My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 228

Hong Woo-jong is undeniably outstanding, but also dangerous. Hong Geun-jong is aware of this and remains cautious, yet he doesn’t exert control over him at home, leaving him unchecked.

“If absolute primogeniture [the right of the firstborn son to inherit] is in place, Hong Woo-jong can’t rashly provoke Hong Geun-jong. While family tradition might favor the eldest son, it probably doesn’t eliminate competition entirely.”

In reality, most chaebol [South Korean conglomerate] families operate with similar dynamics. It’s unavoidable. Legally, that’s how it is, and an incompetent eldest son at the helm could lead to the company’s swift collapse.

Primogeniture offers an advantage, not a guarantee.

“If it were a certainty, there’d be no reason to involve me in the first place.”

“Ah, I suppose so.”

“Ultimately, people who’ve lived in similar social circles tend to think alike.”

Hong Woo-jong had a pathological aversion to things not going his way or in a direction he didn’t approve of.

“No school teaches you how to manage such inner impulses.”

That falls squarely within the realm of family education, which is why it’s considered so crucial. But if Hong Woo-jong lacked such upbringing, would Hong Geun-jong have received it?

“But Hong Woo-jong might be an exception.”

“If Hong Woo-jong were an exception, he would have learned to conceal his true feelings.”

However, in the current situation, Hong Woo-jong hasn’t mastered that skill, implying that his environment never demanded it.

The prevalence of abuse of power by the wealthy stems precisely from such sheltered upbringings.

They haven’t learned to endure hardship, so they often lack the capacity to endure at all.

“Wow, does it really get this intricate? And we’ve only met once? No, that’s not the point. What if he retaliates?”

“He will retaliate, or at least attempt to. But he won’t succeed.”

“Why?”

“The only retaliation he can realistically pursue is pressuring the police to fire me.”

Park Do-joon scoffed. That’s how retaliation works in these circles. Instead of outright kidnapping and murdering a police officer like Park Do-joon, chaebols typically resort to social isolation and orchestrated downfall.

“But if he does that, he’ll have to uncover who’s backing me.”

With Park Do-joon under the protection of Hyunsung Group and its chairman, Bae Deok-gi, Daeguk Group, regardless of its size, can’t exert enough pressure to get Park Do-joon dismissed.

“Daeguk Group is substantial, but it’s dwarfed by Hyunsung Group.”

And for Bae Deok-gi to personally intervene and protect someone is tantamount to declaring war on Hyunsung Group.

“But what if Hyunsung doesn’t protect you?”

“There’s no reason for Hyunsung not to.”

“Why? You don’t think Hyunsung is being altruistic, do you?”

“Of course not. This is a matter of pride.”

From Hyunsung’s standpoint, Daeguk Group is essentially demanding they abandon someone under their protection. While they can’t openly threaten a fight, their response will inevitably be, ‘Who do you think you are, telling us what to do?’

“Unless their interests align and they willingly relinquish protection, for one side to demand and the other to comply would be incredibly humiliating.”

Even if it means conceding something to Hyunsung Group just to be rid of Park Do-joon, Hong Geun-jong won’t accept it.

“He’s been thoroughly trained to prioritize the company’s interests. He won’t seek revenge on me at the expense of the company.”

Of course, if he becomes chairman and owns the company in the future, he might act differently, but currently, Hong Geun-jong is merely a department head.

“Moreover, with Hong Woo-jong vying for his position, such an action would likely be perceived as a threat.”

Regardless of his status as a founder’s family member, shareholders would be uneasy with someone at odds with Hyunsung Group, or whose relationship is strained.

Especially in a country like Korea, where large corporations are intricately interconnected.

“The biggest issue is that he knows Hong Woo-jong is targeting him and feels his life is in danger.”

For humans, nothing is more precious than their own life.

“All or nothing… could that be…?”

“That’s right. It’s a warning.”

A warning that his life could be at stake.

‘And there’s a high probability of that actually happening.’

If that’s the case, anyone would want to prepare for the worst.

“That’s what the senior [referring to Park Do-joon] is for.”

“That’s right.”

He might get angry momentarily, but he wouldn’t want to eliminate the possibility of saving himself.

“Probably, he won’t touch me for the time being, at least.”

“That’s a relief. I was really scared.”

“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen.”

“Then, are you not going to work with him?”

“Who knows?”

Park Do-joon shrugged and said,

“I’m not sure… but he’ll probably call me again.”

And when he does, he’ll likely be more humble.

#Sexual Predator

As Park Do-joon anticipated, Hong Geun-jong remained silent and unresponsive.

‘Well, it’s not the opportune moment for Hong Woo-jong to act yet.’

The election has just concluded, and Hong Woo-jong secured a second term as assemblyman with ease. In this climate, Hong Woo-jong is unlikely to act impulsively, so while Hong Geun-jong feels threatened, he probably doesn’t perceive it as an immediate crisis.

‘Well, if I wait, I’ll get a call.’

It’s inconsequential if it doesn’t come. In Park Do-joon’s estimation, Hong Geun-jong isn’t particularly virtuous either. There’s no compelling reason to assist him.

Of course, he’s preferable to Hong Woo-jong, but that’s where the distinction ends.

‘If I concentrate on my work, I’ll get a call.’

As Park Do-joon entertained that thought, the team leader, returning from a meeting, slammed his hand on Park Do-joon’s desk with a resounding ‘thump thump.’

“Focus.”

And everyone’s attention shifted to the team leader.

“As of now, our team is on emergency duty. I hope you’ve packed enough underwear.”

“Yes?”

“What’s happening again?”

No one seemed overly surprised by the team leader’s announcement. This wasn’t the first time this had occurred. When a major incident unfolds, this is the standard procedure.

“It hasn’t hit the news yet, but it likely will soon, and the impact will be significant.”

“Why aren’t you intervening?”

“It’s an unstoppable incident. First, everyone gather in the conference room.”

Upon hearing those words, everyone’s expressions turned grim. A separate gathering in the conference room implies a need for individual explanations. For routine matters, explanations are typically provided in the office.

The conference room is a shared space, not designated by department, and requires a reservation. Bypassing the reservation process signifies priority status, and priority for the profiling team indicates a case of immense gravity.

“Ah, damn it.”

“My spine is tingling.”

Everyone murmured and filed into the conference room, where the team leader proceeded to close all the windows, lower the blinds, and ensure they were secure.

“What’s going on?”

“Pass this photo around and return it immediately. Do not, under any circumstances, take pictures with your phone or leak it to the outside.”

The team leader handed over a photograph, which was passed down the line.

Those who viewed it had their faces harden.

Lee Ji-soo instinctively covered her mouth upon seeing it.

“Ugh!”

“Anyone who needs to vomit, use the trash can over there.”

“Uweeek!”

Ultimately, Lee Ji-soo, unable to suppress her nausea, rushed to the trash can, while Park Do-joon bent down to retrieve the photo that had fallen from her seat.

“Oh, my.”

The photo was horrifying. The child depicted appeared to be around 8 or 9 years old and showed unmistakable signs of rape.

Moreover, it wasn’t just rape. The sight of internal organs seemingly spilling out through the anus and genitals was enough to provoke intense anger and revulsion.

“Who is this bastard…?”

One of the profilers exclaimed, seemingly consumed by rage. Anyone would struggle to remain composed in such a situation.

“I don’t know. That’s precisely why it’s a problem. If we knew, would we be in this emergency situation?”

The team leader frowned and said,

“There’s nothing. No fingerprints, no DNA, nothing…”

“Crazy.”

Sex crimes against children are treated with utmost seriousness within the police force. The child even died.

“This is… not good…”

“Ugh…”

Park Do-joon returned the photo to the team leader, while Lee Ji-soo struggled to regain her composure and return to her seat.

“Was it a bit much for the newbie?”

“Yes? Ah, yes, honestly…”

“It will be. Everyone experiences it at some point, so don’t worry too much.”

The team leader looked at Lee Ji-soo with sympathy.

“I was trained, but…”

In reality, becoming a police officer inevitably involves encountering a corpse at least once. In preparation for such an eventuality, they conduct tours of the autopsy room.

That’s a mandatory part of the training.

“The classroom setting is different. A corpse treated with respect in the autopsy room is entirely different from a crime scene photo.”

Park Do-joon clicked his tongue and said. The corpse displayed during the autopsy room tour has been cleaned and treated with respect. So, even if you feel an instinctive revulsion, it’s not as extreme as this photo from the scene.

“But how can you make this public? If this incident becomes public, the country will erupt in chaos.”

“We need to impose an embargo on this immediately.”

An embargo, in simple terms, is a restriction on reporting. Typically, an embargo prevents the media from reporting the incident until a specified time.

Of course, it’s not permanent, so it can’t be used to completely conceal the incident, but it can at least prevent this kind of incident from being immediately publicized.

“Senior, why are we imposing an embargo on this incident?”

Lee Ji-soo, confused, asked, and Park Do-joon replied in a low voice.

“There are two reasons. First, this is an incident that will enrage the public.”

“That’s true, but?”

Even the police, whose job it is to apprehend criminals and who deal with them dispassionately every day, are angry, so there’s no way the public won’t be.

“But if that happens, the public’s patience will wear thin.”

“Ah, I see what you mean.”

The public, having lost patience, will demand the immediate capture of the criminal, and the police will inevitably fear public backlash.

“There’s also that, and a flood of information can sometimes hinder the police.”

“Confusion?”

“There’s a high probability of witch hunts erupting online. There are many such cases.”

“Ugh, then what’s the second reason? If there’s a first reason, there must be a second reason.”

“The criminal might give up.”

“Give up? Not run away?”

“It’s easier if they run away.”