My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 337

That’s the problem with meaningless anonymous tips. They often mislead.

“The average person doesn’t realize how unreliable they are, so they trust them and report information based on them.”

Of course, most tips related to general crimes are reported by victims or someone with a guilty conscience. The media, aware that the tipster could be harmed if identified, usually protects them by withholding IP addresses and photos.

“But this can also be a trap.”

“A trap?”

“Let’s say a tip comes in and is reported in an article. What happens if the police demand the tipster’s information from the media, but the media refuses to provide it?”

“Ah, I see.”

Naturally, the media outlet would face severe criticism. What about freedom of the press? In a situation where a deranged killer is running around, murdering and cooking people, and the media knows who it is but is protecting them?

That media outlet would likely be forced to shut down immediately. Regardless of political affiliations, no one would support a media outlet that shields such a monster.

Moreover, would the victims’ families remain silent? If the bereaved families started protesting and giving interviews to other media outlets, it would be utter chaos.

“Why hasn’t this guy been reporting his crimes to the media until now? Why keep committing them?”

He wants the reporters to discover him, to investigate and follow his trail.

“But it’s not hard to get a burner phone, is it?”

Burner phones are easily accessible, making it simple to contact the media anonymously.

“At least we can trace which cell tower was used.”

Real-time tracking might still be impossible, though.

“It’s rare for criminals to report themselves to the police, and this guy doesn’t seem like that type.”

Park Do-joon shook his head.

“But that doesn’t give us concrete evidence that he’s the culprit, does it?”

“We have a strong suspicion. You’ll understand when you see these photos.”

Park Do-joon presented photos of the past victims and the woman who accused him of rape. The police were stunned. The first rape victim and the deceased victims shared subtle similarities.

“A woman in her 30s with long wavy hair, a slender face, and considered beautiful. Around 5’4″ [162 cm] tall.”

“Hmm.”

The victims looked alike, almost identical with the help of makeup.

“When revenge is a motive in serial killings, the perpetrator tends to target people who closely resemble the object of their resentment.”

For example, if they resent an elderly person, they might target other elderly people who remind them of that person.

Especially in revenge-driven killings fueled by paranoia, these patterns are even more pronounced.

“Isn’t this still just a strong suspicion?”

“It is. That’s why we need to make him confess.”

“But how?”

“Sometimes, you can give the perpetrator what they want.”

“What?”

Everyone was shocked. Negotiating with criminals is out of the question. It’s not just a matter of principle.

Criminals are never satisfied. If they kill for a purpose and it brings them satisfaction, they’ll kill again to recapture that feeling.

You can’t negotiate with hostage-takers. It’s not just about the hostages’ lives, but because meeting their demands only encourages more hostage situations.

“Of course, there’s no guarantee it’ll work.”

Park Do-joon grinned confidently.

Na Man-seong was perpetually dissatisfied with the world. He didn’t know when it started, but he’d begun to feel that way. He felt threatened and believed others were hostile towards him.

It was a classic symptom of schizophrenia, paranoia, but he refused to believe it. Who was he? A journalist respected by everyone? There’s no way he could be crazy.

Instead, he was convinced the police wanted to kill him.

“Crazy bitches. Those bitches were definitely sent by the police.”

They were sent to entrap him. Why else would they be hanging around him? Of course, the women were simply passing by, or they lived or worked in the area, so they were seen often, but Na Man-seong didn’t see it that way.

“Not this time. Absolutely not. I absolutely can’t let that happen.”

Last time, the police trapped him and ruined his life. He was fired from the media company and lost his entire fortune in rape settlements. And then they got away with it.

Even after that, the police were constantly watching him.

Of course, it was just routine police patrols. After all, they had to increase patrols in the area where a rapist lived.

Fortunately, thanks to being a journalist, reaching a settlement, and paying a substantial bribe, he didn’t have to wear an electronic ankle monitor, but the situation exacerbated Na Man-seong’s mental illness. He had no choice but to flee from people and hide in the abandoned neighborhood where his father used to farm.

“Damn bastards. What are those journalist bastards doing? Shouldn’t they be investigating this by now!”

At first, he contacted his former colleagues and sent them emails, claiming he was innocent and that the police had framed him. But that only worked a couple of times. Rumors had already spread, and everyone was ignoring him. He was furious when they started marking his emails as spam.

To them, Na Man-seong was just a crazy madman.

“Damn bastards. Do you think I’ll fall for it twice?”

Na Man-seong gritted his teeth. He had no intention of falling into the police’s trap again. All the women who approached him were trying to set him up.

“Hoo.”

He looked around warily. Someone might be watching him, even at this hour.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, something caught his eye. A car was driving towards him from afar. Na Man-seong’s eyes widened.

“Those bastards are coming to get me.”

It’s a deserted neighborhood. Electricity is on, but he’s the only resident. No one ever visits him.

Neither his colleagues nor his relatives come to see him. Of course not. A paranoid person is considered a madman, and anyone who interacts with him risks becoming the target of his paranoia.

Desperate to protect himself, Na Man-seong grabbed a large sickle lying nearby.

“Excuse me.”

The car arrived and stopped outside his house. He couldn’t see them yet, but they had nowhere else to go. Na Man-seong gripped the sickle tighter.

“Is Na Man-seong here?”

“Who is it?”

“I’m Park Do-joon. I’m from Changgeon Ilbo [a fictional newspaper].”

“Changgeon Ilbo?”

Wasn’t that the company that colluded with the police and fired him?

“Why are you here?”

Na Man-seong couldn’t help but think that way. How many crimes have journalists committed, and how many of them are sex crimes? But Changgeon Ilbo has always protected its journalists.

That’s why he thought they would protect him too. But the media company abandoned him. They didn’t want to alienate the feminist community, so they didn’t defend him. Na Man-seong was convinced that Changgeon Ilbo, which protected everyone else but him, had conspired with the police.

Moreover, this mental illness didn’t develop overnight. The company had already considered him a nuisance because he was showing paranoia and acting hostile towards those around him, though Na Man-seong was unaware of this.

“Why the hell are you here?”

Na Man-seong asked suspiciously. Park Do-joon began to speak to Na Man-seong.

“About your case, sir.”

“What? My case?”

“Yes, your case, sir. It’s strange.”

“What’s strange about it?”

He had never heard of Park Do-joon. He must be a new employee who wasn’t there before he was fired. But now, he was claiming that his case was strange?

Naturally, Na Man-seong, with his paranoia, was suspicious. But the next moment, he willingly opened the door. Park Do-joon already knew what Na Man-seong was thinking.

“That woman from back then, she got a prison sentence this time.”

“Prison sentence? Who?”

“I’m talking about the woman who sued you, sir. She got a prison sentence for false accusation. I found out while investigating that case…”

Na Man-seong dropped the sickle and hurriedly opened the door.

*I knew it.*

Park Do-joon smiled inwardly. Paranoia makes you think someone is going to harm you. But you also crave someone to help you.

However, the help isn’t to cure your paranoia, but to help you get revenge on the bastards who want to kill you.

The reason why paranoid patients who appear on TV are often hostile to everyone around them but friendly to the people at the broadcasting station is that they believe the broadcasting station will remain neutral and help protect them.

“What are you talking about?”

Na Man-seong, who had come outside, asked with a haggard expression. It would be difficult for someone suffering from paranoia, convinced that people around them are trying to kill them, to eat and sleep properly.

“Hello, sir. Let me introduce myself again. I’m Park Do-joon, a junior reporter.”

Park Do-joon handed over a business card he had prepared in advance and greeted him, imitating the behavior of a typical reporter to avoid suspicion.

“What are you talking about?”

But Na Man-seong didn’t care about that. The police’s conspiracy to kill him was finally being revealed.

“Ah, well, I found out while investigating another case.”

The woman who had sued Na Man-seong was caught being a gold digger. It was revealed that she had colluded with a police officer to extort money from a man.

She hadn’t been caught until now, but the man she had targeted this time happened to have connections with the prosecutor’s office. He investigated why the woman had been victimized by sex crimes several times, and it was revealed that she was a gold digger. It was a plausible lie.

“Even that police bastard who said you sexually harassed her in that case…”

“Yes, that bastard! That bastard framed me for everything!”

“That bastard was caught as an accomplice this time.”

“What?”

“Now that I think about it, it seems like there’s something going on with you, sir. It seems like you were unfairly framed…”

Na Seong-man’s eyes widened, finally hearing someone who believed him.

“You believe me?”

“Yes, that’s why I came. I have the documents here too.”

Of course, it’s not difficult to forge such documents. It’s a system used within the police, so it’s easy to create fake documents.