“Who are you?”

Agwi demanded, his voice sharp with anger. I could only gasp for breath, trembling with fear behind him. 

What is he planning to do? 

Agwi’s question sent a shiver down my spine. It was a relief that the man had stepped in to protect me, but what could he possibly be saying? 

This man had been with Jae-yeol; he definitely knew where my brother was. Yet here he stood, facing Agwi. What was he going to say? 

“I’m her cousin. And who are you?” 

Cousin? 

Startled, I looked up at him, but his stance remained firm and unwavering. 

“Cousin?” 

Agwi sneered, his tone dripping with mockery. 

“Yes, her cousin. And I asked, who are you?” 

His voice was cold, commanding, and laced with an undeniable authority that left no room for defiance. 

Meanwhile, I could hear the murmurs of neighbors peeking over the fence, their curiosity piqued by the commotion. 

Agwi shot them a brief glance before spitting on the ground with a sneer. 

“I am a police officer. We’re conducting a search.” 

This lowlife had the audacity to claim he was a policeman. 

The mere thought of being dragged to the station and interrogated by someone like him made my stomach turn. I didn’t even want to imagine what horrors might follow. 

“Identification. And show me the search warrant.”

“What?”

“I said, show me your police ID and the search warrant.” 

Back then, most people didn’t know much about the law. I had always assumed that the police had the power to enter any house, question anyone and search the premises at will. 

But the law had changed just a few years earlier. Now, without a search warrant, the police no longer had free rein to search private homes. 

The man’s firm tone made Agwi’s face crinkle with irritation, but Agwi wasn’t the type to back down easily. 

“Ha, a cousin, huh? What’s your name?”

“And why do you need to know?”

“What?” 

“I haven’t committed a crime, so I don’t have to tell you my name. And you don’t have the right to barge into someone’s house without a warrant. You certainly don’t have the right to interrogate anyone, even if you are a police officer.”

Although I couldn’t see their faces directly, the tension between them was palpable. The air seemed to crackle with hostility as they stared at each other, their icy gazes locked in an unspoken challenge. It was as if an invisible storm had settled over the courtyard, charged with danger. 

“So if you don’t have a warrant, leave this house immediately.”

The man said firmly, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade. Outside the fence, the murmurs of the neighbours grew louder, their curiosity turning to confusion. 

“What’s a search warrant?” someone whispered. 

Agwi and the two detectives turned to look at the gathering crowd, their expressions twisted with irritation. 

“Let’s go.”

Agwi barked, clearly frustrated as he motioned for the others to leave.

I was still gasping for breath behind the man’s back, shaking from the confrontation. 

It was only after Agwi and his men had left that I ran to my grandmother, who was still collapsed in the courtyard. 

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I held her. 

*** 

“Are you okay?” 

After helping my grandmother up and settling her inside, the man gently laid her down on the bedding and handed her a glass of water. Only then did he turn his attention to me. 

How could I possibly be okay? But at the same time, a small sense of relief washed over me, as though I had narrowly escaped something terrifying. It felt almost unreal that he had managed to drive Agwi away. 

I didn’t quite understand everything he had said earlier, but one thing was for sure – he had come to my aid. 

“I’m fine.”

I managed to reply, my voice barely above a whisper.  His gaze moved from my pale, frightened face to my wrist, where a dark bruise was beginning to form. 

For a moment, the faint smile that usually played on his lips vanished, replaced by a tense, clenched jaw. It was a detail I didn’t notice at the time. 

“What happened?”

“It seemed like this situation was too much for you to handle on your own. I also suspected the police might show up.”

I tightened my grip on the blanket covering my grandmother. 

The thought of the police, especially Agwi, coming hadn’t even occurred to me. 

“What about brother?”

I asked, my voice shaking. My brother, Jae-yeol, was my greatest worry.

“He’s in a safe place.” 

“Where is he?”

He responded with only a faint smile. 

Of course. Knowing his whereabouts wouldn’t help me anyway. 

If Agwi came after me again and acted like he did today, I doubted I could keep the secret. I wasn’t a good liar, and I had no confidence that I could protect my brother under such pressure. 

“You’re doing okay, right?”

“Yes, I’m fine.” 

I hated him for dragging us into this mess, but what mattered most was that my brother was safe.

Now… what do I do? Will the police come back? 

The thought of Agwi’s piercing gaze made me shudder again. With my brother gone and my grandmother so ill, there was no one left in the world to protect me. 

Should I tell the haenyeo? Or the neighbours? They might try to help, but could they really stand up to someone like Agwi? 

Agwi wasn’t just some random thug; he was a police officer. The absurdity of the situation made my head spin, and my vision darkened for a moment. 

“Who… are you?” 

At that moment, my grandmother woke up, slowly regaining her senses. Squinting her eyes open, she looked at the man in shock and asked. 

Oh, right. How am I supposed to explain all of this to her? 

I looked at my grandmother, her face pale with worry. To explain who this man was, I’d have to reveal the truth about my brother. But the thought of burdening her, so frail in body and mind, with what had happened to my brother Jae-yeol  was unthinkable.