My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 203

This was a typical-looking house for this neighborhood. The impact of whatever happened was so strong that the house had completely collapsed.

“This is the starting point.”

“It looks like an old house.”

“Yes, the problem is that four bodies were found inside.”

“With that kind of impact, it’s normal not to survive.”

“Of course. The problem is that the four were all in the same space.”

Park Do-joon frowned. He roughly estimated the square footage of the collapsed building. It was over 42 *pyeong* [approximately 1,497 square feet]. It was an old house, but not the kind where people lived in poverty.

It was a typical, well-built house from older times.

“What time was the fire reported?”

“2 a.m.”

“That’s strange.”

“Right? The other guys don’t even see the problem, but you figured it out.”

The team leader looked pleased.

“The others don’t even get it.”

“What about the autopsy reports?”

“Nothing. Only bones remained.”

“It’s on a main street. Just a moment.”

Park Do-joon opened the internet browser on his phone.

“What are you doing?”

“Since it’s a house facing a two-lane road, there might be photos taken by street view.”

“That’s my boy! The others went to the district office to find the blueprints.”

But Park Do-joon was grasping the situation faster than anyone else. As expected, the street view showed a building that was quite old but still looked luxurious.

“A building like this would have at least four rooms. If it’s a family of four, they’d probably each have their own room.”

Since two of them are likely a couple, it would probably be the couple and two children. That means they would have used separate rooms.

“Why were they all gathered at 2 a.m.?”

It’s time to sleep. They probably all had their own rooms. And these days, everyone watches MyTube [a fictional analogue to YouTube] in their own room; it’s not common to gather in the living room, laughing and chatting.

So, they should have been found in their own rooms. But they’re in the same space?

“Where is that? No, it must be the living room.”

“That’s right, the living room.”

“But they died together there…”

It doesn’t make sense. Even if they had a reason to be together, they should have escaped the moment the fire broke out.

But they were found dead together in the living room?

Suicide? That’s unlikely. Fire is the least preferred method of suicide. It’s incredibly painful until the moment of death.

Suicide by fire, or self-immolation, is usually used to express an extreme opinion for political or religious reasons.

If a family wanted to commit suicide, there would be plenty of easier and less painful ways.

“It’s highly likely to be a homicide.”

What’s the most certain way to eliminate evidence after killing a family?

“Arson after murder.”

“That’s what I think.”

You can’t be certain. You don’t know the circumstances of the fire or the individuals’ suicide methods.

But profiling-wise, the current situation looked strange to anyone.

“It seems like an accidental crime.”

“That’s right.”

Planned murder through arson is rarer than you think. Usually, people who try to hide murder through arson have committed accidental murder.

If it’s planned murder, they try to hide the murder itself by concealing the body altogether. That’s because Korean police often assume there’s no murder if there’s no body.

On the other hand, arson after accidental murder is more about hiding oneself than hiding the body.

It would be great if the body burned completely, but that’s not very likely.

But if you start a fire, you can definitely eliminate all traces of yourself, fingerprints, or hair that could yield DNA.

It’s the same in that they commit it to hide a crime, but arson and planned murder are quite different.

“Someone killed a family and then set a fire to hide themselves…”

“Yes, the problem is we don’t know who that is.”

Because all the evidence was incinerated according to their plan.

“Can I see the state in which the bodies were found?”

“Here.”

As if he had anticipated it, the team leader handed over the photos he had already received. Park Do-joon began to grasp the general situation by looking at them.

“There’s a large body separate from the small bodies.”

“Yes.”

“It seems like they killed the adults first.”

One adult body lying in the corner, and one body collapsed with its head towards the entrance. Finally, two small bodies lying side by side.

“The perpetrator seems to be at least three people.”

Park Do-joon stared intently at the photos. It was a heartbreaking photo, but someone had to see their end. And from their end, they had to read the past and catch the real culprit.

That’s how they would get their final revenge.

“It seems like the father was the first to be attacked.”

The body placed in the corner. And the object that looks like a table near him.

“It seems like the first one was an accident.”

During some conversation, the atmosphere became heated, and the other person got angry and attacked the man. Looking at the table near his head, he was likely hit by it and died.

“The perpetrators must have been flustered afterward.”

When they realized the other person was dead, they must have been flustered too. And after that?

“They probably tried to subdue the remaining adult.”

Probably the mother? She probably rushed at the perpetrators. There would be anger about her husband’s death, but also the thought of protecting her children.

“But she seems to have been killed as well.”

Even though it was a photo taken at the scene, the depression in her skull was clearly visible. Usually, that kind of mark occurs when you hit someone’s head with something heavy.

It seems the perpetrators were defending themselves when the wife attacked, and she died from the impact.

“And the remaining two.”

Only the children were left, and the perpetrators had no way to escape. They had already killed two people, and the children were watching.

Looking at the children’s build, they seem to be around middle school age. That is, they are old enough to identify them and report them.

“So, they decided to kill both of them.”

“That’s right. To do that, there must be at least two perpetrators.”

What if there’s only one perpetrator? There’s a high chance that one of them will run away while the other is being killed.

But the children’s bodies are lying side by side. That means they killed the children and then laid them down side by side.

“Judging from the lack of wounds and their lying state, it seems to be strangulation.”

Strangulation, that is, they killed them by choking them.

“Considering that situation, the perpetrator is male.”

It’s hard for a woman’s strength to kill a person in one blow.

“There are many suspicious things about the murder.”

“Yes, but that’s the problem. There’s no one who had enough resentment to kill a family.”

The house they live in is old, but it’s still a large house in this neighborhood.

That is, they are people with some wealth.

Of course, Incheon 11th District is generally a poor neighborhood, but not all areas are poor. There are definitely some old houses that are large and expensive. Naturally, you can’t ignore the wealth of the people who live in such houses.

“They’re not tycoons, but you could say they’re quietly well-off.”

“Was he a businessman?”

“That’s the problem. He’s never been in business in the first place. No, he’s never worked in his life.”

“What? He’s never worked?”

“He’s a landlord. He’s officially registered as a rental business owner.”

“Ah…”

He owns several buildings, and the money from them is enough, so there was no reason for him to work to earn money.

For some, the purpose of life is to desperately climb the ladder for success, but for others, the purpose of life is to enjoy their life leisurely.

And the victim is closer to the latter type.

“Then he wouldn’t have many enemies.”

If they are the former, they live fiercely, so they often have many enemies, but if they are the latter, they don’t have many enemies.

Moreover, it’s even rarer to incur resentment to the point of murder.

“So, even those above are feeling uneasy.”

Then the team leader looked at Park Do-joon. And from that gaze, Park Do-joon let out a long sigh. He knew what that look meant.

“Team leader, this is dangerous.”

He was suddenly in Incheon and got caught up in an accident? The team leader wasn’t stupid enough to think that was a coincidence. Since Park Do-joon had pursued cases during his personal time more than once or twice, he seemed to think that Park Do-joon knew something.

“Don’t you trust me?”

“I do. That’s why I’m warning you.”

It’s too dangerous. If his thoughts are correct.

“Hmm, let’s go somewhere quiet to talk.”

Eventually, the team leader took Park Do-joon to a place where there were no people. He looked around to make sure there were no people or other surveillance equipment, and then quietly lowered his voice and said.

“Do you know something? Tell me.”

“This area is a redevelopment zone. Specifically, Incheon 11th District.”

“I know that. I’m not asking because I don’t know that.”

“Well, it seems that there are guys who are indiscriminately buying land and buildings in this area.”

“Hmm, I don’t think that’s a problem?”

It’s not exactly a secret, and that’s what you hear every time a reconstruction period comes. It’s more common than people know.

Since there are more than one or two people involved in reconstruction, wouldn’t they want to make money even under assumed names?

Even state officials are doing that, so it’s unreasonable to tell employees of private companies to ignore that information and trade conscientiously.

“However, according to testimony, they seem to be using coercive methods in the process.”

“Coercive… ?”

“Yes.”

At that, the team leader’s face hardened. There was no such talk.

“Are you sure?”

“It’s the testimony of local residents, so probably.”

“Coercive… Ugh.”

Certainly, such cases are not uncommon. There have been cases where politicians’ families came to redevelopment zones and threatened people.

“And it seems that this is what caused the problem this time.”

“Most of the victim’s assets are concentrated in this neighborhood.”

From his point of view, it would be advantageous for him to manage them if they were nearby, so he would naturally buy mainly his own houses.

“You’re thinking they approached him to take away the land?”

“It’s not impossible. I’ve already checked. As expected, there were no listings [properties for sale].”

After the reconstruction is decided, there are almost no listings left. In such a situation, there’s no reason why the guys trying to buy land wouldn’t be greedy.

“Hmm, it’s not impossible, but…”

But usually, companies don’t do things that are so obvious. If they did, there would definitely be problems.

“Of course. But if their image is already bad among the local people, it’s a different story.”

“Their image is bad in the area?”

“I saw local residents holding fierce protests right before the fire. Reconstruction has now been decided, and it’s not even officially started, but it’s rare to see such intense protests.”

“You think something stimulated them.”

“That’s right.”

Otherwise, there would be no reason to protest already when nothing has been decided or is in progress yet.