CHANG JIEUN WAS PRACTICALLY VIBRATING WITH EXCITEMENT. she could hardly believe that she was finally heading to daehan academy-the most prestigious and renowned school in the entire world.

she had eagerly anticipated this moment ever since her mother had first mentioned she could apply. it had been her single focus for months. going from being homeschooled in a remote cabin to mingling with royalty in the grandest castle ever built was a dream come true.

"you know, you can always change your mind," her father said. "we can turn around right now and go back to homeschooling."

jieun rolled her eyes at her father's words. since she had first proposed applying to daehan, her parents had consistently tried to dissuade her. they had warned her of the dangers, insisted it wasn't safe to be away from them, and argued that the royals would not welcome someone of her background. they believed she'd be better off staying isolated and disconnected from the world.

jieun had countered their concerns each time, explaining how embarrassing it was to lack friends and social skills due to her isolated upbringing. she felt that even making a single friend at daehan would be a tremendous achievement.

"dad, we're literally five minutes from daehan," jieun replied. "we are not driving all the way back home."

"i don't have a good feeling about this," her mother murmured.

"mom, you've never had a good feeling in your life," jieun sighed.

her mother turned around in the passenger seat to face her daughter. "honey, you've got to listen to me. this school-well, it's not made for people like us," she said. "i just want what's best for you."

"and what's best for me is daehan academy," jieun said firmly. "you have to trust me on this. please?"

she watched as her parents exchanged uncertain looks. just as her mother seemed about to speak, jieun's younger sister, gaeul, gasped in excitement.

"there it is!" gaeul squealed, bouncing in her car seat.

jieun turned to see what gaeul was pointing at and gasped in awe. the daehan academy castle appeared before her, even more magnificent than the photos.

"it's gorgeous," jieun said with a broad grin.

she saw hundreds of students, each carrying luggage, making their way toward the school to start the new academic year. the car came to a stop as her father found a parking spot in the lot.

"come on, jieun," he said. "let's get you to school."

parents were not allowed past the entrance, leaving jieun to navigate the school on her own. she glanced at her phone, which displayed the acceptance email with her room number.

"room 404," she muttered. "where the heck is room 404?"

jieun stood in the lobby of the girls' dormitory, observing other students rushing to their rooms. she tried to get someone's help, but everyone seemed too hurried to assist her.

finally, she spotted a girl standing to the side. jieun hurried over with her suitcase. "excuse me?" she said when she reached the girl.

the girl looked up from her phone, her startled expression quickly transforming into a friendly smile. "yes?"

"i'm sorry, i'm new here. could you tell me where room 404 is?" jieun asked, hoping the stories about snobby rich kids were just exaggerations.

"oh, i'm heading up there myself!" the girl said with a grin. "i'll show you the way."

jieun sighed in relief. the girl pocketed her phone, grabbed her own suitcase, and started walking, with jieun following closely behind.

"i'm wonyoung. jang wonyoung," the girl said. "i'm a future beauty. what about you?"

jieun was unsure what "future beauty" meant, but she chose not to ask, not wanting to appear ignorant.

"i'm chang jieun, goldilocks' daughter," jieun replied.

"where do you come from?" wonyoung asked.

"far, far away," jieun said. "i was homeschooled my whole life."

"what brings you to daehan, then?" wonyoung inquired as she pressed the elevator button.

"well, it's daehan," jieun said, as if that explained everything. "what wouldn't bring me here is the real question."

"that's fair," wonyoung chuckled. "my roommate and i have been waiting forever for our third roommate. your bed has been missing someone."

jieun laughed. "good to know. who's your roommate?"

"i share a room with ursula's daughter," wonyoung replied. "we're both second years."

jieun frowned. "villains and non-villains share a room?"

wonyoung mirrored her frown. "yes...?"

jieun felt her face flush with embarrassment. maybe that wasn't the right question to ask. fortunately, the elevator dinged, signaling that they had arrived at their floor.

the elevator doors opened, revealing a large sign that read: welcome year twos.

"wait," jieun said. "i'm not a year two, though."

"oh, don't worry," wonyoung reassured. "it goes by age, not experience. now come on, let's see your new home for the next ten months." wonyoung smiled warmly.