My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 286

“And now that guy is on his own.”

Park Do-joon gestured towards the door and slowly headed to the interrogation room. As expected, the guy who had been so cocky, calling them cops and whatnot, was now trembling and looking around nervously.

“Alright, shall we talk now?”

Park Do-joon asked, sitting right in front of him.

“So, who called you?”

As Park Do-joon had guessed, the reason he sent the girl there was because of a phone call. Someone had called, asking him to send the girl to the motel Park Do-joon had visited, and he’d sent her, tempted by the promise of three million won [approximately $2,200 USD].

Of course, there was no one at the scene. On the way back after striking out with the girl, the culprit pushed the man away and kidnapped only the girl, then fled.

“And those guys just ran away.”

To report it, they would have to prove their relationship to the girl, which would reveal that they were threatening a minor and forcing her into prostitution.

No matter how lenient the law is in Korea, the punishment for criminals who threaten minors and force them into prostitution is quite severe. Of course, it’s only around five years, but they didn’t want to spend five years in jail in the prime of their youth.

“The culprit knew that and targeted them.”

They might have thought that since there are so many runaway girls every year, no one would really look for her even if she disappeared.

“But the number was a burner phone. I checked, and as expected, there was nothing.”

To be exact, the phone was turned off. The culprit probably smashed the phone.

“And I checked the final connection point, and it’s Incheon.”

“Is Incheon their hideout?”

“It’s unlikely. Dong-gu, Incheon, is a densely populated neighborhood.”

Moreover, it’s a very old and run-down neighborhood. That means there aren’t many proper soundproofing facilities.

It would be difficult to confine children and assault them in such a place.

“Ugh.”

“How about the others? Has anything come up? The full-scale investigation has started, right?”

“Nothing. Because of these idiots.”

Too much time has passed, so the CCTV footage has all been deleted, and there is no related information. Park Do-joon, who at least tracked the number, is the only one moving forward.

“The Women and Youth Affairs Department couldn’t handle it and requested help from the Violent Crimes Unit, but what can the Violent Crimes Unit do in this situation?”

Basically, the authority of the police is the same for both the Violent Crimes Unit and the Women and Youth Affairs Department. It’s not like they are fighting dangerous criminals, and in a situation where they are looking for missing children, if there is a problem with the tracking, even the Violent Crimes Unit can’t do anything.

“It seems like they want to ask us for help.”

“Tell them to screw off. We need to be the main force here.”

“You’re being quite harsh.”

“I wouldn’t say this if they treated us like family.”

Due to the nature of their work, the profiling team can’t be the main force. They are there to cooperate when other departments ask for help.

But they blocked that and even took the case away, and now they want help?

“We can’t do that.”

“Do we really have to? Isn’t the goal the same, to catch the culprit?”

“It’s not about that, it’s about the fundamental problem of the profiling department.”

“Fundamental problem?”

“Because we are not the main force, we will remain a powerless department forever, won’t we?”

“That’s true.”

“That’s why we are being treated like this. It’s time to show our power.”

In the future, profilers still couldn’t become the main force. There were quite a few cases where they identified the culprit and practically spoon-fed the police, but all the credit went to the police in other departments, and the profilers couldn’t even get their names on the record.

So much so that some high-ranking police officials who didn’t know the situation even argued that ‘profilers with no achievements should all be fired.’

It’s like saying that since there are no problems, the server-related personnel should be cut, but they don’t know that the problems don’t arise because the management personnel are managing the server.

“So, you’re saying we should act independently.”

“Yes, of course, if there is an order, we can’t help it, but there isn’t one, is there?”

The chief couldn’t openly order cooperation again because of his pride. A guy who is anxious about his affair being exposed wouldn’t order cooperation.

“That’s true, but we can’t solve it like this, can we?”

“I think there is an answer.”

“Why?”

“These guys, the place where Pam lived is a red-light district.”

“I guess so.”

In particular, those who engage in underage prostitution mostly set up shop in such red-light districts. Because it’s easier to get customers that way.

Realistically speaking, if you approach someone with a sound mind and say they can have sex with a minor, most people would call the police rather than happily follow along.

But it’s different if someone is drunk and their judgment is clouded. First of all, alcohol suppresses reason and strengthens instinct, and realistically, even if someone drunk reports it to the police out of conscience, they can just run away.

A drunk guy won’t be able to follow them, and even if a drunk guy reports it to the police, the police are likely to think he’s just causing trouble because he’s drunk and won’t investigate properly.

“That means the place where they first made contact with them is the red-light district.”

“So, you’re saying we should go back to the beginning.”

“That’s right.”

Since they didn’t hand out flyers or promote online, there is only one way to find out each other’s phone numbers. Only direct contact.

“That means the culprit came as a customer once.”

“Probably.”

“Then that gang must be quite wealthy.”

“Ah, that’s right! You said that, senior. You said these guys could be wealthy.”

“Right.”

Illegal activities are bound to be more expensive because there is scarcity. So, Park Do-joon told them early in the case that those who engage in underage prostitution are more expensive than you think.

“And the touts know that too.”

No one told them, but they would have instinctively approached guys who looked like they could pay.

“So, we should assume those guys looked fancy.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Their clothes might be expensive, or their car might be expensive. Either way, they are likely to have assets that would tempt someone to approach them.

“And looking at the structure of that red-light district, the culprits are probably in their 30s.”

“Red-light districts are divided by age group, right?”

“Yeah.”

Not all red-light districts are the same. Some places like Hongdae are preferred by those in their early to late 20s, while Gangnam is preferred by those from their early to late 30s.

Also, some areas have many companies, so there is a developed *hoesik* [company dinner] culture, while other places are developed as places where friends can meet and have a drink.

“That area is mainly composed of red-light districts for those in their 30s.”

And there aren’t many workplaces nearby. That means many people come to that area to have fun, and the main customers in that area are not workers for *hoesik* [company dinners], but friends.

“But isn’t that range too wide? There must be hundreds of bars in that area?”

Lee Ji-soo asked worriedly. And getting help in such a place would be almost impossible. A warrant? A warrant wouldn’t even be issued in the first place.

“Not all bars are the same.”

“Yes?”

“Bars that men in their 30s with wealth like have characteristics.”

Park Do-joon said as if it were obvious. And the team leader explained what he meant to Lee Ji-soo more simply.

“When you meet your friends, do you eat spaghetti and go to a cafe? Or do you eat *makchang* [grilled pork intestines] and drink soju [Korean distilled rice liquor] and go to a PC room [internet cafe]?”

“Ah! So, what people prefer differs depending on the target and age.”

“That’s right. It’s not like all men eat *samgyeopsal* [grilled pork belly] and drink soju, but sometimes they prefer something else.”

Of course, *samgyeopsal* [grilled pork belly] and soju are the *gukrul* [the standard/unwritten rule] and truth among men, but sometimes they prefer something else.

“Especially when there is a specific purpose.”

“Yes? What do you mean?”

“A place that can’t be *ppajil su eomneun* [omitted/missed] in this type of area is a club.”

Go to dance? Of course, they might. But realistically, it’s no exaggeration to say that 70% of the men who go to such places go there thinking about how to pick up a girl.

Even if they don’t, they will gladly seize the opportunity if it arises.

“I told you? They would have been dressed like they had money?”

At that, the team leader quickly realized what Park Do-joon was saying.

“How many clubs are there there?”

What is the best way to appeal to a woman? The first is the face. But people with handsome faces don’t really have a reason to kidnap someone. Women approach them even if they stay still.

Then what else is there?

It’s money.

“Just a moment. There are… a total of five places.”

There are five clubs, and they are still thriving.

“If they dressed up, there is a high possibility they went there.”

Of course, they could have met with friends and simply eaten *samgyeopsal* [grilled pork belly]. But if that’s why they gathered, this place is too complicated.

“So, realistically, it would be a club. And if they have money, they would usually book a room or booth.”

And you can’t book a club booth just because you want to. You can book through internal staff called DMs [directors/managers], who are like sales managers in a way.

“And they would know about this number.”

Of course, it would be a burner phone, but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t know anything at all. Because customers who spend money are management targets for those DMs [directors/managers].

“Amazing.”

Lee Ji-soo clicked her tongue. It’s a situation where everyone is giving up, saying there is no way. But securing the movement path at that time by inferring the terrain and the clothes at that time seemed almost miraculous.

“I knew I could trust you.”

The team leader also nodded as if satisfied. Others only estimate the age, but he is definitely tracking the movement path.

“Let’s go. We don’t have much time.”

The more time passes, the harder it becomes to ensure the safety of the kidnapped people.

“Someone probably knows.”

Park Do-joon went around the clubs and asked the DMs [directors/managers] for help. In fact, the DMs [directors/managers] at the clubs don’t want to help the police. Because if rumors spread that they are involved with the police, it’s hard to make a living in this industry. Of course, it’s not about doing drugs or anything. But just the fact that the police keep coming to the club chills the atmosphere of the club, and in that case, the loss is in the thousands.

Being close to the police is generally ignored unless it’s for the purpose of covering up a case in the entertainment industry, so it’s common to ignore requests for help.

A Professional Profiler