My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 321

However, Joo Soo-ah’s reputation plummeted faster than expected. Later, she discovered her husband was a con artist and divorced him, but not before they had a daughter.

“I heard she’s struggling in the United States now.”

Returning to Korea would be humiliating, but she couldn’t abandon her child…

The con artist fled to China after the divorce, leaving her with no child support.

‘I think she mentioned working as a cashier in the US around this time?’

She briefly appeared on a TV show before my regression, confessing that she had no other options in the US and was working as a cashier, barely making ends meet.

She received some sympathy, but it didn’t last long. Firstly, she wasn’t a particularly popular actress. Secondly, everyone had warned her against marrying him, pointing out that he seemed like a con artist, but Joo Soo-ah had ignored them and insisted on the marriage.

“There’s no need for a wedding. In this case, you can simply register the marriage [legally formalize it without a ceremony]. No matter how powerful Hong Woo-jong is, it’s impossible for him to reach someone in the United States.”

Hong Woo-jong may be a powerful politician in Korea, but hiring a hitman in the United States is a completely different ballgame.

“But Hong Geun-jong can provide Joo Soo-ah with sufficient money and protection.”

With Hong Geun-jong’s influence, he can provide enough support to ensure her safety and livelihood, even in a country as heavily armed as the United States.

“That would mean Joo Soo-ah’s daughter would also become his responsibility. And that means Hong Geun-jong would have two potential heirs to compete with.”

Even for Hong Woo-jong, this situation would be extremely problematic. Moreover, attempting something like that in the United States, where his influence doesn’t extend, would significantly increase the risk of getting caught.

“Of course, you’ll have to tell her the truth and set conditions.”

“Conditions?”

“Like a divorce clause.”

If they divorce later, the issue of property division will naturally arise, but if they have a contractual marriage [a marriage based on a pre-agreed contract], there will be no problem.

“Of course, there’s the problem that she can’t come to Korea.”

Joo Soo-ah is too ashamed to return to Korea and is struggling financially.

Given the circumstances, she’s likely to agree to the arrangement if provided with bodyguards and financial support.

“Moreover, it will naturally generate publicity.”

“Publicity?”

“You could frame it as a rekindled romance with an unforgettable first love, right?”

People won’t suspect it’s a sponsorship [a financial arrangement]. But now he’s marrying a married woman with a child? People will see it as true love, and naturally, rumors will spread.

“It’s hard to target someone famous. That’s what Hong Geun-jong said.”

That way, Hong Geun-jong’s safety will be secured for the time being. Because human greed is more powerful than any bodyguard or security system.

“And that would mean Hong Woo-jong will target his younger sister.”

“Are you talking about Min-young? But she’s studying abroad in the US. She’s not interested in corporate management.”

“But she has inheritance rights.”

If she has inheritance rights, she can challenge him at any time. And if that happens, Hong Woo-jong will be at a disadvantage.

“Hong Woo-jong is focused on politics. There’s no one to replace him.”

Corporations? You can just acquire some shares, install a professional manager, and tell them what to do.

That’s what corporate executives involved in politics often do.

On the other hand, if Hong Woo-jong focuses on the company, there will be plenty of politicians eager to take his place.

In other words, Hong Woo-jong has no choice but to prioritize his political career.

“But realistically, if there’s someone with the same stake, he could lose the entire company if he makes a mistake.”

Even if she’s not interested in running the company right now.

“And I know Hong Min-young is an artist, right?”

“So?”

“Art is an emotional realm. It’s too difficult for a psychopath [someone lacking empathy and remorse].”

If someone who doesn’t understand emotions creates art, they’re likely to produce emotionless, derivative pieces.

“And if she’s that type, I don’t think Hong Woo-jong and Hong Min-young will have a good relationship? Ah, the level of bad relationship I’m talking about goes beyond just typical sibling rivalry. It means that in the event of a corporate power struggle, Hong Min-young will side with a third party.”

“Ugh, probably. She’s capable of that.”

Even if the Hong family holds a significant number of shares, Daeguk Group is a publicly traded corporation, and there’s no way such a large corporation wouldn’t have external shareholders.

And in that situation, family members are classified as friendly shareholders, but if they genuinely don’t get along, they often cease to be considered friendly.

“Especially in this case.”

Does Hong Min-young perceive this situation as an accident, or as an attempted murder disguised as an accident?

“Generally, women are much faster at sensing emotions and nuances than men.”

Maybe she already knows that Hong Woo-jong and Hong Chang-sik are psychopaths. Knowing that, she may have distanced herself from the beginning, choosing to pursue art and avoid being greedy for the company.

“That’s…”

Hong Geun-jong gritted his teeth at those words. He certainly couldn’t dismiss that possibility.

“So, put a bodyguard on her.”

“Me?”

“She won’t trust her second older brother and father. But she’s too financially strapped to hire a bodyguard with her own money.”

Of course, it’s true that she’s receiving enough money from this side. But that’s only enough to cover tuition.

Moreover, since her father is the one sending the money, he can cut it off at any time.

“Currently, there’s a high probability that the bodyguard her father sends will be unreliable.”

If Hong Geun-jong sends a bodyguard in this situation, she will side with Hong Geun-jong in the long run.

“If there’s a battle for shares, this side will be at an advantage.”

“Hmm.”

“And that would mean there are three family members in the United States.”

No matter how powerful Hong Woo-jong is, it’s impossible to eliminate three people at once.

“Especially if this side is maintaining a hostile relationship with Hong Woo-jong.”

From Hong Woo-jong’s perspective, if he eliminates them, he loses his assets, and if he doesn’t eliminate them, they remain hostile, preventing him from acting freely.

“That situation itself can protect my safety.”

“That’s right.”

“I like it.”

Hong Geun-jong had no choice but to admit that Park Do-joon possessed more outstanding abilities than he had initially thought.

The numerous subordinates under him were only suggesting increasing the number of bodyguards.

But no matter how many bodyguards he hires, he can’t prevent sniping or an attack by dozens of dogs like the one he experienced.

But if he gets married, Hong Woo-jong can’t eliminate him, as Park Do-joon said. It would be like donating his assets to his wife.

“This seems like a fair deal, right?”

“Fair. Yes, it’s fair.”

He nodded.

“And if you’re certain that Singal-dong is a real financier [someone who provides funding for businesses or ventures], let me know too.”

“Why? Are you going to invest together?”

“Not that, but that bastard is close to Woo-jong. If I can tie him up, I should.”

In a situation where he had to survive, he was willing to fight using every possible method, and Park Do-joon nodded at those words.

“Financier…”

Park Do-joon clicked his tongue while reviewing the case files.

“As expected.”

As Park Do-joon was at work, digging through case files, Lee Ji-soo approached with a tired expression.

“Detective Park, what’s as expected?”

“No, I’ve been investigating Singal-dong, and it seems like he’s involved in something illegal… but I don’t know what it is.”

“Something illegal?”

“He’s acting as a financier.”

At those words, Lee Ji-soo tilted her head.

“A financier? Why? Is he short on money?”

“It’s not that he’s short on money, but that he wants more money. And Korea doesn’t investigate financiers.”

“Pardon?”

Lee Ji-soo was shocked at those words. She knows what a financier is and what kind of person they are. Financiers mostly… no, all of them invest in illegal or dangerous activities.

If they just invested, it wouldn’t be a problem. It would just lead to a loss of investment. But unlike investors, financiers will recover their investment by any means, so they are directly connected to the illegal world.

“But Korea doesn’t investigate financiers?”

“Yeah, for example, even if you look at a drug case, there’s no record of the financier.”

“Really?”

It’s an unbelievable fact, but Park Do-joon nodded. That was what Park Do-joon had been arguing even before his regression. He insisted that they should crack down on the financiers, not the violent organizations, whenever a drug case broke out, but the investigation into drug cases always ended at the level of the violent organizations caught secretly importing them.

No matter how hard Park Do-joon tried, the financiers remained in the shadows, never touched. If they cracked down on them, no one would fund the importation of drugs, but they didn’t.

“Shall we take a drug case as an example? It’s not like criminal organizations have so much money that they import drugs, right?”

Of course, they import drugs to make money. But it’s impossible for small organizations, not even established ones, to import tens of billions of won worth of drugs at once.

No matter how small they are and just starting out, the overseas dealers who send the drugs won’t send them without getting paid. Rather, they’ll be even more eager to get the money in advance.

The very fact that they’re dealing with drugs means they’re criminals, and you can’t trust such guys. Even if they wanted to give it to you on credit, if they get caught in the process of importing and everything gets seized, they won’t get a single penny.

“So, when you buy drugs, it’s always a down payment.”

“And?”

“But look at the past case files. They’ve intercepted tens to hundreds of kilograms of drugs. And there’s a record of who imported them.”

No matter how incompetent and corrupt the police are, they can never completely ignore drugs.

Of course, it’s true that a few corrupt individuals turn a blind eye to drugs circulating in clubs in Gangnam [a wealthy district in Seoul], but the police don’t ignore drug deals worth at least tens of billions or hundreds of billions of won, as reported in the news.

“But that’s where it ends.”

Most cases are focused on the violent organizations or individuals importing drugs, and the case is closed with their arrest.

“But according to these records, the guys who are doing such imports aren’t very rich.”

Even if the announced value of hundreds of billions of won worth of drugs is based on retail prices, if it’s hundreds of billions of won worth of drugs, the money that has to be given to the other drug organization is tens of billions.

But if you look at the arrested organizations, they can’t even afford to raise hundreds of millions of won, let alone tens of billions.

It’s not that there aren’t organizations that can mobilize that much money, but at least the criminal organizations in this record can’t.