My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 515

“People are all the same, I guess.”

“Exactly.”

“How would the police even know if someone is being taken to the hospital or being sold off?” Lee Ji-soo asked, her brow furrowed.

Park Do-joon chuckled. “Think about it. If they found an emergency patient in an ambulance, a cop who suspects, ‘This person is being kidnapped for organ trafficking,’ would be considered crazy.”

“But usually, don’t the police escort ambulances sometimes?” Lee Il-seop asked, seemingly confused. “I’ve seen it where the police find an ambulance and, confirming it’s an emergency, escort it to the hospital, clearing the way.”

“But they can’t just run away, can they? That would be suspicious,” Lee Il-seop added.

“Well, the chances of that are low,” Park Do-joon replied.

“The chances of encountering a police car while driving are low, and even if they did, the chances of the police abandoning their other duties to escort them are even lower.”

“Besides, sirens are specifically for emergency transports. Simple transports don’t warrant sirens. They probably wouldn’t use the siren then,” Park Do-joon explained.

“Oh, that’s right,” Lee Il-seop acknowledged.

“If they drug them and then transport them, claiming it’s just a simple transport, the police wouldn’t have a reason to escort them,” Park Do-joon added.

“The police often nitpick and drag things out in those cases anyway,” Lee Ji-soo commented.

“That’s true,” Lee Il-seop agreed.

“The police definitely check ambulances,” Park Do-joon said. “But if there’s a patient inside, they’re supposed to follow them to the hospital and check the documents after the transport.”

“That’s to avoid missing the golden hour [the critical time period for effective treatment],” Lee Ji-soo explained.

“But the police don’t always do that,” Lee Il-seop countered.

“Because it’s a hassle, they sometimes just stop the ambulance, regardless of whether the patient’s life is on the line, and demand to see the documents and diagnosis, dragging out the time. That delay can be anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes,” Park Do-joon said with a sigh.

“For patients with cerebral hemorrhages, that’s enough time to die, but the police’s response is firm,” Lee Ji-soo added.

“It’s too much trouble to follow them to the hospital,” Lee Il-seop said, shaking his head.

“It’s unavoidable that some unscrupulous ambulances get through. There are hundreds of such cases every year,” Park Do-joon stated.

“The only saving grace is that real emergency patients call 119 [the Korean emergency services number, similar to 911], so there are fewer deaths, I guess?” Lee Il-seop wondered.

“Of course, there are definitely crazy people who check 119 ambulances too,” Lee Ji-soo pointed out.

“Anyway, the sure thing is that if those guys operate a private ambulance, many problems from kidnapping to organ transport are solved,” Park Do-joon said, returning to the main topic.

“Then they can’t use it for kidnapping,” Lee Ji-soo said, nodding as if she understood.

“Right, private ambulances have their affiliation displayed. Moreover, other problems are solved too,” Park Do-joon confirmed.

“Other problems?” Lee Il-seop asked.

“No matter how skilled someone with discretion joins, they still need medical supplies,” Park Do-joon explained.

“You can’t just cut someone open with a knife. They need at least disinfectant or sleeping pills to sedate the victim,” Lee Ji-soo added, grimacing.

“So, you’re saying it’s not a problem to have them on hand for emergencies in an ambulance?” Lee Il-seop asked, clarifying.

“From an emergency perspective, it’s not strange,” Park Do-joon confirmed.

“For example, it’s not easy for an ordinary person to buy morphine [a strong painkiller]. But if you buy it for emergency use, it’s not impossible,” Lee Ji-soo said.

“In fact, morphine is a narcotic analgesic used for emergency treatment of patients on the battlefield,” Park Do-joon added.

“So, they can solve the medicine problem too. I didn’t think of that. But…” Lee Il-seop nodded, still looking puzzled.

“But what about other people? Other people can be kidnapped too, right? Why did they get a separate vehicle just for pregnant women?” Lee Il-seop asked.

“The target is different. The response also changes depending on the condition of the person,” Park Do-joon explained.

“For example, they could create a suitable situation and lure undocumented workers through advertising. Or they could pick up someone who’s drunk and passed out in a place where there are no people,” Lee Ji-soo elaborated.

“No one would think it’s strange for an ambulance to take away someone who’s drunk and passed out,” Lee Il-seop conceded.

“But what about pregnant women? Their range of activity is extremely limited. Especially as they approach childbirth,” Park Do-joon pointed out.

“They rarely go out, and they don’t drink alcohol. In fact, pregnant women who are about to give birth only go between home and the hospital, and maybe take a walk outside,” Lee Ji-soo added.

“Kidnapping isn’t easy,” Lee Il-seop said.

“Right, it’s virtually impossible to secretly kidnap a pregnant woman,” Park Do-joon agreed.

“So, they had to find another way. That was the indiscriminate kidnapping using stolen vehicles,” Lee Ji-soo concluded.

“Because what they need is a pregnant woman who is about to give birth,” Park Do-joon said.

“If the fetus is too young, it will die if taken out, and if they kidnap a baby that’s already born, it will inevitably raise suspicion that it grew too fast,” Lee Ji-soo explained.

“Those cruel bastards,” Lee Il-seop gritted his teeth.

“Then, Senior, we can check the registered ambulances,” Park Do-joon said, changing the subject.

“That’s right. Private ambulance services require a permit,” Lee Ji-soo confirmed.

“But there must be more than one or two,” Lee Il-seop said, doubtfully.

“We just need to find a place with only one,” Park Do-joon replied confidently.

“One?” Lee Il-seop asked, surprised.

“Yes, private ambulances usually operate several at once,” Park Do-joon explained.

“At least two, and up to three or four at once. If they operate a lot, they can operate up to ten,” Lee Ji-soo added.

“Why is that?” Lee Il-seop asked.

“Private ambulances don’t have a designated number like 119,” Park Do-joon said. “They have to advertise and attract patients themselves. And in that case, it’s more advantageous to have ten vehicles than one for advertising purposes.”

“Because if you have ten vehicles, they can all share one phone number and operate, so you can call from anywhere with one number, but if you operate one at a time, you need ten phone numbers,” Lee Ji-soo elaborated.

“The place that calls them is the hospital. In fact, most people don’t even know the phone numbers of private ambulances. They usually leave business cards and call any place they need,” Park Do-joon said.

“Of course, those vehicles aren’t all from one company. They usually operate in the form of owning a vehicle and joining a company,” Lee Ji-soo added.

“In other words, there are ten owners, each with one vehicle, under one company,” Park Do-joon clarified.

“But the criminals we’re after have no reason to do that,” Lee Il-seop said.

“They don’t need to,” Park Do-joon agreed.

“Rather, dealing with those hospitals is troublesome and annoying,” Lee Ji-soo added.

“There’s no need to advertise, and they shouldn’t advertise,” Park Do-joon concluded.

“One…” Lee Il-seop mused.

“Yes, there probably aren’t many places like that,” Park Do-joon said confidently.

The city hall easily confirmed it. And there was only one company that operated just one vehicle.

“‘Flower Road Ambulance’…” Lee Il-seop read aloud.

“Are they messing with people?” Lee Ji-soo asked, frowning.

“It’s not messing around, it’s probably intentional,” Park Do-joon replied grimly.

Flower Road Ambulance.

“It’s a pretty word, but in other words, it can be seen as the road to death. In Korea, when a person dies, they make a funeral bier [a stand on which a coffin is placed] and send them off, and the funeral bier traditionally had some ornate parts,” Lee Ji-soo explained.

“Of course, it’s not used now, but telling someone who’s dying to go down the flower road doesn’t sound good,” Park Do-joon added.

“Plus, the address is near the tollgate,” Lee Il-seop pointed out.

“Yeah,” Park Do-joon nodded and hurried to the vehicle. Then he drove to the scene.

“That’s out of the blue, isn’t it?” Lee Ji-soo commented.

“Yes, it is,” Park Do-joon agreed.

“It takes 35 minutes to get here from downtown… It’s too far,” Lee Il-seop said.

“Private ambulances aren’t kept on the outskirts like this. Because they need to respond quickly to emergencies. No one calls a private ambulance that takes 30 minutes to arrive, even though there are more than one or two private ambulances,” Park Do-joon explained.

“Still, it’s a bit much to be suspicious just based on that. Maybe they returned to the garage because it’s evening?” Lee Ji-soo suggested.

“That’s true,” Park Do-joon conceded.

“In fact, that kind of thing isn’t completely unheard of for private ambulances or tow trucks,” Lee Il-seop added.

“That’s easy enough to check,” Park Do-joon said, pulling out his phone and immediately calling Flower Road Ambulance. Of course, he also turned on call recording just in case.

-Hello.

“Is this Flower Road Ambulance? I’m trying to call an ambulance,” Park Do-joon asked.

-At this hour?

“Yes, this is the closest place. Can I call an ambulance? I need to go from Ansan City Hall to Suwon,” Park Do-joon continued.

-Ah, we’re not open. We’re closed.

Then the call abruptly ended.

Park Do-joon smirked as he hung up. “I think this is enough evidence.”

“Yes? Why?” Lee Il-seop asked, confused.

“Haven’t you ever used a private ambulance?” Park Do-joon asked.

“Oh, no,” Lee Il-seop admitted.

“Private ambulances are damn expensive,” Park Do-joon said.

“Private ambulances charge by distance. In the first place, there isn’t that much consumption, and moreover, there are people who need to ride and the ambulance equipment is expensive,” Lee Ji-soo explained.

“Even moving from downtown to downtown easily costs hundreds of thousands of won [Korean currency]. From here to Suwon… it’ll easily cost 800,000 won,” Park Do-joon added.

“For example, a regular green-striped ambulance commonly used by medical institutions, i.e., hospitals, costs 30,000 won for less than 10 kilometers. And approximately 10,000 won is charged for each additional kilometer. And they charge 15,000 won for an accompanying guardian, and another 15,000 won is added if an emergency medical technician is on board,” Lee Ji-soo elaborated.

“But those completely private companies are more expensive,” Park Do-joon said.

“Private companies, or rather, special ambulances, charge 75,000 won for 10 kilometers and an additional 1,300 won per kilometer,” Lee Ji-soo added.

“Anseong to Suwon is a whopping 51 kilometers even if you take the Gyeongbu Expressway,” Park Do-joon said.

“Basic 10 kilometers plus an additional 41 kilometers,” Lee Ji-soo calculated.

“Then the fare is 608,000 won. Moreover, that’s just a simple calculation, and there’s also city driving from hospital to hospital, so you can earn 800,000 won,” Park Do-joon concluded.

“It is strange,” Lee Il-seop agreed.

“No matter how late it is, it’s a whopping 800,000 won. Moreover, emergency patients are bound to occur at night. Rather, more emergency patients occur at night,” Lee Ji-soo said.

“Because during the day, you can call another ambulance or move directly,” Park Do-joon added.

“There’s no reason to refuse it, is there,” Lee Il-seop said.

“Right,” Park Do-joon said, staring blankly at the phone.

“So, that place must be the culprit,” Lee Ji-soo concluded.

“But how do we track them…” Lee Il-seop wondered.

“You can’t just raid the scene with that alone,” Lee Ji-soo added.

“It’s not tracking, it’s looking at the scene. What were we looking for?” Park Do-joon asked.

“That’s… Ah, that’s right,” Lee Il-seop exclaimed.

“What they’re looking for isn’t a private ambulance, but an organ trafficking site,” Lee Ji-soo reminded him.

“Look at that scene. Doesn’t something feel strange?” Park Do-joon asked.

“There’s a building that looks like a parking lot,” Lee Il-seop observed.

“Yes, but the ambulance is outside,” Park Do-joon pointed out.

“Of course, it’s closer to a large warehouse than a parking lot. But is there a reason for that warehouse to be in a place like this?” Lee Ji-soo wondered.

“It looks like an old building, maybe they’re using an existing warehouse?” Lee Il-seop suggested.

“We’ll know when we go there,” Park Do-joon said.

Park Do-joon quietly led the two of them toward the warehouse.

“Fortunately, they were quiet, whether they were drinking inside or doing something else, so it wasn’t difficult to approach,” Lee Ji-soo whispered.

“There were no security facilities either,” Lee Il-seop added.

“It would have been a disaster if there was even one dog,” Park Do-joon said, relieved.

“That’s right,” Lee Ji-soo agreed.

As they approached the warehouse, they could only see one small door.

My Heavenly Job Is a Profiler