My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 500

“From their perspective, people like that… aren’t people.”

Milk, yogurt, deliveries, even the laundry—they’re just objects that appear at home.

Humans are wired to not consider that a person was involved in the process.

“Even we call delivery people ‘jjajangmyeon’ [black bean noodles, a common delivery food] or just ‘delivery.’”

It carries a stronger sense of something other than a person.

“Objectification….”

If it’s someone who works every day, not a guest, and whose face you don’t even see, you can’t even recognize their existence.

“But, oppa [older brother or male friend, used as a term of endearment], it doesn’t make sense that someone with significant mental distress would be working, right?”

Lee Yeon immediately retorted. According to the analysis so far, the culprit is suffering from severe depression to the point of needing psychiatric treatment, which is why they became obsessed with the child and even kidnapped her.

But such a person is working? Park Do-joon couldn’t help but look sympathetic at that.

“You wouldn’t really know.”

“Huh? Me?”

“You’re a silver spoon, no matter what.”

No matter how easygoing and good-natured Lee Yeon is, the fact that she comes from a wealthy family is undeniable.

People’s judgments are made within their own realm of knowledge, and it’s only natural for her to think that way.

“It was a whole 16 years ago. Not long after we got out of the IMF crisis.”

“Huh?”

The IMF. The financial crisis that turned Korea upside down.

Of course, we got out of the IMF system faster than expected, but that only meant the government had repaid the borrowed money, not that the economic system was back to normal.

“Back then, most people probably had to do anything to make a living.”

‘목구멍이 포도청’ (Mokgumeongi podocheong) [literally, ‘the throat is a police station’]. One of Korea’s proverbs.

‘Podocheong’ was a kind of police and prosecutor organization in modern terms. Just as you couldn’t refuse if they called you, it means you have to put something in your throat to live. It’s like saying ‘needs must’.

Even if divorced, even if depressed… a time when people had to work.

“Ah!”

That era was a hellish time when people committed suicide if they couldn’t endure it. In such times, they couldn’t just rest because of shock.

“And we can learn one thing from the divorce itself.”

“What is it?”

“The circumstances weren’t easy.”

If the family had money and assets, and if both sides could provide support, the couple could probably have resolved the situation with psychiatric treatment or counseling.

But they couldn’t. That alone tells us that the circumstances of both families were not good.

‘Back then, it would have been stranger for a family to be well-off.’

I don’t know why they came to this apartment, but they probably found the child while passing by. It’s highly likely they kidnapped her on a momentary impulse.

“Even back then, there would have been more than one or two delivery people.”

“No, there weren’t that many back then. And they probably did some kind of food and beverage delivery.”

At that time, except for Chinese restaurants, delivery wasn’t really established. And Chinese restaurants mostly used men as delivery workers.

“And the time they disappeared….”

Park Do-joon pointed to his watch and said,

“It’s exactly now.”

And just in time, someone came out from inside and was seen pulling a cart to another apartment building.

“The pattern is always obvious.”

Delivering fixed items in a fixed area at a fixed time.

That’s the normal thing.

So, they have no choice but to move at a set time. Even if the person changes, they move according to the time pattern set by the company.

“There may be some slight variations, but.”

The 3 PM delivery time doesn’t change to 10 AM. Moreover, a vehicle is essential for delivery. Nowadays, there are electric carts for some items, but back then, there was no such thing.

Of course, the police didn’t pay attention to food and beverage delivery vehicles, especially those driven by women.

“And that was a time when there were many food and beverage deliveries.”

Green juice, milk, yogurt, and so on.

Because many people were doing whatever they could to survive.

Identifying the person who worked in the delivery business among the two women wasn’t difficult. All they had to do was look for records of insurance payments.

And it wasn’t difficult to identify the individual based on those insurance payment records.

Of course, it’s impossible to suddenly get an arrest warrant now with just this.

If it were someone else, a warrant would probably never be issued with just this. But because it’s related to the current Auditor General, the police strongly demanded it, and the court, aware of the situation, issued the warrant despite it being unreasonable.

“That’s strange.”

“What is?”

“No, the victim’s family wouldn’t know that things are progressing this far, right?”

“That’s usually the case. The police don’t report the progress of the case to the victim.”

“I know that, but….”

All the victim knows is that the culprit has been caught or punished, but they don’t know the details of the investigation.

“And the court can’t help but worry.”

What if they arrest them now and it’s not them? The feelings of the individual suspected of being the culprit are a problem that Park Do-joon, the police officer in charge, can solve by kneeling and begging, but Song Won-nam’s anger is something they have to resolve themselves.

“So, they’ll try to confirm it first.”

“That’s so petty, really.”

“It’s not petty, it’s normal according to the regulations.”

Park Do-joon said that and parked the car in the parking lot. Then, he slowly looked at the apartment.

“16 years is enough time to achieve a lot.”

You could tell how fiercely the culprit had lived just by looking at their work record. They had been working and working constantly without resting for even a year, no, not even a month.

“Let’s go.”

Park Do-joon took Lee Yeon and slowly went up to the apartment. And he was about to call with the intercom at the entrance of the apartment. At that moment, a female student ran out urgently, brushing past them.

“Ah, I’m sorry!”

She was in such a hurry that she dodged quickly while talking on the phone.

“Mom, it’s late, so I’ll talk to you after I come back. I have to go to the academy. Yeah, sorry.”

Watching the student move away while talking to her mother, Park Do-joon stopped and looked at her. And Lee Ji-soo also intuitively felt something, and she watched the girl’s back as she moved away, holding the door.

“Ah, um… I think it’s her, right?”

“Probably.”

Park Do-joon didn’t say anything more.

Because saying it doesn’t change anything, and just because she raised her child well doesn’t mean the crime disappears.

“Let’s go.”

Park Do-joon went through the open door and went upstairs. Then, he stood in front of the culprit’s house.

After taking a deep breath, Park Do-joon pressed the intercom.

-Who is it?

“It’s the police.”

He didn’t hide his identity. There was no need to.

This is the 14th floor, there’s nowhere to run.

Silence flowed from the intercom. How long had it been? Without any further response, the door opened.

Park Do-joon opened the door and went inside. There was a middle-aged woman standing there. But she wasn’t angry, or upset, or scared. Rather, she was calm.

“I thought this day would come.”

“Ms. Han Joo-ryung.”

“Yes.”

The woman called Han Joo-ryung said very calmly,

“I confess. I am the kidnapper.”

“Um….”

He had come with all sorts of complicated worries, from proving the crime to requesting an arrest warrant, but Han Joo-ryung surprisingly confessed her crime very calmly.

“Detective.”

“Yes.”

Because she was too calm, Park Do-joon couldn’t help but feel awkward and cautious.

“Can I ask you for one favor?”

“Tell me.”

“As a last request, could you let me make a warm meal for my daughter before I go? I’ll turn myself in tomorrow.”

Park Do-joon pressed his lips tightly at that. The words ‘my daughter’ in it, those words came from the mouth of a criminal… but at the same time, he felt like he knew how she had raised her with what kind of heart.

“You can’t be alone.”

But work is work, and life is life. But it’s not impossible to include a little consideration in it.

“From this moment on, if you want to go outside the apartment, you have to accompany us.”

“Detective?”

“Just do it. The storm that will come from now on, she needs to have something good to remember to endure it.”

At Park Do-joon’s words, Lee Ji-soo couldn’t say anything and nodded.

Because he didn’t know how well the daughter would overcome this shock.

“We’ll be waiting in front of the house tonight.”

“Thank you.”

Han Joo-ryung went into the room at those words and came out with her wallet.

Because there’s not much time left now. The time she could make one last meal for her daughter was so precious to her.

“I won’t forget this kindness.”

That was all Han Joo-ryung could say.

The next day.

Han Joo-ryung came to the police station and turned herself in. Of course, strictly speaking, it would be right for Park Do-joon to arrest her since the arrest warrant had already been issued, but Park Do-joon decided not to put handcuffs on her in front of her daughter.

Of course, the daughter didn’t come out of her room even one step.

In front of Park Do-joon, who had left Lee Ji-soo there just in case, Han Joo-ryung bowed her head and thanked Park Do-joon before entering the police station, and Park Do-joon sighed deeply as he watched that.

And soon after, Song Won-nam and his family were seen rushing to the police station.

Park Do-joon blankly stared at that sight.

“Oppa, what happened?”

“What brings you here?”

As he was watching that scene, someone called Park Do-joon from behind.

It was none other than Lee Yeon.

“I’m just curious about the case. The rumors are already widespread.”

“Those damn judges, they have such loose lips.”

Park Do-joon reached for a cigarette out of habit, then frowned.

Because he had quit smoking after the regression.

“She confessed. She’ll probably be punished.”

According to her, she was working half out of her mind when she heard a child crying, and when she came to her senses, she had already taken the child home. She said that not returning the child at that time was her greed.

“Well, can they accept each other?”

“Would it be easy?”

A mother who became the object of hatred to her daughter, whom she had raised for 16 years, overnight, a daughter who learned that she had been kidnapped, a family who found their child after 16 years.

It wasn’t an easy case for all of them to accept.

“We have to hope that everyone does their best.”

That’s all Park Do-joon could do.

“Ah, I really want a cigarette, really.”

Park Do-joon could only smack his bitter lips and swallow the bitterness.

My Heavenly Job is a Profiler