ‘ATF X Mango 1% Formats Pitch’ and again in 2025’s ‘MIPFORMATS PITCH,’ Studio C.R. was selected as TOP 5 back-to-back, already earning recognition for its planning capabilities in both Asian and European markets. 〈Bamis〉 is also the result of Studio C.R. being selected for the Korea Creative Content Agency’s ‘2025 Global OTT Platform-Linked Production Support Program,’ and viewers can watch starting April 24 via the OTT platform Wavve.

Also in the spotlight is the lineup of Korean male celebrities who will step up as the ‘muses’—inspiring presences for the program. After intense auditions among about 300 candidates, the selected ones—such as Bae Min-gi, Sung Seung-ha, Lee Se-on, Im Seong-gyun, and Choo Ju-wan—have it all: strong collaboration skills, star quality, and visuals. Among them, Im Seong-gyun kicked off his acting career in earnest through the 2019 web drama 〈Welcome to Amazon〉, and then made himself known to viewers through ENA’s 2023 weekday-and-weekend drama 〈NamNam〉. Since then, he has steadily built his filmography with dramas such as 〈Escape of Seven People〉 〈Maestra〉 〈ONE High School Heroes〉 〈Good Men〉, and more. In particular, he’s been getting even closer to audiences since last year. In 〈Yadang〉—which drew 3.37 million viewers and ranked No. 2 for box office success among Korean films in 2025—he made a strong first impression as Go Chang-lak, a prison aide to Kang Soo (Kang Ha-neul). He also charmed audiences in the Wavve original series 〈Episode 4: Love Revolution〉 as a computer science genius nerd. What kind of presence will he bring to 〈Bamis〉? Here’s how he came to join.

How did you end up joining 〈Bamis〉?

The production company said they really enjoyed the Wavve original series 〈Episode 4: Love Revolution〉. From that connection, I met the production team, and they offered me an overseas variety show project. The condition was that I’d have to audition. But as a newcomer, I felt really sincere about it—so of course I said, “Thank you!” (laugh) It wasn’t like a typical audition where you perform with a set script or do free acting. Instead, I went through an interview in a relaxed, free-flowing atmosphere, and it turned out I could join the program as an additional successful candidate. It felt like pure luck—like it was good timing.

All the other cast members had their fingerprints stamped on the employment contract and also had their body measurements taken, but since I joined as an additional hire, I couldn’t do that—so I felt a little disappointed. (laugh) Instead, I joined a bit later by making a dessert called ‘Kim Jjun-ku’—not ‘Doo Jjun-ku.’

I’m a little sad that I couldn’t start from the very beginning with the other muses, but I really worked hard! Later, I got so absorbed in filming my audition video that I ended up making Kim Jjun-ku. It was really surprising. Do Jjun-ku is something sweet but also rich and savory, and while you eat it, you get to experience a brand-new flavor again. Kim Jjun-ku is like that too—the taste’s charm shows up again as you go along. It’s a dessert that pairs really well with dried persimmon (gotgam), cream cheese, and crushed dried laver (kim-garu). I thought, “This would be a hit even if we sold it right away.”

What’s the charm of Im Seong-gyun that viewers will be able to check out in 〈Bamis〉?

To be honest, among the cast, I’m the least handy with my hands. I’m really an “all thumbs” type. (laugh) Unlike dramas or movies where you just follow the script as it’s written, this is my first time on a long-running variety show like this. At the start, I actually wanted to come in with something more planned—a clear concept. I also thought I could create a vibe like “tetonom”—like dreaming of pulling it off coolly and skillfully, as if it’s effortless. So the character I locked in early on was Dex from 〈Solo Hell〉. (laugh) Doing things well while also giving off a tsundere-like feeling—it was so cool that even I could tell as I was doing it. But I didn’t need all of that. Once the camera started rolling, for the first one or two hours everything would go exactly as I planned—this way, that way. But after some time passed, my real self started to come out. And it wasn’t only me. Other cast members were thinking similar things too: when people are tense for a long time and their stamina runs out, their true selves come out. That’s where the fun of 〈Bamis〉 really is. It’ll become a program where you can genuinely “smell” real people.

Cooking competition programs have kept their popularity for quite a while. If you had to point out what’s unique to 〈Bamis〉, what would it be?

These days, the letter K is attached to everything, so when someone says “K-dessert,” you might assume it’ll be boring or cliché. I felt that way too at first—just from hearing the concept, I thought, “Is this just another K thing?” But this program breaks that kind of cliché. So beyond the fact that handsome guys appear, the desserts themselves have to be excellent—and I truly have confidence in that. In fact, that’s the most important part. I know the men can make something really challenging, but if it’s not good enough, the show’s quality would drop dramatically. Yet every single shoot, everything felt fresh. In other cooking competition programs, desserts sometimes show up as well—especially recently in 〈A World of Bread〉, where you could see lots of desserts—but there’s still something new here beyond that. You can definitely look forward to it.

I’d like to ask a few more personal questions for readers. What was the first work that helped introduce you as an actor?

I’ve been active across everything from drama bit parts to CFs, without much filtering, but the work where I can honestly say I showed my true self for the first time is the 2019 web drama 〈Welcome to Amazon〉. There’s that famous amusement ride at Everland called “Amazon Express,” right? Back then, the part-time workers on it were incredibly famous, and the web drama turned their whole life stories into a narrative. You could say it was also my first leading role. If we’re talking about my commercial film debut, then it would be 〈Yadang〉 (2025). I played a roommate role alongside Kang Soo (Kang Ha-neul), who’s imprisoned. In the same year, in the Wavve original series 〈Episode 4: Love Revolution〉, I appeared as a completely different kind of character—an annoying, “loser-like” type.

I really enjoyed 〈Episode 4: Love Revolution〉. The department where computer science and the modeling department were merged under the school’s policy created a faculty with a very long name—“Convergence Physical Technology Global Content Development Faculty.” But it wasn’t a modeling department. It was about a genius nerd from computer science. (laugh)

That’s right. The student I played, “Ban Jin-no,” is a rival who competes with the main character, Hwang Bo-reum-byeol, for the top spot in the department. He’s also a participant in the ‘Children’s Quiz King’ competition. (laugh) At first, I thought, “Is this too far from my usual vibe—will it work?” But I wanted to take on the challenge. I played it while wearing glasses and speaking in a slightly odd way, and above all, I kept thinking about “Gwang-su” from 〈Singles Inferno〉. Aren’t “Gwang-su” types in 〈Singles Inferno〉 kind of unique and memorable? (laugh) There’s also that strange charm that’s hard to put into words. Once I had the character clearly in place and nailed the line readings, Director Yoon Seong-ho and Director Han In-mi liked it so much that I thought, “So it really worked.” Especially when Director Yoon Seong-ho saw me, he said he liked it and told me I looked like an uncle selling gum as he walked around bars. (laugh)

I’m curious—what’s your favorite actor or movie?

First of all, it’s Hyun Ha-neul. I also appeared with him in 〈Yadang〉, and since last year, he’s also a senior at the same agency as me. (laugh) He’s always cheerful, and the way he approaches his work is full of things you can learn from. He’s really a “heartwarming stories” machine, and you can feel that firsthand just by sitting next to him. Watching his vibe and his tension on set made me think, “I want to be like that.” Among actors I haven’t worked with yet, I like Director Park Jung-min (Jung-min Sunbae). I feel like he plays in a way where it’s hard to tell where everyday acting ends and directing begins—or where acting on direction happens. Maybe that’s what I’m pursuing as an actor. And the film in my life is always 〈Classic〉 (2003) by my senior Jo Seung-woo. I love 〈Classic〉 so much that, in response to the same question, I’ve never once mentioned a different movie. Even as a musical actor, when you look at Jo Seung-woo’s eyes, you can see both the rock-star-energy look and the gaze that communicates refined romance. In particular, I want to have his heartbreaking-romance eyes, and I want to imitate them. I’m hoping that one day I’ll get the chance to act with that kind of gaze too—after stripping away all the laughter. I want to try telling a story where, instead of a romantic comedy, love makes people laugh, cry, and then everything peaks in their lives—and then it all collapses.

What are your plans going forward?

You can also see me in the recently released series 〈Climax〉. Last year, I was busy with 〈Intern〉, starring Choi Min-sik and Han So-hee. Lately, there are a lot of rumors that the industry is tough, but I’ve been happy connecting with great people and working on multiple projects. I believe that if I keep working hard, new paths will keep opening up. For now, though, 〈Bamis〉 has to do well. (laugh) You’ll all fall head over heels for the five muses—including me. Everyone worked incredibly hard because we were filming overseas. Also, to the pastry chefs who filmed with muses who didn’t know much at all—they worked really hard too. Even our senior Yoon Si-yoon, who handled the role of the entire MC, took care of us and guided us from a tough position. Please, I hope you’ll love our program a lot!

▶ 〈Bamis〉 second museChoo Ju-wan—continuing with the interview.