Getting Approval from Otherworld Clients - Chapter 4

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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 4.
The client’s request is
absolute law (2)
Three days later.
The day of the presentation to the client.
The endless bog of overtime had finally ended.
The team’s faces showed both tension about the presentation and a faint hope that they might actually make it home.
I’m no different—I haven’t left before clocking-out time once since joining.
‘Why does this company have everything?’
It wasn’t just that time was short; with the nap room, the shower facilities, and vending machines stocked with unnecessary supplies, there was no excuse to even go home.
“The client hasn’t arrived yet. Let’s set up the presentation!”
The three of us prepared for the presentation in the Conference Room.
“Hey, rookie. Press this button on the pointer and it’ll move to the next slide.”
I took the pointer Pascal had tested, my hands damp with sweat.
…Why give the pointer to a lowly newcomer like me?
I didn’t understand it either, but I was the one who’d be presenting.
‘The team rule was that whoever’s design gets chosen does the presentation.’
Considerate of those sensitive about credit, but to think—only four days in and I’d become the main presenter. Some experience.
Really, it’s a thoughtful rule that makes you want to cry.
‘I just want to keep my head down and slip away quietly one day.’
My body trembled slightly at the thought of that one-eyed tentacled creature’s gaze bearing down on me.
“Is anyone here? Oh, you’ve already arrived.”
Once the preparations were done, the client entered with a skeptical expression.
Clearly, we hadn’t inspired confidence—not after seeming flustered about the deadline at the first meeting.
“Is the design ready? Well… if I’m not happy with today’s work, I suppose we could adjust the schedule a little.”
Preparing to reject our work before even seeing it—the anxiety was making me feel sick.
‘But… thinking back to how the team reacted the moment the design idea first came together…’
It had to be a solid concept.
I steadied my trembling voice and drew a breath.
“Then, I’ll begin the presentation.”
* * *
The Conference Room on my first day.
That urgent moment when we had to complete the project in the absurd span of three days.
Even a yes-man newcomer who should have stayed quiet ended up offering an opinion.
“The direction you suggested is good, but I think it would be more harmonious if we approached it more formally. What do you think of this design?”
I wasn’t confident in my actual sketching skills, but… this seemed clearer for communication.
I set pen to notebook and drew quick, sweeping lines.
“Opticon is a pentagon-shaped fortress city. Angular and heavy in form. It’s the perfect shape to express sharpness toward outsiders.”
The pentagon that emerged had its sharp edges emphasized.
“But to those within, it’s a city filled with warmth.”
I carved a circle through the center of the pentagon.
“The circle symbolizes perfect purity, protection, and comfort. We could even tie it to the slogan. And if we use this form independently, we could make it a symbol too….”
I wrote the letters ‘pticon’ beside the pentagon on the right.
“Since this symbol resembles the letter ‘O’ in ‘Opticon,’ we could create a lettered logo as well. Like this.”
“And at that point, the other letters would also carry the same motif as the symbol—sharp exterior, round interior.”
I sketched the letter ‘P’ as an example.
“What if we designed it in this direction? It would capture the client’s intention well.”
I turned the notebook sideways and sketched the logo draft to fill the page.
This way we could achieve that iron-like, weighty feeling while emphasizing the rounded void within.
After finishing the sketch, I looked up at my teammates with a trembling heart.
Had I overstepped for someone on day one?
“This is so good! You solved every part we were struggling with!”
Fortunately, Hena responded with a bright face and genuine enthusiasm.
I glanced sideways to check the team lead’s expression too.
‘…his face seems a little softer.’
Even Pascal, who’d kept his expression cold all along, seemed to crack a faint smile.
* * *
Back again. The brief memory faded, and I returned to the present moment of the presentation.
Lost in the flow of the slides, I suddenly arrived at the last page.
“…and with that, I conclude the Opticon City Branding presentation. Thank you.”
– E.O.D
End of Document.
The screen now displayed only a message indicating the document had reached its conclusion.
A quiet silence.
Stillness settled over the conference room.
In the sudden void, my body stiffened with tension.
‘…And yet.’
This silence was not the uncomfortable quiet of rejection preparing itself.
The Client blinked those enormous eyes slowly, several times, before breaking the hush.
“…I’m pleased with this. We needn’t adjust the timeline any further.”
…!
At those words, I felt the sweat that had gathered at the nape of my neck evaporate in an instant.
My heart, for a different reason now, began to race.
‘It’s done……!’
Steel and teddy bear.
That impossible direction, that bundle of contradiction, in just three days……!
“Let’s move forward with the physical production of the nameplate from this design. Print the poster as it is as well.”
After a brief discussion of production details, the meeting concluded.
The conference room, now empty of the Client, was suffused with the atmosphere of success.
“Lee Hyun, you’re completely blessed! A first-pass approval!”
“It wasn’t just me—this is the result of all our hard work together.”
The core idea for this design came from me, but that wasn’t everything.
The team members were skilled enough to transform the rough concepts I presented into a polished final product.
‘Everyone did well.’
Hena and I would refine the concept, Pascal would approve and perfect it, and the result would be sophisticated.
Especially after the team lead’s hand touched it—everything shifted, refined by that one decisive degree.
‘Experience really is invaluable.’
Perhaps it would have been more fitting for Pascal, as team lead, to present it, but it seemed he was also generous enough to give me the experience.
The problem was, that consideration had been unwanted…….
‘And yet… I feel quite good about this.’
Surrounded by teammates throwing compliments my way… this sense of accomplishment, felt in so long, was genuinely pleasant.
“Good work. Let’s head back.”
We gathered the equipment we’d brought and returned to the office.
‘Oh.’
Settling my excitement, I sat at my desk and opened my inbox to find the client satisfaction evaluation results waiting.
Quite prompt of them to respond even before the new branding was installed.
#008291 – 01 Request
Client Satisfaction Evaluation Results Notification
A-
A sigh of relief.
Either way, an A-grade score is still a top-tier evaluation.
We’ve cleared this hurdle safely.
“I’ll pass the data to the production team now! Since time is tight, I’ll handle it. You can take it easy and learn for next time, Lee Hyun!”
Thanks to Hena’s consideration, I clocked out after three days, breathing the open air once more….
My apartment, welcomed back after so long in daylight. I collapsed into sleep the moment I arrived.
The project had wrapped safely, the weekend was near.
Friday arrived with a light heart.
“Did everyone rest well? The nameplate production and poster printing are complete. Let’s go watch the production team install them.”
Design supervision extends through installation—the true finish—so we decided to head to the #008291 world for supervision.
Unlike Hena and me, who’d slept soundly for the first time in ages, the team lead still wore a haggard face.
According to Hena, Pascal had apparently stayed late supervising even yesterday evening.
“Someone needs to oversee whether the colors and details match the design exactly.”
She added that it seemed Pascal was being considerate, handling work that wouldn’t normally fall to a team lead, so we could rest.
Well. I felt a bit guilty…….
Regardless of the depth of the dark circles, the team lead had done what needed to be done.
“Let’s move.”
He entered the world number at the keypad at the end of our floor’s corridor and opened the door.
The moment of spatial transition was upon us again.
‘Now, everything should wrap up cleanly.’
…With that thought, I crossed the threshold.
* * *
We crossed into another world and headed toward the City Outskirts.
‘I swapped the Smart Watch strap with one from home that’s compatible, but
…
it bothers me.’
I pulled the slipping Smart Watch back up and walked down the empty street.
“We’re heading for the gate at the City Outskirts.”
Even when I’d visited the Client’s world before, I’d stayed only in the Conference Room, so I hadn’t truly felt it in my bones—but walking these streets directly, the strangeness pressed against my skin like a living thing.
‘Really, it’s hitting me now. This is a different world entirely.’
The streets twisted at impossible angles, and the walls writhed with patterns where the line between organic and inorganic blurred.
Ugh, this city suits the tentacled Client perfectly….
But today, I was holding up surprisingly well.
‘Three days ago, I would’ve blacked out, but not now.’
Ha—the project ends Friday, after all!
My heart was so light that even hell looked beautiful.
“Put the poster over here!”
When we arrived near the gate, Hena directed the workers.
How on earth did the paper stick so cleanly to this grotesque wall? The spreading tool glided smoothly, and not a single wrinkle appeared—the poster lay perfectly flat.
“It’s tilted a bit to the right. Let’s lift it up slightly.”
The figure from the fabrication crew—spider-like with multiple arms—was hanging the nameplate when Pascal stepped in with directions.
“Hello, you’re from Banta Design, aren’t you? It must have been tough fitting the design into such a tight schedule.”
Oh, the biped I’d seen before materialized right in front of me.
Still grotesque, but after seeing it a few times, I felt a strange warmth toward it. Was it the Friday buff?
“Not at all—we were able to wrap it up nicely thanks to you.”
I replied with the usual pleasantries expected of a designer (though I didn’t mean a word of it).
…Well, a client who approved everything in one go might actually be a good client.
“? I’m not the client, though….”
“Were you looking for me?”
Abruptly, another creature emerged from the side and interjected.
…A different one? They’re all identical squid monsters—how am I supposed to tell them apart!
“The residents have gathered for the dedication ceremony today. It’s understandable for other species to get confused.”
Looking around at those words, I noticed a platform and chairs arranged in rows.
It looked like a village festival, with food being prepared under a canopy.
‘…Should I think of it like a dedication ceremony for an apartment complex?’
Watching the squid residents chattering cheerfully, I felt strangely moved.
“Hello, we’ll make sure to see the final phase through smoothly.”
Seeing the Client there, Pascal approached and responded with practiced ease.
Well, dodging social obligations made things so much easier.
‘While I have the time, might as well fix the watch strap.’
Taking the opportunity, I loosened the Smart Watch strap that had been bothering me all along.
The moment I slipped the watch off my wrist to retie it—
Beep—
“…??”
–
Screee
Ee
Ii
Uu
Ae
Riii
Ik
Kki
Kkik
Kki!!!
The translation cut out, and an incomprehensible language drilled straight into my ear canal. An electronic frequency—a sound I couldn’t describe in human terms—filled my skull, and I was
seized by terror I might go mad and die right here right now
Click.
Pascal wrapped his hand around the watch and pressed it firmly back onto my wrist.
Only then did I notice blood streaming from my nose.

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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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