My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 131

For years, the Chinese government has been expressing animosity towards Korea, influencing its citizens to believe that Korea was originally a vassal state and a territory they should reclaim.

Naturally, Korea began to retaliate, leading to a sharp decline in Chinese tourists visiting Korea.

“And that hospital… it’s essentially a medical tourism facility targeting Chinese clients.”

“Oh, really? I suspected as much. Their website has Chinese language support.”

“Yeah, it’s widely known that such hospitals exist in Seoul.”

Korea is renowned for its plastic surgery skills, and its technology in that field is indeed quite advanced.

China lags behind in terms of technology, equipment, and the quality of its hospitals, which is why many Chinese citizens come to Korea for plastic surgery.

“Looking at the photos, all the signs are in Chinese, so it seems they’re specifically catering to Chinese patients seeking plastic surgery.”

“If that’s the case, they must be making a fortune.”

“More accurately, they *were* making a fortune.”

Typically, those arriving in that manner often lack proper visas, meaning they aren’t covered by insurance. Furthermore, cosmetic surgery for aesthetic purposes isn’t usually covered by insurance anyway.

“So, they built a large hospital, but…”

However, as relations between China and Korea deteriorated, and China implemented restrictive measures, the decline in medical tourists had a significant impact.

“Still, something doesn’t quite add up. This type of crime is often stress-related, and it usually surfaces when someone feels ignored by those around them, right?”

While stress can manifest in many ways, not all stress leads to arson. Arsonists often share a common trait: they feel overlooked or insignificant. But from all appearances, the director of a hospital like Naturalism Hospital wouldn’t fit that profile.

“Ah, under normal circumstances, that would be true. But you know he’s a burn specialist, right?”

“Yes.”

“But does a burn specialist really make that much money?”

“I see your point. It’s not that he’s ignored by those around him, but the investors are the problem.”

“Exactly. He may be the hospital director, but in reality, he’s just a figurehead. Most of the doctors there aren’t salaried employees; they’re investors.”

Park Do-joon began to understand.

‘Ignored by those around him… I suppose that could be it.’

A burn specialist inevitably works closely with the plastic surgery field, as plastic surgery is essential in treating burns.

“But burn treatments don’t generate much revenue, do they?”

“No, they don’t.”

Burn treatment is primarily surgical. And because it’s a medical treatment, not cosmetic, it’s covered by insurance. This differs from other plastic surgeons who earn substantial income through procedures not covered by insurance.

Plastic surgery becomes relevant only after the insurance-covered treatment for burns is completed.

However, scar removal resulting from burns is a covered procedure.

“But when establishing Naturalism Hospital, someone had to be appointed as the director, right?”

“And in that case, the profits would decrease.”

“Yeah, that seems to have been the core issue.”

You might assume that becoming a director grants power, but that’s not the case if all the doctors within the hospital are investors. However, none of the plastic surgeons would want to be the director.

That’s because non-covered cosmetic surgeries can generate profits ranging from millions to tens of millions of won [Korean currency] per procedure.

But if they become the director, they have to handle administrative tasks in addition to surgery, inevitably reducing the amount of surgery they can perform compared to other doctors.

“Well, there are cases like that.”

Generally, you might think that the boss controls everything, but there are often situations where this isn’t true.

“Moreover, if they advertise burn treatments, that person will eventually perform plastic surgery at that hospital.”

So, they persuaded Ham Seok-hwan to co-found the hospital. Ham Seok-hwan believed that having the title of director and earning more money would be better than working as a salaried employee at a general hospital, so he agreed.

“But it’s highly likely that people around him ignored him.”

“Probably.”

He’s called the director, but from the other doctors’ perspective, he’s just a salaried boss – someone they can easily replace if necessary.

He’s not even from the same plastic surgery field, but a burn specialist, so there’s less of a connection.

“Doctors ignoring people is nothing new.”

“That’s right. It’s nothing new.”

Even among themselves, those who don’t generate revenue are often marginalized. In fact, a nationally renowned doctor in the emergency department resigned after facing constant animosity and attacks from other doctors in the hospital for performing duties that didn’t generate profit, leaving everything behind.

The emergency department is directly related to saving lives and is arguably the most essential department.

However, the hospital’s doctors insisted on eliminating the emergency department solely because it didn’t generate revenue, disregarding human life, which ultimately led to his resignation.

Even though that hospital was not a for-profit institution but a university hospital, such attitudes prevailed.

“Modern society has been driven by money rather than a sense of duty or conscience for quite some time now.”

Since money has become so crucial, departments that don’t generate revenue are inevitably overlooked.

“Moreover, even if someone is a burn specialist, a real burn patient will typically go to a general hospital first, not an external clinic.”

“That’s true.”

It’s common to take an ambulance to a general hospital for initial treatment. In fact, it’s extremely rare for a burn specialist to open a private practice. Probably because it’s not financially viable.

“So, it seems he was largely ignored internally.”

Considering that feelings of being ignored are a common motive for arson, it certainly fits the profile.

“Moreover, the method of arson you predicted suggests a high level of intelligence. You know how most arsonists are caught, right?”

“Yes, they’re caught because they foolishly set fires near their homes or in places where people frequent.”

A common factor among forest fire arsonists is that someone witnesses their movements, or they set fires without realizing there are CCTV cameras, leading to their capture.

“Being ignored basically implies a perceived lack of power or influence.”

If the other person is intelligent and can resist, you can never truly ignore them.

For example, even if you ignore someone working as a security guard in an apartment complex, no one will dare to touch them if it becomes known that their son is a prosecutor.

“Yeah, regardless of position, ignoring someone is an act that occurs when you believe the other person is unable to retaliate.”

“Do you think Ham Seok-hwan was ignored at Naturalism Hospital for that reason?”

“It’s ambiguous.”

Ham Seok-hwan is a man of a certain age. He left his position at the general hospital to join this place, but his equity stake is not substantial.

He’s essentially a figurehead director.

“But it’s not easy for a burn specialist to change jobs. There’s not much demand.”

A burn specialist doesn’t generate much profit even if they open a private practice. Consequently, they typically need to work at a general hospital, but the problem is that there aren’t many hospitals currently seeking burn specialists.

“Ham Seok-hwan is practically at the associate professor level.”

“That’s true.”

In terms of seniority, he should already be at the professor level. In other words, he’s getting older. Hospitals seeking burn specialists prefer to hire salaried employees who will work under them, and they avoid hiring professor-level individuals who might create internal conflicts.

To put it simply, it’s like asking another company to hire a director who quit a large corporation, even though they don’t need him.

Hospitals naturally feel uneasy about such arrangements.

“He’s ignored, but he can’t leave, and he’s frustrated by his situation.”

The situation is quite similar to that of typical arsonists.

“The job of a doctor is unique, but generally, their tolerance for stress tends to be low.”

“Probably.”

Since he held the position of associate professor at the hospital, no one would have bothered him, and he likely gave orders. And when the hospital opened and business was thriving, there wouldn’t have been any issues.

“But the situation changed as business declined.”

If he tries to move elsewhere, no one will accept him, and if he voices his concerns, he probably lacks a strong faction within the hospital.

Everyone else will share a sense of camaraderie as plastic surgery specialists, but he won’t.

“Moreover, when these kinds of problems arise, people usually blame the management.”

“That’s right. That’s typical.”

Even if the problem is beyond individual control, the management is held responsible for everything.

That’s the nature of management. The plastic surgeons who invested are likely blaming him for the downturn after entrusting him with the management.

Moreover, if the factions are divided, people react even more aggressively.

“So, you can see why he might have felt ignored.”

“Probably.”

Park Do-joon nodded in agreement with the team leader’s assessment. The intelligent arson preparation, unlike typical criminals, and the arson style stemming from interpersonal stress, certainly raised numerous suspicions.

“However, he’s an exception in that he’s a successful individual.”

“That’s based on Korean standards. Surprisingly, there are quite a few cases in other countries where seemingly successful people succumb to stress and commit arson.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“You know a lot?”

“Because I studied diligently.”

“How wonderful it would be if the others followed even half of your example.”

The team leader clicked his tongue and shook his head. But knowing that it’s a problem because that’s not possible, he could only sigh.

“The problem is that it’s impossible to prove Ham Seok-hwan’s guilt.”

“Ugh, that’s right.”

Arson is a notoriously difficult crime to prove, primarily because it can be committed with just a lighter. But you can’t accuse someone simply for possessing a lighter, as most smokers carry one, and even non-smokers can purchase a lighter for 600 won [approximately $0.50 USD] at a convenience store and discard it after use.

If you ignite dry leaves to create a spark and flee, the fire will spread on its own, eliminating the need to remain at the scene.

“After investigating the area, there weren’t any CCTV cameras either.”

Since it’s a relatively quiet area with little traffic, there was no reason to install CCTV cameras.

“Well, perhaps something will emerge if we examine his phone usage records or navigation history.”

“That will be difficult.”

Such electronic records fall under highly private domains, making it difficult to obtain warrants from the court.

Warrants are typically issued only when there is compelling evidence suggesting the person is a prime suspect.

“And there’s considerable psychological resistance from the court and prosecution towards doctors.”

“That’s true.”

In Korea, the connections between people in ‘Sa Ja’ [professions whose names start with ‘sa’ in Korean, such as lawyers, doctors, accountants] are strong, extending beyond mere acquaintances and casual interactions.”