My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 426

# Father’s Affection

Visiting Assemblyman Lee Eok-ho wasn’t difficult. A single phone call secured immediate permission. When Park Do-joon met Assemblyman Lee Eok-ho, he couldn’t help but be taken aback.

‘He’s going to die before his son at this rate.’

Indeed, the man was so gaunt, it seemed he could pass away at any moment.

He had always been sharp on television, his imposing figure and commanding voice used to dominate the room. Now, his eyes were filled with nothing but despair, worry, and regret.

“So, you know about my son?”

“Yes.”

“What’s the situation?”

At that, Park Do-joon looked at Yoon Tae-min, who gave a bitter smile. He seemed to know what Park Do-joon was thinking. Assemblyman Lee Eok-ho, perhaps sensing this, made an effort to speak with strength.

“Tell me exactly. Only then can we find a solution.”

‘So, a politician is still a politician, huh?’

Rather than expecting everything to turn out well, Lee Eok-ho’s willingness to address the realistic aspects, however difficult, made Park Do-joon nod.

“It seems your son has been kidnapped by an organ trafficking organization.”

“Organ trafficking organization?”

“Yes.”

His hand began to tremble. He was intuitively sensing his son’s death. After all, being kidnapped by an organ trafficking organization meant there was almost no chance of survival. However, before he could give up, Park Do-joon calmed him down.

“There’s still a possibility he’s alive, so don’t worry.”

“My son is alive?”

“This information came up during our investigation.”

“What?”

“We were investigating a fraud case related to organ trafficking in China recently.”

“Organ trafficking fraud?”

“It’s what happened to former Assemblyman Joo Chang-soo…”

“Assemblyman Joo, you say?”

‘Come to think of it, they must know each other.’

Lee Eok-ho and Joo Chang-soo were both members of the New People’s Party. There’s no way they wouldn’t know each other. Of course, Joo Chang-soo was older and now retired.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t contacted him lately.”

“He’s currently hospitalized.”

He was in a coma, his life extended only by dialysis, with virtually no chance of survival. Joo Man-won seemed to know this and was preparing himself mentally.

“And the same guy is the culprit?”

“Yes, although the methods are different. But there aren’t many who run such intelligent scams in two different ways using the same keyword: organ trafficking. To be precise, it’s someone who knows human psychology very well, whoever it is.”

Unless you know the psychology of people wanting to live and the psychology of judging crimes in that process, you wouldn’t even think of such a scam.

“Moreover, the fact that they bothered to provide immunosuppressants first is also telling.”

“Is that evidence of intelligence?”

“Yes. Immunosuppressants are definitely not cheap.”

Because the area of use is so limited, the production volume isn’t high, and the distribution line is also limited. So, scammers could just send them to China without giving them any, and there wouldn’t be any problem.

“In fact, from the perspective of a typical criminal organization, it’s much more profitable not to give them. But they went out of their way to provide immunosuppressants in advance. That’s a means of manipulating the other person’s psychology to essentially make them commit suicide.”

And this is not a method used by typical criminal organizations.

“The trap using job offers is the same. Considering the characteristic of Taiwanese people being internationally unprotected and the lack of jobs in Taiwan, they are calling them in an untraceable way.”

Since they weren’t kidnapped from Taiwan, Taiwan can’t do anything, and Southeast Asian countries lack the security to put effort into stopping it. Especially in Myanmar, where security has completely collapsed.

“The trap using job offers is possible for people from other countries as well. Korea is the same. In fact, many people from Korea are moving to Southeast Asia.”

“But?”

“But the fact that they only used Taiwanese people means they have a very clear understanding of international relations.”

Would a mere gangster accurately grasp such international relations? It’s unlikely. In most cases, violent organizations don’t even understand the situation in their own country.

“If it’s a criminal group that uses China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia to set traps and scams, there’s probably only one organization. That’s the Triads [Chinese transnational organized crime syndicates].”

In fact, it’s not exactly a secret that some of the Triads are going to Southeast Asia. The Triads are growing in size and are now even advancing into Japan.

To be precise, they are expanding along China’s Belt and Road Initiative [a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the Chinese government], and the large violent organizations like the Chinese Triads are currently expanding their influence to Africa.

“It’s the only violent organization with connections to Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia.”

No Korean violent organization has connections overseas, and they lack manpower. The Yakuza [Japanese organized crime syndicates] are declining in power, and their influence is waning overseas as well.

Many loan shark companies operating in Korea were mostly Yakuza funds, but they are reducing their profits and influence for various reasons and are leaving Korea.

“Besides, Korea and Japan are in a situation where it’s difficult to advance into Southeast Asia.”

Americans sold drugs in Korea, but they were at least in the realm of business. But no matter how hard they try, organ trafficking cannot operate in the realm of business.

“Only the Triads can secure sufficient personnel and geographical location.”

“But couldn’t China just be a place for scams?”

Yoon Tae-min spoke as if he didn’t understand. There’s no evidence that they are in China.

Certainly, all the people who were scammed and went to China would have just returned. So, outwardly, it may seem that China is irrelevant.

“That’s why it’s even more frightening. The direction is turned to China, but the Chinese government is structured in a completely unrelated way. Even if we recognize this case and start an investigation, we cannot request cooperation from the Chinese government.”

“Hmm.”

“That’s certainly true.”

Lee Eok-ho and Yoon Tae-min both nodded at that point. From China’s perspective, they can claim that their name was borrowed, and no matter how much the Korean police investigate, further investigation is impossible.

“The fact that Myanmar’s IP [Internet Protocol] was caught is actually a miracle.”

They probably intended to take down the site if an investigation proceeded, but Park Do-joon succeeded in accessing the site before that, so he was able to find out at least which country it was based in.

“In addition, according to information, they are having the captured Taiwanese people bring in other people or borrow money and then extorting it.”

“Is that certain?”

“That’s what the information says.”

Originally, it was future knowledge, so Park Do-joon spoke of it as information that had just flowed in. He couldn’t say that he had seen the case records from the future.

“Then my son…”

At those words, Lee Eok-ho’s face gradually hardened. His son was not Taiwanese, nor had he ever asked for money. That meant he could only be considered dead.

Fortunately, Park Do-joon’s thoughts were a little different.

“Whoever the culprit is, they are quite intelligent. They probably know that Lee Sang-won is Korean.”

“So?”

“So, they’re going to try to extort money.”

“Extort money?”

“Yes, it’s easier to extort from Koreans than from Taiwanese.”

“Do you think that’s possible?”

“I don’t think they’ll ultimately keep him alive because he’s Korean. But they move for the sake of profit.”

In other words, they’ll keep him alive for the time being if it’s profitable.

“But you said they shouldn’t know I’m Korean?”

“To be precise, it’s a matter of who the main target is.”

If the main target of the crime is Taiwanese people, and a Korean is involved, the Korean government will push in, even mobilizing the military.

Kidnapping 5,000 Koreans and taking their organs, and just letting it go because of diplomatic issues? That’s just asking us to kill them in the next election.

“But if it’s just one person, the story is different.”

“Different?”

“Yes, he’s an intelligent guy who knows international order and the level of response from each country.”

That’s why they targeted Taiwan.

“So, he knows that if it’s just one Korean, the Korean embassy won’t do anything.”

Yoon Tae-min’s face turned red with shame at those words. That’s exactly what happened. If Lee Sang-won hadn’t been the son of Assemblyman Lee Eok-ho, the Korean Foreign Ministry would have ignored him without even investigating his disappearance.

“Ironically, that situation increases the possibility of extorting money and keeping him alive.”

Because it’s an opportunity to extort money from a Korean. They’ll think they can extort more money from a Korean than from a Taiwanese person.

“But I haven’t received a single call. Are you saying that even in this situation, he still holds a grudge against me and won’t call? Do you want to say that my son hates me that much?”

Lee Eok-ho’s voice choked. If he called him, he would do anything to save him. But why wouldn’t he call him and ask to be saved?

“I think the opposite. Your son is probably quite smart. That’s why he won’t call.”

“Why?”

“If it’s just one Korean, the Foreign Ministry will ignore it, but if it’s the son of Assemblyman Lee Eok-ho, the Foreign Ministry will move.”

And the criminals will want to avoid the risk.

“Their method is known to be calling people around them and extorting money by asking them to borrow money. But what would happen if they called Assemblyman Lee Eok-ho in that process?”

Of course, the fact that they are parents and children will be revealed in the process, and the criminals will immediately kill Lee Sang-won to silence him.

“So, you have to make sure it doesn’t get caught no matter what.”

So, he couldn’t call, not that he didn’t want to. He himself knows what to be careful about in order to survive.

“Conversely, it also means that there is someone in Korea who can convey his situation.”

He has to get money. But he can’t tell his father. Then who should he ask?

“Could it be the Future Party members who were with him?”

“Yes, they may have been contacted. And he may have left something with them.”

Of course, he would have had to leave it without the Chinese knowing, so it’s possible that the Future Party members didn’t know. But if we listen to their words, there is something we can know for sure.

That someone among them received a call. That was the most definite proof that he was still alive.

A Job as a Profiler