My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 279

The man spoke as he slowly walked towards the gas stove, then turned on all the gas jets.

After that, he rigged a device to ignite the gas using a simple timer and left the house.

“Those *ppangjeu* [jerks/idiots, a derogatory term] bastards are always so clumsy.”

He chuckled as he exited the house… and the next moment, a red glow began to flicker from within.

“What?”

Park Do-joon asked, disbelief coloring his tone.

“Ju Gi-gwang is dead. Ju Gi-gwang and his entire family.”

“No… that bastard’s dead?”

“Yes, it looks like he killed his whole family and committed suicide. But actually, something doesn’t add up.”

“Why?”

“All the board members of Daekwang Bodyguard died simultaneously.”

Park Do-joon frowned. As expected, Park Geuk-tae, Kim Do-gang, and Lee Su-eok had blabbed. Because they were loyal to the organization and wanted to belong more than anything, they’d gone half-crazy when betrayed and spilled everything they knew.

However, the problem was, as Park Do-joon had anticipated, they didn’t know much. All they knew was that the ‘hyung-nim’ [older brother/respected figure] they were talking about belonged to Daekwang Bodyguard, but even the Daekwang Bodyguard member arrested at the scene kept his mouth shut, so they couldn’t find out anything about the higher-ups.

‘Probably, even those guys would need to be board members to know the higher-ups.’

But those board members all died simultaneously? All of them?

“One director drowned at a fishing site, one hanged himself, one went missing… and finally, Ju Gi-gwang seems to have killed his family and then committed suicide at home.”

“And the police believe that?”

‘No one who isn’t an idiot would think that’s strange.’

“They seem to want to believe it.”

The team leader said this with a bitter smile. Park Do-joon mirrored the expression, understanding the implication.

‘Is that Hong Chang-sik’s choice?’

Hong Chang-sik would know his son had done it. Even knowing, he wouldn’t be able to prove it in the end. He wouldn’t be able to send his own son to prison.

Of course, Hong Geun-jong would be furious, but the evidence that Hong Woo-jong did it had completely disappeared. In other words, Hong Geun-jong wouldn’t be able to do anything directly either.

“Maybe Hong Woo-jong could be replaced as the successor because of this incident.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes? No, why?”

Lee Ji-soo, who had been listening quietly, asked in surprise.

“Hong Geun-jong was involved in a dangerous incident. He’s likely to become mentally unstable.”

Moreover, he was now disabled. It didn’t interfere with his life, but considering how mentally twisted a person with a normal body becomes when disabled, they might become anxious about entrusting the future to him.

“Is this half a success?”

Park Do-joon shook his head, realizing he’d shaken Hong Geun-jong’s position even though he couldn’t kill him.

“I really don’t even want to understand these bastards.”

He didn’t even want to see the inside of a criminal.

That was Park Do-joon’s small, unattainable wish.

# Where Are They?

The incident in which Hong Geun-jong was attacked eventually began to fizzle out due to strong pressure from above. Only one person was grinding his teeth over the incident.

“It’s Hong Woo-jong, that bastard.”

Hong Geun-jong trembled with anger as he said his brother’s name. In an instant, he’d become a cripple, and three of his fingers had disappeared.

But he couldn’t tolerate the fact that his father was protecting his brother, who was suspected of being the culprit.

“Well, it’s common for affection to be a means of protecting criminals.”

Park Do-joon, who had been called to him, shrugged.

“That’s why I told you, be careful.”

“Keuk.”

Since that day, Hong Geun-jong had at least three bodyguards around him 24/7. He was even armed with every weapon he could legally possess, from gas guns to stun guns.

“How can I kill that bastard? What should I do to him…”

“It will be difficult. Your father has no intention of abandoning your brother.”

“Why! What did I do wrong! I worked my ass off for the company! Even hearing that I have no blood or tears! But why!”

Hong Geun-jong screamed, sounding wronged. Park Do-joon clicked his tongue and said.

“That’s why.”

“What?”

“There’s a saying that if you dedicate yourself completely, you’ll become a worn-out shoe.”

“What are you talking about!”

“Your father can’t make the choice to put Hong Woo-jong in prison as a father, but at the same time, he has to think about who is suitable as the successor as the chairman.”

“But… that bastard… is better than me?”

“You have dedicated yourself to the company. But what you have achieved is not what *you* have achieved, but what the company has achieved.”

“What are you saying?”

“I know that you are capable as the eldest son, but you are replaceable. On the other hand, Hong Woo-jong has established himself in the political world with his own abilities. You cannot replace the power in the political world.”

“So, you’re saying he’s abandoning me for that reason alone?”

Park Do-joon clicked his tongue. Hong Geun-jong was certainly more hot-tempered than Hong Woo-jong, and such a personality was disadvantageous in business.

‘Of course, that’s not the *only* reason he’s pushing Hong Woo-jong.’

Park Do-joon offered one more possibility, something he wasn’t sure about yet, but couldn’t dismiss.

“And psychopathic tendencies are often inherited.”

“…What?”

Hong Geun-jong flinched.

“Psychopaths, you see, are more affected by genetics than you think. The debate over whether psychopathic tendencies are genetic or environmental is ongoing, but usually, genetically inherited traits are expressed environmentally.”

There were many cases of serial killings committed by very young children with no proper education, and based on this, the claim that psychopathic tendencies are genetically inherited was gaining momentum in academia.

But not all psychopaths become murderers. Psychopaths are more common in society than people realize.

“If the psychopathic trait is gunpowder, then the organization or society acts as the trigger that ignites the gunpowder, and it becomes a serial killer. This is the general academic theory.”

“Wait, what are you talking about?”

“I’m not just talking; I’m telling you realistically. Hong Chang-sik suspects Hong Woo-jong of being the culprit in this incident. There is a possibility of affection. In fact, that’s not entirely wrong.”

Do psychopaths not feel emotions at all? That’s another story. It’s true that they don’t feel most emotions, but strangely, they sometimes feel affection for their families.

When a famous murderer was arrested and his personal information was revealed, he told a reporter, ‘You can insult me, but don’t touch my son.’

“He’s considering who will be more helpful to the organization with such feelings.”

Hong Geun-jong’s eyes began to shake.

“That can’t be. My father is an ordinary person.”

“Do you think an ordinary person would teach you how to wear a mask instead of treating your psychopathy?”

That was by no means an ordinary choice. Psychopathic tendencies can be controlled with medication and training. But instead of that control, he trains you to wear a mask?

“That’s…”

“You know it doesn’t make sense, right?”

“Keuk…”

“And I can tell a lot from the way you do things.”

“What I do?”

“You prioritized the organization over your family. You even ignored the victims within the organization and moved for the sake of the organization.”

“That’s how the company develops…”

“Who taught you that?”

Hong Geun-jong’s eyes began to shake at Park Do-joon’s words. It was his father who educated him that way, telling him to distance himself from emotions and personal thoughts.

“Prioritizing the organization and abandoning personal feelings may seem like common successor education within the organization, but your company is a bit special. Teaching you that way doesn’t make sense.”

“Our company? Why?”

“Isn’t the defense industry your main business? It’s a place full of all kinds of security and secrets. It’s not easy to recruit outside personnel in such places.”

“T, that’s true, but…”

“Such organizations try to take care of their internal personnel sufficiently and minimize the possibility of going outside.”

Looking at the work records of other defense companies, at least 10 years is basic, and many people stay from the time they join until retirement.

Is it simply because they are good at their jobs? Or is it because they are patriotic and devoted themselves to the defense industry to protect the country?

No.

“Defense companies are afraid of them going outside. Each of them is an important asset.”

If someone in the defense industry contacted China and said they wanted to move to another company, they would probably give them hundreds of millions [of dollars/won]. Knowing that, defense companies try to treat their employees as well as possible.

Defense companies are better paid than other places. Of course, the internal hierarchy is strict. Since it’s related to the military, a lot of military culture comes in.

Nevertheless, the treatment is so good in other areas that people in the defense industry don’t change jobs very often.

“It’s not easy to replace defense industry employees.”

But Hong Chang-sik recognizes employees as tools and trains them to be squeezed out in any way possible.

“That’s… everywhere…”

“One of the common things among psychopaths is that they don’t know how to maintain relationships well. Does Daeguk Group have any programs or education for maintaining relationships?”

No. There is no one who talks about such things.

‘Daeguk Group had many opportunities, but it didn’t succeed.’

For a long time, Korea was dominated by defense companies because the military regime period was so long. During that time, defense companies have become groups of enormous size now.

On the other hand, Daeguk Group? Looking at the importance of defense, it is a key company, but when you look at other areas, it clearly shows its limitations.

“That your father couldn’t control people properly may be understandable.”

Because he doesn’t understand people, he treats them badly, and the more talented people tend to leave such places.

“Father…”

At that moment, Hong Geun-jong remembered the many strange parts that his father had shown him. A good father, but one who sometimes showed a different side from others.

“Think carefully. This game is a one-coin game [a game with only one chance].”

Hong Geun-jong couldn’t say anything.

“How was Hong Geun-jong’s mood?”

“How did you know?”

“I’m a profiler too, you bastard.”

The team leader smiled.

“Because this process is not a normal solution process.”

It’s an incident where he tried to kill his own family, not someone else. But in such an incident, he puts pressure to cover up the incident?

“Usually, these imperial decisions are made from above. Why do you think there’s a saying that no one in the royal family dies properly?”

Daeguk Group was, without exaggeration, a royal family. Although Korea’s business ranking is low, the most powerful centralized structure is Daeguk Group.