My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 418

“It seems they’re using secluded, external locations for meetings.”

Consequently, there are hardly any CCTV cameras, and even if there were, the footage would likely have been deleted already.

“We do have a composite sketch, but…”

“Just a sketch.”

The problem is, you can’t do anything with just a sketch.

“Furthermore, if you’re telling me to investigate unofficially, how am I even supposed to conduct the investigation?”

“The best way would be to go to a hospital.”

“A hospital?”

“Yes.”

Park Do-joon slammed the documents shut and said,

“We can just go to a large hospital and ask around.”

There are numerous hospitals in Seoul. And among those hospitals, there are some that specialize in dialysis.

The kidneys filter all sorts of waste from the body. But when those kidneys fail, artificial dialysis is necessary [a medical procedure to remove waste and excess water from the blood when the kidneys are not functioning properly].

Doctors say that people usually have two kidneys, and it’s possible to live with just one.

Of course, you’ll tire much more easily and lead a much more arduous life instead.

“That’s why one of the most common things organ traffickers say is that God put one kidney in you for some extra pocket money, spewing such nonsense.”

“That’s utter nonsense.”

“Yeah, it’s complete nonsense. But even when they say that nonsense, there are many people who actually fall for it and sell their kidneys.”

More accurately, they have to sell to survive.

“In fact, one of the most frequently trafficked organs in the body is the kidney.”

You can survive without one. So, they sell it off first.

“But what will change even if we go to a dialysis center?”

“Nothing will change. But we might get some information.”

Park Do-joon said, looking at the building. And shortly after, they were sitting face to face with a doctor at the hospital.

“I’m sorry, but we cannot provide information about patients. Bring a warrant.”

And the doctor said something that was all too natural from his perspective.

“I know.”

“If you know, why didn’t you bring a warrant?”

No matter how good it is to cooperate with the police, providing a patient’s personal information to the police without a warrant is punishable. That’s why they can’t give it even if they want to.

“Of course, it’s impossible to provide personal information. But realistically, if it’s not personal information, I thought you might be able to offer some flexibility.”

“We can give you information if it’s not personal. But you said you’re investigating organ trafficking, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then, of course, you’ll be asking for personal information, won’t you?”

“Are you admitting that you know about organ trafficking?”

“Ugh!”

The doctor hesitated for a moment at those words but soon nodded.

“I know. The rumors are widespread. But I have no obligation to report it, and I don’t want to report it.”

“I understand that feeling.”

“You understand?”

“Watching patients die day by day is not an easy thing.”

When the kidneys fail, dialysis is necessary, and that’s no easy task.

It’s not just getting a shot; it’s a long, difficult, and painful process of drawing blood from the whole body, running it through a dialysis machine, and putting it back in.

When the kidneys fail, that time comes even sooner, and eventually, you often have to undergo dialysis every other day to survive.

Those people wish they could live without dialysis.

“And among them, some suddenly stop dialysis. Isn’t that right?”

“Haa… That’s right. There certainly are.”

And from the doctor’s perspective, he has to consider three possibilities.

First, the patient’s death. Even if it’s not a kidney problem, there are many reasons why a person can die. So, there are many cases where patients die.

Another is moving hospitals due to relocation or other reasons. But in these cases, they usually come to copy their medical records or hospital data, so you can quickly find out.

The last one is kidney transplantation. If it’s a legal kidney transplant, that’s good, but in other cases, the patient has no choice but to avoid coming to the hospital.

Because if there’s no record in Korea but they received a kidney, it’s like admitting that they received it from China.

“It seems there are quite a few of those people.”

Park Do-joon said nonchalantly, pretending not to know anything, but he wasn’t really ignorant.

‘Why did I choose this hospital?’

Did he not know? Or was it really a coincidence? No. This hospital is located in the heart of Seoul and is naturally one of the hospitals with the most patients in Korea.

‘And this neighborhood has a lot of wealthy people.’

Having money means there’s a greater chance of seizing opportunities. Death comes fairly.

Some people say that, but unfortunately, modern science and technology have reached the level where they can delay death.

And the more someone has accomplished, the more they want to avoid death.

In other words, this kind of neighborhood is easier for organ traffickers to approach than poor neighborhoods.

“Well, I admit it. But I can’t give you personal information.”

“No, I don’t want personal information. I just want to ask if any of those people are coming back.”

“Coming back?”

“Yes, coming back.”

“Why are you asking that?”

“The case we’re investigating isn’t just an organ trafficking case.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s an organ-related fraud case.”

The doctor’s face hardened at Park Do-joon’s explanation. If such a thing were to happen, hundreds or thousands of people could die. No, they might already be dead.

‘Come to think of it.’

If you think about it, there are cases where patients don’t show up without any contact. So, when you call, you usually just feel sorry when they say they’ve passed away.

‘But there might be real victims in there.’

If so, further damage must be prevented. The problem is, there’s no way.

“I still can’t give you personal information.”

“I’m not asking for such unreasonable information. But if you know of any related rumors or stories, I would appreciate it if you could tell me.”

“I don’t know anything.”

“Of course, officially, that’s the case.”

You can’t officially know that. Because if you know that, you’ll be ostracized from the medical community if you don’t report it.

However, you can’t unconditionally report it either. Because doctors are right next to patients who are suffering and watching them slowly die.

No matter how capable he is as a doctor, it’s not easy to pretend not to know that a person is slowly dying in pain.

Normal doctors don’t ignore the death of their patients; they just suppress it. Because if they waver, the lives of other patients are at risk.

“Many doctors can’t withstand that and quit or change their major.”

“……”

People think that doctors are simply flocking to plastic surgery, dental, or ophthalmology clinics because of money. Of course, that’s not wrong. At least plastic surgery is for money.

However, dentistry and ophthalmology are not significantly more lucrative than other departments. However, there are quite a few people who go there because the risk is not high since it’s not related to life.

“Isn’t that right?”

In particular, after a patient dies for the first time, some people get tired of the shock and the behavior of the patient’s family.

Even if there are no medical accidents, if the bereaved family accepts the patient’s death calmly, they have time to pull themselves together, but some bereaved families want to blame the doctor for the death of their family and hold them responsible.

Some doctors get tired of the lawsuits that take place even before the doctor overcomes the death of their patient and move to ophthalmology or dentistry, which are not related to life at all.

“The same goes for the kidney side.”

Since the kidney is such a sensitive area, all sorts of lawsuits are naturally filed about it.

Internal medicine has fewer direct life-or-death situations than surgery, but that doesn’t mean that lives aren’t at stake.

“Especially hospitals that specialize in dialysis often have close relationships with patients.”

They don’t just come in, stick a needle in, and leave; they continue to manage the kidneys, so they often become humanly involved without realizing it.

“There’s really no point in thinking about who is more trustworthy, an unreliable organ trafficker or a doctor you know.”

“……”

The doctor was silent at those words, then frowned. Then he sighed and said,

“What exactly do you want to know?”

“Ah, I’m just asking you to tell me any rumors. You don’t have to give me personal information.”

“Hoo~.”

He pondered for a long time and eventually nodded. If it’s not really personal information, there’s nothing wrong with him saying it.

Furthermore, according to Park Do-joon, his patients could also die. Maybe someone is already dead.

As a doctor, it was a natural desire to prevent such a tragedy from happening.

“Actually, I’ve heard rumors.”

“Rumors…”

‘Maybe the rumors are about coming in and consulting directly.’

Even though it’s illegal, if a patient who has no other way to live wants to go to China for a kidney transplant, there’s really only one person he can consult.

You can’t trust other hospitals you’re going to for the first time.

The broker who introduced the organ transplant is just a broker, and he can’t communicate with the Chinese doctor.

‘So, in a way, it’s only natural to ask the doctor.’

And doctors often consult on it, even though they know it’s illegal. Because if they don’t, the person could really die.

“Do you know anything about that rumor?”

“Yes. According to the rumor, kidney transplants are being carried out extensively in China.”

“I know that.”

Of course, he didn’t come all the way here just to get that information.

“I just want to know how to contact them. Surely, in this day and age, you’re not putting ghost helicopters [slang term for illegal organ trafficking] in public restrooms, are you?”

“……”

There’s a rumor that ghost helicopter is a slang term for organ trafficking. It’s not known where the origin came from, but usually, the guys who buy organs express it that way.

“These days, public restrooms aren’t managed so carelessly either.”

The management of public restrooms has become strict, and even if you put something like that on it, they’ll quickly tear it off.

Of course, there are cases where it’s attached to a public restroom that hasn’t been managed for a long time, but the guys who do that all use burner phones [disposable cell phones used to avoid tracking], so it’s safe to say that the number is unlikely to be used by those in the industry.

“And it doesn’t make sense to promote it here and there on the internet.”