My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 144

“Doesn’t it look like an obvious case of demon worship?”

Unidentifiable shapes and illegible drawings, melted candles and bloodstains everywhere, and even a dismembered corpse.

“It’s my first time seeing something like this. I was hoping you might know something.”

There hasn’t been a single confirmed case of demon worship in Korea so far. Naturally, there’s no established profile for it.

“I don’t know anything about demon worship either.”

But Park Do-joon mentioned he was actively studying and investigating overseas cases himself.

“Well, I have seen something like it before…”

The problem is that he has only seen it in passing, and he can’t recall the exact details or how to solve it.

“I don’t know what to do in this crazy situation.”

Park Do-joon felt like he was suffocating.

***

There are many pseudo-religions. Some of them certainly incorporate demonic elements. However, sacrificing people to demons was unprecedented, at least in Korea, so the police force was in an uproar.

“The perpetrator is likely to be a group. Given the nature of religious groups, they will operate collectively.”

“Since they believe in demons, they will be adept at concealing their activities.”

“Demon worship seems to be more prevalent among younger people. So, the perpetrator is likely to be in their 20s or 30s. And they are probably societal outcasts.”

“I don’t think so. They are more likely to be successful individuals. Isn’t that the stereotype about the Illuminati [a secret society often associated with conspiracy theories]?”

“Then wouldn’t they be over 40? Aren’t younger generations generally less religious? And I heard that the Illuminati is primarily composed of older people.”

“Could it be a reaction against a specific mainstream religion?”

Each profiler attempted to create a profile based on their own assumptions. But the theories were scattered and inconclusive.

Park Do-joon frowned as he observed them, but he remained silent. In fact, this kind of brainstorming was normal. When a difficult problem arises, it’s beneficial to discuss it and leverage everyone’s expertise to find a solution.

They and Park Do-joon often clashed, but this time, given the gravity of the situation, they seemed to be looking to Park Do-joon for guidance.

That implied they acknowledged Park Do-joon’s abilities.

“Let’s start with the discovery. How did you find out about that basement?”

“The landlord discovered it by chance.”

The landlord knew that there was an unused space in the basement of the building, but it had been vacant for a long time.

“It’s not suitable for conversion into a parking lot, is it? So it’s essentially an abandoned space.”

“Yeah, I didn’t see any air conditioning inside.”

“Exactly.”

Basements are sometimes converted into bars, but installing the necessary ventilation and fire-fighting equipment in a windowless basement is expensive.

That expense is considerable, which is why it had remained an empty space for so long.

“Then someone wanted to use it as a warehouse.”

A nearby bookstore expressed interest in using it as a storage space, so they arranged to inspect it together.

“But when they returned after some time, the lock had been changed.”

So they bought a bolt cutter, forced the door open, and discovered the dismembered corpse and the strange magic circle.

“We can safely assume that the landlord is not a suspect.”

“That’s right. If the landlord was the culprit, they wouldn’t have reported it. And they wouldn’t have put the property up for sale in the first place.”

If the owner was responsible, they wouldn’t be storing bodies on the premises unless they were insane.

“Judging from the body’s condition, the time of death was approximately a month ago.”

That explains the advanced state of decomposition.

“What is the victim’s identity?”

“That’s the problem. The victim appears to be a client of Moonlight Law Firm.”

“A client of Moonlight Law Firm? Could they be connected to the case?”

Was it an act of retaliation?

But based on the scene, it didn’t appear to be a revenge killing.

“They say the case concluded some time ago. The final verdict was delivered about three months ago.”

“Three months ago?”

“Yes.”

Park Do-joon stroked his chin thoughtfully. That would place the time of death two months after the trial ended.

“How can you be sure it’s not retaliation? Couldn’t someone have lost the case and sought revenge?”

“According to Moonlight Law Firm, the case itself wasn’t the type to incite that kind of reaction.”

“If there was a trial, there would have been an opposing party, right?”

“There is, but it’s a company.”

“A company?”

“Yes. It’s a lawsuit for reinstatement due to unfair dismissal. And the victim won.”

“Ah.”

In a lawsuit for reinstatement due to unfair dismissal, there’s typically no reason for anyone to commit murder. From the company’s perspective, it’s an inconvenience, but the company is a legal entity, and direct murder is unlikely. It would require someone within the company to harbor a personal grudge and commit murder, but reinstatement is a matter of public record.

In other words, unless there was a deep-seated personal vendetta, there’s no logical reason to risk one’s life to commit such a crime.

“What was the reason for the dismissal?”

“The superior was embezzling funds.”

After the superior embezzled, the company suspected that the victim was aware of the embezzlement but remained silent, so they dismissed them.

“But the investigation revealed that they genuinely didn’t know about it.”

They weren’t even given access to the relevant data in the first place. To be precise, the superior had blocked their access to prevent them from discovering the embezzlement.

“So they were reinstated?”

“Yes. And the reinstatement lawsuit concluded three months ago.”

“It’s definitely not something that would typically lead to murder.”

However, when the victim went missing a month ago, Moonlight reported it, so they were contacted.

“So what did Moonlight say?”

“They seemed surprised as well. They don’t suspect any connection to the previous case.”

“What company did they work for?”

“Jindo Group.”

“Jindo Group?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm, in that case, there’s no apparent reason for Jindo Group to kill them.”

Even if Jindo Group isn’t the most ethical company, it’s still a large corporation that values efficiency. If they lose a reinstatement lawsuit, companies like Jindo Group usually prefer to find another pretext to terminate the employee again, rather than resorting to murder.

“Then should we really consider this a demon worship case?”

“We have to.”

“Well, that’s a serious matter.”

But Park Do-joon felt uneasy.

“A demon worship case… It’s definitely strange.”

In reality, demon worship cults do exist. Some are even recognized as legitimate religious organizations and operate openly. However, they are primarily located overseas, not in Korea.

“Really? Then they don’t operate in Korea?”

“I haven’t heard of any.”

If demon worshippers were active in Korea, it would have become a major social issue.

“I don’t know if individuals practice it privately, but there probably isn’t an organized cult that openly worships demons.”

“Then should we assume they came from overseas?”

“That doesn’t make sense either.”

“What? Why?”

“Didn’t I mention it earlier? Even if their reputation isn’t pristine, they are still formally recognized religious organizations. If they were a cult that committed murder, would they be able to operate openly?”

“That’s true.”

There are demon cults overseas, but they don’t engage in extreme acts like human sacrifice.

Typically, when they offer sacrifices, they involve animals such as cows or sheep.

Historically, there are records of offering such sacrifices to deities, so it’s difficult to characterize their actions as inherently evil or extreme. Of course, it’s an archaic practice.

“From that perspective, if this is a genuine demon worship case, the perpetrator is likely to be a lone individual or a small group of people.”

The profilers who advocated for the involvement of a larger group frowned at Park Do-joon’s assertion that the number would be small, but they couldn’t argue. They weren’t even aware of the existence of demon cults.

“Even within demon cults, such extremists are viewed with suspicion. If they behave erratically, the cult itself will likely report them first.”

“Why?”

“They are acutely aware of how they are perceived by outsiders. So they have a strong incentive to avoid causing trouble. They claim to worship demons, but they are not interested in destroying the world at the behest of demons. This distinction is more significant than you might think.”

“More significant? They’re still demon worshippers, right?”

When someone spoke dismissively, as if it didn’t make sense, Park Do-joon sighed deeply and explained it in simpler terms.

“That’s a common misconception. They don’t view demon worship as believing in the embodiment of pure evil, but rather as a form of polytheism [the belief in or worship of more than one god]. Of course, they don’t deny the existence of demons, but they believe in their power.”

“They believe in demons as part of a polytheistic system?”

“To be precise, each demon has its own specific domain of influence. Demon worshippers believe in the power of those specific demons to achieve certain goals, such as wealth or knowledge.”

“That’s just like…”

“Yes, it resembles polytheism. In fact, while they are called demon worshippers, it’s safe to say that they generally don’t engage in extreme actions. Modern Christianity, which is often considered the primary adversary of demons, also views Buddhism and Islam as heretical. And these closed groups are aware of such perceptions, so they tend to maintain strict internal control.”

This has even happened in the United States. The FBI sent an agent disguised as an Islamic extremist into a mosque to identify potential extremists within the community.

He approached various individuals and attempted to persuade them with extremist rhetoric, hoping that genuine extremists would reach out to him.

However, the Islamic believers reported him as a potential terrorist.

“Then even if a legitimate demon worship group enters the country, they wouldn’t sacrifice people?”

“Yes, if it’s a genuine demon worship group, this is more likely the work of a self-styled group, or a group that has misinterpreted existing doctrines.”

“Hmm…”

“Well, it could be a self-styled group.”

Everyone nodded in agreement with Park Do-joon’s assessment and began considering the possibilities. However, the team leader sensed a subtle incongruity in Park Do-joon’s words.

“If it’s a *real* demon worship group…?”

The awkward part of Park Do-joon’s statement was the emphasis on the word “real.”

“Then are you suggesting that you don’t think this is a *real* demon worship group?”

“I’m not certain. But we can’t dismiss that possibility.”

“What do you mean?”

“The scene is bizarre, with strange paintings, and it certainly resembles a demon worship ritual… but there were some elements that didn’t quite fit.”