My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 532

“It’s not just shamans who go to prayer sites.”

“What?”

“There are many kinds of offerings.”

They offer money, alcohol, and sometimes meat or rice cakes.

“Most shamans are women. There’s even a separate term for male shamans, called ‘Baksu’.”

“So?”

“Do you think you could carry all those rice cakes, alcohol, and offerings up the mountain?”

“Huh? Uh? It would be difficult, right?”

The basic unit for rice cakes is one ‘mal’ (approximately 18 liters). Add to that fruits and alcohol. And instruments like the janggu [a traditional Korean drum].

“Look at all the stuff piled up here.”

“It’s no joke.”

“Right, so who’s going to carry all this?”

Jo Sang-gyu’s eyes widened at that.

“An acquaintance?”

“It probably wouldn’t be an acquaintance. More likely someone hired.”

“Hired?”

“Yes, usually the person helping is either the husband or a follower who frequents the shaman’s house.”

But they aren’t available every day. Some have jobs, and others have their own personal business.

“So, they have to hire someone.”

It’s too much to carry alone unless someone else is carrying it. Jo Sang-gyu hadn’t thought of that and felt a pang of realization.

“To not know that, even when seeing the same thing… I’m getting old.”

“It’s not that you’re old, it’s that you don’t know much about this industry.”

Park Do-joon said with a wry smile.

“So, you’re saying the culprit is definitely someone working in this field?”

“No, that’s not it. The culprit is probably a non-regular worker. Or, more accurately, a day laborer working at a very low level.”

Now that we’ve gathered this much information, it’s time to start telling the truth.

“The culprit probably isn’t in a proper job but is a sole proprietor or individual working independently. They’re in their 20s or 30s and likely work in a profession that’s looked down upon socially. On the other hand, they’re intellectually capable—quite smart, but they’ve probably had many experiences of not being recognized socially and couldn’t study for practical reasons.”

Even Detective Kim, who had been angry earlier, showed interest and approached Park Do-joon’s initial profiling.

“They’re likely using a van or SUV for transportation and are probably quite diligent. They’re known as a hardworking person and have good interpersonal skills.”

“So, you’re saying they don’t look like a criminal?”

“Right, they won’t look like a criminal. If they’re arrested, I bet 100% of people will say, ‘They’re not that kind of person.'”

“Hmm.”

Along with Park Do-joon’s initial profiling, there was now a critical issue.

“They’re aggressive and don’t accept authority, but they don’t look down on others either. They know how to be polite.”

“Why do you think that? A kind criminal? I don’t understand.”

Park Do-joon sighed and said to Detective Kim.

“There are many prayer sites here. The fourth location hasn’t been revealed yet, but it will be soon once the code is cracked. Since the three coordinates were closely related to prayer sites, the fourth is likely to be as well.”

“So?”

“If they didn’t like someone, would they bring them back?”

“Oh? Ah, I see.”

It’s not like a dispatch company, and there are plenty of people doing transportation. But if that person is rude and does a sloppy job, would they really bring them along next time?

“Moreover, this place is quite closed off, unlike other places.”

Park Do-joon said, referring to the site on the screen.

“Rather than hiring new people from the outside, they prefer to get reliable people through introductions.”

“I guess so.”

If someone is known to be good at their job, they’ll naturally want to use that person.

“It’s hard to believe that they went to as many as four places with just one person. Even if they did go together, if they worked together four times, they must be quite good at their job. Even if they’re just a day laborer.”

Lee Ji-soo nodded at Park Do-joon’s words.

“You’re right, Senior.”

“Yeah, so it means they’re wearing a mask very well.”

“But still, why is this guy sending us shoes?”

Detective Kim asked with a dissatisfied tone. Because even he couldn’t find fault with the reasoning.

Nevertheless, Detective Kim’s question was valid.

“Inferiority complex.”

“Inferiority complex?”

“Yes, they think they’re smart, wear a mask, and are well-regarded by those around them. Nevertheless, the fact that they belong to a lower class socially is undeniable.”

“Why don’t they just move up?”

“It’s likely a socially impossible situation. I told you, they couldn’t study for practical reasons.”

“You can move up if you work hard.”

That’s what so-called ‘kkondae’ [a Korean term for condescending older people] say. But the reality is that it’s not easy.

“They’re good at their job, so they get called everywhere. That means they can make good money, but it also means they have less personal time.”

What ways are there to move up in the transportation business? There aren’t many, really.

Start a company and create a transportation business? No matter how popular and good they are at their job, it’s impossible without capital.

Study and change their status? The transportation business doesn’t allow for any time to spare. You can’t study while driving, can you?

“So, how would they move up?”

“Take an exam or…”

“Yeah, but that seems to be the problem.”

Park Do-joon sighed deeply and said.

“That guy is currently playing a game with us. You know that, right?”

“I know.”

“Right, no one doesn’t know that. An exam? This is an exam for themselves.”

Other profilers are already judging it that way. It’s a typical intelligence game.

Even the code is like that. At first, it was an easy code, but now it’s made into a very complex code.

“I’d rather it be some kind of standard code so we could at least decode it…”

It’s not easy to decode a code created by an individual. It’s not just about substituting letters with other things, but also about figuring out the personal meaning attached to each one.

“So, decoding takes longer.”

“No, *ssibal*! [a Korean profanity, equivalent to ‘fuck’] If you’re going to play a game, shouldn’t it be fair?”

“That’s the general situation. From the start, this guy is playing a game with murder. Where would fairness be? His goal isn’t murder, but to use murder to draw us into his game.”

So, there are no fair rules in it. It’s a common trait of murderers who enjoy so-called brain games. It’s a distorted psychology of only playing games where they have an overwhelming advantage and thinking they are superior to the police, rather than playing a fair game.

“However, it’s uncertain whether this guy is targeting the police in general or someone among the police.”

“Uncertain?”

Jo Sang-gyu tilted his head at that.

“Yes, actually, there’s something I suspect.”

Park Do-joon told the story he had told Lee Ji-soo in advance. Then, Jo Sang-gyu’s face hardened, and, as expected, Detective Kim raged.

“This changes things! Isn’t he a party involved? Shouldn’t he be excluded from the investigation?”

“See, I was right, wasn’t I?”

“What?”

“Never mind, babble all you want.”

Park Do-joon said with a sneer, and Detective Kim gnashed his teeth as if he felt bad.

“You’re out. We’ll take care of this case…”

“So, if I’m out, you can do it?”

“Well, if we shake everyone here…”

“Really? So, you can overcome the pressure from above?”

“What pressure can shamans exert?”

“Oh, really? You really don’t know the world.”

Jo Sang-gyu said to Detective Kim, who didn’t know the situation.

“Do you think politicians who go to shaman houses are just one or two? Of course, it’s not illegal, so you can’t say anything about it. But if you go around cracking down on shamans without evidence? What about human rights?”

Detective Kim frowned at that.

“Detective Kim, it’s true that shamans are classified as a lower class socially, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have human rights. If necessary, they have plenty of ways to resist.”

“…….”

Regardless of whether they are shamans or not, the moment human rights are violated, congressmen will not fail to show uncomfortable faces.

“Ugh!”

“And even if I’m out, do you think that guy will stop killing? Ah! There’s one way.”

“What is it?”

“Go on TV, bow your head, and beg, ‘We don’t know. So, please spare us!'”

“Are you making fun of me right now?”

“No, I’m not making fun of you, I’m serious.”

The reason that guy challenged the police is simple. It’s to prove that he is superior to the police.

“But what if the police admit that on public broadcast?”

Of course, the criminal will be satisfied and stop killing. Because he won.

“For the time being, anyway.”

“For the time being?”

“Yeah, for the time being.”

Even if he wins against the police, his social status doesn’t rise, and he doesn’t gain any social respect.

Rather, only fear will spread. For him, that one sense of victory will become an addictive drug, and every time, he will try to play a game with the police through murder.

“He’ll stop killing for a while, but it probably won’t be long.”

“Ugh!”

“And you’re telling me to get out? Is there anyone who has tracked and followed him as much as I have?”

Detective Kim couldn’t say anything to that.

“Okay, okay, you bear with it. If we exclude you as you say, the current investigation itself won’t be possible.”

Jo Sang-gyu said that and sighed deeply.

“Then, is there anything else to add?”

“For now, that’s what I’ve judged. I’ll check other things and tell you. The direction is to dig into the transportation business.”

“Okay. So, you’ll check the autopsy records first?”

“Yes.”

“Hurry up, before more victims come out.”

Jo Sang-gyu said with a frown.

Park Do-joon’s next step in the investigation related to this case was to analyze the victims.

Some may think that analyzing the victims is nothing special, but in fact, analyzing the victims is one of the essential processes to identify the culprit.

“Three victims have been found so far.”

Park Do-joon said, taking out and examining the victims’ photos.

“One female office worker. And one female college student. And one male college student.”

The first victim was a female office worker. The second victim was a female college student. The third victim was a male college student.

“He’s starting to move with confidence.”

Lee Ji-soo said with certainty after seeing that.

Job is Profiler