5화 뒤로 받는 돈

Kate가 이상한 이야기를 들은 것은 몇 달 뒤였다.

원단 업체를 바꾸는 회의가 끝난 날이었다.

중국인 동료 하나가 사무실 밖에서 Kate에게 말했다.

“이번에도 저 업체로 가네요.”

“품질 괜찮잖아요.”

동료가 잠깐 망설였다.

“비싸잖아요.”

“조금 비싸지.”

“최 과장님이 저 업체 좋아해요.”

Kate가 웃었다.

“일 잘하니까 좋아하겠지.”

동료는 더 말하지 않았다.

그런데 마지막에 한마디를 덧붙였다.

“그런 뜻 아니에요.”

며칠 뒤 Kate는 다른 사람에게 비슷한 이야기를 들었다.

미선이 몇몇 공급업체에서 돈을 받는다는 이야기였다.

Kate는 처음에는 믿지 않았다.

“무슨 돈?”

“소개비 같은 거요.”

“누가 그래?”

“다 알아요.”

그 말이 더 싫었다.

누가 얼마를 언제 받았는지는 아무도 정확히 말하지 못하면서 모두가 안다고 했다.

Kate는 그런 이야기를 좋아하지 않았다.

사람 하나를 소문으로 판단하고 싶지 않았다.

그런데 어느 날 김 전무와 외근을 나갔다가 차 안에서 이야기가 나왔다.

Kate가 조심스럽게 물었다.

“전무님, 최 과장님이 업체에서 돈 받는다는 얘기 아세요?”

김 전무는 놀라지 않았다.

“알지.”

Kate가 김 전무를 봤다.

“알아요?”

“응.”

“진짜로 받는 거예요?”

“받겠지.”

Kate는 잠깐 말을 잃었다.

“회사에서도 알아요?”

김 전무가 웃었다.

“회사라는 게 누구야?”

“본사요.”

“본사가 중국에서 일어나는 걸 다 어떻게 알아.”

“전무님은 아시잖아요.”

“나는 알지.”

Kate가 물었다.

“그런데 그냥 둬요?”

김 전무는 창밖을 보며 말했다.

“최미선이 우리한테 벌어다주는 돈이 얼마인데.”

“그래도 회사 돈과 관련된 업체에서 개인적으로 돈을 받는 거잖아요.”

“그래.”

“그럼 문제 아닌가요?”

김 전무는 한숨을 쉬었다.

“Kate, 중국에서 너무 깨끗하게만 하려고 하면 아무것도 못 해.”

Kate는 그 말을 듣는 순간 기분이 나빠졌다.

김 전무가 계속 말했다.

“조선족 쓰면서 무슨 도덕성을 기대해. 중국에서 뒷돈을 주는 건 문화야. 우린 그 문화를 못 바꿔.”

Kate가 바로 말했다.

“그건 너무 심한 말 아닌가요?”

김 전무는 Kate를 보지도 않았다.

“내 말 끝까지 들어.”

그리고 말했다.

“대신 최미선이 받는 뒷돈 이상을 벌어다줄 수 있으면 그만이야. 그 가치를 하는 걸 알기 때문에 그냥 두는 거라고.”

Kate는 한동안 아무 말도 하지 않았다.

김 전무의 말은 마음에 들지 않았다.

미선이 조선족이라는 사실과 돈을 받는 일을 연결하는 것도 싫었다.

중국에서는 다 그렇다는 식으로 말하는 것도 싫었다.

하지만 한 가지는 피할 수 없었다.

미선이 실제로 돈을 받고 있다는 이야기였다.

Kate가 물었다.

“얼마나 받는데요?”

“그걸 내가 어떻게 알아.”

“그런데 어떻게 괜찮다고 해요?”

김 전무가 웃었다.

“그러니까 너는 아직 멀었다는 거야.”

Kate는 더 묻지 않았다.

그날부터 Kate는 미선을 볼 때마다 마음이 복잡했다.

미선은 여전히 일을 잘했다.

한 업체에서 원단 납기가 늦어지자 미선이 전화 몇 통으로 다른 공장에서 물량을 확보했다.

대금 문제로 공급업체가 출고를 막으려 하자 직접 찾아가 해결했다.

새로 온 한국 직원이 계약 내용을 잘못 이해했을 때도 미선이 먼저 발견했다.

없으면 회사가 불편해지는 사람인 것은 분명했다.

하지만 그것과 돈을 받는 문제는 다른 일이었다.

Kate는 그 둘을 한꺼번에 이해할 수 없었다.

어느 오후였다.

미선의 책상 위에 작은 종이가 하나 놓여 있었다.

공급업체 대표가 두고 간 것이었다.

은행 계좌번호와 숫자가 적혀 있었다.

미선은 Kate가 보는 앞에서 종이를 접어 서랍에 넣었다.

Kate가 물었다.

“그게 뭐예요?”

미선이 Kate를 봤다.

둘의 눈이 잠깐 마주쳤다.

“나중에 얘기해요.”

“뭔데요?”

미선은 잠시 생각하더니 말했다.

“Kate가 생각하는 그거 맞아요.”

Kate는 더 묻지 못했다.

미선도 변명하지 않았다.

그게 오히려 더 불편했다.

퇴근길에 Kate는 김 전무의 말을 다시 생각했다.

**그 가치를 하는 걸 알기 때문에 그냥 두는 거라고.**

그 말대로라면 회사는 몰라서 내버려두는 것이 아니었다.

알면서도 필요했기 때문에 모르는 척하는 것이었다.

그러면 Kate에게는 새로운 질문이 생겼다.

언젠가 문제가 생기면 그때도 회사는 같은 말을 할까.

**우리는 알고 있었다.**

Kate는 왠지 그렇지 않을 것 같았다.

English

It was a few months later that Kate heard a strange story.

It was the day a meeting about changing fabric suppliers ended.

One of the Chinese coworkers spoke to Kate outside the office.

"So that supplier was selected again this time."

"Their **quality** is fine, isn't it?"

The coworker hesitated for a moment.

"But they're expensive."

"They're a little expensive."

"Ms. Choi likes that supplier."

Kate smiled.

"She probably likes them because they do good work."

The coworker said nothing more.

But at the very end, the coworker added one more thing.

"That's not what I meant."

A few days later, Kate heard a similar story from someone else.

The story was that money was paid to Miseon by some suppliers.

At first, Kate did not believe it.

"What money?"

"Something like a referral fee."

"Who says so?"

"Everybody knows."

She liked that answer even less.

No one could say exactly who had taken how much, or when, and yet everyone said they knew.

Kate did not like stories like that.

She did not want to judge a person by a **rumor**.

Then one day, while Kate was out of the office on business with Director Kim, the story came up in the car.

Kate asked carefully.

"Director Kim, do you know about the story that Ms. Choi takes money from suppliers?"

Director Kim was not surprised.

"I know."

Kate looked at Director Kim.

"You know about it?"

"Yes."

"Is she really taking money?"

"She probably is."

For a moment, Kate could not find any words.

"Does the company know, too?"

Director Kim laughed.

"Who is 'the company'?"

"Headquarters."

"How would headquarters know everything that happens in China?"

"But you know about it, Director Kim."

"I do know."

Kate asked.

"And you just **tolerate** it?"

Director Kim said, looking out the window.

"Do you know how much money Miseon Choi brings in for us?"

"Even so, she is taking money for herself from suppliers that the company pays."

"That's right."

"Then isn't that a problem?"

Director Kim let out a sigh.

"Kate, in China, if you try too hard to keep things clean, you can't get anything done."

The moment she heard those words, Kate felt upset.

Director Kim went on.

"What kind of morals do you expect when you hire ethnic Koreans from China? In China, giving kickbacks is part of the culture. We can't change that culture."

Kate spoke up right away.

"Isn't that going too far?"

Director Kim did not even look at Kate.

"Listen to me until I finish."

And then Director Kim said.

"In return, if Miseon Choi can bring in more than the kickbacks she takes, that's enough. That's why it's tolerated — because we know she's worth it."

For a while, Kate said nothing.

She did not like what Director Kim had said.

She hated the way the fact that Miseon was an ethnic Korean was linked to her taking money.

She also hated the way it was said, as if everyone in China were like that.

But there was one thing she could not get away from.

It was the story that Miseon was actually taking money.

Kate asked.

"How much does she take?"

"How would I know that?"

"Then how can you say it's all right?"

Director Kim laughed.

"That's why I say you still have a long way to go."

Kate did not ask anything more.

From that day on, Kate had mixed feelings whenever she saw Miseon.

Miseon was still good at her job.

When a fabric delivery from one supplier was running late, Miseon got enough fabric from another factory with a few phone calls.

When a supplier tried to hold back a **shipment** over a payment problem, she went there herself and solved it.

When a Korean employee who had just arrived misunderstood what a contract said, Miseon was also the first to notice.

She was clearly someone without whom the company would have a hard time.

But that was one thing, and taking money was another.

Kate could not understand the two things at the same time.

It was one afternoon.

A small piece of paper was lying on Miseon's desk.

It had been left there by the supplier's owner.

A bank account number and some numbers were written on it.

While Kate watched, Miseon folded the paper and put it in her **drawer**.

Kate asked.

"What's that?"

Miseon looked at Kate.

For a moment, their eyes met.

"Let's talk about it later."

"What is it?"

Miseon thought for a moment, then said.

"It's what you think it is, Kate."

Kate could not ask anything more.

Miseon did not make any excuses, either.

If anything, that was even more uncomfortable.

On her way home from work, Kate thought again about what Director Kim had said.

*That's why it's tolerated — because we know she's worth it.*

If things were as Director Kim said, it was not that the company left it alone because it did not know.

It was that the company knew, but because it needed her, it pretended not to know.

In that case, Kate had a new question.

If something went wrong one day, would the company say the same thing then?

*We knew.*

Somehow, Kate did not think it would.