The room was dark when Chang-min first entered it, and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust. There was a large window on the east side of the room, but the curtains had been drawn. Kyu-hyun was leaning over some cabinet, fiddling with something that Chang-min couldn't see.

"Do you need the light on?" Chang-min asked him and his voice seemed to echo when Kyu-hyun didn't reply.

Kyu-hyun continued with his task, oblivious to Chang-min's presence. At last he said, "I'm used to it, it's okay now."

"What are you doing?"

"Ah, the usual. Just packing up my computer. I knew you were coming over so I put it away, but I'm usually always on it."

"Sorry if I interrupted you."

Kyu-hyun stared at Chang-min with half-open eyes. "I hope that was meant sarcastically."

Chang-min chuckled halfheartedly. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time you've put computer games before human interaction."

"But I'm like this now everyday. Everyday, Chang-min. Everyday."

Chang-min searched Kyu-hyun's face for any trace of humour, but there was none. He sighed. "What should we do then?"

"Let's go to the living room. You don't want to stay here, it's too dark."

As Chang-min was about to leave, he turned to see if Kyu-hyun was following. Kyu-hyun was struggling with the wheelchair, so he went over to help him. "Shall I push you?" he said in a singing voice, and Kyu-hyun mumbled in reply. Chang-min thought he would be comical if he wasn't so sad.

In the living room a chessboard had been set up on the coffee table. "Now you're here, we can play some chess."

"I didn't know you liked chess."

"I don't really, but now that you're here, we might as well play some."

Chang-min laughed and sat down across from him. "Sure, whatever you say."

Kyu-hyun joylessly moved his first piece. As Chang-min was making his move, Kyu-hyun's eyes wandered around the room and rested on the fiery red parrot creeping its way along the bar of its stand.

"Annyeonghaseyo, Parrot-nim!" he called out loud. Chang-min lifted his head and saw the parrot too. It was perched on a stand, but it was not in a cage. "It's the parrot Victoria bought for me," he explained to Chang-min, who nodded his head. "I've named him Little Red. He's not a bad parrot, but I can't get him to say anything else but eotteoke."

"You let him wander around?"

Kyu-hyun shrugged. "It's no fun being in a cage all day."

They resumed their game with some concentration, and when Kyu-hyun lost his bishop he cried out. "Ah, a sticky position. What to do?"

"Eotteoke!" The parrot mimicked him. Kyu-hyun laughed. "He has great timing."

"You like him then?"

"Sure, I like him well enough. He's bright red and temperamental and I like that. But I will probably get bored of him eventually." They continued their game. "Victoria told me that you went with her to the shop when she bought it."

"Yeah, that's right."

"Thanks."

Chang-min paused to give Kyu-hyun a careful look. "What for?"

"For giving her a hand. I would have, but I'm useless now as you can see."

"Stop being so damn depressive. The doctors reckon you might be able to walk again in time."

Kyu-hyun shrugged his shoulder. "I'm serious though. You've been a good friend."

This brief moment of sincerity from Kyu-hyun left Chang-min feeling speechless. His tongue went dry.

Kyu-hyun continued. "It's been hard on her. Well, it still is hard on her. She didn't sign up for this."

"In sickness and in health..."

Kyu-hyun shook his head. "No, no one really signs up for this. No girl leaves her country and starts a new life just to look after some pathetic cripple."

"That's not really giving her any credit. She loves you, you know. She'd do anything for you."

"Unfortunately true." Kyu-hyun said softly and Chang-min felt his tongue turn dry again. "That's checkmate by the way," he added and Chang-min looked back at the board. Somehow he had not being paying attention and he had set himself up for an easy checkmate. Damn it! And Kyu-hyun wasn't even good at chess...

"Staying for dinner, aren't you?" Kyu-hyun asked him. "Good, I like having you here. You, Tori, Little Red... it's good company."

Victoria joined them when dinner was ready and she looked pleased to see Chang-min. He wondered how miserable it really was to look after Kyu-hyun all the time. He couldn't tell from her expression.

"How is work?" Kyu-hyun asked idly as they were seated.

"Pretty good. Performance review is coming up and word has it that I might be in line for a promotion."

"That's great news," Victoria said brightly and Kyu-hyun raised an eyebrow.

"No surprises though," he said, and Chang-min accepted that as a roundabout way of saying well done.

After dinner Kyu-hyun asked Victoria to fetch his medication. There was a tiredness in his voice and Chang-min thought that he sounded like an old man. Memories of their misspent youth seemed like a fragment of the past and Chang-min was once again overwhelmed by a certain melancholy. It was a miracle that Kyu-hyun was alive, and yet things were not as they should have been.

Victoria returned with the pills and handed them over with a sympathetic look. Kyu-hyun took them and then turned back to Chang-min.

"I feel tired now, and the medication always makes me drowsy."

Chang-min nodded. "Should I be going?"

Kyu-hyun waved his hand, a little angrily. "You can stay if you like, but I will probably go to bed."

Victoria agreed. "You're welcome to stay. I could always do with someone to talk to." She smiled hopefully and Chang-min thought he could see a hint of desperation in her eyes. He agreed, and nodded apologetically towards Kyu-hyun. Already there was a certain absense in Kyu-hyun's expression.

As expected, Kyu-hyun retired early and Chang-min and Victoria sat together in the living room. They sat side by side on the sofa, near where the discarded remains of the earlier chess game were still spread out on the coffee table. Right at that moment Chang-min realised that there was a lot on his mind, but nothing that he could put into words. There had been something so unsatisfactory about that day's events and he didn't precisely know what.

"Tell me something truly," Victoria said suddenly, bringing Chang-min out of his self-absorption.

Chang-min responded cautiously. "Yes?"

"Back when we first met, you didn't like me much, did you?"

Chang-min felt his throat turn completely dry. He choked. Victoria smiled, and tilted her head. "I didn't mean to put you on the spot, I'm sorry."

"No, it's alright. And you're right. I admit I was a little prejudiced. It wasn't so much you, just the idea of you. The idea of Kyu-hyun having a wife, that was all."

"You were jealous then?"

"Yes... I'd say so."

Victoria was serious in her manner, but she spoke softly. "Jealous because you loved him yourself?"

"No, not like that. If that's what you're implying..."

"I've never seen you with a girlfriend of your own."

"No, it's just..." Chang-min struggled to find the words as his cheeks started to feel hot. "It's just that I wanted our friendship to stay the way that it always was, and I knew that you coming into the picture would mean that things would change permanently. It's seems so petty now. Since the accident everything has changed for good."

Victoria looked up at him, her eyes round and innocent. But there was sympathy there, like a mother's caring touch. Chang-min felt suddenly very safe.

She changed the subject. "We're going to have a dinner in a few weeks time, since some of the family is visiting. I think I'll have to prepare quite a bit but fortunately I have some time. Mind you, I don't think I'll be fully prepared for everything. I know it's selfish, but I don't like these family gatherings. I know they're all judging me some way or another and it's like being a student on my exam day again..."

"Victoria, you are wonderful in every way, you know that don't you? Even I, who was prejudiced against you at first can't help but admit that. You're not selfish at all."

She stared at him silently, and her eyes became large again. As Chang-min watched her, he could see that her eyes were about to fill with tears, and her lip trembled like a delicate petal. In an instant he held onto her and she sobbed into his chest. He brought his hand to her head, to her hair.

She turned her face up and he kissed , repeatedly, each kiss like its own confession until at last she held on and kissed him back.

There was an unholy shriek and they broke apart, only to find the parrot squawking and bobbing his head as he sat high upon his perch.

"That was... I'm really sorry, I will be going now." Chang-min stood up abruptly and Victoria followed him to the front door. From there she called to him.

"Chang-min!"

He did not respond. He kept his head down until he was back on the street.

In his car, he hit his head against the steering wheel and recalled the infuriating cry of the parrot.

"Eotteoke, eotteoke, eotteoke!"