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If there was anything being on the road for seven years had taught Seo-bi it was that there were infinitely many shapes in nature and they all served a different purpose. The straight line of the horizon marked the passing of each day as the sun appeared and disappeared beyond its edge. The moon went from a perfect ring, to a semi circle, to a crescent before it vanished altogether to let them track the passing of the seasons. The six sided pockets the bees crafted stored honey which was good to eat, but also sealed impromptu wounds. Yes, there were countless shapes and they all had a function.
Of all the shapes she had encountered on their travels, Seo-bi appreciated the humble triangle the most. With three sides and three points of connection, it was ideal and practical; simple yet strong. It resembled the modest tent they threw up to shelter themselves each night was well as the deadly arrowheads Yeong-shin crafted when bullets were running out. The triangle was a faultless figure because each side supported the others simultaneously, distributing weight equally among the points of connection. Because of this phenomenon, no one side was ever encumbered or overwhelmed.
So it was with them.
Lee Chang was their base, the strong foundation upon which they built their lives and their mission. The Crown Prince’s determination to rid his land of the resurrection plant and its curse had set their heading for all the years that they were together. They followed him from village to village feeling safe and secure under his protection. He took first watch every night and guarded the river’s edge as they bathed every morning. He loved them both with a calm and steady hand, never burdening them with his ire or his affections.
Yeong-shin was a stalwart and tireless support. He scouted areas days ahead of them and returned with news of dangers or fortune’s that awaited. He defended their unguarded sides all through the years, only straying when he had to hunt their dinner when supplies were low. The tiger hunter was unlike the prince in that he sometimes let his frustrations boil over. When he was tired, or hungry, or worried he would shout too loudly; kiss too fiercely. He always apologized afterward either with a gentle hand reached out in the night, or a prime piece of game meat thrown over in the day. He loved them aggressively and protectively, holding them dear as the only family he had left.
Seo-bi was also a support. Where Lee Chang led, she followed and where Yeong-shin hurt she would heal. She had different duties from her two men, but none of what they did could truly reach fruition without her. Lee Chang could find the afflicted, but Seo-bi could heal them. Yeong-shin could shoot the meat, but Seo-bi could cook it. She kept their camp and their bodies cared for and was often the voice of reason when petty squabbles would break out. She loved them unconditionally.
The triangle was a faultless figure because each side supported the others simultaneously. Days would come when Lee Chang became overwhelmed with the heavy weight placed upon his shoulders. Haunted with the knowledge that should this mission fail it could mean the end of life and mankind as they knew it, the Crown Prince would grow distant and forlorn and the physician and tiger hunter would share a knowing look behind his back. As the sun would start to fall beyond the straight line of the horizon Seo-bi would complain of needing to rest, or Yeong-shin would note that the area was too dangerous to traverse at night. These were excuses Lee Chang would never ignore and so he’d have them stop and begin setting up camp. The other two would pull him down to their shared bedroll, out under the stars when the months grew warm, and brush his stress away with nimble hands and warm mouths.
A triangle's weight was distributed equally among the points of connection. Yeong-shin had insisted on training them both how to shoot expertly in case such a day came when he could not do it for them. The outdoors were an ever evolving and unforgiving home and the tiger hunter was not fortunate enough to have a wide array of clothes he could use to adapt to changes in the weather. In winter he would grow pale and gaunt, fever taking him often as well as fits of coughing. He hated these times and when the days grew short was when he was most likely to dawn a sour attitude. Seo-bi would of course find remedies to make quick work of Yeong-shin’s ailments and Lee Chang gave into the hunter’s need for light bickering to keep his spirits up. Still, what always helped the most was when the other two would hold him close between them in the night, a rare treat since Seo-bi was usually in the middle, and pet and stroke him into a tired but peaceful sleep. When he woke up the next day after such nights, one of the others would always have done the hunting for the day.
Because of its many attributes, no one side of a triangle was ever encumbered or overwhelmed. Seo-bi had lived a quiet life once upon a time and had been very fond of it, but she found she did not miss it as much as she thought she would. Yes traveling with a Crown Prince and former tiger hunter could be exhausting some days, but she found her work as invigorating as ever and even more rewarding than it had always been. She loved getting to see more of her homeland and the mystery of the resurrection plant was an endless pool from which she would gladly continue to drink deeply. That she had found love among her traveling companions was just a small part of the several things she loved about her new life, but it was a part with many compartments and windows.
She loved when she would wake up held flush against Lee Chang’s chest, Yeong-shin having placed her there as he got up to take his shift in the night. She loved when the tiger hunter would squat down in the river so she could wash his hair and then have him do the same for her, the water always cooling to their hot flesh. She loved when they called her ‘flower’ and brought her unique pieces of medical equipment they came across while off scouting a new village. She loved the way the prince would keep his large hand on the back of her slender neck when he introduced her to people. She loved when Yeon-shin let her take control, trusting her to lead them into a place they all wanted to be.
Seo-bi loved being with two men and she honestly hadn’t thought she would at first. She had thought it would be a tumultuous war of jealousy and hurt feelings that would end with none of them getting what they wanted. She had worried and fretted for weeks after both men propositioned her, separately, and in very different ways, because how was she meant to choose? The thing that made the triangle strong was that all sides were equal ; how was she meant to choose between sides? Finding out she didn’t need to had been the stunning relief she never could have hoped for.
Seo-bi loved watching Yeong-shin and Lee Chang together more than anything else.
They were both so strong and passionate yet completely unique in these qualities. Lee Chang had a calm and inevitable sort of presence, while Yeong-shin was wild and sometimes unpredictable. When they clashed it was almost as if they weren’t meant to be and yet at the same time had been made for each other. Like if the sun were to be suddenly confronted by the moon. And Seo-bi was the stars that got to bask in their shared glow and fall over them both each and every night. When all three of them came together at the center of the triangle they created a perfect storm of desire, and need, and a shared goal. Yes, they supported each other perfectly, no one of them could ever be overcome as long as the other two were there.
They formed the perfect shape.