My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 108

# What a Faithless Bastard, Huh?

After the Chief’s arrest, the way people looked at Park Do-joon shifted from cold indifference to outright hostility. Everyone knew, even if unspoken, that the whole situation stemmed from Park Do-joon’s actions, specifically his arrest of Park Gu-gang.

The prevailing sentiment was that none of this would have happened if Park Do-joon hadn’t arrested Park Gu-gang in the first place.

“Don’t you feel any pressure?” the team leader asked with a wry smile.

“Not particularly.”

“You’re something else. Anyone else would have clammed up by now.”

In the aftermath of the Chief’s arrest, Park Do-joon found himself in a lonely position. Most of the police officers now viewed him as a traitor.

“Anyway, that was a close call. I didn’t expect her to consider plastic surgery as an escape route.”

“Coming to the police station is a burden in itself, so she must have been desperate to avoid the consequences.”

Wang Su-jin had not only booked a hospital for plastic surgery around the time of her arrest but had also gone as far as creating a fake identity.

If she had successfully undergone the surgery and disappeared, they likely would never have caught her.

Fortunately, they managed to recover 15 billion won out of the 18 billion won she had embezzled.

She hadn’t had much opportunity to splurge, aside from the money she used for bribes and living expenses, so the majority of the funds remained untouched.

“What are you planning to do during your summer vacation?”

“Well, I might catch up on some dramas or movies I’ve missed.”

It was midsummer, and the weather was so oppressively hot that even the slightest movement felt exhausting.

“I didn’t think you were the type to take vacations.”

“I’m not a workaholic like you, team leader. I’ve seen how that life goes – you end up with nothing to show for it, and it’s ultimately meaningless.”

“Anyone would think you’ve been a police officer for 30 years with that kind of talk.”

Park Do-joon simply chuckled in response. It wasn’t entirely inaccurate.

“It seems like all the urgent matters are resolved. Get some rest. But keep your phone on, just in case something comes up.”

“Yes, don’t worry.”

Park Do-joon nodded. He then quietly left the station and headed to his brother’s company, Haneul Industries.

“This place has really grown.”

Haneul Industries, which had once been a small, unassuming company, now boasted a considerable size and presence. Of course, its growth had been fueled by bank loans, but it was steadily paying off its debts through consistent and stable profits.

Thanks to Park Do-joon’s intervention, the now-stable Hyunseong Group channeled a significant amount of work that had previously been distributed among various subcontractors to Haneul Industries.

“Hey, I’m here.”

“Oh, you’re here.”

Park Do-shik raised his hand in greeting as Park Do-joon entered his office. However, his eyes remained fixed on something below the table.

“What are you doing down there?”

“What do you think? Working, of course.”

“Are you really that busy?”

“Tell me about it. There are so many things to handle now that the company has grown so much.”

Park Do-shik leaned back in his sofa and rubbed his eyes as if he were exhausted.

“Why? Is something wrong?”

“How did you know?”

“You have a habit of rubbing between your eyebrows when something’s bothering you.”

“Oh, really? I never noticed that.”

“If you were aware of it, it wouldn’t be a habit. It doesn’t seem like a serious problem, though.”

If it were a truly serious issue, his expression would be much more grim, but this seemed like a manageable headache.

“There’s a company we’re trying to acquire this time.”

“Where is it?”

“New Moon Industries.”

“Never heard of it.”

“That’s because it used to be a subsidiary of Hyunseong Group.”

“Ah…”

Hyunseong Group had cleaned house, removing corrupt directors and cutting ties with companies they had established for embezzlement purposes, and then facilitated Haneul Industries’ acquisition of those directors’ companies.

It was highly probable that New Moon Industries was one of those companies.

“What’s the problem with it?”

“The president killed himself.”

“The president? If it’s the president… you mean the former director from Hyunseong?”

“Yeah.”

Of course, if the director had legitimately established and operated a company after retiring, he wouldn’t have been abandoned by Hyunseong. However, that director had engaged in the same predatory practices that Haneul Industries had once suffered from, swallowing up other companies, and Hyunseong had cut him off for his greed.

The former Hyunseong director, now the president of New Moon Industries, had invested a significant amount of money to establish the company. He was utterly devastated and committed suicide when he was suddenly cut off.

“But what’s the problem with that?” Park Do-joon asked, tilting his head. There was no real problem. It wasn’t their concern, and it was ultimately their own fault.

“His son inherited the company and is now giving us a hard time.”

“So, he’s refusing to sell? Is this a company we absolutely must buy?” Park Do-joon asked, tilting his head again. It was true that Hyunseong was pushing them quite a bit, but that didn’t necessarily mean they had to acquire a company called New Moon or anything else.

“There are plenty of other companies like that out there, aren’t there?”

“That’s right. It’s not like we told him to commit suicide.”

In the first place, Haneul Industries had nothing to do with the severance. Hyunseong had simply discovered their corruption, which led to their dismissal.

“But what does any of this have to do with us?”

If he didn’t want to sell, they didn’t have to buy.

“He’s not giving us the money.”

“What?”

“He took the deposit.”

The former president had taken a deposit of 2 billion won [Korean currency, roughly $1.5 million USD]. And then he committed suicide. Now, the son is refusing to hand over the company.

“Then they owe us 4 billion won, right?”

“That’s right.”

But they were refusing to pay the 4 billion won. Park Do-joon paused, thinking it over, and then frowned.

“So, what are they asking for?”

“Nothing. He’s just refusing to sell.”

“That’s not it.”

Park Do-joon shook his head.

“I think it’s a kind of negotiation tactic.”

“Negotiation tactic?”

“Yeah. They’re not returning the deposit, right?”

“That’s right.”

“But they’re not transferring the ownership, and they’re not returning the deposit? That’s impossible.”

The fact that the deposit had been paid meant that the negotiation was complete and the acquisition of the company was already in progress.

“In that case, they can’t win even if they sue.”

Of course, if they truly didn’t want to sell the company in this situation, they should have returned the 4 billion won or sent a notice of cancellation of the contract.

“But the fact that they’re not doing anything suggests they’re asking for something else.”

“Really?” Park Do-shik tilted his head, unconvinced.

“It could be. The former president was mentally unstable when he signed the contract, right?”

“Well, yeah.”

The sale of the company was underway in a situation where bankruptcy was all but certain. He probably felt betrayed by Hyunseong Group, to which he had dedicated his entire life.

“Criminals don’t think about others.”

It is the nature of criminals to believe they are right and just, and to disregard the needs and feelings of others. Of course, they consider it perfectly acceptable to steal the technology of other companies, but being deprived of their own company is seen as a betrayal.

“Looking at the suicide, it seems like he was out of his mind. Maybe they think they made a bad deal.”

“With us?”

“Maybe. Can I see the contract?”

“Just a minute.”

Park Do-shik got up and rummaged through the safe, then took out a thick contract and handed it to Park Do-joon. Park Do-joon took it and read it carefully for a while. Then he clicked his tongue.

“There’s nothing particularly unusual here.”

“I’m not a scammer, and I don’t take advantage of other people’s companies for nothing.”

Park Do-joon chuckled at that. Originally, in the timeline before his regression, Park Do-shik had been scammed by Hyunseong Group and had even gone to jail because of it.

“I did everything fairly.”

“Still, this side is more advantageous.”

“What can I do? I was the only bidder.”

Other potential buyers were wary of Hyunseong, so they didn’t even approach the deal.

“Compared to what they did, it’s a pretty conscientious condition, but there are definitely some disadvantageous conditions compared to other companies’ transactions.”

“I said I’m not a scammer, but I didn’t say I’m a pushover.”

Park Do-joon nodded in agreement. Park Do-shik had been considerate enough in the transaction, but that didn’t mean he was giving away perfectly good money. After all, bankruptcy was inevitable.

“But it seems like he got greedy after inheriting it after his father died.”

“It seems so.”

However, he couldn’t deny the seal that his father had already stamped on the contract. And inheriting the company meant inheriting all the contract terms.

He couldn’t change that.

“There are often cases like this. Guys who have signed a contract but want to break it, or guys who want to get something more advantageous later on.”

“Really?”

“A contract is not absolute, especially in cases like this.”

Park Do-joon tapped the contract on the table.

“There is no end date specified for the contract.”

That was unusual. The contract was for the transfer of the company, but there was no mention of when the transfer would take place.

Of course. Trading companies is more complicated than you think. There are a lot of things to deal with. Employee issues, debt issues, etc.

Even with this contract alone, the contract parties are Haneul Industries and New Moon Industries, but since New Moon Industries has a debt to the bank, they may break the deal if they don’t settle it.

Therefore, leaving an exact date is surprisingly difficult.

“So, they’re trying to get more favorable terms by delaying the transfer.”

“Look at these bastards.”

Park Do-shik frowned and became visibly angry at Park Do-joon’s words. He was skilled at running the company, but he was easily deceived by these kinds of tricks.

“Should we just say we’re not buying it?”

“Then we’ll lose 2 billion won.”

“Then should we sue them to force them to hand over the company?”

“It’ll take at least 5 years.”

“We can’t give up and buy new equipment.”

They had already agreed with Hyunseong to supply related goods. To meet that demand, they needed the equipment from New Moon Industries.

“Also, it takes too long to buy new land and build a factory. And there’s the money to consider.”

In fact, they were acquiring New Moon Industries at a bargain price.

“It takes a long time to build a factory on a new factory site and install all the necessary equipment.”

They didn’t have that much money or time. Furthermore, if they bought new equipment, they would have to buy everything brand new, and even if they placed an order, it would take at least 6 months for it to arrive, and the price was not comparable to used equipment.