✓ Operation: Love Match -ˏˋ ateez wooyoung ˊˎ

* about that scarf

"How's my favorite patient?" asked Mr. Choi Siwon cheerfully, his arms laden with gifts as he entered Mrs. Jessie Chiang's brightly lit hospital room. He crossed the room swiftly to sit by his wife's bedside.

"Just peachy," said Jessie dryly. She looked pale and wan, lying against the crisp white sheets of the twin bed in her blue hospital gown. She had an I.V. in her left arm and a tube running to an electrocardiograph machine that was monitoring her heart.

Siwon looked at his wife tenderly, brushing her hair carefully off her forehead. Her brush with death had shaken him profoundly. He had been terrified when he had received her call. "Siwon! I'm having some sort of-allergy attack. From the flowers-you sent me. I can't breathe," she had said, gasping as she tried to get the words out.

Flowers? he had thought in confusion. "I'll be there with an ambulance in two minutes, Jessie," he had said reassuringly. "Don't panic, sweetheart." He was touched and a little surprised that she had reached out to him in an emergency.

"Feel strong enough to eat now?" Siwon asked, setting a tray gently on his wife's lap. He lifted the cover of a steaming silver platter, revealing an appetizing assortment of tender chicken cutlets, steamed vegetables, and warm, freshly baked bread. Siwon had refused to allow his wife to eat the meals the hospital provided. "No wife of mine is going to eat hospital food," he had said categorically. He insisted on bringing her home-cooked meals instead.

"Yes, thank you. I believe I can eat now," Jessie told her husband in a formal tone. Still nauseated from the drugs she had been given the night before, she had refused the breakfast he had brought earlier. Now she reached for the fork, but Siwon lightly pushed her hand down.

"Now, now. You need to conserve your energy," he admonished gently. "Open up," he said, spearing some food with the fork and aiming it toward his wife's mouth.

"I am not an invalid!" she said, taking the fork back from him and beginning to eat. She was irritated by all his tender care. It was so hypocritical. Why wouldn't he just leave her in peace? She had told the nurse she was refusing all visitors, but her husband had insisted on seeing her.

"You know, you scared the daylights out of me," Siwon said.

I'm sure, thought Jessie bitterly. If something happened to me, there wouldn't be anybody to host your cocktail parties. To cook you dinner. To take care of your son.

Siwon looked down at his wife, wondering if he was getting through to her. She hadn't been very talkative since she'd been in the hospital. "Goldenrod, who would have ever thought?" he said. "You've never been allergic to anything. Maybe it's something you've developed."

"Maybe," said Jessie curtly.

"I don't know if I should kill San or thank him," said Siwon suddenly. He had called the florist the night before, and they had informed him that the flowers had indeed been charged to his account. Only one other person had access to his charge card. Choi San.

Jessie lay quietly, her heart going out to her son. She was worried about San. She knew what a strain their marriage problems must be putting on him. He must be having a really hard time to have made such an effort to get them back together, she thought. She had felt terribly guilty for moving out of the house, as though she was abandoning her son. Now that the divorce proceedings had been reestablished, she felt even worse.

Siwon coughed. "Well, I brought you a little reading material," he said, making another effort to reach her. He cleared away the tray and poured out the contents of a bulky shopping bag, a large assortment of books and magazines spilling onto the bed.

A little! Jessie thought, looking down at the array on her lap. He had brought enough reading material for an entire beauty salon. "I really don't know why you're going to such lengths," she said in an annoyed voice. "I'm only going to be here for the rest of the day."

"Well, I didn't know what you'd be in the mood for," said Siwon, smiling lightly. "Tell you what-you make your choice, and I'll read to you."

"Siwon, I really think you've done enough for one day," said Jessie, anxious for him to leave. He had been at her side during every waking moment, leaving only to buy gifts and pick up food. The sight of her unfaithful husband was making her more ill than the allergy attack had. "Don't you think you should get back to work?"

"What work?" he asked, grinning slightly.

"The Rothman-Steel building deal, for example," she said. "Isn't there a board meeting today?" In spite of herself, Jessiebstill had all the details of his business life in her head.

"There'll be other deals," said Siwon, waving his hand dismissively.

"Other deals!" said Jessie, shocked. "But this is a hundred-thousand-dollar transaction."

"Sweetheart," said Siwon, taking her hand.

She flinched at his touch and yanked her hand away. He took a deep breath and went on. "Jessie, you're more important to me than anything else in the world. There is nowhere I would rather be right now than right here, by your side."

"You know what? I've had enough of your loving care and attention," said Jessie, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'd like you to leave now."

Siwon stared at his wife in frustration. He didn't know how to break through to her. It seemed that all his efforts to show her how much he cared about her were useless.

"Jessie," he said finally, speaking in a halting voice, "about that scarf."

"I do not want to discuss Park Shinhye's scarf." she snapped, turning her head away from him.

Siwon looked at her imploringly. "Jessie, I swear, I didn't know anything about it. I don't know how that scarf got in my pocket."

"Siwon, if you don't leave right now, I'm going to ring for the nurse." Warned Jessie. She had enough with her husband's lies and excuses. She held her hand threateningly about the call button by the side of the bed, poised to press it at any moment. "And I want to reschedule our meeting with the Huenings as soon as possible. To sign the divorce papers."

Siwon stood to go. "Fine!" he said angrily. He had made a valiant effort. If this was the way she wanted it, it was fine by him. If his wife wanted a divorce, she would get it. Choi Siwon turned and walked out the door, letting it close shut behind him.

Jessie lay back and turned her head, tears trickling slowly out of the corners of her eyes. Why was he playing with her emotions this way? Why wouldn't he just admit the truth and allow her to get on with her life? But she knew why: He wanted to have his affair and his wife as well. Well, she thought stubbornly, he can't have his cake and eat it too.