My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 708

Hong Geun-jong had been prepared to meticulously investigate the personnel records and activities of everyone at the department head level or higher, but fortunately, it seemed that wouldn’t be necessary.

“You seem to have been close to my father.”

“We were very close.”

“But my father is my father, and I am me.”

“I know.”

Hong Geun-jong didn’t elaborate further.

Instead, he opened a drawer, retrieved a photo, placed it on the desk, and slid it across to Gong Chang-won.

“Find out everything you can about this person.”

“Is this someone outside the company?”

“Someone internally connected, but in a negative way. How long will you need?”

“Five days? No, three days will suffice.”

“I’ll wait.”

Gong Chang-won bowed his head and left. Hong Geun-jong chuckled as he watched him go.

“I didn’t realize there was something like this going on inside. Hahaha.”

Gong Chang-won returned to Hong Geun-jong precisely three days later.

He presented the investigation results along with the photo.

“Something’s a bit different with the print quality.”

“That’s because it’s not a company printer. For security reasons, we use a low-end inkjet printer instead of a laser printer.”

“Ah!”

Indeed, laser printers have their own information storage function.

Most people aren’t aware of it, and the storage capacity is quite limited, so past records disappear after a few printouts. However, it’s true that the file is stored, however briefly, once it’s transferred from the computer.

Low-end inkjet printers, on the other hand, either lack such a function or have a much smaller capacity due to their low-end nature, causing the information to disappear even faster.

“The person’s name is Kim Song-rim. She is currently under investigation for arranging prostitution. However, the likelihood of her being punished in connection with that is not high.”

“Is that so?”

Hong Geun-jong remained indifferent, even after hearing that. He already knew.

Gong Chang-won, however, had to tread carefully, even knowing that. Handing over this photo and ordering an investigation was essentially forcing him to pledge his allegiance.

“CEO, I did my best.”

“If that were truly satisfactory, you would be a Managing Director, not just a Department Head.”

Gong Chang-won took a deep breath at those words. Beyond Director, to Managing Director. That meant granting him power once again.

And that was a secret and considerable force.

“Kim Song-rim committed perjury in the case against Congressman Hong Woo-jong in the past. In a murder case where Congressman Hong Woo-jong was a suspect, she provided an alibi for him by testifying that she was with him at the time, which cleared him of suspicion.”

Hong Geun-jong spoke coldly.

“If that’s all you have, even the title of Department Head is a waste, isn’t it? Reporting things I already know isn’t what I call information.”

At Hong Geun-jong’s words, Gong Chang-won continued.

“The person who orchestrated that at the time was former Chairman Hong Chang-sik.”

‘So it was my father?’

Park Do-joon had mentioned it, but he still harbored some doubts.

Hong Geun-jong could only smile bitterly at the confirmation.

“It couldn’t have been your father who ordered you to do it directly, could it?”

“The person who handled the actual work at that time was Director Eun Gyo-pyeong, who is now deceased.”

“Director Eun Gyo-pyeong, huh…….”

Hong Geun-jong knew him as well. He was his father’s right-hand man and the one who helped build the Daeguk Group with his father.

“Certainly, he would have done something like that.”

He had worked with him for a while, and he wasn’t known for being particularly good or righteous. Perhaps if Park Do-joon had analyzed him, he would have pegged him as someone who would do anything to protect the Daeguk Group he had built, and he certainly acted that way.

“So?”

But that wasn’t enough.

Of course, by providing this information, Gong Chang-won meant to show that he was firmly on Hong Geun-jong’s side. Nevertheless, the information wasn’t sufficient to warrant him the position of Managing Director.

“Hong Woo-jong murdered his old girlfriend, and then Chairman Hong Chang-sik covered up the incident. At that time, the circumstantial evidence was unfavorable to Hong Woo-jong, so there was a need to fabricate evidence. Since there was no direct evidence, it was enough to discredit the circumstantial evidence to avoid punishment. So, Director Eun Gyo-pyeong decided to find someone who would provide an alibi for him.”

“But there’s no evidence of that, is there? And there’s no information on how Kim Song-rim is specifically related to that case.”

“First of all, Chairman Hong Chang-sik personally ordered the deletion of all related evidence and even confirmed the deletion himself.”

In other words, there was nothing to submit as concrete evidence.

“So, finding that out means you heard it from the people involved at the time.”

Director Eun Gyo-pyeong was dead, but the people who worked under him were still employed within the company.

And they wanted to regain their influence through Gong Chang-won. That’s why they told him everything about Hong Woo-jong, who had already become a discarded pawn in their eyes.

Since Hong Woo-jong wasn’t even aware of their existence, he couldn’t retaliate even if he knew, and even if he wanted to, retaliation would be impossible if this information became public.

“Hmm.”

Hong Geun-jong’s expression showed that he was pleased. Creating a system wouldn’t be difficult then.

Bringing in the people who were skilled at their jobs meant that the system was already taking shape.

“Good. Director Gong, that’s information I like.”

Gong Chang-won swallowed hard at the word Director.

‘But still, this won’t be enough.’

It was definitely important information, but it wasn’t enough to get rid of Hong Woo-jong.

Because Hong Woo-jong’s power was too deeply entrenched to be ousted solely on the testimony of company insiders.

That’s why Gong Chang-won risked everything and searched tirelessly for three days.

And now it was time to negotiate, no, to gamble with Hong Geun-jong using the results.

“Section Chief Joo Gi-chan brought Kim Song-rim into the picture.”

“Section Chief Joo Gi-chan?”

“Section Chief Joo Gi-chan was working in the electronics department at the time, and he had an affair, no, a sponsorship relationship with Kim Song-rim.”

“Hoo?”

Hong Geun-jong was intrigued by this new information.

Because it was something he didn’t know.

“Tell me in detail.”

“Section Chief Joo Gi-chan was financially supporting Kim Song-rim at the time, but he was caught by his wife and was in the midst of a divorce lawsuit. As a result of the divorce, he had to pay a considerable amount of alimony and was about to lose his house.”

“So?”

“And at that point, he desperately needed to find a way to get money.”

“So, perjury was the solution?”

“That’s right.”

Certainly, it was plausible if that was the situation.

“Then, was Joo Gi-chan originally someone who worked under my father?”

“That wasn’t the case. But after that incident, he came to work under the Chairman.”

In other words, he grabbed onto any lifeline to survive, and in the process, he ended up working in the shadows.

“Then what happened after that?”

“Joo Gi-chan and Kim Song-rim each received money and then ended their relationship. After that, their connection was severed.”

“Can’t we tie them together again?”

“Unfortunately, the Chairman personally deleted the related evidence about Joo Gi-chan as well.”

As Park Do-joon said, everything was coming to light, but there was nothing to prove it definitively.

However, that was enough for Hong Geun-jong.

‘Even this much will help Park Do-joon.’

Hong Geun-jong was confident. Although there was no concrete evidence, there was Park Do-joon, who knew how to manipulate people.

So he stood up and extended his hand to Gong Chang-won.

“Let’s work well together, Managing Director Gong Chang-won.”

Gong Chang-won’s face lit up at those words.

“I look forward to working with you, CEO… no, Chairman!”

# How to Shake People

“It’s history.”

Park Do-joon wasn’t particularly surprised. It was easy to predict that things would unfold in such a manner, given the existing power structure.

“So, there’s no evidence at this point. What are we going to do? Should we pressure Joo Gi-chan to testify?”

Park Do-joon shook his head at Hong Woo-jong’s suggestion.

“It won’t accomplish anything. Even if Joo Gi-chan testifies now, the police and prosecutors won’t accept it.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s not a simple problem, CEO.”

Accepting Joo Gi-chan’s testimony would mean that not only would the records related to Joo Gi-chan have to be changed, but also the records related to the police and prosecutors would be called into question. That would effectively prove that the prosecutors and police had taken bribes and covered up the case.

“There’s no way the police and prosecutors who know that would take that testimony seriously.”

“Ah!”

Knowing that, the prosecutors and police would actively try to suppress Joo Gi-chan’s claims.

“They’ll probably punish him for false accusation with a high probability.”

And after Joo Gi-chan is punished for false accusation, anything he says afterward will, of course, be discredited.

“But unfortunately, there’s no evidence.”

His father, Hong Chang-sik, erased everything perfectly, whether it was out of concern for his son or for himself.

“Even if we make it public, the police and prosecutors won’t believe it if it’s as you say.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then what should we do?”

“We have to shake Hong Woo-jong.”

“Hong Woo-jong is a tough guy.”

He’s a man who can kill his brothers and father without batting an eye. But would such a man be easily shaken?

But Park Do-joon had a different perspective.

“It’s possible because they’re others. Humans have no choice but to be shaken when others are involved.”

“It’s possible because they’re others?”

“That’s right.”

Even if they are family, they are still ‘others’ from Hong Woo-jong’s point of view. That’s why he can kill them without hesitation.

“But humans have fears about everything. Especially when something that had completely disappeared suddenly resurfaces.”

“Resurfaces?”

“Hong Woo-jong’s incident is very likely to be the trigger that started him killing.”

That’s why it was so clumsy and mistake-prone.

Perhaps if Hong Chang-sik hadn’t intervened, Hong Woo-jong would have gone to jail for that incident.

“And Hong Woo-jong knows that.”

“Hmm.”

“Learning is, well, an act based on fear to some extent.”

“Learning is based on fear?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

People strive not to fall behind others and to move forward more quickly than others.

And in the process, they try to acquire the necessary information.

“That’s learning. It’s not just learning Korean, English, and Math. In fact, it’s common for students who learn Korean, English, and Math to be motivated by such fears.”

From mild scolding like, ‘What are you going to do with your life?’, to constant comparisons with the ubiquitous ‘mom’s friend’s son’ [a common Korean expression for someone who is perceived as being more successful], and even insults like, ‘You’re trash’….

The purpose is to instill fear in the student and create stress, stimulating the feeling that ‘you’re falling behind.’

By doing so, they hope the student will come to their senses and study.

“The so-called bullies give up studying altogether. Why is that?”

“Well? I don’t know.”

“They have no fear of the future.”