With Dinosaur City opening up, there were plenty of people leaving Lyre, even if only temporarily. But not everyone was heading to the newest colony. There was a colony tour for some of Animalia's newest members. That included Adi, Carrie, Allura, Beatrice, Xena, and the Hanson herd. Two of the most prominent people on this colony tour was Ling, the uplifted water deer, and Mr. Hyun, the official representation from the North Korean government. There were still some people who felt a little anxious around Mr. Hyun. Ironically enough, it was Hyun who was feeling more uncomfortable about the trip and had been since before it had started.
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Mr. Hyun was feeling like he was losing control of the situation. He had done his best to bring the uplifted water deer back to North Korea so that the army could use the Animalia virus to create super soldiers. However, Americans have a very different view about obeying their government. Instead of handing her right over, they made sure she was getting a proper education. Hyun had tried to make sure Ling was isolated from western influences by being her only translator. But a linguistics professor was helping Ling overcome her language barrier problems.
Most reprehensibly, Ling was feeling some misgivings about his superiors' plan. It was pretty clear from the start that Ling wasn't soldier material, despite her large canines. It might have been a mistake sending a prey species instead of a predator. But from what Hyun had seen, uplifted Animalians of any species had no interest in wars or fighting for any reason beyond recreation. Converted Animalians may not feel so inclined, but the chances of using the Animalian virus on Korean soldiers were statistically nil. To North Korea's chagrin, it seemed more likely that an embassy will be made in North Korea and that Animalians were to be given equal rights. Hyun had been worried about himself as well. The more time he spent among these Americans, the less his nation's strict rules and policies made sense. He feared he was being slowly corrupted by these Americans' softer opinions.
Hyun was brought out of his own thoughts when Ling spoke to him. "So, when we go to the beach, which of these swimsuits should I wear?" asked Ling. She held up two swimsuits, one a bikini set, the other a one-piece.
Hyun looked away, his cheeks coloring. "Both would look fine," he said as neutrally as possible. Like all female Animalians, Ling had an attractively-built body. Hyun had been expecting Ling to be small like most Korean women, but her curvy body was almost too much for him.
"Mr. Hyun, I've been meaning to ask you something," said Ling, "What is culture shock?"
"It is a mental condition for when one encounters a different kind of culture to one's own," said Hyun, "Have they been telling you that you have culture shock?"
"No, not me," said Ling, "How could I have culture shock if I didn't have my own culture before?"
"Then where did you hear it?" asked Hyun.
"Well, Mr. Lexington says that you were the one who had it," said Ling.
"What?" snapped Hyun.
"Well, you do seem to be rather against any American ideas," said Ling, "How many times have you left North Korea before me?"
"It...it doesn't matter," said Hyun.
"I think that you really need to be going on this tour," said Ling, "There's a very big world out there that we should see."
"Korea is enough of a world for both of us," said Hyun stubbornly.
Ling shook her head sadly and said, "You should really give new things a chance. At least talk to other people."
Hyun was disinclined to call his fellow tourists 'people'. The only other human besides himself would be Beatrice and she was planning on converting at their first stop. The only Animalian who might make any sense would be Adi as she had been converted instead of uplifted. The Hanson horses did not count in Hyun's mind as they were mere children before their accidental double-dosing.
It was becoming more distressing to himself that Hyun was unsure about his relationship with Ling now. He seemed more like an escort than anything else and he was worried that he was getting too close. Suppose that abandoned all common sense and not only converted but started supporting American ideals? His government would have his head, quite literally. But hadn't he already condemned himself with the failure of the super soldier program? Should he just go with the flow while he still had time? Perhaps Hyun really did need a vacation.