Getting Approval from Otherworld Clients - Chapter 2

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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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Chapter 2.
To help a new employee adapt,
a three-month probation period is recommended.
Shocking clauses stating that if the target amount isn’t met, body parts will be seized.
I stared blankly at the contract suspended in air—or was it a body-part waiver?—unable to tell the difference.
Seeing my bewilderment, the blonde man spoke with a disarming smile.
“Those conditions are merely insurance! Our real goal is client evaluations. If you do your job well, nothing happens at all, nothing whatsoever….”
Then he continued in a benevolent tone.
As though this were his final offer to me.
“So what do you say, Ihyeon? Will you sign, or pay with your body right now? By the way, I’d recommend lefties sacrifice their left eye.”
The man grinned and brought his index finger toward my left eye.
I reflexively shut my eye—a soft tap, and the cool leather of his gloved fingertip brushed against my eyelid.
‘…There’s no choice here.’
The question was whether to have my eye gouged out now or take a chance on signing.
Anyone would obviously choose the latter.
So I had no choice.
……I had to agree to the contract, as disheartening as it was.
“Excellent decision! With you on board, I’m sure you’ll adapt beautifully. Let’s work together and have some fun!”
Click—
The man, who looked like a vampire straight out of stereotype, seized my left hand with apparent delight and brought it to his mouth.
He gently bit his index finger with a fang until a drop of blood welled up, then pressed it onto the contract to seal it with my blood.
“Don’t worry—a little bite like this won’t cause any problems!”
The CEO added this reassurance while watching my pupils spin in barely concealed panic.
‘Hah…….’
My head reeled as though I’d been struck by a sudden car crash.
I couldn’t grasp what was happening at all.
‘…Get it together. I have to get it together.’
I felt like I was losing my mind, but in moments like this, only I could look after myself.
So I drew a breath and steadied my resolve.
‘……Just endure for one year. Once the contract ends, I’ll pay off the debt clean and quit.’
That was it.
According to the CEO, it was just a high-income job—as long as I got good client evaluations and an annual salary of 8,000, nothing else mattered.
Since I couldn’t escape what had already happened, I worked hard to brainwash myself into acceptance.
……After all, finding employment in times like these was no small feat.
“Perfect, absolutely perfect!”
The CEO, holding the employment contract sealed with blood, grinned with evident satisfaction.
“I have some company supplies to give you—first, take this translation smart watch. I need to explain the company benefits too, but—oh! The branding design team just headed out to a client meeting!”
……I wasn’t expecting a full orientation at this bizarre company, but he was saying something ominous again.
Whether he sensed my unease or not, the CEO led me toward a door at the end of the corridor.
Beep-beep-beep-beep. He entered a code into the keypad on the wall and opened the door, revealing a swirling black vortex.
“Seeing is believing! Let’s observe your seniors at the client meeting right away, haha!”
……What?
Right now? Like this, immediately?
Shove.
The CEO pushed me as I froze in shock before the door.
And so, I was—
……thrown into the swirling portal without a handoff, without a single guide to the work, without anything.
“…….”
You bastards, what the helllllllll—
.
.
.
Thud.
The door flung open and I tumbled out somewhere unknown, my whole body aching from the impact.
And they said I’d need time to adapt to the company! Now they’re throwing me straight into the deep end?!
I was furious. Swallowing my rage, I lifted my head.
And five gazes locked onto me at once from across the table.
……Wait.
Five gazes?
A space that resembled a conference room.
At one end of the table sat a human, and something that looked disturbingly similar to one.
And at the opposite end…
“…….”
A single eye. One enormous eye…….
Below the torso housing that lone eye sprouted a nest of tentacle-like limbs.
Sprawled in a star formation, they writhed and undulated…….
God, was this some kind of squid? Creatures like this actually existed in the world?
I stood on the verge of tears, watching one surreal tableau after another unfold before me.
‘I’m just a job candidate who came for an interview…….’
I forced my shock-dulled mind into focus, struggling to make sense of what was happening.
‘…They said to sit in on a client meeting.’
Given the context, one must be my superior and the other my client.
Please, god, let the human one be my boss…….
I rose to my feet and greeted the bewildered man and the strange creature across from us.
“Good day. I’m Choi Ihyeon, a new hire at Banta Design. I was asked to join the meeting on short notice.”
Introducing myself mid-meeting like this was mortifying.
Was I even speaking coherently? My mind felt like it was half-abandoning me.
What else could I do? Everything about this was maddening! The fact that I hadn’t collapsed yet felt like a victory.
Mercifully, the silver-haired man spoke first.
“Ah, a new member of our team, I see. My apologies for the sudden interruption during the meeting.”
The sharp-featured man wore all-black business casual that was nearly as dark as the heavy circles beneath his eyes.
Beside him sat something that resembled a human—with blue-tinted skin.
‘A jellyfish…?’
A woman with hair braided down either side, topped with what looked like a translucent jellyfish membrane serving as a hat.
She gazed at me with bright, curious eyes, though she seemed careful not to speak during what was clearly a client meeting.
The Tentacle Monster across from us, alternating its attention between my awkward greeting and my superior, finally responded.
“Not to worry. Shall we continue with the meeting?”
Its voice rumbled out in an alien, unsettling tone.
Ugh—each time that massive eye blinked, I heard a clicking sound as the eyelid and eyeball membrane separated…….
‘What choice do I have?’
I had to follow the CEO’s orders. I sat beside my superiors and tried my best to listen to the client’s presentation.
I kept my gaze lowered. I simply didn’t have the courage to meet that eye head-on…….
[Fortress City Branding]
The client’s materials appeared on the presentation screen.
“We want to create a city that no one can breach—a place for us alone. Those races beyond the Gate are primitive savages… I’d like only the chosen among us to remain. Our creations keep crawling up to us.”
The aggressive tone made me shudder slightly.
For such blatant hate speech, at least they had the decency to deliver it with some composure at the business table.
“So this time, we’d like you to create a logo for our newly established Fortress City and clearly mark our territory.”
「Opticon」
A pentagonal image of the city appeared on screen, overlaid with that name.
“We want to place name plates on every gate entrance to the city, put up posters explaining the city’s purpose—mark our territory, as it were.”
[Slogan]
A Fortress City
Free of all Impurity
The brand slogan appeared on the next slide.
This was quite possibly the most inflammatory slogan I’d ever seen.
“That’s the concept. We’d appreciate your work on a logo and poster to match.”
Once the client finished, the silver-haired superior skillfully steered the meeting forward.
“Understood. Are there any design directions you’d like to emphasize? Perhaps you could describe them in adjectives—’powerful,’ ‘solid,’ ‘rigorous,’ that sort of thing.”
The Tentacle Monster client paused briefly before responding.
“Hmm… I’d like it strong and unyielding like an iron city, but also warm like a teddy bear. After all, we’re warm toward our own—the pure-blooded races.”
……??
Both my superiors’ faces fell noticeably.
So I wasn’t the only one hearing this as absurd.
It was like asking for something to be ‘simple yet elaborate’…….
My superior, whose brow had furrowed without thinking, smoothly returned his expression to neutral and opened his mouth once more.
……His composure really was quite professional.
“I’m concerned that the two directions you’ve mentioned are contradictory. Would it work to emphasize just one of these qualities?”
“What? No, that won’t do. But this is our Fortress City, isn’t it? We need both the iron and the teddy bear.”
“In that case, our vision may differ from yours. We’ll prepare a Mood Board for the second meeting so we can discuss the visual direction, then move forward with the proposal.”
A Mood Board is a tool used before diving into full-scale design work, meant to communicate the visual direction of a project.
You gather images that already exist on the market, scrapped together to convey a particular atmosphere.
For example, to visualize “summer’s refreshing coolness,” you might collect images of waves, lemons, and logos like Coca-Cola.
‘It seems he’s trying to do additional persuading with the Mood Board.’
The superior appeared to be showing conflicting images to help the client understand how unreasonable his position was.
It was quite a wise approach, and knowing he was competent put me at ease.
But then.
“A Mood Board? Do we have time for that? We need the final deliverable in three days.”
“??!!”
Everyone’s eyes went wide.
“…Normally, a single branding project requires three months or more. Even if we rush it, we need at least a month.”
“What?! When I spoke with your CEO about the project timeline, he said delivery was possible within three days. I guess he didn’t mention this was an urgent matter?”
…What was that CEO’s name again?
The image of the CEO gripping the employment contract, fidgeting nervously, flashed through my mind. Infuriating, really.
Frustration flickered across the superior’s face too. This time, his brow furrowed quite deeply with obvious irritation.
But he soon seemed to accept it, exhaling a soft sigh before continuing.
“I understand. However, given the tight timeline, I’d like to present the final deliverable directly without intermediate confirmations.”
“Hmm… We’d need the desired result to come out on the first try. For now, I understand—let’s discuss this further after the presentation in three days.”
The meeting ended and the client rose from his chair.
Only three bewildered designers remained in the conference room.
“…….”
…Of course, I hadn’t even finished setting up my PC yet.
My first day on the job—I hadn’t received desk assignments, team introductions, or anything else.
“……You alright there?”
“……What do you mean?”
“Just… everything.”
“…….”
……And so, the Overtime Hell began.

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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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