My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 257

Would an African jungle expert thrive if transported to a Korean forest? They’d certainly fare better than the average person, but how much would their expertise translate to a place with such different flora and fauna?

Naturally, the risk increases dramatically due to the lack of relevant, localized knowledge.

‘Adventure travel agencies typically specialize in a specific region.’

The same principle applies to deserts. The deserts of Saudi Arabia are vastly different from those in other countries.

Deserts aren’t solely composed of sand; some are made of soil, others of stone. In such diverse environments, a non-local expert’s knowledge would be limited.

Therefore, a travel agency operator has little incentive to offer services elsewhere, as there will always be someone with more specialized, local expertise.

“Then how did you identify him?”

Park Do-joon asked, tilting his head. He had compiled a list of suspects, but several individuals fit the profile.

“Saudi Arabia is a place where money still holds considerable sway. With sufficient funds, it’s possible to track phone usage, unofficially, of course.”

“Ah!”

Indeed, if one could obtain usage records in Korea with money, it wouldn’t be significantly more difficult in Saudi Arabia.

“But upon investigation, we found a record of communication with Zaid Otaibi.”

“So, that’s how you pinpointed him?”

“Yes, but whether he’s the actual culprit…”

The accessible information ends there. This alone isn’t enough to definitively identify him as the perpetrator, so we can’t officially report it. Park Do-joon stroked his chin, considering this.

‘Why would they be in contact? A personal relationship? Unlikely.’

He knew how women were treated in Saudi Arabia. Approaching this as a romantic relationship seemed improbable. Even if they were to marry, she would be forced to remain in a country with questionable human rights.

Even if they were genuinely in love, Zaid should have reported her missing. Yet, no one reported her missing until her body was discovered.

“Furthermore, the records show only a few phone calls. About four times?”

“Four times?”

“Yes.”

That ruled out a romantic relationship.

“Hmm…”

Park Do-joon organized his thoughts.

‘A phone call with a strange man… what was the purpose? There was no apparent professional connection.’

When Park Do-joon remained silent, Go Gwang-soo asked with concern.

“Ah, well… don’t worry about being wrong. You were close.”

“I’m not concerned about being wrong. Profiling isn’t infallible, after all.”

“Yes?”

“As I’ve said before, profiling is a science, not mind-reading. As more information emerges, the details within the profile naturally evolve.”

For example, even if a profiler identifies the culprit as a man in his mid-30s, there might be variations in his occupation or specific tendencies.

The more data available, the more accurate the subject analysis becomes.

“In this case, for instance, the profiling of the ‘shovel’ [the tool or method used by the perpetrator] has shifted.”

Essentially, the travel agency aspect was correct, but the assumption that it was an *adventure* travel agency is likely incorrect.

“But I can’t understand why they suddenly met. And I can’t just go and ask.”

Park Do-joon lacked investigative authority. Even if he did ask, there was little chance of receiving a truthful answer.

‘But if I report this now, the investigation will likely stall.’

He had obtained suspicious information, but lacked concrete evidence. Reporting it in this state would likely result in the Saudi Arabian police conducting a superficial investigation.

It would end with them questioning him, asking if he committed the murder, and accepting his denial at face value. Proving guilt without substantial evidence was realistically impossible.

‘Why meet a tourism operator? Why would a flight attendant specifically meet a tourism operator… wait, tourism? Tourism, you say?’

A thought sparked in Park Do-joon’s mind.

‘Isn’t it obvious? Meeting a tourism operator implies tourism is the objective, right?’

If the purpose was tourism, not work, it made perfect sense. And reviewing the data received through the embassy, something seemed off.

“The airline only dismissed her for unauthorized absence and alleged prostitution, and didn’t report her missing, correct?”

“Yes, that’s what I heard.”

“Then how could they be so certain she intended to leave?”

“Yes?”

“Regardless, there are protocols.”

A staff member suddenly disappears, and they simply dismiss her? No matter how insular Saudi Arabian airlines might be, that’s not standard procedure.

The normal course of action would be to report it to the police first.

“Well, maybe they’re just incompetent?”

“It might not be incompetence. Do you know anything about her family?”

“Her family?”

“Yes.”

“No, not at all.”

The incident occurred in Saudi Arabia, not Korea. Therefore, her family resides in Korea. Since the investigation isn’t being conducted in Korea, there’s no reason to contact them. Even the police and the embassy haven’t contacted them, so Hyunseong Group has no reason to either.

“Is it possible for Hyunseong to contact her family?”

“It’s possible, but why?”

“There’s something I need to verify.”

Park Do-joon’s eyes lit up.

“Maybe we’ve uncovered something others have missed.”

“Park Do-joon! Park Do-joon, wake up! Open the door!”

The next morning, Go Gwang-soo knocked persistently on Park Do-joon’s hotel room door. Park Do-joon, barely awake, opened the door, struggling to clear the sleep from his eyes.

“What brings you here so early?”

“I heard something unexpected from the employee who contacted her family.”

“Unexpected?”

“Yes, the victim was planning to return to Korea.”

“Return?”

“Yes, she was planning to quit the company and return to Korea permanently.”

Park Do-joon recalled the MyTube video he had watched, detailing the difficulties of working for Saudi Arabian airlines.

While the pay was substantial, the rigid rules and restrictions created immense stress.

Consequently, the company experienced a high turnover rate, particularly among employees from more liberal countries.

“Ah, that explains things. Come in.”

Park Do-joon ushered Go Gwang-soo into the room, grabbed a bottle of cold water from the refrigerator, drank it quickly, and began to organize his thoughts.

“Explains things?”

“Yes, the airline wouldn’t have cared since she was leaving anyway.”

Knowing she was quitting, the airline had no reason to be concerned about her. Furthermore, many employees likely made similar claims and then disappeared.

They probably assumed she had simply returned to Korea, or that she was prostituting herself for money… That was their likely assumption.

“Corporations operate like that?”

“Not everything is done by the book. Especially in a country where women’s rights are so limited.”

“Hmm, but I don’t understand the connection between quitting, returning to Korea, and meeting Zaid Otaibi.”

“Just a moment.”

Park Do-joon asked Go Gwang-soo to wait, went to the bathroom, and splashed cold water on his face. He needed to shake off the sleepiness and clearly organize his thoughts before explaining the situation.

After a moment, he emerged, shaking the water from his hair, and said.

“My guess is that she wanted to do some sightseeing before leaving.”

“Sightseeing?”

“Remember when I said that female workers here have limited opportunities to go out?”

“Ah, yes.”

Because they often face harassment when they venture out.

Moreover, Saudi Arabia isn’t a particularly safe country.

“People imagine that being a flight attendant means constant sightseeing and fun, but it’s not that simple.”

They have flights almost every day, and even if they have time off, they’re usually too tired to do anything. If it were a safe country, they might be more inclined to explore, but in a dangerous country, they might hesitate to leave the safety of their accommodation.

Many flight attendants never even leave the hotel when they visit dangerous countries.

“But when people are about to finish something, they often feel a strange urge to do something memorable.”

“Memorable?”

“Yes, like an adventurous trip.”

Imagine lighting a small bonfire in the middle of the desolate desert, gazing at the night sky, and reflecting on her time there.

She probably wasn’t thinking that specifically. Before, she might have considered it too dangerous, but now that she was quitting, she might have dreamed of such a small adventure.

Quitting this job was an adventure in itself.

“I see what you mean. When I was discharged from the military, I stayed up all night alone while the other guys slept.”

On the day of his discharge.

Many soldiers stay up all night instead of letting their juniors do it, reflecting on their past and future.

Talking and thinking with their juniors.

“If I had been told to work all night normally, I would have complained.”

“Exactly. Humans crave a memorable experience to mark the end of any significant chapter.”

Even if it proves to be a waste of time later.

“So, the victim wanted to go on an adventurous trip…”

“Even if she didn’t venture far, she probably hadn’t seen much of downtown Saudi Arabia.”

She had to buy necessities, so she had no choice but to go sometimes. For her, the desert might represent an unknown space she would never see again, a place to collect her final memories.

“So, she chose a desert trip…”

“Yes, the problem is that people sometimes make poor decisions when driven by such emotions.”

For example, women who become pregnant from a one-night stand while traveling, or men who contract AIDS.

When psychological defenses weaken, people sometimes do unexpected things they wouldn’t normally do.

“So, there’s a high probability that this person committed murder.”

“That’s right.”

If Zaid Otaibi is the culprit, this is an opportunity. A woman traveling alone in the desert. The Saudi Arabian police rarely investigate such cases thoroughly. Would they expend significant effort to protect a foreign woman, especially one they might consider an infidel?