"Dr. Kim, how's she?" 

"Jiyong ah, this is a pretty bad fall. How could you be so careless?" The doctor came out of the room, removing his surgical mask. 

Jiyong shot a quick glance at Yoona, who was seated at the sofa, staring into blank. He turned back to look at the doctor, replying, "how bad is it?"

"She'll probably have to be bed-ridden for the next two to three weeks or so," Dr. Kim answered, "the pain for the first few days should be unbearable, so I would give a stronger dosage of painkiller. If she experiences any side effect, you must let me know at the instant." 

"Noted. Ahyeon ah, see Dr. Kim out."

"Neh. Dr. Kim, here." 

Dr. Kim took his leave, leaving Jiyong and Yoona outside the room. 

"I-I would stay behind to look after her," Yoona stood up immediately, telling Jiyong anxiously.

She knew it wasn't her doing that Kiko fell down the stairs but she still felt responsible for it. She hadn't expected this woman to be this... extreme. Just how much did she hate her to be harming herself? She felt that she could have done something to stop this disaster from happening. 

"You better leave now, Yoona-sshi," Jiyong's expression was unreadable as he replied. 

"B-But..." Yoona could feel her hands trembling but she clenched them into a ball of fist, trying to stay calm. "You'd need some-"

"Leave now, Yoona-sshi," Jiyong repeated. "I'll take over from here." 

"I... I'm sorry..." Yoona had her head down and gave a bow, walking away.

Yoona had wanted to explain further but it seemed like Jiyong had no mood for explanation. Perhaps, even though it was an arranged marriage, Kiko is his wife after all and it was under her care that she met such a mishap. Of course he would be angry and didn't want to hear any excuses. She should be glad at least she wasn't treated like the previous helper, given a slap and asked to leave permanently. 

Jiyong looked at her dejected back as she left the mansion. He gave a sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly. There's still things left to settle and he couldn't afford to have her around. He needed to set things straight before things went out of hand. After ensuring that there were no one left, he went into the room. 

"Oppa..." Kiko was awake, giving a feeble smile as she stretched her hand out. 

"Hey... How are you feeling?" Jiyong forced a smile, took a seat beside her and held her hand. 

"C-Could be better... I can't believe Im Yoona di-" 

"Kiko, don't fabricate things if you're not capable of concealing it in front of me," Jiyong cut her off. 

Kiko was stunned at his reaction, swallowing her complaints down , a look of guilt appeared immediately.

Jiyong sighed and let go of her hand, "I can't believe you did that. Are you crazy? This is your body! Do you know how bad the consequences might be? You might die!" 

Jiyong obviously wasn't one to be easily fooled by her petty acting. Of course, the first thought that came to his mind when he saw Kiko at the end of the stairs, was that it definitely got to do with Yoona. When he saw Yoona's stumped look, he knew for certain that she wasn't the one responsible for this accident. He knew his wife too well; Kiko would do anything just to get the things she wants. Hence, it didn't come as a shock to him that she would self-harm to frame Yoona. 

"S-She's getting out of hand! I don't want her to be my nurse!" Kiko huffed, indirectly admitting to Jiyong's accusation. 

"What's wrong with her? I can see that you're improving and doing your therapies well," Jiyong argued. "Kiko, stop being unreasonable. We've talked about this million of times. You need someone to take care of you."

"I just don't want her!"

"I don't have anyone for you already!" That was when Jiyong lost his cool, shouting.

Kiko fell silent immediately. As bratty she might be, Kiko was afraid of Jiyong. Jiyong had that certain aura that could make people fear of him. She always knows that their marriage was a strategic one and Jiyong had been playing around outside. To be fair, she did the same but it's just that they had this unspoken rule that they would still come back eventually. However, ever since her ill-fated news stuck, she felt imbalanced. She could no longer be out fooling around, but yet, he continued to do so. Whatsmore, Im Yoona appeared and for the first time, she felt that something had definitely shifted and Jiyong was shouting at her. 

"Kiko Mizuhara, I respect our marriage, so I had asked her to leave for now. I didn't want anyone to know that you're the one that staged all this up, so I had rather let her get misunderstood. I'm trying to save your pride so I hope you know how to treasure it too," Jiyong continued in a harsh tone. "I'm not going to replace another nurse again because I think Im Yoona is the most suitable for you. Like it or not, you're gonna stick with her. If you don't like it, you can move back to the Mizuhara's and get better care there. I'm giving you options here."

Jiyong knew that she wouldn't go back to her house. Though her mother and grandfather doted her, she'd have no freedom there. With her illness, they'd probably have her other 24h-surveillance. Kiko was like a wild horse run loose, she wouldn't want to be caged up like a bird. 

"Your mum and grandfather would probably arrive in a few. You should know what to say," Jiyong gave the last sentence and left the room. 

"Arghhhhh!" Kiko screamed and threw a pillow against the door. 

True enough, short