My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 103

Kim Geun-woo was still testing the waters. Despite his recent successes, no faction was actively trying to recruit him.

“Weak.”

His reputation had improved since the last case, but he was still perceived as an outsider, someone not truly aligned with any established group.

Naturally, no one was eager to bring him into their fold based on a single successful case. It could easily be dismissed as a fluke.

“I need to show them something more…”

Petty crimes wouldn’t cut it. He needed to shake up the police organization again, but this time with precision and impact, not the clumsy chaos of his previous attempt.

Last time, he had stirred things up through mere negligence. To truly capture the attention of the factions, he needed to disrupt the police deliberately.

“Ugh…”

As Kim Geun-woo pondered his next move, his younger brother arrived, potentially bringing another opportunity.

– Hyung [older brother, a term of endearment and respect], do you have time?

“What brings you here at this hour?”

– That informant from last time wants to make a deal.

“The informant from last time?”

– You know, that thing… that thing.

Kim Geun-woo’s mind sharpened at his brother’s vague phrasing. There was only one matter Kim Geun-chan would be so indirect about.

“Where does he want to meet?”

– Uh, well, it’s… apparently, it’s a big deal this time.

“Oh? Really?”

If it was a significant opportunity, all the better. Kim Geun-woo smiled at the thought.

– Oh, and it’s related to the Wang Su-jin case.

“The Wang Su-jin case?”

– You know about it, too?

“Who doesn’t? The media made such a fuss. One of the victims is a prosecutor’s wife. Didn’t you know?”

A staggering 18 billion won [approximately $15 million USD, depending on the exchange rate at the time] in damages. Naturally, the victims were wealthy. It was no surprise that some were wives of high-ranking prosecutors or judges.

“I know at least three people who got divorced because of that case.”

– Divorced?

“Yeah. Two prosecutors and one judge.”

Kim Geun-woo smiled as he said that.

“Set up a meeting quickly, hahaha.”

***

“I heard you know about the Wang Su-jin case.”

With no time to waste, Park Do-joon got straight to the point. For safety, the three men were meeting discreetly at Kim Geun-woo’s house.

“Of course. The higher-ups were in a frenzy to catch that bitch because of it.”

It wasn’t just three divorces; many prosecutors’ and judges’ families had suffered significant financial losses.

“But what about her? They still haven’t caught her…”

“It seems she’s being protected from within the police.”

“Protected from within the police?”

“Yes, she brazenly came to see me the other day.”

“Where?”

“The police station.”

“What? Why didn’t you arrest her?”

Kim Geun-woo asked, dumbfounded.

“She didn’t come to see me. She went to see another investigator. I think it was meant as a threat.”

Park Do-joon explained his suspicions, and Kim Geun-chan nodded in agreement.

“It’s hard to keep running in the country unless you’re being protected by the police.”

“That’s true.”

No matter where she hid, wanted posters would be everywhere, and she would be tracked from all directions. In that situation, escaping was incredibly difficult.

Going abroad wasn’t easy either. Simple questioning could be bypassed with a fake ID, but international travel required more than just that.

“Her escape has been going on for too long. Four years.”

She had been on the run for four years.

Korean police might be criticized for incompetence and corruption, but their arrest rate was surprisingly high.

Moreover, Wang Su-jin’s victims were mostly wealthy and well-connected, so the pressure from above was immense.

Yet, she had been on the run for four years?

“It’s not unreasonable to suspect someone is leaking investigation information from the inside.”

If she knew where the investigation was headed, she could employ various countermeasures.

For example, leaking false information that she was in Busan while actually going to Ulsan or Jeju Island, or knowing in advance when a capture team was being dispatched.

“I checked after getting the call. Capture teams have been dispatched three times already.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

Kim Geun-woo nodded.

“Once to Jeju Island, once to Cheongdo, and once to Yeongju.”

Being dispatched as a capture team meant they were certain of her location and confident in making an arrest. But the capture teams that went to the scene had to return empty-handed.

“It seems certain that someone is leaking information in advance.”

Park Do-joon said, stroking his chin.

‘Well, if she couldn’t access the data while running away like that, it would be difficult.’

However, he couldn’t refuse a promotion just to protect a criminal.

“I understand the situation. But we don’t know where she is, do we? She came by taxi that day, right?”

She probably paid in cash, so it would be impossible to track her.

“I know. But I also know she eventually came.”

“So?”

“So, there’s someone who will help us this time.”

“Someone who will help us?”

“Yes, Seo Ju-ran, a rookie reporter. She was the first to discover her.”

“Why her?”

“She’s still investigating.”

“That’s dangerous…”

Kim Geun-woo frowned. It was dangerous for a rookie reporter, not a trained investigator, to be involved. Whatever she did would likely be clumsy and amateurish.

But Park Do-joon thought differently.

‘Even if I tell her it’s dangerous and to stop, she won’t listen.’

Of course, he didn’t know Seo Ju-ran well. But seeing her quietly pursuing in-depth coverage, unlike other reporters, telling her it was dangerous would likely provoke her pride even more.

‘Then things will get complicated in many ways.’

Anyway, since they were in a position to receive help, telling her to back off with such obvious words would likely make her suspect them even more.

She had seen a wanted criminal appear inside the police station but not get arrested.

“So, I think it would be better to provoke them in a different way.”

“A different way?”

“Leak that an investigation is underway.”

“What?”

“Are you serious? No, we should leak it?”

Kim Geun-chan and Kim Geun-woo were dumbfounded by Park Do-joon’s words and asked again.

“Yes, but with a bit of a lie.”

“A bit of a lie?”

“We don’t know anything, right? But we act like we know a lot.”

“Ah! You’re setting a trap.”

Kim Geun-chan exclaimed.

“Yes, that’s right. People make mistakes when they’re desperate.”

They didn’t know who was leaking the information. They suspected the former team leader, but it was just suspicion without concrete evidence.

“But if we leak fake evidence and provoke them, they will move in some way.”

There was no reason to leak information directly to the former team leader.

However, they could spread the word that key investigators within the police were aware that information was being leaked.

“And that will naturally go to the audit office.”

“Because that’s what the audit office does.”

“If the former team leader is truly innocent, there’s no problem, but if he’s the culprit?”

“He’ll get desperate.”

And he would pressure Seo Ju-ran to get information by any means.

“We just need to watch Seo Ju-ran.”

Park Do-joon said confidently.

***

“What?”

Park Gu-gang, the former head of the economic crimes team and current head of the audit office, asked again, hardly believing his ears.

“Ah, the prosecution is reinvestigating the Wang Su-jin case.”

“Reinvestigating? What reinvestigation? Did Wang Su-jin get falsely accused?”

“Not that, but they suspect there are protectors within the police.”

“Protectors?”

“Yes, according to an anonymous tip, someone within the police is helping her escape by leaking investigation data.”

“Crazy? Do you think that’s possible?”

Even as he said that, Park Gu-gang’s heart tightened. He was that person. He had received money he could never have dreamed of, but it would all be over if he got caught.

“Honestly, what can we say? It’s already been three failures.”

“That’s right, team leader. Didn’t you go to Jeju Island with them?”

“Ugh, I did. I was the head of the economic crimes team back then.”

“Yes, she’s escaped right before capture three times already. It’s hard to see that as a coincidence.”

An audit office employee who knew nothing nodded in agreement.

“Besides, it’s hard to say the police are clean…”

“That’s true.”

They belonged to the audit office. The job of the audit office was to cover up the dirty work inside.

Others might think of the audit office as an organization that cleans up the inside and eradicates corruption, but in reality, the audit office mainly covers up and conceals incidents.

So, being in the audit office meant you couldn’t avoid seeing dirty things.

Taking money was commonplace, and concealing other police crimes was common.

“Do you remember that previous case? That bastard who received sexual favors from the perpetrator and covered up the case?”

“Ah, don’t even mention it. I bled so much trying to cover that up.”

To cover it up, the police framed the victim with a false crime, called her in for questioning for days, pressured her, and barely managed to get her to drop the charges, covering up the sexual favors case.

“The higher-ups are the ones who shit, but we’re the ones cleaning up the mess, seriously.”

“Anyway, there are cases like that, so we can’t say it doesn’t happen.”

“Well, if someone gave me about 100 million won [approximately $80,000 USD, depending on the exchange rate at the time], I could just pull out all the data and hand it over.”

Park Gu-gang flinched at those words. The money he had received was exactly 100 million won.

“Anyway, there’s a lot of talk about it because of that. I heard arrest warrants and search warrants for Wang Su-jin have been issued?”

“Search warrants?”

“Yes.”

Park Gu-gang’s heart tightened at those words. Arrest warrants and search warrants were different. An arrest warrant meant the authority to arrest a person. But a search warrant was different.

A search warrant was needed to search a place. And a search warrant required accurate location identification.

It wouldn’t be issued unless it specified exactly ‘which apartment building, which apartment number,’ not just ‘which apartment.’

In other words, requesting a search warrant meant they knew the exact location.

‘Damn it…’

Then he had to tell her to run away immediately. No, there was something more urgent. He needed to find out who the anonymous informant tracking her was. He had to stop the tracking.

“So, who’s the anonymous informant?”

“We don’t know. If we knew, would it be anonymous?”

It wasn’t coming to them, but a request for cooperation from the prosecution, so of course they wouldn’t know. But surprisingly, one subordinate said nonchalantly.