My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 276

The Villain’s Basic Move is Betrayal

“Can you predict how they’ll act?”

At Park Do-joon’s words, Lee Ji-soo began to contemplate for a long time. Of course, Park Do-joon wasn’t asking because he didn’t know. He was doing it to train Lee Ji-soo.

“This case is extremely political and personal at the same time, no matter who the culprit is.”

Of course, he knew that the main culprit was Hong Woo-jong. But he couldn’t tell Lee Ji-soo that. First of all, there was no evidence, and even if there was, her skills wouldn’t improve if she went in knowing the culprit.

“Analyze this case thoroughly.”

The team leader was also interested and waited for Lee Ji-soo’s analysis. Perhaps feeling the pressure, Lee Ji-soo pondered for a long time before cautiously speaking.

“Perhaps they might target Hong Geun-jong again?”

“Why?”

“I don’t know who the culprit is, but they spent a considerable amount of money and even trained dogs for as long as four years, waiting for an opportunity. I don’t know if it’s because of a grudge or some other purpose, but the important thing is that someone so patient wouldn’t give up after just one failure.”

“And?”

“And they’ll try to help the culprit escape by any means. They seem capable of finding a ship to smuggle them to Japan, so I think they’ll be looking for a ship?”

“Tsk! You were doing so well until that part.”

“Pardon?”

Lee Ji-soo tilted her head at the team leader’s words, not understanding where she went wrong. But she realized it with the next words.

“This case isn’t a direct murder attempt, but a planned contract killing. A three-stage killing, at that.”

“Three stages?”

“Yes, from the original contractor to the subcontractor, then to a second subcontractor, and finally using dogs for the third subcontract.”

“So?”

“Then the line to the culprit is three stages removed. Would the first-stage contractor have any reason to know or help the third-stage culprit escape?”

“Oh? Ah!”

Lee Ji-soo realized her mistake, and the team leader clicked his tongue.

“They don’t teach much about contract killings or pyramid schemes in school yet, do they?”

“Yes? Ah, yes. There’s a bit of that. Most of the cases we’re directly involved in are direct killings.”

“That’s true. But if one out of ten cases is a contract killing, will you give up on that one? You won’t, right?”

“No, I won’t. Hmm, I still have a lot to learn.”

Lee Ji-soo nodded, acknowledging her shortcomings.

“Senior, then what do you think will happen after this?”

“Actually, the answer is almost predetermined.”

“Predetermined?”

“This is organized crime. You can tell a lot by how the organization treats the criminal. The main culprits in this case aren’t highly regarded within the organization.”

“How do you know?”

“Would you keep someone important locked up in a place like that for four years?”

“Conversely, someone important might be placed there because it’s an important task, right?”

“That’s true. But when analyzing the criminals involved in this case, what’s important isn’t just the importance of the case, but also age and social norms.”

“Pardon?”

“Violent organizations value hierarchy very highly, and that hierarchy includes age. Reversal of roles within the organization never happens from below. It mainly happens from above.”

“I don’t understand?”

“Hmm. You know there’s no trust or loyalty among members of a criminal organization, right?”

“Yes, you said that’s why they talk about friendship and loyalty between organizations, right?”

Lee Ji-soo remembered what Park Do-joon had told her in the past, so she was able to answer immediately. Park Do-joon nodded at her words and continued.

“But if such insubordination happened frequently, how could the organization be maintained? In the end, that insubordination is for more benefits. But even if you overtake someone from below, nothing much changes.”

“Still… I don’t get it.”

“I’ll put it more simply. Even if a private overtakes a corporal in the military, nothing changes. But if a major general overtakes a lieutenant general, things change.”

“Oh? Ah! I understand what you mean?”

If a private, thinking he’s better, ignores the rank and attacks a corporal or sergeant, what would happen?

Naturally, the military organization would be turned upside down due to the issue of insubordination.

The fact that orders between soldiers are illegal doesn’t mean there’s equality without rank. In other words, even if a lower rank overthrows someone, they could be isolated or, in the worst case, expelled from the organization. On the other hand, such insubordination happens very frequently when the rank is high.

Even though the military tells you to follow orders, it’s funny how acts of ‘reporting’ frequently occur even among field-grade officers.

Why? It’s simple. If that guy vacates his position, there’s a high possibility that the position will become mine.

Especially for those working directly below, there’s a high chance they’ll learn about the superior’s corruption, so they’re tempted to try to get rid of the superior through such reports.

“The military and violent organizations are very similar in some ways. Extreme violence and hierarchy are the core of controlling the organization. The most similar thing is that they’re organizations made up only of men. The purpose itself is an organization with violence.”

“But the military is legal, right?”

“Of course, it’s legal, because it operates within the law. But that doesn’t mean you can ignore the psychological realm of the people working within it.”

So, when you look at the organization of the military, it’s very similar to a criminal organization in some ways. Especially the Korean military, which is a completely secret organization where external contact is impossible and even internal reporting is impossible.

As a result, there are some aspects that operate very similarly to closed violent organizations.

“In cases where there’s an act of overturning the hierarchy, the higher-ups also try to protect their own positions. Why do generals constantly violate the law and create private organizations?”

It’s to avoid being threatened in their positions.

“That’s the same in any organization. But would a high-ranking person be locked up in such a place for as long as four years?”

“Ah, I guess not.”

“Right, the guys stationed there are probably doing menial tasks or odd jobs.”

In fact, there were many accidents where people were bitten by dogs, and no one would hide there for four years while suffering such accidents.

“Then it’s highly likely that everyone there is powerless?”

“Very likely. According to the investigation results, they’re probably guys who just joined the organization.”

“Then what will happen after that?”

“Probably disposal.”

“Disposal?”

“Yes, think about the importance of one person’s value within the organization.”

“But one person is from Japan, right? You said they’re from the Yakuza side?”

“Yes, and even though they’ve been away from Japan for four years, they have no impact on the organization at all.”

“Oh? Ah!”

Lee Ji-soo realized her mistake. She wondered why they kept talking about the hierarchy of the organization. She thought they were just talking about Park Geuk-tae, Kim Do-gang, and Lee Soo-eok, but when she thought about it, it was also about the person who did the training.

“Moreover, that trainer has served his purpose.”

Training dogs is definitely a useful skill. But that’s only when operating a pet training center as an ordinary person.

“It’s unlikely that the Yakuza or violent organizations in Japan would train dogs to use them for murder.”

The power of the Japanese Yakuza is that they can just go to a suitable guy and tell him to take care of it.

In fact, such methods are common in Japan. To prevent the organization from getting involved, when sending a killer, they even have them withdraw from the organization and, if necessary, perform a *danjishiki*, a ritual of cutting off a finger to prove that they’ve left the organization.

And after that, if that guy kills the other person, the organization pretends not to know him, saying he’s already left the organization.

“Such incidents happen several times every year. So there’s no reason to spend money training dogs for four years.”

Moreover, in order to unleash such dogs, a suitable space is needed, like a forest or undeveloped area like this time, but important figures generally don’t go to such places.

Training for as long as four years is not only for training the dogs but also for seizing an opportunity.

“And you have to judge the value of the target.”

“The value of the target?”

“Everyone is burdened by the backlash of failure. The reason why the wealthy can act entitled is because they have the power to suppress that backlash.”

The reality is that anyone who doesn’t have the power to suppress that backlash will obediently listen.

“That’s why a gun is called an etiquette injection device.”

Even the team leader nodded in agreement.

“That’s definitely true.”

No one acts entitled when they have a gun pointed at their head. No one slaps the president in the face because they don’t like him when the president is right in front of them.

“Entitlement is not only a matter of personality but also occurs when you don’t worry about the backlash.”

If you knew that your life would be ruined in the future because you’re acting entitled now, who would do it?

“But I don’t know who dispatched them, but would the higher-ups not know about the target?”

“They couldn’t not know.”

“That’s right, the possibility is low.”

The Yakuza organization that dispatched them probably knows that the target is Hong Geun-jong. And such organizations can’t help but worry about the backlash.

Even though it’s just a large corporation in Korea, a large corporation is a large corporation, and if they lobby with their money, it’s possible to crush a Yakuza in Japan.

“What’s the best way to reduce that backlash?”

“Disposal.”

Only then did Lee Ji-soo realize the situation. Realistically, the most advantageous method for all the criminals in this situation is disposal, that is, killing off the entire gang.

“In this case, it’s right to judge by excluding the opinions of the main culprits who carried out this incident.”

Because there’s no way they’d ask to be killed.

It’s not some noble sacrifice, and who would die just because they were told to die because the job failed?

The opinion of the group in the world that can carry that out is the most important, and the way the group in the world can get the most profit at this point is to dispose of the four people.

“Then will they hire a killer?”

“Maybe yes, maybe no. I think they’ll dispose of the Japanese guy first?”

“The Japanese trainer?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“It saves face more than just killing him within the organization.”

“Pardon?”

“Anyway, he’s a person sent from within the organization. If he dies and the Yakuza organization does nothing, there’s a high possibility that those below will be dissatisfied or rise up. A cause is important everywhere.”

Even in violent organizations, it’s important. Because if you kill someone without a cause, it’s no different from being a murderer.

Profiler by Trade