Getting Approval from Otherworld Clients - Chapter 13

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 13.
The most effective
method of treatment is—
Why! Why! Why in the world!
Why are you calling me again!
Am I some chatbot you summon whenever you’re bored?!
Like a recurring déjà vu, I dropped my bag at my desk the moment I arrived and headed straight for the top floor where the CEO was waiting.
Ding—
I stepped out of the elevator and walked down the long corridor toward the CEO’s Office.
I passed the Secretary’s Office.
‘Right, I shouldn’t be startled if I see Morris again today.’
I made my way past the artworks and artifacts decorating the hallway.
‘…and I’ll make sure my bag doesn’t catch on anything this time.’
The collection spanning multiple nations never ceased to impress me whenever I saw it. But then I stopped short at the sight of an antique ornament displayed in a glass case.
Wait, is that—
……a Cross?!
“Looking at a Cross does give me a tingling sensation, but it’s fine! In fact, there’s something stimulating about it—a dopamine rush, you might say. Ah, it’s rather like how young people enjoy eating málà hotpot these days!”
Blaire, who had materialized behind me without warning, suddenly struck up a conversation.
I flinched in surprise and instinctively covered the back of my neck with my hand.
‘Will that look disrespectful?’
I quickly shifted to scratching the nape of my neck awkwardly to cover my tracks.
Come to think of it, I’d imagined using a Cross to exorcise this contract into oblivion, but that won’t work. …Would garlic do the trick?
“Morris is on leave today, so I brought the refreshments myself! Come, let’s step inside and chat.”
Well, today there’s no severed head in sight.
I regrettably missed the chance to test my nerves, but there’s nothing for it!
“Yes, I wonder what brings me here today.”
We entered the CEO’s Office and took our seats.
Today it was the same—a regular-size Iced Americano with a paper straw.
“Lee Hyun, it’s been a month since you joined us, hasn’t it? How are you finding the work?”
A month already—I was genuinely startled.
The fact that I’d completed two major projects in such a short span was astonishing!
“…It’s been a period of growth through diverse experiences.”
I couldn’t very well say “Hey, why do you give work like that?” in front of a vampire, so I went with a textbook-perfect response.
“Ha ha ha, you’re still quite eager! That’s good, good—such a fitting attitude for a newcomer.”
Blaire continued with a cheerful laugh.
“The first quarter is coming to a close, so I called you in for a Quarterly Evaluation Meeting and to discuss the repayment results!”
Ah, come to think of it, I hadn’t seen the client evaluation results that Minotaur had mentioned.
…….
How did it turn out? W—
If I failed, would I lose my left leg?
“Your handling of the labyrinth theme park project was excellent, by the way. It’s rare to see an A+ rating like that!”
Phew…!
Fortunately, the client’s response translated into an honest score.
Right, I even rewrote the entire proposal, so if there’s any conscience here, you ought to be generous about it.
“Since we handled the consulting work on our end, you received a substantial additional fee beyond the initial estimate. Thanks to that, you’ve successfully repaid the first quarter’s target amount. Congratulations!”
The CEO snapped his fingers, and the previous Employment Contract materialized in the air once more.

⊙ Quarter 1 – 30,000,000 Won (Repayment Complete)
Proxy Collection: Left leg
⊙ Quarter 2 – 110,000,000 Won
Proxy Collection: Left arm, right leg
⊙ Quarter 3 – 110,000,000 Won
Proxy Collection: One kidney, half of liver
⊙ Quarter 4 – 110,000,000 Won
Proxy Collection: Left eye
“Well, roughly 40% of you was tentatively mine, but now it’s down to about 30%.”
Don’t joke about something so macabre…
What’s more, last time with the tentacle monster, he told me exactly how much bonus compensation I’d received, but now he’s suddenly clamming up about it.
……There’s definitely a hunch I exceeded the first quarter’s target amount!
“By any chance, did additional compensation come in beyond the target? If so, I’m curious whether it would be applied to reducing next quarter’s debt.”
“Unfortunately, it won’t roll over to the next quarter. Isn’t it written at the bottom of the contract?”
At that, I examined the paper before me more carefully.
…Is he joking? It’s written in almost 4-point font—how am I supposed to read that?
“Instead, we’ll distribute it as a quarterly performance bonus! Excellent—now let’s move on to the bonus discussion.”
So there’s a performance bonus system.
I perked up at what was, above all else, the most important matter.
“Now, since you started in early March, we’ll calculate the Brand Design Team’s results from that period, and… we’ll have to exclude the damage Pascal caused to the client’s fixtures. And do you know about the bonus point system?”
“The bonus point system? No, I’ve never heard of it.”
“Pascal must not have mentioned it! That team lead has been looking out for people in his own way, but he never takes credit for it. Apparently he’s a bit shy about those things!”
The blonde man explained in his characteristically low, pleasant voice.
“Since joining, you’ve been the one presenting the final design concepts in front of clients, haven’t you?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Though to be honest, there have only been two projects since I started.
“Have you heard that the top design contributor is the one who presents?”
“Yes, I’ve heard that much.”
“When we calculate bonuses, we factor in both team performance and individual performance separately. And the biggest component in individual performance evaluation is being the final presenter.”
Blaire pulled out a calculator.
The fact that he used an actual calculator instead of a smartphone app was oddly retro.
“All right, let me add up your team performance and individual evaluation. …Oh, your first-quarter bonus comes to ten million won total. Congratulations—that’s quite a substantial amount for having only one month on the books!”
What?!
Only a month of work, and that’s on top of my regular salary, and the bonus is this much?!
‘Wow…’
Pre-tax, that meant roughly seventeen million won would hit my account this month—I couldn’t wrap my head around this sudden windfall.
…So that wolf of a man threw me straight into presentations as a newcomer, but it was actually his way of looking out for me. I suppose I owe him some gratitude for that.
“Ha ha ha, bravo! I present bonuses in person just to see this expression. Of course, conducting quarterly evaluations is also part of the CEO’s duty!”
The CEO said this while clapping his leather-gloved hands together.
“Now then, let’s have our evaluation meeting. Is there anything about your work life that’s been uncomfortable?”
Well… I think I had about ninety-nine complaints about the company, but this shocking amount seems to have made me forget all of them.
“Nothing major at present. If I think of something later, I’ll reach out separately.”
“Some of the other employees come in with a list each evaluation and rattle off their complaints one after another, but you’re quite modest, Lee Hyun! That’s understandable—it probably isn’t easy for a newcomer to voice their opinions.”
To be honest, I was worried about coming across as too presumptuous for someone at the newcomer stage.
I didn’t want to stand out, after all.
“As time goes on, you’ll feel more comfortable speaking up. Well, let’s wrap up this quarter’s evaluation, and I should call the next person… Though they seem to have no patience. Looks like they’re already here.”
And with that, there came a knock—tap tap.
The polite knock on the door quickly turned into a rough bang—and at the same moment, the door swung open.
…He didn’t kick it open, did he?
“Welcome, Pascal! You’re always so eager—I was about to send you a message once this evaluation ended, but here you are already!”
“You call me in every single quarter without fail through a hundred years’ worth of time. Do you even have anything left to talk about?”
Wow… A team lead speaking informally to the company CEO. Now that’s a sight.
Faced with a scene even more surreal than Greek and Roman mythology, I quietly tried to slip out of the CEO’s office.
…Worrying that my head might burst from the tension.
“Ha ha ha, employee concerns can change over a hundred years’ time, so quarterly evaluations are essential! Especially for the team lead of the Brand Design Team, which hit the jackpot in performance this quarter.”
“The kid pulled in all those results, so talk to them instead.”
Pascal pointed directly at me.
…No, no, no. Please don’t drag me into this tense conversation!
I was pushing my chair back to escape quietly when I froze at the gazes fixed upon me.
“Isn’t the credit of a team member also the credit of the team lead?! The evaluation came out so well—why don’t you talk up the project a bit!”
Blaire paused mid-speech, as if suddenly remembering something.
“Ah, that’s why I bring this up—there’s an announcement. Since Lee Hyun is here, you might as well hear this together!”
Ugh. I really don’t want to be in this atmosphere.
But lacking the nerve to defy the CEO the way that wolf of a man does, I obediently sat and listened.
“I heard that in the theme park project you recently completed, the Brand Design Team participated extensively in planning as well. You even offered a counter-proposal to the client, I’m told? That’s truly remarkable achievement!”
…Why is he suddenly praising us?
In a company, receiving praise for your abilities is about as ominous a sign as they come.
“With the Planning Department dissolved, I’ve been worrying about how to handle those responsibilities. As you know, given our agency’s nature, it’s not easy to bring in new personnel either.”
For some reason I was on edge, swallowing nervously as I waited for what came next.
“But after seeing the Design Team handle planning together as well, the work seems to come out more polished! Now that we have a good precedent, we’ve decided not to fill the Planning Department position for a while. We’ll maintain the system where each design team takes on planning duties as well!”
Classic upper management: ‘See? When I ask, you do it all!’
Whether your team’s workload increases or not is none of my concern—labor costs get cut and everything works out, so just do your best, they’re saying, wrapped up in fancy words.
…….
Wait, hold on.
That would mean…….
“…….”
The Research Team still isn’t staffed?? You’re saying I have to personally trek through the entire Monster World myself??!!
Hey! Are you bringing this up because I rejected the Research Team transfer last time??!!
“…The Brand Design Team is already overextended. What more do you want us to do? Did you think we weren’t listening all this time when we said we were understaffed?”
You’re absolutely right, sir. This time I’m entirely behind your bold action. Please fight hard and win!
“That’s precisely why we brought on Lee Hyun. And the long-term leave member will be back soon anyway, so four people on the roster isn’t really understaffed, is it?”
…None of it landed.
Blaire, who’d just dropped that bomb of a statement, now sent me on my way, saying he needed to have a one-on-one meeting with Pascal. Finally.
I closed the CEO’s Office door behind me, leaving Pascal grinding his teeth. Hang in there, boss….
‘Sigh….’
I returned to my desk, my mood somber.
Hena looked cheerful today—I should probably hold off on telling her this grim news this morning.
‘By the way, the long-term leave member is coming back soon?’
I lifted myself slightly and peered over the partition. At the seat next to mine, empty for the past month.
A desk abandoned by its owner, scattered with miniatures. It looked rather neglected.
Then.
“…long time no…”
“…really been a while…”
A bustle of chattering voices drifted over from the adjacent team.
The partition muffled most of it, but I caught a few words here and there.
Tap, tap—
The source of the commotion exchanged brief greetings with the other team members, then walked toward us.
He stopped in front of the Team Desk Area and spoke.
“Everyone doing well? Ha, it feels strange being back after so long. Oh—there’s a new face I haven’t seen before?”
A tall man with his hair tied back half-up smiled as he greeted us.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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