My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 361

“Sending someone overseas to escape actually has the opposite effect; it identifies them as the culprit. Plus, it increases the costs.”

“Increases the costs?”

“Yes, think about it. How much money would they need for food, clothing, and shelter?”

“Ah!”

“It’s not the same as someone going to jail in their place.”

Sending someone to jail as a substitute isn’t difficult. It’s actually a common method used among criminal organizations, but if the person is smart, there are ways to avoid getting caught.

“True, if someone goes to jail for them, the organization rarely remains intact.”

If a violent organization is sending someone in their place, it usually involves serious crimes like murder or assault. Movies depict these organizations providing money, taking care of the family, and offering a job upon release, but in reality, such organizations completely abandon them the moment they go inside.

Even if they are released, they are not taken back. After a decade or more, they’re seen as washed-up has-beens. If the organization accepts them back for being loyal during that time, the younger members who were active outside often become dissatisfied.

“Oh, that reminds me, I’ve been wondering about something. Why don’t they just say they didn’t do it in those cases?”

“Well, the police usually don’t believe them.”

“Huh? Why?”

“It’s the same thing. It shows they didn’t investigate properly. Remember the chauffeur murder case from back then?”

“Ah, I get it now.”

The chauffeur murder case. They tortured a witness to frame someone and put them in jail. Because they were too lazy to investigate properly, they took the witness to a motel without CCTV, tortured them to get a false confession, and then took credit for it.

They framed someone and put them in jail, but years later, the real culprit came to confess. However, the police were embarrassed and forcibly sent the real culprit away, telling them never to confess again.

“It’s the same principle.”

If they say they didn’t do it, it reveals the sloppy investigation. They should properly investigate murder and assault cases, but unfortunately, such police officers are rare.

“The second reason is fear.”

“Fear?”

“Let’s say someone killed someone and went to jail in their place. What do you think would happen if they said they didn’t do it?”

“Ah!”

These aren’t just guys who threaten to kill; they’re guys who actually kill people. If those guys are outside, and you’re in here saying you’re innocent?

“They’ll kill you as soon as you get out. Even if you survive, your family will die.”

And usually, this regret comes about three years in, which is about halfway through the typical sentence in Korea.

“So, they’d rather stay three more years and just live?”

“They wouldn’t want to die.”

So, even if they come to prison unfairly, they just live quietly and leave.

“Sending them overseas is the same.”

Let’s say someone kills someone and flees overseas. What do you need to give them? At the very least, they need money to live there. And fleeing overseas itself means they’ve been identified.

“So, what will Korea do?”

“Of course, they’ll issue an international warrant, right?”

Detective Kim Man-hyuk nodded as if it were obvious. In the case of murder, an international warrant can be issued through Interpol [International Criminal Police Organization].

“That’s right. But what happens after they successfully escape?”

“Well……”

Kim Man-hyuk scratched his head because he had never thought about what happens after that. In fact, there’s nothing the police can really do after that, so he doesn’t think about it. There’s no point.

But a profiler is someone who thinks from the criminal’s perspective. Therefore, they need to anticipate what they’ll do after leaving the country.

“They can’t get a job, and they can’t return home. They have to run from the police.”

“That’s true, isn’t it?”

“But you know, is that easy? You might not know because you only investigate domestically, but the rate of self-surrender among those who flee overseas is surprisingly high.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, it’s over 80%.”

Movies show them fleeing overseas and living well, but that’s not the reality. They need a constant stream of money to live each year, but there’s no way to earn that money.

And is it a good place to live? Not at all. Because they have a global warrant out for them through Interpol, they have to avoid the police and wander around in fairly underdeveloped areas to avoid them.

They can’t buy a house, they can’t get a job, and they just keep spending the money they have.

Even if they fled with 2 billion won [approximately $1.5 million USD], they can only last about five years with that money at most. That’s even a long time. Most of them squander it all in the beginning.

“The same goes for Hong Woo-jong.”

No matter how much Hong Woo-jong spends money for the future, he doesn’t have enough money to buy a person’s entire life.

To be precise, there is a clear limit to the amount of money he can spend without leaving a trace.

“Considering these various possibilities, Hong Woo-jong would rather keep the culprit around and monitor them while trying to use them.”

That way, he can legally give them money and use them as a card at a crucial moment.

“That might be true. But we don’t know who that is, do we? Frankly, Hong Woo-jong has more than one or two people he can use.”

It’s not a joke. You might easily think he could put them in an assistant position, but it’s not that simple.

“No matter what, he’s one of the heirs of the Daeguk Group.”

If he asks for a position in any affiliate of the Daeguk Group, they wouldn’t be able to refuse. Considering that, tracking them is practically impossible.

“I know. That’s usually the case. But there’s one person we know.”

“Someone we know?”

Park Do-joon’s eyes flashed.

“Let’s start cutting off the bad karma.”

Park Do-joon’s plan was simple.

Take down Han Sung-gi.

From the beginning, this whole plan likely came from Han Sung-gi. The meticulousness of the plan is definitely Hong Woo-jong’s style, but the traces of controlling people’s psychology are not Hong Woo-jong’s style.

Moreover, Han Sung-gi has completely quit the police force and devoted himself to Hong Woo-jong.

‘And judging by Han Sung-gi’s tendencies, it wouldn’t be strange at all for him to do something weird for profit.’

Some people try to maintain at least a minimal line when they’re corrupt. They might embezzle, but they wouldn’t commit murder.

But that’s only when money is involved.

To be precise, they won’t commit murder for their own profit, but they will commit murder for their own safety.

‘And there’s no way Han Sung-gi doesn’t know about Hong Woo-jong.’

Even I, who am far away, can sense what kind of person Hong Woo-jong is, so there’s no way Han Sung-gi, who is right next to him, doesn’t know. That’s impossible.

Even rotten, Han Sung-gi is still a skilled profiler.

“Sometimes, creating a traitor isn’t impossible. Hehehe.”

Lee Ji-soo, who had been listening quietly to Park Do-joon, said.

“Senior, are you talking about that person? The one before me, Han Sung-gi?”

“That’s right. You heard too, right? That he went to work for Hong Woo-jong.”

“Yes, but will that person betray him? Ah, of course, I’m not saying Hong Woo-jong didn’t do it. But he’s the one who knows Hong Woo-jong best, right? Wouldn’t he treat him well?”

Park Do-joon shook his head at those words.

“Unfortunately, Hong Woo-jong isn’t that kind of person. He’s a typical psychopath. He doesn’t treat his people well; he suspects them and keeps the possibility of betrayal in mind.”

People might think he’s the type to take care of those around him, but that’s only the external appearance.

They judge based on what they see on video.

“He doesn’t remember past favors or help at all. And there are many politicians with severe psychopathic tendencies.”

In fact, there’s a famous anecdote about a politician who, after becoming very successful, had the security guards forcibly drag out someone who had helped him when he was struggling.

If it weren’t for that person, he wouldn’t have been able to succeed, let alone recover at the time.

He didn’t come to ask for favors; he just visited to say hello because his son was getting married.

Later, when someone else said that he was too harsh on someone who had helped him in the past, the politician said, ‘Korean bastards are just pigs and dogs anyway, so they’ll forget everything in a little while and start sucking my dick.’

“Hong Woo-jong is likely in a state of considerable maladjustment due to the failure of this incident.”

“And?”

“And we’re profilers. Han Sung-gi is also a profiler. So, how would Han Sung-gi analyze Hong Woo-jong?”

Lee Ji-soo looked like she didn’t understand those words. Seeing that, Park Do-joon smiled bitterly.

‘Well, it’s too early for her to have a professional disease.’

The occupational hazard of profilers.

That’s constantly analyzing the people around them and trying to prepare for any eventuality. In fact, there are quite a few profilers who get divorced because of that. Seeing the inner workings of criminals is never a good feeling.

And their families don’t like it either. People feel uncomfortable having their actions read and distance themselves.

‘Lee Yeon is quite unique when you think about it.’

Jung Yi-yeon knows that he’s someone who reads people’s inner thoughts. Nevertheless, she confidently shows him her inner self. As if she trusts him.

“Senior, what are you thinking so hard about?”

“Huh? It’s nothing. The important thing is that Hong Woo-jong is also a person.”

“The purpose of using him is done, and the very fact that a profiler is next to him is a complaint?”

“That’s right.”

In fact, Park Do-joon just didn’t remember, but the reason Han Sung-gi and Hong Woo-jong were able to maintain their relationship for so long before the regression was because there was a proper distance between them.

But this time, Han Sung-gi is under Hong Woo-jong. He might not have known it when he initially used him to gain a favorable position in the election, but probably by now, Hong Woo-jong is feeling considerable discomfort about Han Sung-gi reading his actions.

‘And that’s even more true for someone with a lot to hide.’

So, what would happen if we exploited that gap?

“Are you saying you’re going to induce Hong Woo-jong to attack that Han Sung-gi?”

Detective Kim Man-hyuk flinched.

“That’s right.”

“Will he attack that easily?”

“The important thing isn’t the actual attack. It’s that Han Sung-gi feels that way.”

“Feels that way?”

“In a situation where both are uncomfortable, if Han Sung-gi distances himself from Hong Woo-jong, what will Hong Woo-jong do?”

“Ah……”

Hong Woo-jong prefers fairly extreme methods. And Han Sung-gi knows that.

“What would that Han Sung-gi have to do to survive?”

Park Do-joon smiled and said.

‘I don’t like it.’

Hong Woo-jong openly showed his discomfort as he saw Han Sung-gi on his way to work. That’s because he kept thinking that he no longer needed Han Sung-gi.