My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 59

‘That doesn’t mean it’s all good, though.’

This is often just a word game. After receiving the advance, some people mistreat the other party, using it as an excuse, or even resort to human trafficking to get it back.

Conversely, women sometimes take the advance and run away.

“From what I see, that seems to be the problem.”

“You mean the one who received the advance forcibly took her away?”

“Probably?”

The information we can gather from what we have is limited to this.

Of course, we can’t rule out the possibility that she ran away.

‘But I can’t ignore it.’

If she really ran away, it’ll just be a waste of the police’s time, but if she was really taken away under the pretext of the advance, that’s human trafficking.

“Then what should we do?”

“We need to report it to the police properly. I can’t conduct the investigation myself.”

“Hmm, I guess so. I spoke too easily.”

Ju Do-cheon frowned. He was so used to elopements that he thought that way, but thinking about it, it was quite a dangerous judgment.

“Ah, and it’s better not to mention her profession when reporting.”

“Why is that?”

“Just like I have a lot of experience, the police do too.”

If they find out she works in the entertainment district, they’ll assume it’s a case related to the advance.

“Then they’ll likely do a sloppy job or try to cover up the case.”

“What? Why?”

“There’s a saying in Gangnam, Seoul: if you work at the Gangnam Police Station for three years and can’t buy an apartment within those three years, you’re an idiot.”

Of course, apartment prices are so high now that it’s impossible, but that’s how enormous the bribes from the entertainment industry are.

“There are many cases where they turn a blind eye to human trafficking. I don’t know if the victim worked in Gangnam or elsewhere.”

But the money is definitely in Gangnam, and if she worked in Gangnam, the police connected to that area would likely dislike getting involved.

“In the case of large companies, there are often connections to the higher-ups within the police, so you have to be careful.”

“So, if we say she’s a bar girl, they won’t even investigate?”

“Yes, they’ll probably just assume she ran away and close the case.”

Police investigations need direction, but they shouldn’t be too specific.

But the Korean police often decide on an answer first and then investigate to fit it.

“So, we shouldn’t mention the entertainment district.”

“It’s strange that the police don’t trust the police.”

“Isn’t it true that the person who works somewhere knows it best?”

Park Do-joon said that and couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

**

After that incident, Park Do-joon had forgotten about the case. There were too many other pressing matters.

About four days later,

Go Pil-joong came to visit Park Do-joon after work.

“Hyung [older brother or respected male figure], do you have a moment?”

“Huh? Why?”

“About the last case.”

“The last case? Ah, that? Let’s go upstairs; it’s hard to talk here.”

Park Do-joon went up to the rooftop with Go Pil-joong.

Then, he pulled out a coffee and started talking leisurely.

“So, the police said there’s no suspicion.”

“As expected.”

“As expected?”

“I told you it would be like that. The police are quite hesitant to get involved in these kinds of cases.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because there’s no way to get the money back.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“Legally speaking, there’s no reason to repay a loan for illegal purposes in the first place.”

For example, if you lend money knowing it will be used for gambling, you don’t have to repay it even if you lose it all.

Because you lent the money knowing it would be used for illegal purposes.

“It’s the same with this. But would they easily give up that money? Of course, illegal methods will have to be used to get it back.”

The problem is, if the police get involved here and acknowledge that they were aware of the incident, it would mean that the police condoned illegal activities.

“Then?”

“Right. The police need to maintain the position that they didn’t know in order to have a clean slate regarding illegal issues later.”

So, in these so-called advance payment cases, the police basically side with the companies.

“Ah, really?”

“To be precise, they choose the side that doesn’t harm them.”

Anyway, what’s certain is that the police won’t get involved in advance payment cases.

“But, Hyung.”

“Yeah? Why?”

“That advance payment thing, I know it’s illegal, but do they really kidnap people for it?”

“Not usually.”

Park Do-joon shook his head.

“Advance payments are given to keep women in the bar. Not to kidnap or traffic them.”

It’s not like Shimcheong of Indangsu [a Korean folktale where a daughter sells herself to pay for her blind father’s sight], giving money in advance and taking the person away. That money is given to make a person work at the bar.

“Especially if they’re popular.”

“Really?”

“Popular women make a lot of money easily. And being illegal basically means not paying taxes.”

If you’re really popular, you can make 3 million won a month at a bar.

So, even if you take an advance of 100 million won, you can pay it back in five months at most.

“And that woman probably had a pretty good personality.”

“Personality?”

Go Pil-joong tilted his head, not understanding the word ‘personality’ instead of appearance.

Isn’t it common to look for pretty women in bars?

At that sight, Park Do-joon scratched his head.

Well, it might be a bit difficult for kids who don’t know the ways of the world to understand.

‘There is such a thing.’

The Korean entertainment industry is incredibly developed compared to other countries. They even learn entertainment from other countries.

But how did Korean entertainment develop in such a way?

‘Did a psychiatrist say that the realm of psychiatric counseling in Korea is absorbed into entertainment?’

That’s what a psychiatrist said. Korea is particularly taboo about psychiatric treatment or counseling, and if you go to such places, you’re treated like a mental patient.

Worldwide, there are only a few countries with Korea’s economic power that have such a culture, like Korea and Japan.

And those countries have abnormally developed nightlife.

‘Lack of empathy.’

Women say they value empathy, but men also value empathy.

But the culture of men in Korea is not like that.

Competition. And the survival of the fittest.

So, there’s no place to open up your heart.

So, the theory is that they chose bars.

‘Well, I agree to some extent.’

The popular employees in bars are not pretty employees, but employees who empathize with and cater to customers.

Thinking about her way of dealing with Go Pil-joong, she is likely to be familiar with such coping methods. She was born with that personality.

Then she probably would have been quite popular at the bar.

Appearance is good for catching the first customer, but personality is good for catching regulars.

“No, but why do they give advances? I don’t understand? You said she was kidnapped?”

“I told you, the police don’t get involved if there’s an advance payment issue. Korea is quite strict about human trafficking.”

Korea had so much human trafficking in the past that the punishment for human trafficking is incredibly severe. But if they give some advance money and then claim it’s an advance payment issue, the police usually step back and watch.

‘It’s funny.’

Just because you gave money doesn’t mean human trafficking becomes legal.

But if the police say it’s an advance payment issue, they step back and just watch.

“Come to think of it, I don’t even know her name?”

“Ah, it’s Gyuri Noona [term of endearment for an older sister or female friend], Han Gyuri.”

“Han Gyuri.”

“Yes, I didn’t know either. The boss told me.”

“I guess so.”

If you work at a bar, you probably don’t want to reveal your identity.

When you sign a house contract, you have to know the name, so you have no choice but to tell them.

“But Hyung, can you investigate this case? The police are completely ignoring it.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“Sure, why not.”

“Huh? Really?”

“I told you from the beginning that the police wouldn’t get involved easily.”

However, there is a limit to me stepping in from the beginning because the jurisdictional issues are complicated and complaints come in.

“But there’s testimony that the police are pulling out.”

I can use that as an excuse later.

Of course, I’ll get an earful if I do that.

“First, I need to find out which bar Han Gyuri worked at?”

“Oh, I don’t know that… The police didn’t tell me either. I don’t think the boss would know either.”

“Didn’t you say there was a fight with someone over a car issue? That person probably knows the driver’s car number, right?”

“Ah!”

If it’s the owner of the private taxi that brought her from the store entrance, he would definitely know where the store is.

‘And he’ll know that something is wrong.’

Park Do-joon isn’t saying it, but he already knows that something is wrong with this situation. And it was time to track it down.

#That’s Human Trafficking

“Gyuri? Who’s that?”

Fortunately, one of the tenants had the phone record of the man who drove at the time due to the trouble issue. It wasn’t difficult to find the other party through that, and he was able to get information from him.

“You mean the woman who lives in the studio?”

“Ah. You mean Yoonji?”

“Yoonji?”

“Well, we only know her stage name.”

At that, Park Do-joon nodded. In a way, that’s a natural thing.

“So, where does Yoonji work?”

“Why?”

“Yoonji has disappeared.”

“Huh? Really?”

Park Do-joon tilted his head at that.

“Didn’t you know? Didn’t you meet often?”

“Ah, well, the store where Yoonji worked was raided and closed down.”

“Raided?”

“Yes.”

That could be the case. There are so many bars that do illegal entertainment.

But not knowing that doesn’t make sense.

“You mean you don’t know just because she’s resting? You must have done business with her, right?”

“Ah, well, it’s not just a suspension of business, it’s a complete closure.”

“Closure… That’s not a common case.”

Most bars usually end with a fine when they are raided, and if that’s not possible, a dummy boss briefly goes in and out.

“Ah, well, this time the police were determined to crack down on the building owner…”

“I know what you mean.”

Under the Special Law on Sex Trafficking, only business owners and employees were punished in the past, but now building owners who knowingly lend it are also punished. Of course, that’s quite an exceptional case.

Naturally, no one tells the business owner that they will engage in prostitution while renting the store.

Pro Profiler