My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 421

The title of Vice Minister might have been enough to put pressure on Park Do-joon. But now, few would risk inter-organizational conflict for a retired Vice Minister.

“Former Vice Minister Yeon Hwa-in, there’s a saying: when a Prime Minister’s dog dies, people offer condolences, but when the Prime Minister dies, no one comes.”

“What did you say!”

Yeon Hwa-in’s face turned red at those words. It implied she was the Prime Minister, and the saying meant that a person who has lost power is meaningless. But the next moment, her rising blood pressure plummeted.

“Former Vice Minister, or rather, Ms. Yeon Hwa-in, don’t get too upset. It’s not good for your health to overexert yourself when you’re already having dialysis.”

“……!”

Her personal information couldn’t have been passed on. Her doctor wouldn’t give it to anyone.

In fact, he had repeatedly stated that he would never give out any patient’s information.

‘Okay, it could be a coincidence.’

Thinking he was just probing, Yeon Hwa-in tried to calm down and conceal her inner turmoil. But Park Do-joon began to stir things up.

“Besides, there’s no way a police officer would leak information to a suspect.”

“Huh, what are you talking about? Me, a suspect…….”

“We already know that you belong to the same club as Joo Chang-soo and that you meet brokers there.”

“…….”

She couldn’t hide her bewilderment when the police officer, who she thought would readily spill information with a little probing, said something unexpected.

‘Well, that’s how it’ll be.’

In reality, this is all a bluff. But from her perspective, things are unfolding in a very different way than before.

It’s obvious how the police and others used to treat her.

‘And most people can’t accept change. Especially the loss of power.’

Power comes from the position, but many people think it comes from themselves, and they mistakenly believe they still have that power even after retirement. No, they don’t want to admit they don’t have power.

Of course, they often receive some level of preferential treatment. In fact, that becomes their power.

‘But what happens when they meet someone who doesn’t give them that courtesy?’

Naturally, they have to use their existing power to resolve it.

‘But that’s not going to happen.’

Giving some convenience out of respect for past relationships and experience is completely different from starting a fight with another organization for the sake of a washed-up former official.

“Are you making fun of me, saying I’m a has-been now?”

“No, I’m notifying you that you’re a suspect.”

“What?”

“Actually, I was planning to summon you, but thank you for calling me first.”

“Su, summon……?”

“Yes, usually we summon and investigate, but…”

Park Do-joon took out a recorder and documents from his pocket.

“Depending on the situation, the police may visit you directly.”

That’s true. Of course, not always. If they went to investigate someone with power, there would definitely be complaints.

“Because you’re a patient.”

In fact, Yeon Hwa-in has to undergo dialysis every other day, and she can’t do anything on those days.

“The law recognizes these cases. Surely you don’t think we would just skip work without permission to visit you?”

Park Do-joon was smiling, but Yeon Hwa-in’s face turned pale upon hearing those words.

“How dare you…….”

“Well, you can say ‘how dare you.’ But you just need to cooperate.”

Yeon Hwa-in was furious every time Park Do-joon spoke, but she couldn’t kick him out.

After all, wasn’t he here to investigate her? No, in fact, the investigation itself wasn’t the problem.

She could still handle that with a single phone call. The problem was what he said next.

“If you don’t cooperate, you will be banned from leaving the country.”

“A travel ban? On me?”

“Yes, since you’re a suspect.”

“That…….”

Yeon Hwa-in’s heart began to pound at those words. Because if that happened, she would die. Even if she didn’t die, she would have to live constantly undergoing dialysis.

Wasn’t she trying to go to China for a kidney transplant to avoid living like that?

“What did I do?”

“Why are you acting like you don’t know?”

“How dare you investigate me?”

“Of course, I have to, since you’re a suspect. Besides, weren’t you the one who introduced Joo Chang-soo to that club, Ms. Yeon Hwa-in?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

Yeon Hwa-in didn’t even realize she was speaking informally. But Park Do-joon said calmly.

“We believe you had a purpose for introducing Mr. Joo Chang-soo to that group.”

“What purpose…….”

Yeon Hwa-in was dumbfounded. And she realized that she was suspected of being part of the criminal’s gang.

“No, why would I! I’m a patient too!”

“Well, I don’t know. In fact, being a patient doesn’t change much. Rather, you might betray others because you’re desperate.”

“Desperate?”

“Like getting priority for a kidney in exchange for participating in fraud.”

Park Do-joon’s words sounded plausible, but there were loopholes. Committing fraud doesn’t give you priority for a kidney. It just goes to the one who pays more.

‘The important thing isn’t that.’

The important thing is that they suspect her. That’s why the other person is getting scared.

‘Just like right now.’

Why did Park Do-joon keep emphasizing that Yeon Hwa-in had lost her power?

It was none other than to make her afraid. Of course, there’s no chance she’ll be afraid of Park Do-joon.

‘But what about a current member of the National Assembly [South Korea’s legislative branch]?’

Joo Man-won, Joo Chang-soo’s son, is a current member of the National Assembly. He’s also a three-term assemblyman. In other words, he’s someone with considerable power.

‘If he starts attacking Yeon Hwa-in, can she survive?’

Impossible. Of course, Joo Man-won is likely to know the truth of the incident.

Because no matter how you think about it, it’s too complicated for Joo Chang-soo, who is over eighty years old, to handle all of this, and in the first place, internet access would be quite inconvenient for an elderly person of that age.

Learn? He would learn if he needed to, but Joo Chang-soo is a multi-term assemblyman and a person with so much power that he can pass his constituency and badge to his son.

‘If this becomes a social issue, Joo Man-won has to become a victim to protect himself.’

And to prove that, he has no choice but to attack Yeon Hwa-in. And Yeon Hwa-in knows that.

The reason Park Do-joon kept attacking that was simple. It was to make her realize that she was in a position to be attacked. And it was very successful.

‘She’s terrified.’

Unknowingly using informal speech instead of honorifics? That’s simply an instinctive means of suppressing the other person.

‘People are simple.’

If they feel they are losing in a conversation, they start looking for ways to suppress the other person. For example, they suppress the other person with age or with their background.

Informal speech can also be seen as a means of psychologically suppressing the other person.

‘And does the saying that a barking dog doesn’t bite only apply to dogs?’

Rather, raising one’s voice is a defensive mechanism to gain a more advantageous position by suppressing the other person.

Usually, public officials are the weaker party, so they tend to back down in such cases.

In fact, from the perspective of public officials, it’s troublesome if the other party files a complaint, so they tend to yield.

‘But I don’t need to do that.’

Because Park Do-joon is a police officer and suspects Yeon Hwa-in of being a criminal.

In fact, it’s too common for criminals to file complaints to escape their crimes, confuse the investigation, or put pressure on the police investigating them, so even if she files a complaint, it’s virtually meaningless.

Park Do-joon can just say she’s a suspect in organ trafficking.

“I introduced him! That’s ridiculous! Rather, I was introduced!”

‘Bingo.’

As expected, when she started to be attacked, Yeon Hwa-in began to argue to protect herself. And that’s what Park Do-joon was aiming for.

“Really? We heard rumors that Ms. Yeon Hwa-in introduced him.”

“No! I didn’t! In the first place, former Assemblyman Joo Chang-soo got sick before me, what are you talking about!”

Yeon Hwa-in desperately protested, no, explained.

From her perspective, it would be very complicated if she were punished for this and banned from leaving the country, so she wanted to get out of this situation at all costs.

“I’m sorry. The information we received is the opposite.”

“The opposite? Who is it? Who is it!”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t provide information about the person who reported it.”

Park Do-joon said nonchalantly, but in fact, there was no such person. Of course, he knows that Yeon Hwa-in has no way of knowing that.

“It wasn’t me. Rather, I’m the victim! I also paid money!”

“Really?”

“Yes! I already sent the money! But that guy hasn’t been answering!”

Did she think she was cornered? She raised her voice and started talking about the situation she was in.

“Really? Do you have evidence?”

“Evidence? Of course, there’s evid……!”

At that moment, Yeon Hwa-in realized she had been tricked a beat late.

“You don’t seem to have any. Then I will proceed with the indictment.”

Park Do-joon smiled and said.

“Oh, and the recording will be used as evidence in court.”

“What?”

“I think I told you earlier?”

Park Do-joon and Lee Ji-soo didn’t come here to report.

They officially reported to their superiors that they were on an outside assignment and came to the scene to listen to the patient’s concerns, that is, to interrogate her.

And the statements Yeon Hwa-in made during the interrogation can be used as evidence.

‘A familiar space isn’t always a good thing. Hehehe.’

People are intimidated and scared in unfamiliar spaces. That’s why it’s easier to put psychological pressure on them.

The reason why police stations make interrogation rooms bleak is also for that reason. To put psychological pressure on them.

But a familiar space reduces that pressure. So you can be more relaxed mentally. As a result, when you are interrogated in a familiar space, the person being interrogated is often psychologically superior.

‘But everything has its pros and cons.’

Conversely, in a familiar space, it’s easy to be careless, and mistakes are often made, like now.

Especially if you think you’ve brought the other person into a familiar place, you think you’re superior and try to pressure the other person directly without having a lawyer present.

‘And she made a mistake as I wanted.’

The problem is that in such cases, there is no controller.

If there was a lawyer, they could cut it off appropriately so that our cards wouldn’t be revealed, but if that’s not the case, they end up revealing all their cards and making mistakes, like now.

Profiler by trade