My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 380

“You’ve worked hard.”

“I told you so many times, I’m completely innocent.”

“We have nothing to say on that matter. Considering the nature of the case…”

Kang In-sal and Lee Ja-won held their heads high, a lawyer at their side, their voices raised in indignation. The police in front of them were practically bowing.

“What’s going on?”

So Shin-oh frowned, seeing them. He was being dragged away in handcuffs, while they looked like they were being released.

“Let’s go. There’s no reason to stay here any longer.”

The lawyer seemed to think even being present was a waste of time and advised his clients to leave immediately.

“What’s going on!”

So Shin-oh stopped walking, agitated by the scene.

“Huh?”

Kang In-sal and Lee Ja-won also looked at So Shin-oh. Then, almost unconsciously, they averted their gaze.

“What! Damn it, what is it!”

So Shin-oh struggled, trying to get to them, but the police held him back.

“Let go! Let go, you bastards!”

“I’m sorry, let’s go.”

Seeing Kang In-sal and Lee Ja-won ignore him and walk away, So Shin-oh was consumed by fury.

“I’ve reviewed the case records. As a result, it’s been processed as a solo crime by So Shin-oh and Lee Hang-bal.”

As soon as he entered the interrogation room, he kept his mouth shut, as his lawyer had instructed. Then, he requested his lawyer and moved to the interview room to speak with him.

“What? Wait, what are you talking about?”

“Don’t you know? The victims’ DNA and fingerprints were found at the scene.”

This was irrefutable evidence, no matter how hard the lawyer tried to argue.

“But there’s no evidence related to Kang In-sal and Lee Ja-won at all.”

“That’s…”

So Shin-oh started to speak, then clamped his mouth shut. He was still confused, though he understood the situation roughly. Kang In-sal and Lee Ja-won had been careful to cover their entire bodies to avoid revealing their identities. They also washed their work clothes every time to remove any traces of blood. Of course, there was no way DNA evidence would remain.

‘…This can’t be happening.’

In the end, he’d been caught because of one slip-up, and they were being released.

‘Damn it, this can’t be happening!’

He felt wronged, a burning injustice that threatened to drive him mad.

But he didn’t know that everything was a trap.

In fact, the police tend to meticulously plan the movements of criminals, especially those suspected of being accomplices. This is because they can exchange information with even a glance if they happen to meet.

Of course, Kang In-sal, Lee Ja-won, So Shin-oh, and Lee Hang-bal weren’t supposed to meet. But Park Do-joon made them meet instead.

To be exact, he orchestrated a scene where one side was being released while the other was being dragged away.

“Will So Shin-oh open his mouth?”

Lee Ji-soo asked worriedly, watching So Shin-oh grit his teeth through the interrogation room window. Currently, it seemed only So Shin-oh and Lee Hang-bal could be punished, while the others would get away scot-free. If So Shin-oh talked, they could all be implicated, but unfortunately, that seemed unlikely.

“You said it yourself. They aren’t a community of fate.”

“That’s true, but he’s still not talking.”

“Yes, but So Shin-oh is becoming the most disadvantaged person.”

“Why?”

“No one knows who the main culprit is.”

Park Do-joon shrugged.

“The case is a case, but the punishment for the main culprit, accomplice, and accessory are completely different.”

In this case, the ringleader who organized the group was probably Joo Gwang-dae. But there was no evidence linking him to the crime at all.

“On the other hand, So Shin-oh is a ‘favorable guy’ [someone who is easily implicated] who knew the crime scene. What does that mean?”

It meant the court was very likely to judge him as the main culprit.

“Besides, that guy saw the others being released. How does he feel?”

“Well, that’s true.”

The reason they were bound together as a community of fate was because if one of them talked, everyone would fall, and if no one talked, no one would fall.

If that structure existed, there was no need to worry about betrayal. But from the moment Park Do-joon discovered the scene, that premise collapsed. Of course, So Shin-oh would be so upset he’d go crazy.

“And the lawyer over there can’t help but know that.”

Park Do-joon said, watching the lawyer fidgeting next to So Shin-oh.

So Shin-oh didn’t break down easily. He was naturally suspicious, so he tried not to say anything, clinging to the hope that maybe, just maybe, he could get away with it. But his conviction began to crumble with the next words.

“What did you just say? Baek Man-yeon and Joo Gwang-dae came in?”

“Yes, and the police just issued a non-prosecution disposition [a decision not to prosecute].”

“No, crazy! Damn it, really?”

“Yes.”

As So Shin-oh’s lawyer, he could apply for access to and copies of documents related to the case. Of course, this was limited to relevant documents.

And what was included was entirely up to the police. If the police determined that the case related to Baek Man-yeon and Joo Gwang-dae was a completely different case, they would assign a separate case number and manage it separately. So Shin-oh’s lawyer would then have to apply separately through the court to access and copy those documents. However, if the police considered it the same document and bundled it together, the lawyer could apply for access to and copies of it without much trouble.

Generally, the police often kept things separate to avoid giving evidence to the suspect, but Park Do-joon told them not to do that and just put it all in one file. He said that way, So Shin-oh’s lawyer could see it.

And listening to those words, So Shin-oh was burning up inside.

“No, damn it! Those guys…!”

“Are they also related to this case?”

“That’s…”

So Shin-oh couldn’t bring himself to speak. He still had a glimmer of hope, something holding him back.

“Shin-oh, you need to find a way out. In this state, the death penalty is certain.”

“Death penalty?”

“Yes, you’re going to take the blame.”

So Shin-oh swallowed hard. He tried to hold on, but Park Do-joon was aiming for more than just So Shin-oh. Lee Hang-bal could also apply for access to and copies of the documents.

“According to this case, So Shin-oh is the main culprit, right?”

Lee Hang-bal’s lawyer did his best to protect his client. And one of the methods was to point to So Shin-oh as the main culprit.

“That’s…”

Lee Hang-bal also didn’t speak easily at first. But he felt wronged that everyone was getting away except for him, or rather, except for himself and So Shin-oh.

“Lee Hang-bal, you need to make a good decision. This is a crime that can only result in the death penalty. Especially if you become the main culprit, it’s really the death penalty.”

“The, the death penalty… isn’t it… not carried out [in South Korea]?”

“They may not carry it out. But even if they reduce the sentence, it’s life imprisonment.”

Lee Hang-bal felt his heart collapsing.

“The only way to reduce the sentence as much as possible in this situation is to target So Shin-oh.”

“Target Shin-oh?”

“The police’s direction is to judge So Shin-oh as the main culprit.”

It couldn’t be helped. They found traces of that building in So Shin-oh’s house. From the moment he provided the crime scene, So Shin-oh’s chances of being seen as the main culprit inevitably increased.

“If you push So Shin-oh as the main culprit, you might be able to end it with about 20 years in prison.”

“What? No, you’re telling me to be in prison for 20 years?”

“That’s possible if the verdict is dropped to accessory.”

In this state, he would be treated as an accomplice, not an accessory, and if he became an accomplice, he would inevitably be sentenced to death or life imprisonment.

“That guy is the main culprit…”

So Shin-oh was stubborn, but Lee Hang-bal wasn’t.

“If parole is possible in the middle as a model prisoner, you can be released after serving about 15 years.”

Of course, the possibility itself wasn’t very high, because it was such a serious crime. But that didn’t mean there was no possibility at all, so the lawyer continued to persuade Lee Hang-bal.

And Lee Hang-bal was shaken. There was a huge difference between the death penalty and 15 years.

“What about the other people? What happens to them?”

“The police have determined that they are innocent. In the first place, there is no evidence that they were at the scene.”

Lee Hang-bal felt wronged. He felt like he was the only one being punished for the work they did together. Of course, So Shin-oh would also be punished, but there was no trust or loyalty between them. Besides, he saw with his own eyes that Baek Man-yeon and Joo Gwang-dae were being released as their movements became twisted. So the feeling of injustice doubled. Of course, it wasn’t the end just because they were released. The police were constantly watching them.

“If So Shin-oh really becomes the main culprit and I become an accessory, the sentence can be reduced, right?”

“It’s definitely possible. Especially if they know that you had no choice but to do it through threats.”

Lee Hang-bal nodded.

“Yes, I understand.”

“Lee Hang-bal spilled the beans!”

Kim Si-deok was grinning from ear to ear. The guy who hadn’t said a word had finally opened his mouth.

“He probably said that So Shin-oh is the main culprit.”

“How did you know? Wow! You’re an amazing guy.”

“You can tell by looking at the location where the fingerprints were found at the scene.”

“The fingerprints of those two bastards were found everywhere?”

Park Do-joon shook his head.

“No. So Shin-oh’s fingerprints were found intensively on the camera, and Lee Hang-bal’s fingerprints were found intensively on the lighting.”

“That’s true. But does that have any meaning?”

“It does. Originally, the person in charge at the filming site is mostly the camera director.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

Lee Ji-soo also didn’t understand and asked again. Park Do-joon decided to explain it a little more, nodding. Lee Ji-soo still had a lot to learn, not only about crime but also about society.

“The core of filming in Korea is the camera. On the other hand, things like lighting are a bit lower in class [less prestigious].”

“Why?”

“You have to capture the composition. The video we saw was processed neatly. There was nothing around that could be identified. To do that, the person filming has to anticipate, capture the composition, and film.”

And So Shin-oh was the only one who could do that there.

“And So Shin-oh probably told Lee Hang-bal to handle the lighting.”

Low-level work. So Shin-oh, who worked in the video industry, although not a movie director, chose Lee Hang-bal as the target to do the chores.

“Why?”

“That’s simple. Because he’s the easiest guy to deal with.”

Joo Gwang-dae is the main culprit. In other words, he is like a boss. So you can’t order him around. Baek Man-yeon? She’s a cop. Although they are a gang, she can’t help but feel psychologically uncomfortable, and the possibility that Baek Man-yeon, who only thinks she is superior and right, will move as she is told is not high.