Upon arriving at the airport, a group of people was waiting for them, and they were responsible for taking them to the hotel where they would stay.
During the trip, Dash had spent his time sleeping and watching movies with Devon. There was nothing more interesting than that, which was quite normal as they were on a flight.
Upon reaching this place, the air felt distinctly different, and just listening to people speak, you could tell where you were. Beijing, which has been the capital for many years, is a place loaded with symbolic temples that depict the cultures of all of China. Dash was quite ignorant in terms of knowledge, so he couldn't say much about this place.
While the car was moving along the road, Dash was drinking water like a fish and said, "This is my first time out of the country; I never thought the first country to visit would be China, but I'm not complaining..."
Devon, who had Asian features coming from South Korea, would only resemble these people a little without being seen on numerous occasions, unlike Dash, who stood out for his good looks according to his own judgments.
"The heat is a bit unbearable, but the place is still nice..." Dash couldn't help but mention this when he saw the sights around him.
"Will they let us bring things home?" Devon was very interested in buying some things to take back home.
"Don't spend your money on anything other than food; the main thing we should do is try new foods..."
The smile on Dash's face couldn't be hidden when he mentioned this because he wanted to try the food sold in this country. Of course, the language barrier might complicate things a bit, but nothing that couldn't be solved with Mr. Kim's presence.
"Even though I speak like an idiot, I'm Korean, don't get me confused..." Mr. Kim seemed like a grumpy grandfather who loved being talked to but got angry over the smallest things.
Dash and Devon ignored Mr. Kim in a joking manner while looking in awe at the temples that were extremely impressive in their eyes, having not experienced this place firsthand.
For Dash, this place was completely new, and as for Devon, she was happy to travel abroad in the company of her parents, who had received this trip courtesy of the Hale family.
"Well, we've arrived..." Mr. Kim said as he got out of the van that had picked them up from the airport.
"Remember the number of your rooms, the place, and the floor we're on. Once we drop off the luggage, we'll eat something and rest for the rest of the day," Mrs. Zoé reminded them, watching her daughter and Dash quickly run off upon seeing a stone statue.
"Take a picture of me for the internet; this is our first trip..." Dash stood in front of a statue of a historical figure and posed a few times before taking a photo of Devon.
By the time the photo sessions were over, Dash and Devon entered their room. For Devon's family, they had a reservation with many extra rooms, while Mr. Kim and Dash stayed in another room.
Mr. Kim and the Lees didn't know each other very well, so separate rooms were chosen for everyone to be comfortable.
Inside the room, Dash lay on his bed after placing his light luggage aside. In this place, you could feel the change in culture due to the room's ambiance. But Dash wasn't picky after having lived most of his life in a hospital; as long as the bathroom is good, nothing else really matters.
"We'll rest for today, and tomorrow we'll visit Mr. Han to finalize the registrations for the tournament. Remember to sleep early; tomorrow we'll travel to learn more about this country and its culture."
After a long journey, all anyone wants to do is rest, but Dash had other plans. What he did was review his combat memory skills. He was very nervous and not very tired from the trip, so he needed to keep his mind focused. His movements were fluid; the wind seeped through his clothes, and after half an hour, he took a shower before lying down for a few hours.
"At least I should stay active on my social media; maybe I'll end up becoming very famous..." Dash smiled as he posted some old photos.
By recommendation when traveling, it's best not to post current photos to avoid theft or scams. The safest way to do it is to post them once the trip is over, something Dash would do while choosing the best photos for his album.
While browsing the internet, he didn't forget to leave a message for his parents who had already spoken with Mr. Kim while he was showering.
"The life of an athlete..." Dash was ashamed of his own words as he had never thought about this when he started exercising.
After finishing everything he was doing, he eventually fell asleep for a few hours and was later awakened by Devon, who had slowly become his assistant. She hadn't let him try anything weird, and she had also told him before that unless he wanted to get a stomach ache, he shouldn't try to eat things he hadn't tried before.
Dash didn't want to miss the tournament due to a stomachache or, worse yet, explosive diarrhea, as he had seen in movies. The perception of reality was slowly stabilizing in Dash's mind, who was just beginning to experience the world.
Within his bubble, many things didn't turn out to be the way he thought, and other things had a more different meaning for certain people. It's true that he had learned many things through his experience in the hospital, but beyond those walls, it's not as if he had known the world.
"It's better not to experiment with food..." Dash didn't want to criticize the food, and he wasn't picky, but there were certain dishes that he couldn't even look at due to their appearance and smell.
Of course, there were desserts that Dash obviously didn't omit from trying. At the end of the day, he ate so many desserts that he lost count.