My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 354

The driver was flustered because he had no way to prove his innocence. He usually spent his days off alone. His wife worked, and his children were students who came home late.

“Is there any evidence or CCTV footage to prove that?”

“I guess not…”

“But the Chairman [referring to Oh Bang-hwan] isn’t the type to do something like that.”

If that were the case, not only Oh Bang-hwan but also the driver could be the culprit.

“I heard Oh Bang-hwan also stayed home that day. Then who usually manages the vehicle?”

“That’s…”

The driver managed the vehicle because it was convenient.

He needed to fill up gas or wash the car before picking up Oh Bang-hwan in the morning.

“So, you’re saying the driver used the vehicle that day?”

The driver wasn’t as foolish as Park Do-joon expected. Rather, he was quite clever and immediately understood how things were unfolding.

“I, I don’t know anything!”

“Is that so? Let’s go to the police station together for now.”

“M-me?”

“You’re a suspect, so we need to investigate. I wonder what Oh Bang-hwan’s lawyers will say?”

‘It’s obvious, really.’

Oh Bang-hwan’s lawyer may or may not know about Oh Bang-hwan’s crimes, but one thing was certain: they wanted to hide what happened that day.

And among the lawyers’ defense strategies was not to claim innocence but to argue that someone else was the culprit.

Because, legally, if the culprit could not be identified, no one was punished.

From the police’s perspective, targeting two people was more confusing than targeting one, so it was a defense strategy that was actually used, albeit rarely.

“No, wait! I really didn’t kill anyone!”

“Well, most murderers say they didn’t kill anyone.”

Park Do-joon smiled and took out handcuffs. Seeing that, the driver said urgently.

“I really didn’t touch anyone! Why would I harm Kwon Kang-won! I don’t even know him well!”

“You might have been hired by Oh Bang-hwan. You can come with us for now.”

When Park Do-joon didn’t back down, the driver ended up saying something he shouldn’t have.

“I really rested that day! Really! Ask the Chairman! The Chairman really told me to rest that day!”

“The Chairman told you to rest?”

“Yes!”

Thinking that Park Do-joon was finally listening to him, the driver hurriedly began to talk about what he knew.

“The Chairman often tells me to rest.”

“Often? Don’t you have specific days off?”

“Uh? No, I do have days off, but…”

According to the driver, he had days off every Saturday and Sunday. Another driver drove on those days.

To be precise, there was someone who worked part-time, driving only on those days.

“So, that person drove that day?”

“I don’t know. But I don’t think so?”

“Why?”

“Is it easy to find a driver who only works on weekends?”

Naturally, most people try to earn money by working full-time. Especially drivers; many of them are older, and even if they aren’t, most of them take it as a profession, so there are hardly any drivers who work part-time on weekends.

“I heard the person who drives on weekends is a college student.”

‘A college student…’

But the CCTV footage was taken on a weekday. In other words, there’s no reason for that student to be driving at that time. Even if they called him, there’s no reason for a college student to commit murder for Oh Bang-hwan.

“Then who drives?”

“I don’t know. But there are often days like that. Days when the Chairman sends me home early to rest.”

“There are days when the Chairman sends you home early?”

“Yes.”

According to the driver, he was suddenly told to go home early or told not to come in the next day, ranging from two to four times a month.

Since that day was either a paid holiday or a paid early leave, the driver had no reason to refuse.

“So, the Chairman told you to go home that day too?”

“That’s right. Really.”

“Evidence?”

“Evidence…?”

The driver looked distressed at the word ‘evidence’ because everything was said verbally, and no proof remained. But Park Do-joon gave him a chance to save himself.

“Ah, then you must have left the car there that day?”

“I did. That’s right. So, I took the bus.”

The driver hurriedly showed the credit card usage history of taking the bus home, using the bus card function.

After exchanging a few words with him, Park Do-joon coldly said to him.

“Just in case, don’t leave this city. Keep your phone on too. If contact is lost, you might be wanted for murder.”

The driver nodded vigorously at those words, and Park Do-joon came out of his house. Then, Jung Yi-yeon, who had been quietly watching all this as she wasn’t an investigator, asked Park Do-joon.

“Detective, do you think that person is the culprit?”

“Not at all. He’s a bit greedy, but he’s not the type to be a culprit.”

First of all, he’s too scared, and his emotions are too clearly 드러나는 [revealed] on his face. Of course, he might be trying to deceive the police, but if the opponent is a profiler, he can hide his expression, but he can’t hide his actions.

“He doesn’t have the courage to kill someone. Even if he killed someone by accident, he certainly doesn’t have the guts to hide it and act nonchalant.”

“Then why did we come?”

“I wanted to know what Oh Bang-hwan did that day.”

“He said he doesn’t know?”

“He doesn’t know, but we can narrow it down somewhat.”

At those words, Detective Kim Man-hyuk, who had been listening quietly, widened his eyes.

“What? You can narrow it down?”

“Yes, we can narrow it down to some extent.”

“Why?”

“Because he didn’t just rest that day.”

If he had only rested on that particular day by chance, it would have been impossible to specify what he did that day. But according to the driver, he didn’t just rest that day but rested quite often.

“Oh Bang-hwan isn’t a good person.”

Because of the regulations set by law, he had to give him regular weekends off, but he doesn’t seem like the type of person who would give paid holidays regularly on weekdays.

Furthermore, according to the driver, it wasn’t regular but completely random when he decided the days off.

“Then the key is what Oh Bang-hwan would do that day. Rest at home? Of course, he might, but I don’t think so.”

“Why?”

“The driver of this small private school foundation is called the Chairman’s driver, but other people use him too.”

“Ah! That’s right. Small companies or foundations tend to have that.”

Jung Yi-yeon, who knows the situation of some people, nodded as if she understood.

“They get hired as the president’s driver, but they end up being used by everyone from the wife to the children. Ah, I don’t mean my family does that.”

“I know. The important thing is that Oh Bang-hwan lets him rest and always verbally.”

If he had let him rest in writing, he would have presented that as evidence. But the driver looked distressed at Park Do-joon’s words to present evidence. In other words, there’s no text message to present as evidence.

“In such cases, Oh Bang-hwan often handles things he wants to hide from the driver.”

“Things he wants to hide from the driver?”

“We need to find out what that is. But it’s definitely a serious crime.”

Because the driver is his own person who has worked with him for as long as 12 years. He was even close enough to attend the trial and testify for him.

“A definite 자기 사람 [one of his own]. That means it’s a serious criminal act that even he has to hide from the driver.”

“Then, are they doing something with the family? Like a family event.”

Kim Man-hyuk said after much deliberation. In any case, the driver is a complete third party, and the family is a 혈족 [blood relative] that cannot be betrayed. So, the possibility of them doing something with the family could not be ignored.

But Park Do-joon’s thoughts were a bit different.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Why?”

“If it’s to do something with the family, they would tell him in advance.”

Family events are bigger than you think. Naturally, schedules are set in advance, and they move together.

“If it’s a family event, they would call the driver to 부려 먹거나 [exploit or use] take them around, not not call him.”

It’s also hard to see them committing a crime together as a family. Oh Bang-hwan has a wife, a son, and a daughter. The wife has a director title at the foundation, and the children are teachers at a high school affiliated with the foundation.

“It’s hard to coordinate the schedules.”

“That’s right.”

Moreover, due to the nature of high school, they have no choice but to teach on weekdays.

“Of course, since they are the children of the chairman of a private school foundation, no one can say anything if they suddenly take a day off, but if they do that so often, taking an extra day off from class once a week, they will get an earful.”

Parents would hate it too. Moreover, it’s not elementary or middle school but a high school teacher. At a time when the pressure of the college entrance exam is slowly being felt, the teacher suddenly takes days off at will?

There’s no way the parents would stay still.

“Then, you’re saying he’s doing something personally?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“끄응…… [Ugh…] I don’t know what it is at all.”

Jung Yi-yeon frowned at those words.

“Is he secretly doing drugs? Or gambling?”

“Well? I don’t think so.”

First of all, judging from Oh Bang-hwan’s ability to assess the situation at the police station, there’s no problem. There were also cases where he was investigated for a considerable amount of time during the last trial, but there’s no record of him showing any signs of addiction.

“It’s probably not gambling either because it was irregular.”

Most gambling dens open regularly. That way, it’s easy to gather at a set time and place. If they open irregularly, they have to inform the place and time by text or phone every time, which increases the possibility of the police tracking them down.

“Furthermore, gambling is a crime with a strong 소비성 [consumption-oriented nature] that consumes assets. But the crimes Oh Bang-hwan has committed so far were crimes to increase his assets.”

Of course, some criminals commit crimes to cover the money they spend on gambling. But such criminals usually consume all their assets first before turning to gambling.

“But Oh Bang-hwan’s assets have increased, not decreased.”

In other words, it’s not gambling either.

“Then what is it?”

Jung Yi-yeon tilted her head as if she didn’t understand. Well, there are so many types of crimes, so she couldn’t know what it was. But Park Do-joon already seemed to know what kind of crime it was, roughly looking at the behavior pattern.

“Irregular but continuous appointments and secrets to hide from those around you. Usually, that’s a woman problem.”

“Huh? A woman problem?”

“Yes, so-called adultery.”

“You’re hiding adultery from the driver? Adultery isn’t even a crime, is it? That’s completely different from the inference that it’s a crime with severe punishment?”

To be precise, there was a time when adultery was a crime, but currently, the adultery law that punished adultery has disappeared, so there is no legal punishment.

At those words from Lee Ji-soo, Park Do-joon explained once again.

천직이 프로파일러 [My calling is a profiler].