My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 706

Hong Geun-jong drew a firm line as he took a sip from his coffee cup.

Of course, Park Do-joon knew that.

That’s why he had come to Hong Geun-jong.

“I know. But at the same time, you’re not the type to make a direct move.”

“What are you saying?”

“You’ve been ruling by using others for decades. Naturally, you have the ability to judge what you can and cannot do.”

“Hmm.”

“Your father, Hong Chang-sik, knew that his most powerful weapon wasn’t his physical strength but his name and the money he controlled. Considering that the prosecutor in charge of the case was banished all the way to Haenam [a remote region in South Korea, often seen as a place of exile or demotion], he used it faithfully.”

“I suppose.”

“And Hong Chang-sik would be the type to run an organization that handles such dirty work. Isn’t that right?”

At those words, Hong Geun-jong paused, lifting his coffee cup.

Then, he smacked his lips and put the cup down.

“You’re not going to tell me there’s no such organization, are you? Knowing your style in the past, Hong Geun-jong, you can’t possibly be unaware of such organizations, can you?”

“I forgot what kind of person you are.”

Hong Geun-jong said with a bitter smile.

“It’s not just me; most organizations run something like that. It’s just that the name changes depending on how they operate it.”

Some exploit legal loopholes under the guise of a legal team, some walk a tightrope between legality and illegality with planning teams, and some move secretly without leaving any trace.

“And considering the Daeguk Group’s approach, they would have preferred a completely underground operation.”

Daeguk Group is a company that achieved success as a military contractor.

To do that in Korea, they inevitably had to give huge bribes to generals.

And such an organization can never come into the light.

“And that organization is probably still maintained, right?”

“…….”

“Well, I understand even if you don’t say it. Just because the CEO’s style has changed doesn’t mean the generals have stopped accepting bribes.”

Since he wasn’t the chairman yet, Park Do-joon called him CEO, and Hong Geun-jong smiled bitterly.

And Park Do-joon’s words were not wrong.

Hong Woo-jong’s attempted murder on him and his father’s betrayal and death had changed him a lot, but that didn’t mean the generals or politicians stopped demanding bribes.

In the defense industry, bribes were realistically an indispensable element.

Naturally, an organization was needed to secretly deliver or handle them.

“Okay. I admit it. It’s not that there isn’t one. And some of them probably handled matters related to Hong Woo-jong secretly, as you said. They probably used that place to recruit that woman, Kim Song-rim. The problem is, I don’t know who did it. And the person in question won’t tell me.”

Saying that, Hong Geun-jong smiled bitterly.

“I knew about that organization and used it to some extent. But all I know is about lobbying. Realistically, I don’t know anything about the area outside of lobbying, that is, the direct group that my father operated.”

‘I thought so.’

It was somewhat understandable. There was evidence everywhere that Hong Chang-sik recognized even his children as rivals threatening his position once they became adults.

So, he wouldn’t have made the mistake of sharing everything in that situation.

Therefore, it was not difficult to expect that he would have an organization operating secretly under him.

“It would be difficult to pressure that woman to testify that she committed perjury, right?”

“It’s impossible. It’s true that Kim Song-rim committed perjury, but that’s just an excuse to cover up the case.”

If they had investigated properly, it wouldn’t have been difficult to find out that it was perjury.

In fact, it was true that she approached Jo Yu-soon, who was with her at the time.

But despite that, the case was covered up. And given the nature of the prosecution and the court, even if Kim Song-rim confessed to perjury now, they would ignore it or find other evidence of innocence.

“Furthermore, Hong Woo-jong is currently a leading presidential candidate. But Kim Song-rim is under investigation for prostitution and murder. So, it could be seen that Kim Song-rim is pressuring Hong Woo-jong to get rid of her charges.”

Park Do-joon said that and looked at Hong Geun-jong.

“If you say you met Hong Geun-jong, that will become the accepted theory.”

“Damn it.”

At those words, Hong Geun-jong gritted his teeth. It seemed like almost everything that could bring down Hong Woo-jong had surfaced, but the decisive blow to bring down Hong Woo-jong was not coming.

If only that one thing would explode, he could bring down Hong Woo-jong.

“So, we have to find another way.”

“But… Ugh, I don’t even have a clue who my father ordered to do that.”

“So, we have to set a trap.”

“A trap?”

“From that person’s point of view, the current situation is not to their liking.”

“What do you mean?”

“They devoted their loyalty while doing dirty work secretly. And the target was your father, Chairman Hong Chang-sik. But suddenly, Chairman Hong Chang-sik passed away, and no one knows that fact. We usually call that being a kite without a string [a Korean idiom for someone who has lost their support or direction].”

“So?”

“What do you think it would be like if they were about to be abandoned in that situation?”

“They would feel wronged.”

“Extremely wronged.”

Of course, since he was Hong Chang-sik’s right-hand man, he could endure all that with loyalty alone.

But such people are extremely rare in modern society.

Loyalty in modern times is closer to being rewarded commensurate with your efforts.

No one likes living as a slave who is exploited and ignored as in the past, packaged as loyalty.

Anyway, he devoted his loyalty to Hong Chang-sik and did all sorts of dirty work.

But suddenly, Hong Chang-sik died, and he was left adrift.

“In that situation, they will want to find their place.”

“What does that have to do with finding that guy?”

“To do dirty work, the job has to have two sides.”

“Huh?”

“If everyone is competing for the same job, and someone secretly receives additional work, wouldn’t that person be at a disadvantage?”

“Ah!”

Naturally, at that point, there would be a negative impact on their personnel evaluation to some extent.

If Hong Chang-sik were alive, he could give enough favor to compensate for that minus, but that is not possible at this point.

“But I can’t go to them and tell them the truth. No, it’s ambiguous to do that in the first place.”

“So, we have to make them come.”

“How?”

“There’s a saying, new wine must be put in new bottles [a common idiom meaning new methods are needed for new situations].”

“So?”

“It’s not particularly strange for a company’s CEO to lay off middle managers.”

Park Do-joon said as if it were obvious.

“Ah!”

Inevitably, the guys who moved under Hong Chang-sik’s orders must be in high positions to some extent.

Hong Chang-sik would not cover up such dirty work for assistant managers or section chiefs whose loyalty to him had not been proven.

Furthermore, there is the issue of compensation. There would be compensation in cash for each dirty job handled, but giving a plausible title within the company would also be one of the compensations.

Naturally, such guys are likely to be in the mid-to-upper level, probably team leaders or department heads.

Directors are closer to administrative positions than field workers, and they are so few that they are monitored by those around them.

And they are not workers protected by labor laws, but office workers.

“If you cut them off, they will probably be desperate.”

“But I don’t think they will talk just because they are cut off, will they?”

If they reveal information because they are cut off, they may be in even more danger.

“So, we have to create a way out.”

“A way out?”

“As I said, even if the CEO tries to change, the Ministry of National Defense and politicians will not change.”

“That’s right.”

“And there must be a dedicated department to manage them.”

“That’s right.”

“And you said earlier that very few people know about it, right?”

“That’s… Ah!”

Of course, most of the people who know are still not at a high enough level.

And this is a more serious problem than you think.

Because people like to stratify levels and judge according to those levels.

For example, sending a section chief to a general? They will probably curse inwardly.

The maximum officer that a section chief can cover is a field grade officer at best.

The lobbying staff in charge of generals must be at least department heads, and if they are 3-star generals or higher, they must have a director-level title to be treated with respect.

“So, we have to find someone who can do that.”

“You mean?”

“The name doesn’t matter. Whether it’s the Strategic Planning Office or the Future Strategic Planning Department. Advocate to create a department that will handle such tasks.”

And if that happens, the guys who used to do that will want to get in there. Because that’s what they used to do.

“And they will try to prove themselves for that.”

Either get cut off or become the core of secret power.

“Those who have tasted power once cannot give it up. It is said that even cats leave an escape hole when cornering a mouse, right? And they will flock to the only mouse hole.”

And all they had to do was catch them.

The Daeguk Group’s personnel adjustment announcement stimulated fear in all employees.

It wasn’t just personnel adjustments.

“Did you hear the rumor?”

“Yeah, they’re laying off middle management, right?”

Near the vending machine on the roof of the Daeguk Group, employees gathered and always talked about that.

“Will we be okay?”

“We’re just regular employees anyway. Nothing will happen to us, right?”

“I guess so. The announcement is about firing managers anyway.”

To put it nicely, it’s streamlining management, but to put it bluntly, it means they’re going to cut off the old guys in the middle who don’t do any work.

“But why suddenly?”

“I know.”

However, no one understood the reason for suddenly making such a decision. But one person intervened between the two people in such a conversation.

“It’s understandable.”

“Assistant Manager Choi, do you know something?”

“It’s not that I know, it’s that you guys don’t know because you haven’t been here long enough.”

“Yes?”

“Our company’s chairman is vacant right now.”

“That’s right, isn’t it?”

Officially, the chairman’s position has been vacant since Chairman Hong Chang-sik died.

It’s normal for Hong Geun-jong to take the position, and in fact, Hong Geun-jong and Hong Min-young are trying to do that by joining forces.

“But who is opposing that?”