My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 94

“Yes, because the reasons for leaving will differ.”

“Different?”

“Yes. Those who left quickly likely experienced a kind of ‘hyun-ta’ [a Korean term for a sudden realization or disillusionment after a period of intense activity or belief].”

They were probably shocked to discover that the person they believed in wasn’t a god but a mere con artist, and so they left.

“Perhaps their faith wasn’t very strong.”

They were either new members or people whose faith wasn’t particularly strong to begin with.

“The latter case is probably the opposite; they were the ones with strong faith.”

“Why?”

“They probably left in opposition to Gu Bon-seong.”

Around the time Gu Bon-seong began taking over the cult, they would have realized he was creating a new cult, and they left because their loyalty was to Heo Gang-su, not Gu Bon-seong.

“Don’t you all know? In many religious organizations, people believe in the religious leader, not the god. Moreover, both the Cosmic God Church and the Galaxy Order have doctrines that revere their leaders as living gods.”

“Hoo? So?”

The team leader seemed pleased that Park Do-joon was correctly anticipating his concerns and prompted him to continue.

“So, the people who left first are generally not high-ranking members who hold significant sway within the cult. If a high-ranking member suddenly left, that would be suspicious.”

In the early stages of the incident, new followers or those with a degree of common sense would realize the truth and leave.

“But what if a core believer leaves? Someone who is deeply brainwashed and has a lot invested?”

“That’s right. That person is likely the culprit.”

“Yes, that’s probable.”

So, if we investigate those who left first, we’ll definitely find someone who stands out due to their position.

“These religious organizations are always run on a hierarchical system. That’s how members compete and try to gain the leader’s favor to climb the ranks.”

If that’s the case, identifying the culprit shouldn’t be too difficult.

“As expected, we have to acknowledge Park Do-joon’s skills.”

The team leader looked satisfied and posed another question.

“Then why should we investigate the people who left later?”

“The people who left later defected in opposition to Gu Bon-seong. With a murder already committed, Gu Bon-seong couldn’t stop them. As a result, they probably left without much resistance.”

“So?”

“And if they are such strong believers, they are likely protecting Heo Gang-su.”

“……!”

At these unexpected words, the other team members’ eyes widened. Park Do-joon looked at them and said casually,

“Heo Gang-su wasn’t at his home. He probably didn’t want to be involved in a dangerous case. But I don’t think a guy like that would be hopping from motel to motel.”

“You mean he’s staying at a believer’s house?”

“Of course.”

“But the believers didn’t even visit Heo Gang-su during his meetings, did they?”

Han Seong-gi, sensing the accuracy of Park Do-joon’s words, spoke with a hint of resentment. Park Do-joon calmly replied,

“Heo Gang-su is an intelligent criminal, and he knows how to be patient. This kind of scam using a pseudo-religion can’t be built in just a year or two.”

In fact, the Cosmic God Church has been around for over 10 years. Creating a new religion from scratch and recruiting and brainwashing people takes time.

“Heo Gang-su is patient and plans for the long term. He did the same in the kidnapping case. He took a long-term view and kept the child alive.”

It’s only 3 years anyway. He’ll be out after that.

“And after that, he’ll want to avoid being tracked.”

“So, it’s not that the believers didn’t come to find him, but that he prevented them from doing so?”

“That’s right.”

If he becomes a suspect, the person who visits him will definitely become the top priority for surveillance.

“How can you be so sure?”
Han Seong-gi, seemingly annoyed that Park Do-joon had thought of something he hadn’t, spoke even more bluntly.

Park Do-joon glanced at him and said,

“It’s simple. I’ve already checked the visitor logs.”

“Already?”

“I checked when I went last time. And there was a specific point, about 1 year and 6 months after his imprisonment, when the visits suddenly stopped.”

Of course, some people may have re-entered society, realized the truth, and abandoned their faith.

“But it doesn’t logically make sense that they would all stop visiting at the same time.”

“No, they could have contacted each other and decided not to meet.”

“That’s why it makes even less sense. They 100% contacted each other.”

They have no choice but to contact each other. They are people who defected from the cult with only their faith in Heo Gang-su. Would such people really not stay in touch?

“If they were trying to cut ties with the past, they wouldn’t have contacted each other. But they left to maintain their past connections.”

Of course, they would have contacted like-minded people, and they would have gathered together to strengthen their faith and spread their beliefs.

“If someone expresses doubt within that group, they become a heretic.”

If one or two people leave after a long time, that’s understandable, but they all leave at once?

“It doesn’t make sense.”

“You guys heard that, right? Do you know which direction to go now?”

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

The other team members responded weakly to the team leader’s words. Seeing Park Do-joon pointing out things they hadn’t even considered, they couldn’t help but feel inferior.

“So, go and talk to them first. I’ll persuade Gu Bon-seong.”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

Everyone nodded, and the team leader urged them.

“Hurry up. This case is big. Do you want to be labeled as incompetent in the media?”

At those words, Han Seong-gi, who had been branded as an incompetent police officer last time, couldn’t help but grimace as if he had tasted something foul.

***

“So, you don’t know, is what you’re saying.”

“Ah, I said I don’t know!”

Believers stubbornly denying and pretending not to know, and investigators trying to extract information from them no matter what. Park Do-joon sighed inwardly as he passed by them.

‘Can’t you understand even when I spoon-feed you?’

It’s not a joke; it’s really like that.

What was the point of explaining everything in detail while enduring their glares? It was to enable precise questions and extract valuable information.

But all they’re doing is asking, ‘When did people leave?’ and ‘Did you contact them?’

Of course, they wouldn’t answer such direct questions.

‘No, it all comes down to how you phrase the question.’

Questions are more important than you think. There are countless cases of manipulating approval ratings by carefully wording questions in opinion polls.

For example, if you ask, ‘Should we unify with North Korea?’ surprisingly, a high percentage of young people oppose unification.

They are already struggling to make a living, and they have heard that the cost of unification is high, so they are against it.

But if you ask, ‘Is it right for China to absorb North Korea if North Korea collapses?’ naturally, opposition increases.

Like this, the answer changes depending on how you ask the question.

‘If you ask for information point-blank, would the believers really give it to you?’

Everyone looked like they were in that situation.

‘I’d rather die than suffer.’

Realizing he had to intervene, Park Do-joon looked around. Then, he made eye contact with a man who seemed to be watching the scene.

‘That person would be a good target.’

He had been monitoring the people around him, especially the believers, since earlier. And such close monitoring suggests he holds a significant position within the cult.

“Excuse me.”

“Someone else already asked me questions, but I don’t know anything. I don’t know about the people who left.”

“No, that’s not the question I’m asking.”

As expected, the man looked wary when Park Do-joon approached. Park Do-joon threw out a different question to lower his guard.

“I’m going to ask a different question.”

“A different question?”

“Yes. Did you hear about this incident from the leader?”

“Well, to some extent.”

No matter how much of a leader he is, he can’t just tell them to dig in the ground without any explanation. Of course, he would have provided some kind of excuse.

‘Actually, the excuse is obvious.’

Just as Park Do-joon suspected, the current leader is likely blaming the former leader, the apostate, for the incident. That’s very likely.

“So, I was wondering… do you know of any heretics who might be collaborating with the former leader?”

“Heretics?”

“Yes. Ah, I’m not asking for information about people who left this place, but whether you know of anyone who left and might be working with the former leader, the apostate, and acting together.”

“Hmm…….”

If you ask them about the people who left, they will naturally refuse, but there is no reason to refuse to talk about heretics, their enemies.

Moreover, Park Do-joon is now speaking under the pretense of protecting Gu Bon-seong. And in such cases, the believer is bound to rack their brains, because they have to protect their god.

“A heretic who left together…….”

“Yes. From our perspective, it’s likely that they had an accomplice. I was wondering if there was an apostate who defected from the cult around the same time as the former leader. He must have been very loyal to the former leader.”

“A guy who was loyal to the former leader? Ah, there was such a guy. Bang Young-soo.”

“Bang Young-soo?”

“Yes. Bang Young-soo was always sticking close to that apostate bastard.”

Park Do-joon’s eyes lit up at those words. Finally, a suspicious person has emerged.

“What happened to him?”

“What do you mean what happened? As soon as that apostate went to jail, he ran away.”

“Right away?”

“Yes.”

“Certainly, a guy like that could join hands with Heo Gang-soo outside and do something. Was he close to Heo Gang-soo?”

“They were close back then; he was an elder.”

He was an elder, but for some reason, he ran away in the early stages of the incident.

‘If he was an elder, it wouldn’t be easy to get there.’

It’s not easy to become an elder in a regular religious organization, but it’s even harder in a pseudo-religion like this.

Basically, pseudo-religions have few members, so they only promote their closest aides to the top, and among them, the elders are the type who devote their utmost loyalty.

“What did the leader say?”

“What would he say? He said there was no need to stop the apostate from leaving. The more they do, the more the purity of our cult shines.”

“I see.”

Park Do-joon nodded at those words.

#Deceiving and Deceiving Again

“Name: Bang Young-soo. Age: 49. He held the position of elder in the Cosmic God Church. And those who were arrested by us at that time were also all elders in the cult.”

“Hmm.”

Would a person with the position of elder leave so easily?

That’s unlikely.

“So, this person is another potential murderer?”

“Yes. I think so.”

“Just because he’s an elder?”

“No. According to the testimony at the time, Bang Young-soo received many benefits from Heo Gang-soo. But his loyalty wasn’t particularly strong.”

“What do you mean?”

“Bang Young-soo is unmarried.”

He has never been married and has no children. He was alone when he joined the cult, and he was alone when he left.

“So?”

The chief tilted his head at Park Do-joon’s words. What does being unmarried have to do with murder?