The nation was in uproar. It was the scandal of the year. News outlets wondered how, big-name people tried to make sense out of it. Even Commoner families buzzed about it during dinner. 

The day after the news had gotten out, the newspaper laid folded on every household's kitchen counter, the big, bold, black headlines exclaiming, Who is She? The Im family's counter was no exception. The day's newspaper rested atop of the counter, right next to their old toaster. Black smoke swirled from the machine, filling the kitchen with a bitter, burnt smell.

A gasp echoed from the living room. Mrs. Im worriedly called out, "Seolhwa, Honey! You've let the waffles burn again! Hurry and pop them out before the fire alarm goes off!"

Loud stomps boomed from the room next to the kitchen as Seolhwa burst inside, her eyes wide as she hurriedly retrieved her breakfast. With displeasure, she noticed her waffles were covered in black. "Great," she murmured, planning to scrape off the burnt patches. Before she could do so, though, the newspaper headline caught her eye. Her heart beat faster with dread, but a small, proud smile threatened her lips. She unfolded the paper and kept reading the subtitle. 

The heir to the Land has been dethroned by a Commoner… everybody is still wondering who the girl who beat Mingyu to the Honors Academy could be, as no information on her identity has been found. Go to pg. 11 for experts’ take on what kind of unprecedented genius the Land could be witnessing…

"Considered a genius, yet she still burns her waffles every morning," Seolhwa noted with a smile.

"Honey!" came her mother's voice once again. "They're talking about you on TV! Let me turn on the volume so you can hear what they say!"

Her heart beat even faster. When her acceptance letter came in the mail, she hadn't expected so much commotion. 

“…she’s keeping a low profile, and the nation’s most prestigious university, Rocklynn University, isn’t planning on giving out her identity just yet,” the Land’s iconic news reporter, Choi Siwon, spoke.

Seolhwa leaned against the counter, scraping off the burnt areas of her breakfast as she listened to what the media had to say about her situation.

“Everybody is shocked,” Siwon continued, laughing out in amusement. “Rocklynn University’s tutoring system is extremely elite and hard to get in –there’s only one spot available in the Honors Academy for each degree. The Land’s heirs –and basically just any Descendant –train for their entire lives to win the spot. And yet, some Commoner not only becomes the first of her kind to enter the academy, but also beats our Land’s future governor. I still cannot believe it. Ms. Commoner, if you’re looking at this, I cordially invite you to the show because I have a lot of questions that need an urgent answer.”

"What are you waiting for?" Yoona exclaimed, making her way into the kitchen. "Call Siwon and accept his invitation! I mean, it's an opportunity to see his perfect face up close. Ooh, and if you ever go, make sure to take me as your PR manager or something. I urgently need to see him in person to correctly capture his essence in my portraits."

"I think you've done a pretty good job doing that in the other 43 portraits you've done of his face," Seolhwa chuckled, giving her older sister an amused glance as she took a big bite from her crunchy waffle.

"I'm sorry, sis. You might be smart, but you don't understand art, so you wouldn't get it," Yoona replied, retrieving her fruit-filled breakfast from the fridge. She popped a spoonful of her healthy platter before asking, "Will you be giving out interviews?"

"I think I'll be avoiding that for as long as I can," Seolhwa honestly answered, having already given it a thought when she witnessed all the attention her news were receiving in social media. To be quite truthful, a small part of Seolhwa was enjoying the huge coverage —it would look amazing at the time of applying to off-Land Master's Degree scholarships. Other than that, though, she wasn't really looking forward to cameras and microphones shoved in her face, Descendants giving her judging once-overs, and Commoners assuming she'd paid someone off.

"By the way, Miss Commoner," Yoona said, pointing at the clock. "I think it's time for you to go."

"God, you're right," Seolhwa gasped, shoving the remaining waffle in before hurriedly gathering stuff. "Mrs. Pott actually wanted me to arrive a bit earlier, since she'll need my help organizing the entire closing ceremony."

"Oh, that's right, your internship is coming to an end," Yoona remembered, giving her little sister a sympathetic smile. "Did you like or love it?"

"Absolutely adored it," Seolhwa smiled, before heading out of the kitchen. "Bye Mom!"

"Bye Honey! I'll make sure to keep up with your news!" Mrs. Im exclaimed, motherly love drizzling from her words.

Seolhwa smiled. Before leaving, she grabbed her carnet and longingly gazed at it. Her internship in the Landly Welfare Committee basically consisted on organizing papers, fetching coffee, and cleaning the office. But she still loved being involved in every social issue —from defending the environment to fighting hunger —and working under the supervision of the off-Land Mrs. Pott made her feel useful to the social cause. She knew that finishing her internship wasn't the end of it, though, because she'd been accepted to RU's International Relations degree, a move that'd allow her to be involved in social causes at a global level.

 As she opened the door of her house, a shiny patch of black covered her view of her street. It was a shiny, expensive-looking SUV, one she was sure none of her neighbors had recently obtained. Leaning against the passenger door was a extravagantly dressed woman, looking at Seolhwa with large, curious eyes.

"Im Seolhwa, I've been waiting for you!" she exclaimed, breaking into a grin.

Seolhwa silently closed the door behind her, trying to recognize the woman from one of her internship activities. Upon not doing so, dread settled in the pit of her stomach as she wondered whether the media had finally found her identity. "I'm sorry, but I don't think we've met."

"You don't recognize me?" the woman innocently asked, her hurt pride written all over her frown. She quickly recovered and continued with a giggle, "Well, I have been away from the Land for a while now... but anyways, you need to come with me. We need to talk."

Seolhwa blinked, trying to make sense of the situation. With a court smile, she begun making her way. "I have to go, sorry, I have to get to my job."

"No, no, no, no, please," the woman insisted, stepping in front of Seolhwa, blocking her way. "If you don't come, my family will think my plan and we will have to change stra-"

"Stop, Taeyeon, you're scaring her," a male voice emerged from the car. Seolhwa turned to look at it. As the windows rolled out, a pair of eyes she believed she'd seen in the cover of magazines came to view. She thought it couldn't be, but once his face was uncovered, she couldn't help but widen her eyes in shock. 

"Hello, my family needs to talk with you," Mingyu told her, shrugging as he nonchalantly gazed at her.