My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 6

“It’s the first time since high school graduation, isn’t it, sunbae [senior] ?”

“Yeah, it is.”

‘Why on earth did Jung I-yeon come all the way here?’

Park Do-joon couldn’t understand. It was because Park Do-joon had never met Jung I-yeon before his regression [time travel/reincarnation].

Jung I-yeon was Park Do-joon’s junior in high school. Back then, the principal made after-school activities mandatory for students, and Park Do-joon, feeling bothered, half-heartedly worked as a library committee member. Jung I-yeon was one year his junior.

However, after Park Do-joon graduated from high school before his regression, he had never met her even once.

“How did you know to come here?”

“I missed you so, so much that as soon as I heard you were here, I ran over barefoot.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Wow, sunbae, you’re still the same. So cool, collected, and awesome.”

“Please, stop saying things like that.”

It was always like this. Even in high school, she would stick to him while saying those things, so Park Do-joon, who just wanted to be quiet, unintentionally spent a noisy school life.

“Oh, right, sunbae, do you remember Tae-jong sunbae, who you fought with?”

“Why are you talking about him again?”

Jung I-yeon didn’t hide her feelings for Park Do-joon, and Park Do-joon was awkward about it and avoided her, but after men, consumed with jealousy, learned that the popular Jung I-yeon liked Park Do-joon, they would pick fights with him.

Tae-jong was one of them. But he was defeated by Park Do-joon, who was a natural fighter.

“That sunbae is a police officer too, I heard. Do you know him?”

“I don’t want to know. Just tell me your purpose.”

Park Do-joon didn’t want to get swept up any further, so he drew a firm line. And Jung I-yeon smiled brightly at such Park Do-joon and said,

“I heard you’re taking my client’s side?”

“What are you talking about? I’m a police officer, why would a police officer take your client’s side?”

“Come on. It’s all over the grapevine.”

“Hey, how many cases have I even handled?”

As he spoke, Park Do-joon tilted his head. He had only handled one case.

After that, he was just doing paperwork under the pretext of learning the job internally.

“I’m a rookie cop. It’s only been four days since I was assigned, and I’ve only been involved in one case?”

“You mean the Kim Seung-tae case, right?”

“Kim Seung-tae?”

“Oh, should I say the victim? I mean the So Jin-ah case.”

“Ah, that’s right. Is Kim Seung-tae the name of the person who came up as a suspect?”

At Park Do-joon’s words, Jung I-yeon took something out of her wallet, held it carefully with both hands, bowed her head deeply, and handed it over.

“Please take good care of me.”

“Attorney Jung I-yeon? You?”

“Why? Is it strange?”

“No, it’s not that it’s strange, but.”

Certainly, Jung I-yeon was known as a prodigy when she was in school. In the first place, she had applied to be a library committee member to study at school.

‘Come to think of it, there seems to have been no chance to meet before the regression…’

Even if Jung I-yeon is a lawyer, considering her age, she must be a rookie. So, there was no reason for him, who had just received his appointment, to meet her.

‘Before the regression, I didn’t really step forward in this case either.’

Back then, he was a truly unconfident rookie, so it was only natural. Openly rebelling like now? That was something he couldn’t even dream of. So, there would have been no reason for her to come to him.

“How did you know I was here?”

“One of the police officers told me. They said it doesn’t seem right no matter how you look at it, but the higher-ups have already decided on the answer.”

Park Do-joon frowned at those words. Because such cases are not uncommon. To work as a profiler, you have to fight criminals, but you also have to fight the police from time to time.

If the higher-ups have already decided on the direction of the investigation, no matter how much the lower ranks say it’s not right, they won’t listen.

“So, that’s why you became the lawyer?”

“To be exact, I’m a court-appointed lawyer.”

“Court-appointed?”

Park Do-joon was puzzled by those words. Court-appointed? Of course, being court-appointed isn’t bad. But being court-appointed means they don’t have money, which, from Park Do-joon’s perspective, who had inferred that they had broken up after living together, didn’t make sense.

Because to live together, the first priority is naturally a place to live together.

“Sunbae, can you go and listen to the story? It’s my first case… Hehehe.”

“First case?”

To be assigned a murder case as a court-appointed lawyer for the first case.

‘Jung I-yeon and Kim Seung-tae are both terribly unlucky.’

Park Do-joon could only nod his head with a bitter smile.

***

“So, the family is in ruins, is that it?”

“Yes. So, that became the decisive reason for the breakup.”

According to Jung I-yeon, Kim Seung-tae’s family was a normal middle-class family. But the business his father was running failed, and they began to decline, and Kim Seung-tae had to support his fallen father and family with the money he earned.

At the point where they even had to sell the apartment they had prepared as a honeymoon home, Kim Seung-tae thought that if he married So Jin-ah, he would be ruining her life, and that’s why he decided to break up with So Jin-ah.

“So?”

“But it seems he didn’t tell her that his family had gone bankrupt.”

“He didn’t tell her?”

“Yes. Well, honestly, isn’t that how it is? How many people would break up with you because your family went bankrupt?”

Of course, he made a suitable excuse, such as ‘I have another woman,’ and broke up, and after that, he was going to give up everything and take care of his family.

“Haa~ I can only sigh.”

There are often people like this. People who say they’re leaving because they love you, but don’t talk about their difficult situation and just think they’ll be hated. But that only gives the other person more pain.

At least if you say you’re breaking up because your family is bankrupt, it’s a reasonable reason, and whether you break up or not is ultimately your choice, but they say they’re letting you go, but ultimately, they’re just giving the other person a big shock.

That’s not love, it’s selfishness. Not telling the truth because of their pride and notifying the breakup in that way.

“So? What does the police say? No, the answer must be decided. Dumped by a woman and killed her out of frustration?”

“How do you know?”

“Another profiler went and blabbered like that. The police also seemed to be considering that possibility.”

“That’s right. In fact, it’s true that he brought the carrier [wheeled luggage] that day.”

It was true that he packed the remaining luggage in a carrier, brought it to her house, and clearly announced the breakup.

“But that’s where things went wrong.”

“Yes. So, I’m looking for other evidence, but it’s not easy.”

According to Kim Seung-tae’s claim, So Jin-ah was alive when he came out of that place, even though she was having a hard time.

However, the police checked his movements that day, investigated the CCTV [closed-circuit television], confirmed that Kim Seung-tae had gone to So Jin-ah’s house, and arrested him on suspicion of murder.

“The only evidence is the CCTV?”

“That’s not all. Fingerprints were found on the door and the knife, but honestly, I think it’s natural for fingerprints to be on the door.”

Because So Jin-ah, who couldn’t accept the breakup, didn’t open the door, so Kim Seung-tae opened it himself and went inside.

“What about the fingerprints on the knife?”

“The knife was originally used in that house, and he used to cook for her often. In fact, Kim Seung-tae’s cooking skills were much better than So Jin-ah’s.”

“So, fingerprints were found?”

“Yes.”

“This is…”

Park Do-joon closed his mouth as if he was in trouble. Certainly, they are understandable actions. However, the timing was wrong, and he was about to be framed for murder.

“But one of the police officers who was there that day said that sunbae said Kim Seung-tae was innocent, so I came to find you.”

“How did you know it was me?”

“I still remember that sunbae went to the Department of Criminal Psychology to become a profiler. It doesn’t seem like a coincidence that your name is Park Do-joon.”

Park Do-joon was speechless at Jung I-yeon’s words as she smiled at him. Because he had never thought of her even once.

“Yeah. To be honest, I think so too. This case is just a problem of a bad place and bad timing.”

“Sunbae, do you have any evidence?”

“Evidence? I don’t have any evidence. But I have a hunch.”

“A hunch?”

“You said that Kim Seung-tae packed the bag himself and brought it, right?”

“Yes.”

“He probably hasn’t lost his feelings for So Jin-ah. And it seems he prepared for the end quite meticulously.”

“How do you know?”

“You can tell by the way the bag was packed.”

The clothes were packed separately, the toiletries were packed separately, and the accessories and other women’s items were packed separately. Everything was packed separately, and each piece of clothing was carefully folded and packed.

Even all the clothes were washed and had a subtle scent of fabric softener.

“He probably prepared for the end with all his might.”

It would have been the last thing he prepared with all his might.

If he had been dumped, he would have been angry and stuffed everything in haphazardly.

“There’s no way someone like that would suddenly change his mind and kill the other person.”

Both of them still had feelings for each other. If Kim Seung-tae had abandoned his pride, told the truth, and begged, the two of them probably wouldn’t have broken up, even if it was difficult.

“So, sunbae also thinks Kim Seung-tae is innocent?”

“Yeah.”

“Then can you testify to that?”

“It’ll be difficult.”

“Yes? Why?”

“First of all, it’s not my case.”

Strictly speaking, this case is Han Sung-gi’s case. He later framed him, but the main profiler in this case is not him but Han Sung-gi.

“Furthermore, I’m just a rookie who’s only been assigned for four days. On the other hand, Han Sung-gi is a profiler with three years of experience.”

Of course, the court will believe Han Sung-gi, not Park Do-joon.

“Moreover, the police are unlikely to allow conflicting statements within the department.”

As a result, even if he testifies, the court will not accept it, and he is likely to be disciplined within the police department.

“Ah, then is it impossible to be found innocent after all?”

“Is there any other evidence?”

“No. That’s the problem. It’s an officetel [a building with both office and residential units], there’s CCTV inside.”

“And?”

“But there are no other outsiders filmed there at all.”

If it’s an officetel with CCTV in the hallway, there’s no way to avoid it, go into the house, commit murder, and come out.

“The outside windows were all locked?”

“Even if they were open, who would climb the wall and go in there and climb the wall and go out?”

“I guess.”

It’s not a secluded place, it’s an officetel right next to the main street. The time the incident occurred was not at night but in broad daylight, so if someone tried to climb the wall and go inside, it couldn’t go unnoticed.

“So, this is really hopeless.”

Park Do-joon said with difficulty at Jung I-yeon’s words.

“Sunbae, please help me just once.”

“I’m a police officer too. There’s nothing I can do to help.”

“Is there really no way? Sunbae, you read people’s minds like a ghost.”

“I’m a profiler, do you think I’m a mind reader or something?”

“No, it’s really a ghostly situation. It’s not suicide…”

“Suicide?”

At that moment, Park Do-joon suddenly remembered that day. Suicide. Certainly, it’s something that other people wouldn’t even think of. Suicide.

The victim, So Jin-ah, was actually stabbed in the back with a knife and died as a result. And no matter how long a person’s hands are, it’s impossible to stab themselves in the back with a knife.”