My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 54

“I think this is an opportunity.”

“What opportunity are you talking about?”

“Assign Kang Do-wook to hunt the spies.”

“What are you talking about? Why assign him to hunt spies?”

Chairman Bae Deok-gi asked, dumbfounded.

Rooting out internal spies is something the company must do with its fate on the line.

But to entrust that to a spy?

“Are you out of your mind?”

“I am in my right mind. In fact, there is no one who can do it better than Kang Do-wook right now.”

“Why is that?”

“Because what he wants is the Chief of Staff position.”

“So?”

“Do you know how different the weight of a person named Kang Do-wook is from the weight of the Chief of Staff position?”

“I don’t understand.”

“To put it simply, it’s a position worth sacrificing everything for. Considering Hyunseong… no, Chairman Bae Deok-gi’s style, the Chief of Staff position can be seen as second to none.”

Above him is only one person, Chairman Bae Deok-gi, and all other employees are below him.

Given Chairman Bae Deok-gi’s style of using the Chief of Staff as his right-hand man, naturally, if one were to take that position, they would have access to enormous amounts of information and secrets.

“Other companies will know that. And they will try to get it.”

“And?”

“What if the final test is to root out spies?”

At those words, Chairman Bae Deok-gi pondered for a long time.

Then, he smiled as if he understood.

“You’re going to throw bait.”

“Human psychology… no, organizational psychology is obvious. If you can get better fruit, you’ll accept small losses.”

No matter how much one holds a position like section chief or department head, can it be compared to the Chief of Staff position?

Absolutely not. Hyunseong’s Chief of Staff position carries more weight than all those positions combined.

“If Jindo Group wants to obtain Hyunseong’s Chief of Staff position, they must complete the task we give them.”

“Because that’s the final test?”

“Yes, and the reason I’m setting these conditions is simple. Who do you think knows the other party’s weaknesses best?”

“That’s… right. The enemy, of course.”

When doing business, all sorts of underhanded [unethical or illegal] deeds are done.

And in the process, not only companies but also individuals often become corrupt.

“There are probably quite a few internal figures acting as spies.”

At Park Do-joon’s words, Chief Choi also nodded.

“I know that too. There are more spies who defect from within than spies who come from outside.”

“That’s right.”

“Then, what is the reason why someone who wasn’t originally a spy defects? It’s probably one of two things.”

Substantial compensation or a weakness.

Whether they betrayed for money or because they were caught with a weakness, the result is the same: they are vermin gnawing away at Hyunseong.

“So, as a result, what you’re saying is that Jindo Group knows that best in the current situation.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

We don’t know who the internal spies are, but Jindo Group does.

“In this situation, what will happen if we give them the final test?”

“Hmm… well, if I were leading Jindo Group in that situation, I would tell the incompetent bastards to get out.”

“That’s right.”

The obvious thing to do is to give Kang Do-wook information about the spies that we don’t know, have Kang Do-wook eliminate them to prove his ability, and allow him to enter the Chief of Staff’s office with dignity.

“You came up with that as soon as you found out he was a spy?”

“In fact, using spies for counter-espionage is very common. As I said before, this is also a part of psychological warfare.”

“Is this a part of the profiling of the masses that you’re talking about?”

“It’s similar. If you can’t predict the other party’s actions, it’s impossible to make a plan.”

In that sense, this kind of espionage may be the area where profiling technology is most needed.

“Clean up the inside and then get rid of Kang Do-wook.”

“It’s called ‘killing the goose that laid the golden egg’.”

Once the rabbit hunt is over, the hunting dog is eaten. Usually, it’s what a person who has been abandoned says out of resentment, but the end of a dog that tries to bite people is obvious.

“Good idea. Then, how should we test him?”

“I have a good method for that. Hehehe.”

***

“I trust your performance. But the Chief of Staff position isn’t just a position that comes about.”

“I know, Chairman.”

Kang Do-wook swallowed hard at Chairman Bae Deok-gi’s personal summons. It’s an internal decision, but it’s a position that can change at any time.

‘I can’t give up this position.’

Fifteen years since joining Hyunseong Group. He worked with all his might. Of course, that’s just how it looks externally.

In fact, he was not a person of Hyunseong but of Jindo Group. Shortly after joining the company, he was quietly called in just before his assignment and asked to work as an industrial spy there. The compensation was not small, and additional compensation was paid depending on the value of the information.

He tried to collect better information in pursuit of compensation, and to do so, he tried to go to higher places.

As a result, he has come this far. And in the process, he was able to meet many fellow spies.

‘Just a little more.’

Just one more step and he can access the core of Hyunseong. A position that allows unlimited access to all secrets along with the chairman.

That is the Chief of Staff, who is close to the chairman. And if that happens, he will have completed his mission perfectly and successfully.

“Chief Choi.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“Is this information certain?”

“Yes, is it certain?”

“Yes, it is.”

“It’s hard for you to step forward, right?”

“I’m too exposed.”

“That’s right.”

At those words, Bae Deok-gi nodded.

Certainly, Chief Choi is too exposed to the outside world. In contrast, Kang Do-wook is different. He is an internal decision, but he is an unexposed person who has not yet been announced to the outside.

“Kang Do-wook.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“There’s something I need you to do.”

“If you tell me, I will do my best to achieve it.”

“It’s a serious problem. Can you do it?”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“I heard that there are spies in our company.”

At those words, Kang Do-wook’s heart sank. How hard he had worked to get to this position, and now all of this was suddenly disappearing like a bubble.

Fortunately, Chairman Bae Deok-gi seemed to have taken Kang Do-wook’s surprised expression differently.

“Are you surprised? Well, I was surprised too.”

“What do you mean by that now?”

“There was an anonymous tip from someone. Some bastards are sticking with Jindo Group bastards and gnawing away at the company, and it would be strange if you weren’t surprised by that.”

Bae Deok-gi nodded as if he had expected it.

Watching that, Kang Do-wook breathed a sigh of relief inside.

‘It’s not me.’

Surely Hyunseong wouldn’t have investigated him before he was appointed, would they?

That’s impossible. So there’s nothing to be afraid of.

Officially, Kang Do-wook has nothing to do with Jindo.

Even within Jindo Group, he is listed as having failed the final interview and not being hired.

Even that is already a story from 15 years ago. But now, can they suspect that he is related to Jindo Group?

‘That’s impossible.’

Kang Do-wook was relieved, and Bae Deok-gi said to such Kang Do-wook with a miserable expression.

“Suspicious targets have been roughly identified. Those people need to be taken care of. Do you know what I mean?”

“Yes, I think I know.”

Kang Do-wook nodded.

He could easily understand that he was being asked to take charge of the cleanup.

“As you know, this position requires no blood or tears.”

Bae Deok-gi said that as he handed over the documents. And Kang Do-wook’s face hardened as he looked at it.

“These people wouldn’t do that.”

“They might. But the tip that came in was so decisive.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“That doesn’t mean we can disclose this either. Do you know what I mean?”

“Are you saying that I should get rid of these people?”

“You’re quick to catch on. Well, that’s why you were recommended.”

Kang Do-wook couldn’t help but be embarrassed.

That’s because the list that Chairman Bae Deok-gi handed over was none other than the people who had recommended him.

Park Do-joon was suspicious of them.

But they cannot be attacked from the outside just because they wrote letters of recommendation.

‘But the betrayal of the person who wrote the recommendation, even those guys probably didn’t expect it. Hehehe.’

Chairman Bae Deok-gi clicked his tongue. Certainly, as Park Do-joon said, looking at the guys who gave the recommendations or personnel evaluations, they are strangely friendly to Kang Do-wook.

In fact, when living in society, there are hardly any cases where someone is so extremely friendly to someone.

Rather, if they think someone is capable and threatens their position, they are anxious to crush them.

But to give such good scores to this extent? Moreover, to a junior who may rise above them in the long term?

‘It doesn’t make sense. Of course.’

Park Do-joon had already checked the personnel evaluation records of other people they had written. Even if they wrote objectively about the strengths and weaknesses, there were quite a few articles that were written hostilely.

Kang Do-wook was almost the only one who gave such a good personnel evaluation to a junior.

In other words, they were either paid or threatened. Either way, they are not helpful to Hyunseong.

“Chairman, but these people were my superiors.”

“So you’re saying you can’t get rid of these guys?”

“That’s not it, but….”

“This position is not won by playing *ttakji* [a Korean game similar to pogs]. It’s a position that requires no blood or tears. It’s a position where you have to make a decision to cut 30% of the company’s employees tomorrow if the company needs a reduction today. But if you can’t do it, there’s no way.”

“…….”

At those words, Kang Do-wook bit his lip.

What he said was not wrong. Hyunseong is an old company, and of course, there have been many things that have happened within it. In such a situation, they would not have made only good decisions or kind decisions.

“I am Bae Deok-gi, the chairman of Hyunseong. If the person who supports me has a heart as weak as tofu, the company will stop as it is. Isn’t that right, Chief Choi?”

“That’s right, Chairman.”

Chief Choi also nodded. In fact, that was not wrong. He is also a person and did not want to make unpleasant decisions. But he had to make decisions, and that accumulated and returned in the form of cancer.

“Then…….”

“First of all, this is the minimum amount of information I’ve provided to you. If it was just about cutting these guys, I could do it on my own.”

“Then are you saying that I should find and deal with the rest?”

“Yes. You have to. This is the last test I’m giving you.”

At those words, Kang Do-wook bit his lip.

***

“So you’re saying to get rid of the spies inside?”

“Yes.”

Kang Do-wook was meeting someone in the dark.

The other person said to Kang Do-wook in a low voice.

“You’re not caught, are you?”

“I don’t think so. If that were the case, they wouldn’t have entrusted this to me. And what Chairman Bae Deok-gi said is not wrong either.”

“Well, that’s right.”

The man in the dark nodded. If it becomes a burden to the company, they will eventually have to cut it off. The company is an organization that struggles to survive, not an organization that feeds others.”