My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 717

“By the way, if we analyze those undecided voters, it breaks down roughly 20 to 20.”

“20 to 20?”

“Yes.”

20% carefully consider their own interests, the current political climate, and each candidate’s capabilities before deciding who to support.

“But the remaining 20% are simply swayed by the wind.”

It’s not that they’re necessarily judging the politician or their policies on their own merits. Instead, they’re influenced by public opinion and the prevailing atmosphere. When they hear who the popular choice is, they get caught up in the momentum and cast their votes for that person.

“That’s why it’s such a sensitive area.”

No matter what a candidate does, they’re likely to secure around 30% of the vote anyway. And another 20% will align based on specific policies. But the real battleground is that remaining 20%—the easily swayed.

“That’s why members of the National Assembly are so attuned to opinion polls.”

If one side gains a significant lead in the polls, that remaining 20% will likely swing sharply in that direction. Knowing this, politicians desperately try to either match the leading numbers in the polls or surpass their opponents.

“Right now, Hong Woo-jong is riding that wave of popularity. If we were to borrow a phrase from a popular drama, we’d have to say, ‘Ultimately, it’s Hong Woo-jong,’ right?”

In the end, the trend favors Hong Woo-jong.

That’s the extent to which Hong Woo-jong is benefiting from this surge in popularity.

“And it’s not easy to shatter that perception. No matter how established a National Assembly member you are, if you launch an attack without solid evidence, you’ll be crushed by the prevailing trend.”

In fact, many politicians have attempted to counter that trend, but the resulting backlash has led to their political downfall.

Even political attacks carry such risks, so what about leveling a murder accusation when there’s no consensus or clear evidence? At worst, they could face defamation charges, which could legally disqualify them from running for office. This is because a penalty exceeding one million won [approximately $800 USD] for an election-related offense triggers a five-year ban on holding elected office. From the moment a member of the National Assembly publicly accuses another, it’s treated as an election crime.

Even if that weren’t the case, it presents an opportunity for Hong Woo-jong to eliminate other potential presidential contenders, so he wouldn’t simply sue for simple defamation. He’d definitely pursue charges of election-related defamation.

“Hmm……”

“Knowing all this, the current members of the National Assembly will tread very carefully.”

Will they align themselves with Hong Woo-jong, who seems poised to become the next president? Or will they side with the anti-Hong Woo-jong faction to protect their own political careers and futures?

“And what they need is an excuse.”

“An excuse?”

“I’m referring to CEO Hong Geun-jong.”

“Me?”

“Yes, they’ll seize on this situation. But they’ll need someone to absorb the initial backlash, someone to act as a buffer.”

Of course, the bereaved family can’t fulfill that role. But…

“You’re suggesting I can.”

“Yes.”

After all, Hong Geun-jong isn’t a politician. He doesn’t have to fear the same kind of repercussions. Moreover, Daeguk Group’s primary business is in the defense industry.

In other words, it’s a sector where the government has little choice but to continue purchasing, regardless of public sentiment. And if they claim, ‘Hong Geun-jong reported it,’ Hong Geun-jong’s familial connection as a brother and his position as the current CEO of Daeguk Group will lend credibility to the information, inevitably lessening the punishment for any National Assembly member who acted on that information.

“Use me as a shield, allowing the members of the National Assembly to launch their attacks?”

Hong Geun-jong shook his head. He hadn’t considered that possibility. He has nothing to lose.

“If I can attack without suffering any losses, that’s ideal. Heh heh.”

Revenge ignited in Hong Geun-jong’s eyes. But Park Do-joon didn’t share that sentiment.

“You have to accept some losses.”

“Me? I have to take a loss? No, is that even possible? In the first place……”

“Yes, Daeguk Group has virtually no direct interaction with the general public.”

“That’s correct.”

“But the public needs to feel like they have some control over the target.”

“What do you mean?”

“It takes two hands to clap.” [idiom meaning both sides need to be involved to create a reaction]

Some members of the National Assembly might attack Hong Woo-jong. But it won’t be a powerful enough assault to significantly impact him. Media outlets aligned with the opposing faction will report on it, but Hong Woo-jong’s side will dismiss it as baseless and refuse to acknowledge it.

“In that scenario, only one side’s fire grows.”

It’s not an insignificant fire, but it’s not enough to truly threaten Hong Woo-jong’s position. After all, those who are attacking him weren’t likely to vote for him anyway.

“So, you have to fuel the fire on the other side as well.”

“But what does that have to do with Daeguk Group?”

“It has to be your personal loss, not Daeguk Group’s.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“If you were to run for the National Assembly, it would be a devastating blow to Hong Woo-jong.”

At those words, Hong Geun-jong’s jaw dropped. He couldn’t help it. It was a strategy he had never even contemplated.

“Me? A member of the National Assembly?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because we need to divide Hong Woo-jong’s votes. The largest portion of Hong Woo-jong’s support stems from sympathy. But there’s someone who has suffered the exact same loss, isn’t there?”

“Huh?”

Certainly, Hong Woo-jong’s loss and Hong Geun-jong’s situation share a common thread.

Because regardless of what happened, both lost their father.

“Moreover, you lost your fingers and toes due to an attack by an unknown assailant.”

“Don’t tell me?”

“Yes, you are an excellent alternative to Hong Woo-jong.”

If there’s no alternative, that party will try to protect Hong Woo-jong. But if there’s a viable alternative named Hong Geun-jong? It will be difficult to continue supporting Hong Woo-jong.

“Moreover, Hong Woo-jong is suspected of murder, two attempted murders, and two murders.”

Furthermore, this side has a firm grip on Daeguk Group, while Hong Woo-jong has nothing. In every aspect, Hong Geun-jong is the superior version of Hong Woo-jong.

“Hong Chang-sik instructed you to focus on the company, so you may have forgotten, but if you can’t deal with Hong Woo-jong first, the company becomes irrelevant.”

Someday, Hong Woo-jong will attempt to eliminate Hong Geun-jong and Hong Min-young.

“I see.”

“And in that situation, politicians will attack Hong Woo-jong without hesitation.”

If there’s a problem? They can shift the blame to Hong Geun-jong.

Hong Geun-jong? If there’s an issue, he can take responsibility and resign from politics.

In reality, Hong Geun-jong isn’t suited for politics in the first place. He needs to take over Daeguk Group.

“So, this is a form of mass psychology manipulation.”

Hong Woo-jong’s supporters will inevitably attack Hong Geun-jong, and to do so, they’ll have to bring the incidents involving Hong Woo-jong to light. Because Hong Woo-jong wasn’t the only one who benefited from Hong Chang-sik’s death. Strictly speaking, Hong Geun-jong also inherited a substantial fortune.

“In the end, both sides will be engulfed in flames.”

“Then what about the bereaved family’s announcement?”

“It’s bait, designed to remove the rose-colored glasses. And to ignite the fire.”

Hong Geun-jong nodded in response to Park Do-joon’s words.

“For revenge, dig two graves.” [Confucius quote]

“Of course, this grave is a fake grave.”

“I like it. Heh heh heh.”

Hong Geun-jong’s eyes gleamed with the anticipation of finally achieving his revenge.

As Park Do-joon predicted, the bereaved family’s press conference had minimal immediate impact. However, the members of the National Assembly who witnessed it, particularly the anti-Hong Woo-jong lawmakers, gradually began to discuss it.

They sensed something significant in Hong Geun-jong’s involvement, contacted him, and after hearing his suspicions, they started to voice their concerns one by one.

-Hong Woo-jong consistently benefited from all these incidents. Is this merely a coincidence?

-He was killed in China, but the US government stated that the perpetrator was Asian, not specifically Chinese. The word ‘China’ was deliberately omitted. And what advantage would there be in killing Hong Chang-sik in China?

-In Europe, there were also reports that the kidnapping of Hong Min-young was orchestrated by an Asian individual. What would be the motive for kidnapping Hong Min-young, who has no involvement in the business dealings in China?

-Hong Geun-jong assigned a bodyguard to Hong Min-young for safety reasons following his own attack. And then she was attacked. Both are heirs to the Daeguk Group. Conversely, Hong Woo-jong has never been targeted.

-If I were China, I would target Hong Woo-jong, who is the successor and a member of the National Assembly, not Hong Min-young.

As these discussions spread, Hong Woo-jong’s lips grew dry.

“This is……”

The initial spark was insignificant. It was the death of a girl that went largely unnoticed. But that death served as a catalyst, exposing Hong Woo-jong’s vulnerabilities.

If Hong Geun-jong had made these accusations himself, it would have been dismissed as a family feud. But with the emergence of a victim and the suspicion of murder, the additional accusations took on a different weight.

The presence of a third victim lends a degree of objectivity to the situation. Of course, Hong Woo-jong’s supporters emphasized that he was found not guilty in the case, and Hong Geun-jong also acknowledged that he benefited from Hong Chang-sik’s death.

But that wasn’t enough to quell the growing concerns.

Because even if the benefits from Hong Chang-sik’s death are acknowledged, it doesn’t justify attacking himself regarding the attacks on Hong Chang-sik and Hong Min-young. It also didn’t make sense for Hong Geun-jong to attack Hong Min-young because Hong Geun-jong sent a bodyguard in advance, so she survived.

The crucial point was that Hong Geun-jong wasn’t the one making these accusations. If Hong Geun-jong had spoken out, it could have been attributed to a succession battle, but Hong Geun-jong remained silent, and other politicians were raising the questions.

Consequently, other politicians are filing lawsuits and accusing him of the allegations, but there is a limit to blocking his mouth.

“You have to act quickly. At this rate, we’re all going to be ruined.”

Hong Woo-jong urgently visited Pyo Gi-il and pressed him for action. But Pyo Gi-il was also in a precarious position.

“The situation has shifted so suddenly? What exactly is happening?”

“Hong Geun-jong is behind this.”

“That’s right. Maybe……”

Because the politicians’ claims were plausible, Pyo Gi-il had no choice but to seriously consider the possibility. From Pyo Gi-il’s perspective, his career would be destroyed if he was supporting a serial killer.

“No. I am innocent. He fabricated everything.”

“Is that so?”

Whether he genuinely believed it or simply wanted to, Pyo Gi-il readily accepted Hong Woo-jong’s explanation.

“Arrest them immediately.”

“It’s not that simple. You know the National Assembly is still in session.”

He sued the members of the National Assembly who were spreading the accusations for defamation and spreading false information, but no matter how powerful the Prosecutor General was, he couldn’t easily punish or arrest them.

This is because the matter itself has become so big in the National Assembly. If he were to arrest them, there were more than one or two guys he had to catch.

But even if he requests a large number of arrest warrants during the session, will the National Assembly approve the arrest?

“What does your party say?”

“They say they will do their best to help.”

“What about the arrest approval?”

“That’s……”

“Then there’s not much we can do.”

No matter how much Hong Woo-jong’s party tries to support him, it’s not an easy task. First of all, the incident itself is too significant, and even though Hong Woo-jong’s power is considerable, there’s another faction within the party that’s tied to Hong Woo-jong by bad luck.

However, Hong Woo-jong’s faction had been so strong that they had been suppressed. But when a gap appeared, they immediately began to bite Hong Woo-jong.

“For now, the best we can do is send a summons.”

“If you don’t arrest him right away……”

“Assemblyman Hong, pull yourself together. The other party is also a member of the National Assembly. What will happen to our position if we arrest so many members of the National Assembly?”

‘Tsk.’

Hong Woo-jong glared at Pyo Gi-il upon hearing those words.

‘Damn bastard, you relied on me to get this far.’

“Your eyes are……”

“No. It’s. Not. Thing.”

Hong Woo-jong tried to control his expression. Pyo Gi-il was the only person he could rely on for help in the current situation.

“Everything else is fine, but what’s going on with that crazy bitch?”

“We’re preparing.”

“Please hurry. Things shouldn’t escalate any further.”

“But……”

Pyo Gi-il is also a prosecutor. And he could intuitively sense that Hong Woo-jong was involved in all of this.