My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 405

“There have been quite a few incidents of soldiers shooting at allies while high on drugs.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Especially in places like Afghanistan or Iraq, things can get out of hand.”

‘At least in Korea, Japan, or even Europe, you can get your hands on drugs more easily,’ Ju Gwang-won thought. ‘But in Afghanistan or Iraq, it’s got to be tough to find them.’

“So, some guys go half crazy.”

“But isn’t Afghanistan famous for its opium?” Ji-soo asked.

“That’s another problem. It’s opium there.”

Opium is quite a strong drug for those who are just starting out, but it’s weak for those who have done synthetic drugs.

“So, some perfectly normal guys get addicted to drugs starting with opium.”

In any case, for Maxwell, who was in a position to manage soldiers as a superior officer, drugs were a major headache.

“It’s been difficult because drugs have been spreading too easily in Korea these days,” Maxwell said.

“Then, do you happen to know anything about it?” Ju Gwang-won inquired.

“No.”

The military police of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) don’t have the authority to investigate civilians. Of course, they can’t crack down on drugs here on behalf of the Korean police.

“However, I do know that drugs are secretly circulating within the unit.”

“Then, do you know the name Vanilla?” Ju Gwang-won asked, pressing the issue.

“Yes, I know. Ninety percent of the guys caught in connection with drugs have his stuff.”

“We’re tracking him down now.”

“Really?” Maxwell’s eyes widened at those words. If he’s supplying 90% of the drugs within the USFK, there’s no way the U.S. military wouldn’t know about him.

‘But the U.S. military doesn’t conduct joint investigations with the Korean police,’ Ju Gwang-won realized.

‘So, the Korean police can’t possibly know everything.’

“Is there any way to get information related to that?” Ju Gwang-won asked.

“Usually, it’s not easy to leak information externally, but…” Maxwell pondered for a moment.

“I’ll put it up to the higher-ups for now. They’re taking that Vanilla thing seriously too.”

“Then, when you talk to them, ask them to look for data from the restaurant. A card statement would be enough.”

“A card statement?” Maxwell questioned.

“It’s nearby.” Ju Gwang-won explained. For long-distance deliveries, they use quick services or messengers. But this is around the U.S. military base.

“Since it’s close, they can’t use people. In fact, given the nature of the military base, the existing methods are 100% blocked.”

“Ah!” Maxwell exclaimed, understanding dawning on his face.

In-person delivery is impossible because they can’t enter the base, and drones are prohibited from flying, so they’ll be shot down as soon as they take off. So, the only options are throwing or picking it up directly.

“But Itaewon is too crowded to throw drugs.”

People are walking around everywhere, and if someone sees you throwing something, there’s a high chance they’ll take it and run away or report it.

“In that situation, the best way is to pick it up directly.”

“Ah!” Maxwell repeated.

“Anyway, after work in the evening, they have free time, and weekends are entirely free for the U.S. military personnel. They can just go out for dinner and pick it up directly.”

“There will be a restaurant they go to regularly. Perhaps the restaurant they go to is… well, likely an Indian or Chinese restaurant.”

“Indian? Chinese?” Maxwell asked, curious.

“How did you know?”

“Ah, it’s not that, it’s just a prediction. It’s a good way to hide the smell of drugs.”

Indian or Chinese restaurants often have strong spice and oil smells, so you often can’t smell the unique scent of drugs around them.

“Even if it’s a synthetic drug, you have to be prepared just in case.”

“I understand what you mean. I’ll go back and report it right away.”

“Then, should we do it in the form of sending an official cooperation letter?” Ju Gwang-won suggested.

“It would be better if Detective Ju could do that,” Maxwell agreed.

Cooperation with the U.S. Forces Korea was suddenly achieved. But from the U.S. military’s point of view, there was nothing to lose. They couldn’t ignore the non-combat losses caused by those Vanilla guys, and they couldn’t ignore the risk of someone getting high on drugs and shooting at allies indefinitely.

“Didn’t they say the U.S. military usually lets things slide?” Ji-soo looked at Ju Gwang-won, remembering what he said earlier. And Sergeant Maxwell answered that question.

“Ah, did you hear that too? Of course, there’s a bit of that. If you don’t get caught in a separate search for something like marijuana, they usually just let it go. But what those Vanilla guys are dealing with is synthetic drugs.”

Synthetic drugs are much more addictive and dangerous than regular drugs.

“If you get withdrawal symptoms from marijuana, you get feelings of depression, poor condition, or defeat, but synthetic drugs show pain or aggression.”

Aggression is a risk factor that cannot be ignored in a military unit that handles firearms.

“I see.” Ji-soo acknowledged.

“I’ll go and talk about it first.” Sergeant Maxwell started talking on the phone as he turned around, as if he was in a hurry, and Ji-soo asked Park Do-jun while watching him.

“Help is coming from an unexpected place?”

Park Do-jun chuckled at those words. “Do you really think I didn’t expect it?”

“Really?”

“Hehehe.”

If he had no idea, would he have waited here for hours waiting for Sergeant Maxwell?

“No, then couldn’t you have applied from the beginning?” Ji-soo asked.

“No, the U.S. military won’t give it to you if you do that.”

They tie everything up with security.

“In particular, they are notorious for being uncooperative with Korean investigations.”

“Why?”

“According to the SOFA [Status of Forces Agreement], the right to punish U.S. Forces Korea personnel is in the United States, not Korea.”

But if you ask for information on drug addicts in the U.S. Forces Korea, would they give it to you? Absolutely not.

“But if you have an ally inside, things change. We didn’t ask for the entire card statement.”

If you send it by official letter, the U.S. military will ignore it, but if you deliver the story in person and by official letter, they can only tell you the name of the suspected restaurant, not the entire card statement.

“Ah, then they’ll give it to us.” Ji-soo realized.

“That’s right. It’s not like their information is leaking, and it’s beneficial to them.”

And if the other party is an American trying to spread drugs, as Park Do-jun said, that’s a diplomatic issue, not something the U.S. Forces Korea should take care of. Rather, from their point of view, they’d want to eliminate those Vanilla guys who are selling drugs to the U.S. Forces Korea.

“Ah, I think permission will come out more easily than I thought.”

And they just have to catch them.

“So, let’s just wait a moment.”

And as Park Do-jun said, the permission actually came out very easily. So easily that it was absurd. If it was a soldier’s personal information or criminal record, the U.S. military probably wouldn’t have given it, but as Park Do-jun said, only one suspicious store was unofficially passed on.

“I can’t say the details because the higher-ups can object. But there was one suspicious store.”

Sergeant Maxwell seemed very excited. That’s because as soon as his colleague working in the military police heard this, he went and told him to beat them up right away.

“It seems the situation is worse than I thought.”

Sergeant Maxwell, who is not in the military police, doesn’t know the details, but the military police would have no choice but to get angry when it comes to drugs.

“The official letter is coming, but in order to get permission for that, you have to go up to the general’s separate approval, so it will take at least two weeks. It’s uncertain whether you’ll get permission. But the name of the store, well…”

Even if he didn’t hear it from the U.S. military, even if he pretended that he accidentally found out while investigating, the U.S. military wouldn’t say anything.

‘Wow, it’s going according to what my senior said,’ Ji-soo thought.

Lee Ji-soo and Ju Gwang-won looked at him as if they were amazed that the story was flowing exactly as Park Do-jun had predicted.

“What’s the name of the store?” Ju Gwang-won asked.

“It’s Indochina.”

“Indochina?”

Indochina is not the name of a country. That’s what they call the peninsula located in Southeast Asia, which means present-day Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.

“Yes, everyone had a record of eating there before they were caught on our side.”

Of course, most of the restaurants are obvious, so there are more than one or two overlapping stores. That’s why the U.S. military couldn’t suspect the restaurant.

“But as a result of checking, that place exactly met the conditions.”

Operating on the first floor, offices on the second floor, and residences on the third floor.

Located in the back alley and delivers through delivery apps, and the reviews are quite good.

Mostly stories about good food quality and large quantity.

“I think we found it?” Park Do-jun said, a feeling of certainty in his voice.

“Indochina, is this too on the nose? Or is it witty?” Lee Ji-soo said, looking at the restaurant without realizing it. Indochina, a restaurant that hasn’t opened yet. And the reason for saying that was simple. The food they actually sold was Indian and Chinese food.

“No, do you mean Indochina because they sell Indian food, Chinese food, and even Southeast Asian food?” Ju Gwang-won asked, trying to understand the name.

“I guess so?” Ji-soo replied.

“That’s absurd.” Even Ju Gwang-won let out a hollow laugh.

“But this place is quite delicious,” Maxwell said, as if it were a matter of course. Maxwell, it seemed, was a gourmet.

“The name is funny, though.”

“I guess you know what that means.” Ji-soo said to Maxwell.

“Yes, at first I didn’t know why Korean people laughed when they came here.”

Well, from an American’s point of view, Indochina is just a name that reminds them of the Indochina Peninsula, but for Koreans, it’s a kind of wordplay.

“Indian food for India, and Chinese food for China, and Southeast Asian food at the same time for Indochina.”

It’s an absurd naming sense, but at the same time, it’s a very intuitive naming.

“Curry, Chinese food, and rice noodles.”

This was a store with a strong feeling that they sell everything indiscriminately.

“It’s like an overseas version of Kimbap Heaven [a popular Korean restaurant chain that sells a wide variety of dishes],” Ji-soo commented.

“But it’s doing well.”

During lunchtime, people are bustling and many people are coming and going. There are quite a few people eating inside, but at the same time, the number of riders who come to receive deliveries is not small.

“But still, I can’t turn this suspicion into certainty with this?” Ju Gwang-won asked.

“Of course, that’s right.”

Certainly, Indian and Chinese food are foods that give off a strong scent, as Park Do-jun said. That’s why it’s suitable for hiding drugs.

“But there is a way to check.” Park Do-jun said with a grin.

“How?” Ji-soo asked.

“What do you think is on the second floor?”

“That’s… ah!” Ji-soo exclaimed, realizing what Park Do-jun was implying.

If Park Do-jun’s prediction is correct, there should be a foreign-invested company that has incorporated there.

“But the way up is locked?” Ju Gwang-won pointed out.

“But getting a registry from the registry office isn’t illegal.”

If you know the address, you can get a registry from the registry office and find out who is inside.

“And I’ll bet 500,000 won [approximately $400 USD] that they rented the third floor together,” Park Do-jun said confidently.

# Great Article Title

As a result, Park Do-jun didn’t lose 500,000 won. But he didn’t earn it either. Because everyone thought like Park Do-jun.

“Daylight Industry.” Ju Gwang-won read from the registry.

It was a company that was supposed to have rented the 2nd and 3rd floors of the building. It was a corporation, and according to the record, the total number of employees was 8. The main business is importing American products.

Profiler by Nature