FL's story begins in the Joseon Dynasty, roughly 1726, the 6th year of the fictional King Anjong's reign (mirroring the real 2nd year of King Yeongjo's rule). Joseon at this time was famously isolationist, so much so that it became known as the Hermit Kingdom. Foreign contact was was actively banned by the government.
As a court lady confined to the Inner Court, FL's entire world was the palace. Her knowledge of the outside came only through books, scrolls, court gossip, and paintings. The most "foreign" face she might have glimpsed would have been a Chinese or Japanese envoy and even they only passed through the Outer Court, where the King received male officials and diplomats. Women like FL never went there.
Any non-East Asian features she had ever encountered existed only in folklore, and that folklore was not kind or accurate. Westerners referred to as Yanggwi ("Western Ghosts") or Hong-mo-in ("Red-Haired People") were described as barbarians from the edge of the earth. Their deep-set eyes, high nose bridges, and light or reddish hair were compared to Gwishin (ghosts) in the stories passed around court.
Dark-skinned people fared no better in these tales; officially, Joseon court records sometimes described foreign vessels as carrying evil spirits, and folklore borrowed from that fear. Dark skin was not understood as ethnicity it was attributed to black magic, severe burning, or Heuk-gwi (black demons/sea ghosts).
Even the Dokkaebi (Korean goblins) in older legends were described as towering figures with unnatural, frightening appearances.
It's worth noting that these folk stories were never firsthand accounts. They traveled through sailors and traders to storytellers like a game of telephone by the time they reached court ladies in the Inner Palace, they had been filtered through fear, imagination, and political agenda. FL's reaction is not malice or racist.
ClaudiaDramaLover:
_stars:
LenRoz:
