Hobok entered the Empire—then Joseon—when the Jurchen people began residing in Hanseong.
When the Jurchen chieftains and high-ranking officials’ children who had submitted to Joseon received positions in the central court and stayed in Hanseong, the residents of Hanseong at the time were exposed to the Jurchen people’s hobok.
The first reaction of Joseon people encountering hobok was ‘indifference.’
“The clothes look a bit stuffy…”
“Must be convenient for horseback riding.”
As the Joseon people’s reaction suggested, hobok was clothing created for the needs of the Jurchen, who were nomadic people.
To prevent wind from penetrating, the neck and chest areas were tightly closed, and the sides were slit open for easy mounting and dismounting horses.
The daily attire consisted of women wearing skirts or pants under the hobok top, while men wore pants.
Jurchen women wearing skirts or pants was also a kind of status marker.
Upper-class women who rarely rode horses wore skirts, while lower-class women who needed to move around a lot generally wore pants.
Therefore, this hobok wasn’t meant to be a bomb in the fashion world. Even to the scrutinizing scholarly officials, hobok presented no major problems.
Rather, what the scholarly officials abhorred was the foot binding of Ming women.
What turned this hobok into a fashion bomb was the Imperial women, and more specifically, Hyang.
***
Starting with culottes made by modifying the riding pants popular among Western upper-class women in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Hyang had been consistently working on clothing reform.
Ironically, it started with the most fundamental problem—the bathroom.
“For heaven’s sake! There are too many things dragging and getting in the way! I’ll end up soiling myself while arranging my clothes!”
Due to such fundamental inconvenience, Hyang worked quite diligently on clothing reform.
Thanks to Hyang’s efforts, the clothing of Joseon people, and later Empire citizens, continued to change.
However, even Hyang couldn’t easily touch women’s clothing.
Even the most enthusiastic effort to abolish the gache (elaborate hairpiece) ultimately ended in only half success.
While the large and heavy gache that spawned stories of “breaking new brides’ neck bones” and the eoyeo-meori hairstyle that supported it had almost disappeared, the gache showed tenacious vitality as jojim-meori using cheop-ji and jokduri became fashionable.
***
Besides the gache, what Hyang couldn’t easily touch was women’s undergarments.
“Isn’t it stuffy…”
Whenever he saw the Crown Princess, Yang-je, and Yang-won in their undergarments in the bedchamber, Hyang grumbled internally.
Starting with dari-sokgot, which could be considered 21st-century panties, scholarly officials’ women wore 4 layers, while common women wore 3 layers of undergarments beneath their skirts. For tops too, it was daily wear to layer several pieces starting with inner jeoksam and inner jeogori.
Of course, poor people who couldn’t afford to dress up made do with just jeoksam and underpants.
However, for women from households with some means to eat and live, regardless of high or low status, layering to that extent was daily routine.
Going further, women of royal relatives or high officials sometimes layered over 10 layers of just lower undergarments. Of course, the main culprit for increasing layers—the mujigi—was designed to tie layered skirts together for putting on and taking off, but that didn’t make 7-8 layers become one layer.
Given this situation, it was natural for Hyang to grumble.
“The road is long… At this rate, dawn will break.”
Hyang grumbled internally whenever entering the bedchamber with the Empress and consorts.
Being such a person, it became routine for him to mutter internally whenever he saw Jurchen couples in hobok paying respects at banquets Sejong held.
‘Qipao with guns would be a cheat code… Add garter belts and pistols for the complete package… Whether live-action or anime, doesn’t matter…’
As an aside, rumors circulated about Hyang staring intently at Jurchen women.
“Could the Crown Prince be interested in Jurchen women?”
“Surely not? Hasn’t he only taken the Crown Princess, Yang-je, and Yang-won until now?”
“That’s what I’m saying. He originally said he’d only have the Crown Princess, then barely agreed to three under His Majesty’s pressure.”
“The Crown Prince is also a man. Who knows?”
“Hmm…”
Eventually, this rumor reached Sejong’s ears, and Sejong immediately summoned Hyang.
“I’ll ask you man to man. Could it be…”
Before Sejong could finish, Hyang answered urgently.
“N-no! Your son merely found their clothing interesting!”
“…I’ll take your word for it.”
Answering with a peculiar expression, Sejong dismissed Hyang. Watching Hyang leave after paying respects, Sejong muttered quietly.
“But it’s a bit disappointing. Taking in a Jurchen woman would be quite a good political move…”
***
Later, after Joseon became the Empire and Hyang became Emperor, he muttered with a mysterious smile.
“I’ve gathered all the materials adequately…”
Sitting alone in his bedchamber muttering meaningful words, Hyang commanded a eunuch.
“Summon the Royal Wardrobe’s master tailor.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
A short time later, the Royal Wardrobe’s master tailor who had rushed over after receiving the eunuch’s message paid respects with a tense face.
“You summoned me?”
“Yes, I have something to request of you.”
At Hyang’s mention of a request, the master tailor prostrated himself completely and raised his voice.
“For Your Majesty to make a request of this lowly tailor is absolutely inappropriate! Please simply command me.”
“Very well, then… Scribes and historians, leave for a moment.”
After dismissing the historians and scribes, Hyang opened his desk drawer, took out papers, and handed them to the master tailor.
“Take these.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Approaching on his knees to receive the papers, the master tailor looked at the drawings on the paper and then stared at Hyang with shocked eyes. Looking directly at the Emperor without permission was a serious breach of etiquette. Yet the drawings on the paper were shocking enough to make him forget this.
Seeing the master tailor’s reaction, Hyang smiled slightly and continued.
“These are nightclothes for the Empress and consorts.”
“Ah…”
While nodding at Hyang’s words, the master tailor wore a troubled expression.
“They are… revolutionary.”
“Sometimes such revolutionary changes are necessary. Now, let me explain the materials.”
“Yes.”
At Hyang’s words, the master tailor took out paper and a stylus from his sleeve. When the master tailor was ready, Hyang began speaking.
“First, the finest silk so thin and soft that it’s translucent, the highest quality lace made in France, and silk stocka…”
“Yes, yes…”
After recording all of Hyang’s orders, the master tailor left the bedchamber holding the design drawings.
On the way back to the Royal Wardrobe, the master tailor stopped several times to examine the drawings. Looking at the drawings by moonlight, the master tailor let out an exclamation.
“Wow! Looking carefully, it’s hobok, but to think such sensual nightwear could come from hobok! His Majesty can do anything—he even has such refined taste!”
The master tailor, who could roughly tell what kind of clothes would result just from the design, continued exclaiming.
“This will soon cause an uproar in ladies’ chambers and gisaeng houses throughout the Empire!”
Anticipating what would happen, the master tailor’s expression suddenly hardened.
“Wait! If my predictions are correct, the royal relatives will all know soon… If that happens, the workload…”
Already well aware of the power of the ‘Gyeongbokgung Mafia,’ the master tailor sighed.
“Haah~. Work has exploded. It’s exploded. At least… my name will become known.”
As compensation for this work, Hyang ordered the historian to record that the master tailor had done the work under Hyang’s command.
***
Following Hyang’s orders, the master tailor diligently collected materials. To obtain necessary materials, the Royal Wardrobe visited French merchants staying in Seoul along with interpreters.
Taking down orders through the interpreter, the French merchant’s face grew increasingly bright.
‘These are all top-quality goods! How much is all this worth!’
Bowing while writing it down, the merchant asked the interpreter.
“Where should I deliver these?”
“The Imperial Palace.”
“Gasp!”
The shocked merchant immediately answered.
“What I currently have is far too insufficient to present to the Imperial Palace.”
“The quality of goods is what matters; time comes second. Though we can’t wait forever.”
“I’ll do my utmost!”
“Don’t forget. Everything must be of the highest quality. And it must arrive not too late.”
“Yes, yes.”
Having received the order, the French merchant immediately took the iron horse down to Mokpo. Boarding the fastest departing trade ship from Mokpo, the merchant returned directly to France.
In normal circumstances, he would have just sent a message, but the merchant chose to move personally.
‘This is a matter of supplying the Imperial household! If done properly, I can make a fortune from then on!’
As a merchant who had confirmed the power of word-of-mouth while staying in the Empire, this was an opportunity he absolutely couldn’t miss.
***
Though it took time, the master tailor who had gathered all materials immediately began work.
Starting with dyeing the stocka and lace black, the master tailor personally did or supervised every process.
Having successfully completed the first phase of work, the master tailor poured his heart into cutting and sewing the silk and applying gold leaf.
Finally completing all work and creating three sets of nightwear, the master tailor clenched his fist and exclaimed.
“There’s nothing better than this! I’ve done my best!”
Satisfied with his results, the master tailor sought out a eunuch.
“Please report to His Majesty.”
“I understand.”
Hearing through the eunuch, Hyang personally visited the Royal Wardrobe. After confirming the results, Hyang greatly praised the master tailor and seamstresses, then commanded the eunuch.
“Deliver these to the Empress and Imperial Consorts.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Following orders, the seamstresses carefully packaged the nightwear and handed it to the eunuch. Watching the eunuchs heading to where the Empress and Imperial Consorts were with the packaged nightwear, Hyang wore a pleased expression.
“Since they have such good foundations… Ahem!”
Muttering meaningful words, Hyang immediately turned around.
“Right! Today we absolutely end on time!”
***
That night, Hyang visited the Empress’s bedchamber.
“Your Majesty, could you turn off the lights…”
“Let me look a bit more.”
At Hyang’s pleased expression as he gazed at her wearing the nightwear, the Empress couldn’t overcome her embarrassment and twisted her body.
“B-but, this attire doesn’t suit propriety…”
“When we share a bed, have we ever slept properly dressed according to propriety?”
At Hyang’s words, the Empress immediately lowered her head with a flushed face. As Hyang said, when they shared a bed, they had never properly worn nightclothes to sleep.
Either Hyang, exhausted from fatigue, would sleep without even removing his clothes, or they would sleep wearing nothing—it was one or the other.
In any case, that night the two spent a ‘hot night’ together after a long time. No, it wasn’t just the Empress. The same was true for the two Imperial Consorts.
That was all well and good, but afterward, Hyang called the royal physician to apply poultices to his back.
However, there were other unfortunate victims. They were the Head Court Lady and Chief Eunuch who always had to stay near Hyang.
Plugging her nosebleed, the Head Court Lady muttered quietly.
“I have always wondered why the person who previously managed the Eastern Palace often had nosebleeds… So this is the reason.”