Garanosekai

I don't think the real queen would return at this point.
Her character won't fit in this story. KSY is the stereotypical tragic female noble character who longs for living freely but trapped/worn out by social/societal norm. She has no purpose in the story on her own, the only one being making the king love her. The chef on the other hand, has many purposes, like to go back in time, to survive in the palace, to subvert rigid gender stereotype, etc.
Even if she was brought back, it would only be in the endgame of the drama, since I couldn't imagine how her interactions with the rest of the characters would be like, and it wouldn't nearly as interesting as the chef.

If the pacing of the cdrama verison is to follow, the actual romance, meaning there are mutual feeling for each other, would only happen in 2nd half of the drama.
The chef still believes he has a chance to go back. It will be weird TBH, that he woulc soon engage a romantic relation with the king, who is not only a man but also wants to kill her.
The king would have a lot of convincing to do.

Anyone notice in the Ep 5's trailer, when the king holds the concubine in his arms, the SML is doing the same with the queen?
It is safe to say the love triangle would definitely happen from now on.

Would rather not see that happen.
That seems like another level of OOC...
The C-Drama version of much more interesting before that happens.

The drama is setting up like, the real queen had cursed the king to lose true love forever, which would be the queen with the chef's soul.
Emmm, seems like a setup destined to be tragedy.

Production is low quality

There might be romantic development, but I didn't see how they would end up together.
The K-drama chooses to base this story off real historical figure is a double-edged sword, doesn't seem to me would be happy end at all. The king died pretty young in history.

I think the trailer had already given it away. The SML would save the queen next episode, whether she would know it is the king who trying to kill her remains to be seen. But from the king's line in the trailer and the scene he is holding a knife, he wouldn't risk it to have secret revealed, so assassination would likely be attempted. My prediction goes, the SML would become the said ... general ? So he can protect FL, and gets more screen time :)

The C-Drama version doesn't seem to bring out the previous personality that much, but I do think the K-drama would bring her back at some point (albeit being short, the original personality seems quite ... serious and stiff? Even she gets brought back, it is hard to imagine how that would fit in the story without turning it into yet another moody palace melodrama).

The SML already seems to get pretty resourceful around palace affairs, and the games of throne is never the less a central theme in asian period historicals, but he would not have a right to claim the throne unlike the C-drama.

And TBH, the C-drama is quite short, 37 episodes with each of 20 mins long, the K-drama is 20 episodes but 75 mins each. I am curious how the writer would fill in those missing content here.

It is an adaptation, the bathroom scene is a proof of it, almost a shot for shot recreation.
Yes, the story would be different, but my bet would on it won't completely diverge from the C-Drama, otherwise, why set up those characters with similar background and motivation?
I don't think pointing out the resemblance would discredit the K-Drama of its own brilliantness, predictions are predictions after all.
The story still has long way to go, let's see how this unfold.

The original C-Drama is much more interesting than I previously thought.
I was attempted to pick up GPG before, but the art direction...let's say it is an acquired taste. And I really don't like dubbed drama, it just hurts my immersion.
But now as I digging in, I just realize how much I had missed! The characters are interesting and plot is reasonably paced. It doesn't suffer a lot of problem current C-Drama have.

The K-drama has a pretty similar setup comparing to C-drama, especially when it comes to the characters and their relationship. Thus I think the writer would try to replicate many of the plot points here and there.

Based on the C-Drama, some predictions:
1. ML would fall for the FL earlier.
2. The king is heavily involved in the drowning of FL, even directly responsible. Would predict this is going to be a big reveal later in the story.
3. FL would resist the king for at least the first half of the drama. There would be plots where the FL even tries to push the king to SFL to just save herself for the trouble. And the king would be confused and frivolous over this perceived generosity.
4. The king would try to assassinate the queen in the story, which seems quite likely, as in he thought the queen knew his secret plan.
5. Love triangle between the king/queen/cousin. SML resentment would definitely grow as two leads relationship develops.
6. SFL is evil and scheming. I don't think the king would end up with her in the story.

Whether FL would get pregnant, I don't think so ... Also I would say the K-Drama would focus more on the palace infighting, where as the C-Drama just glossed over.

A biological woman falls for a biology man isn't BL, even though previous the female believed she is a man.

It says SML is adopted to kim's clan.

I believe so.
The character synopsis for SML reads that he has affection towards the queen, and gets jealous when the relationship improves between king and the queen. Also the interview with both leads, when asking about the the relationship, the actress addresses the relationship as 'love transcending genders'.
And from the King's perspective, unless he accepts the whole theory that there is a modern man's soul time travelled to a woman's body, then there isn't really anything gay about it, however that is present to the viewer.
Ofc, it is Korea, so the line would be treading carefully, but this drama might not touch that sensitive nerve, all things considered. The said relationship is still between two person with opposite biology sex, and already married at the beginning even.

There is a scene of 'sleeve cutting' in EP2. LOL, the director is being too obvious here.

Doesn't seem to me it is 2 souls one body, just the current soul has access to a fragments of memory from her(his?) previous personality?
Also it seems to me the king doesn't like the pervious FL, and she gets drowned either due to accident or suicide.
My prediction is the drama would probably keep the line really blurry here. The romance is likely to happen (according to history, the king is madly in love this the queen lol), between the chef and the king, but only in the female body, and he would travel back to modern time, and leave the body to the original personality.
But honestly, there are too many possibilities, even the C-Drama has 3 endings, who knows what the writer have in plan for this one, or it is even decided yet.

Honestly...the comments are much entertaining than the drama.

Had been bored after ep8 but keep coming back every week just to witness the battle. Unhealthy but addictive anyway.

Most of the business stuff is imagined, or straight fantasy. Doesn't even count as scratch the surface, because I am doubtful the writer even touches it lolll

The writer had gone rogue.

The comment war would justify the money they pay.
Netflix: We should make more of these to increase our user engagement

Somehow I found the most recent 2 episodes hilarious in unexpected way.

I keep laughing aloud at places it is supposed to be melodramatic. Lol