My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 221

“Definitely.”

Jung Su-gwan nodded in agreement. He knew that one of the most troublesome aspects of divorce trials is dividing physical assets. Splitting obvious assets like savings or a house is straightforward. However, physical assets aren’t officially recorded or managed, leading both parties to hide them fiercely.

Of course, the value of these hidden assets might be insignificant compared to the total wealth.

In an average household, such gold items are often kept as emergency funds, perhaps amounting to a few million won [approximately a few thousand US dollars] at best. But sometimes, they can be worth hundreds of millions of won [hundreds of thousands of US dollars], and since divorce lawsuits are essentially battles fueled by intense pride, they’ll fight tooth and nail over even the smallest things.

“When I was a judge, my seniors told me, ‘If you want to see the dirtiest trials, go to family court.’”

“Ah, I agree completely. That’s exactly what I heard from my seniors too.”

All trials involve emotional elements, but divorce lawsuits are where these emotions are most pronounced. That’s why divorce lawsuits are known among judges and lawyers as disputes marked by extreme emotional confrontation.

“In such situations, it’s rare for one party to show any guilt towards the other.”

Once a lawsuit begins, trust and affection are already severely damaged. So, even if they’ve had an affair, even if they are at fault, they reveal nothing in family court, instead tearing at each other and spewing harsh words.

“Hmm. I hadn’t considered that aspect. I did get the feeling he was hiding something, though.”

“That it was guilt… I didn’t think of that.”

“That’s what makes it even more problematic.”

“More problematic?”

“I told you, the courtroom is a place where people don’t show their guilt, even if they are at fault.”

But in his statement and behavior, the suspect’s guilt is gradually becoming apparent. He isn’t even trying to conceal it.

That means he acknowledges his wrongdoing.

“So, it’s true that he had an affair.”

“Yes.”

Even if it’s labeled as morbid jealousy, an affair is still morally wrong, regardless of the circumstances.

“So, he was trying to hide the affair?”

Lee Yeon-i asked with a somewhat bitter expression. Park Do-joon shook his head at her words. If it were that simple, it would be much easier to deal with. But unfortunately, that’s not the core issue.

“It’s not just that.”

“What? It’s not just that?”

“Is there something else involved?”

Park Do-joon shrugged and said,

“If you have an affair and feel like you can’t continue living with that person, it often escalates into a war with the other person during the divorce.”

When divorcing, they try to maximize their gains and place blame on the other party.

“And in that situation, consideration or guilt for that person becomes irrelevant. That’s the key point in this case.”

If the lawsuit were genuinely caused by an affair, there would likely be no remorse or regret.

“Well, there’s no reason to hide it from us. As it stands, the affair hasn’t been proven. It seems the victim couldn’t find a way to prove it either.”

Jung Su-gwan said with a puzzled look. Of course, they might hide it out of shame, but there’s no logical reason to conceal it when facing a murder charge.

Moreover, the official reason cited for the divorce lawsuit is the wife’s severe morbid jealousy.

“Usually, if the other party’s morbid jealousy is severe, they become completely worn down. Extreme obsession and suspicion erode a person’s humanity.”

“That’s right. People who haven’t experienced it can’t understand.”

Morbid jealousy involves constant monitoring and oppression, restricting the other person’s freedom. They question every action, prevent them from going anywhere, and scrutinize their phone records and emails.

“I mentioned to Lee Yeon-i during the stalking case a while ago that if a stalker succeeds in marrying their target, it transforms from a criminal case into a civil one.”

“You did. Well, I understand what you mean.”

Morbid jealousy is essentially another form of stalking. It lacks respect or consideration for the other party, driven solely by the desire to validate one’s own suspicions.

“Actually, in the past, the wife of a large corporation chairman kidnapped and shot dead her son-in-law’s cousin due to suspected infidelity.”

Jung Su-gwan smiled wryly as he recalled the past incident. It was a shocking event that captivated the entire nation.

In that particular case, there wasn’t actually an affair. They merely suspected it and became convinced it was happening, leading them to take extreme action against the other party to prevent it.

“Yes, in reality, people who feel guilty during a divorce often avoid going to court altogether. They usually opt for an amicable divorce. If someone expresses guilt while actively pursuing a lawsuit, it suggests that the source of that guilt lies elsewhere.”

“Somewhere else?”

“But as far as we know, there’s no connection to a crime, is there?”

They have no children, and the company is thriving. While there might be some hidden funds, it’s not unusual for someone with this level of wealth to have some emergency savings.

“Maybe……”

Park Do-joon stroked his chin and smiled wryly.

“I suspect the suspect and the real culprit felt a kind of psychological solidarity.”

“Psychological solidarity?”

“Are you suggesting that the client knows the real culprit and is concealing their identity?”

Jung Su-gwan’s face hardened at Park Do-joon’s words. This was a possibility he hadn’t considered. If he knew the real culprit, he would naturally reveal it, and the case would be resolved.

There’s no reason for him to suffer. But why would he remain silent?

And Park Do-joon explained the reason as calmly as possible.

“Generally, people suffering from morbid jealousy are mentally unstable. In fact, the client testified about that aspect as well. As far as I know, people who inflict this kind of obsessive harm often have very low self-esteem. So, they continue to harm those around them.”

“Harm those around them?”

“Yes, the victim isn’t just the husband. An internet psychiatrist once said, ‘I opened a psychiatric hospital for people who are mentally ill, but only the people suffering from them come.’”

In reality, the truly mentally disturbed often don’t recognize their own condition. And it’s common for only those who have suffered at their hands to seek psychiatric help to heal their wounds.

“But are there people around who are suffering like that? It doesn’t seem like there were people around to get along with.”

Lee Yeon-i tilted her head and said. In reality, the victim didn’t socialize much, and the nearest house was 500 meters away.

According to current testimony, there was almost no interaction with other people.

Park Do-joon smiled wryly at her words and asked Lee Yeon-i,

“About the victim, does she happen to have any sisters?”

“The victim? A sister…… there is…….”

Lee Yeon-i’s eyes widened as she spoke. As Park Do-joon pointed out, the victim does have a sister. The victim’s younger sister. And the person who is the suspect’s sister-in-law.

“Before the marriage, to whom would this low self-esteem have been projected?”

“Are you suggesting that the client had an affair with his sister-in-law?”

“I think it’s a strong possibility.”

In many cases, those around them couldn’t accept it and distanced themselves. But family can’t easily leave. In reality, these kinds of affairs between family members are more common than you might think.

Brother-in-law and sister-in-law, father-in-law and daughter-in-law, or mother-in-law and son-in-law.

“It’s not common, but it’s not unheard of.”

Severe emotional abuse. And the solidarity that arises from that emotional abuse.

“That solidarity is a sufficient driving force to cross the line.”

But that solidarity doesn’t eliminate guilt.

It may vary from person to person, but is it easy to hide the guilt of having an affair with your wife’s sister?

“In that situation, there are two possible solutions.”

One is to end the relationship. The past actions don’t vanish, but you can minimize future guilt.

The other is to eliminate the root cause of that guilt. That is, to end the marital relationship.

The moment you divorce, you’ll experience less additional guilt.

“Crazy……. Ah, I’m sorry. But I couldn’t have imagined that possibility.”

“Well, it’s not a common scenario.”

Moreover, profilers primarily deal with violent crimes like murder cases, so they rarely have extensive knowledge of these types of situations.

“But why did they kill her? Because of guilt?”

Guilt is self-reproach for self-deception. But does killing someone resolve that? It’s unlikely.

“I told you before. It’s true that the suspect had an affair, but he didn’t kill the victim.”

At those words, Jung Su-gwan said with a hopeful expression.

“Are you saying that the sister-in-law killed her? Her own sister?”

“I think it’s entirely possible. First of all, there’s no rule that says you have to choose only one of the two methods mentioned above to eliminate guilt.”

In other words, there is definitely a possibility that he wants to avoid further guilt by ending the marital relationship through divorce and simultaneously ending the relationship with his sister-in-law.

No matter how the marital relationship is resolved, it is socially impossible to marry someone who was formerly your sister-in-law.

“The problem will be the sister-in-law’s reaction in that case.”

“The sister-in-law’s reaction?”

“The sister-in-law will likely perceive herself as the victim. In fact, that perspective holds some truth.”

She would have endured psychological stress throughout her life, being controlled by her sister. Then she met someone who understood and empathized with her.

The problem is that the person happens to be her brother-in-law. And that brother-in-law is deeply guilty about their relationship and is attempting to end it.

“In this case, there is a high probability that she will feel extreme anger towards her sister.”

For ruining her life and ultimately ruining the person she loves, causing them to break up.

“In that situation, there is definitely a possibility of accidental murder.”

Silence hung in the air between the three people for a long time after Park Do-joon’s words. This was a scenario they hadn’t considered.

“You’re not just saying he didn’t commit the murder for that reason, are you?”

“That’s not the only reason. There are other factors.”

“Other reasons?”

“There were many other readily available weapons at the scene that a man could have used for murder.”

The countryside is full of miscellaneous items that are needed for various tasks. Things like steel pipes, lumber, shovels, hoes, hammers. In fact, Park Do-joon confirmed their presence at the scene.

“If a man gets angry and intends to kill someone, the most efficient approach would be to grab something like that.”

Because you could kill the other person with a single blow. But he deliberately cut the rope and used it for murder.

“It’s cumbersome.”

First, you have to locate the rope and cut it to the appropriate length.

“Instead, it’s more typical for a man to rush at the victim and strike them or strangle them directly.”

“So, you’re suggesting that it’s not the direct, impulsive type of murder that a man would generally commit.”

“That’s right. And there are other reasons besides that.”

“Other reasons?”

“It’s true that he strangled her with a rope. That implies the victim was letting her guard down, with her back turned.”

Someone consumed by morbid jealousy wouldn’t expose their back to the person in front of them; they would confront them directly.

Career is Profiler