Psychological Intimidation

I knew from the first minute that he wasn’t a stranger.

Yuna’s body told me that much before her words ever could.

You don’t react like that to a delivery guy, or a random guy showing up at your door.

At first, we just stood there in the living room, not sitting, not really talking.

The doorbell didn’t ring again right away. But every 10 minutes or so, it did. Whoever he was, he wasn’t in a hurry. He was patient.

That thought made my jaw tighten.

15 minutes passed… then 30… then 40. And every now and then, he rang the doorbell again.

Every faint sound from the hallway made her flinch.

A door opening somewhere else in the building, footsteps from the staircase, someone laughing outside.

None of it was him.

After 15 minutes of no ringing, I stood up to check if he was still there.

“He’s… still there.” Yuna whispered before I could even look, eyes fixed on the door as if she could see through it.

“You’re sure?” I asked quietly.

She nodded.

I sat down again, and sure enough, it rang again. “Does he come here often?”

She hesitated. That was answer enough.

“Yuna…” I said carefully. “You don’t have to tell me everything. But I need to know one thing.”

Her shoulders tensed.

“Is he dangerous?”

She swallowed.

“I don’t know. Not like… hitting. Or yelling. He doesn’t have to.”

That chilled me more than if she’d said yes.

People who don’t even bother to raise their voice are usually the worst. Because they already know they’re the ones in control. People like that don’t need volume, they rely on your fear. But what is a person like this doing in front of her apartment? What was he to her?

I considered calling the police... but the way she reacted to the word alone told me it was the last thing she wanted.

Time kept crawling… until it was 23:00.

2 hours since he’d shown up. 2 hours of ringing the doorbell around every 10 minutes. He had to know she was here. This was deliberate. Calculated… Psychological intimidation.

She hugged her knees tighter.

I decided to check through the peephole. I wanted to see what this scumbag looked like.

“No!” she hissed. “Ren… please don’t go out there.” she whispered for the tenth time this evening.

“I just wanted to–”

“I can handle this. I just need to wait until he leaves.”

“Handle what?" I snapped more sharply than I intended. “He’s been standing there for 2 hours. HOURS!”

“I don’t want you to get involved…”

“I already told you… it’s too late for that.”

She looked up at me, eyes wide.

It hit me again… how small she looked.

How alone. How she kept pretending she wasn’t scared, even though her hands were trembling so hard she had to tuck them under her thighs to keep them still.

And I hated it.

I hated every second of this.

Seeing her like this, knowing some grown man was stalking her door and making a pregnant girl shake like a leaf.

My jaw clenched again.

“Just… please. Stay. Just until he leaves.” her voice cracked.

Then she added, so softly I almost missed it:

“You can… stay here for the night if you want.”

My heart ripped.

Not in a romantic way.

In a ‘what the heck happened to make her this scared’ way.

She'd rather let a stranger sleep over than confront this man.

It made my blood boil.

This was it. My rage got the better of me. Honestly I just wanted to smack this guy in his face at this point. Whoever he was… he was going to regret ever setting foot in this hallway.

I stood up.

“Ren-!”

“No.” I said, marching toward the door. “I’m not letting this creep stare at your door all night. Not happening. Stay here, or go in your room. Don’t come out unless I say so.”

I wasn’t thinking logically. Maybe I wasn’t thinking at all.

Just anger… and protectiveness.

I reached for the handle.

“REN, WAIT…!”

Too late.

I yanked the door open.

The hallway was dim, lit only by the flickering ceiling lamp.

And there he was.

A tall man in a sleek coat, leaning casually against the wall like he owned the building.

He smiled when he saw me.

“Oh… someone’s actually here.”

His voice was smooth.

Practiced.

Fake.

“I thought I’d wait for her to return, but…”

His eyes narrowed.

“Wait… You’re…”

His smile stretched.

“Renno?”

A chill ran through me.

Oh no. No no no no no. Why didn’t I think of that?

“You’ve gotta be kidding me…” I muttered under my breath.

He stepped closer, amused, just enough to test boundaries.

“Well, well, well… What is one of Japan’s most beloved streamers doing in my client’s apartment?... I was wondering why she suddenly got so brave… are you the reason?”

Client?

“What the heck are you talking about?” I snapped. “She doesn’t know you, get lost.”

His eyebrow lifted in mock disappointment.

“Oh? Is that what she told you?” he chuckled. “How cute.”

My blood went cold.

Please let her still be in the living room. Please let her not have heard him call me a famous streamer.

Please let me keep one person in my life who doesn’t look at me differently because of that stupid subscriber count.

“Anyway.” he said breezily. “It was nice meeting you, Renno. But I’d like to speak with my client now. So if you could step aside…” he tried getting past me.

“She’s not here.” I spread my arms to block his way.

“Oh? Then you were… what, exactly?”

He leaned in.

“Robbing her place? Should I call the police? I’m sure they'd be VERY interested in knowing why a celebrity is sneaking around a young woman’s apartment.”

“I don’t care at this point. You either leave or…”

“Why are you doing this for a mess of a girl like her anyways?” he interrupted. “What are you to her? Being here so quickly after the tournament… don’t tell me you live here aswell?” he scoffed.

I didn’t deny it. I didn’t confirm it either. I just held his gaze, unbothered.

“Oh? So it’s true? Well that’s kinda funny. What a coincidence. What a useful coincidence.” he laughed.

I stepped closer, fists tightening.

“If you try ANYTHING…”

“Look Renno…” he interrupted again. “This doesn’t concern you. And if you’re smart, you’ll just go and forget this happened.”

“Not happening.”

His eyes hardened.

“Careful.” he said quietly. “You already disappeared once after your little address leak. I’d hate for your quiet life here to… get noisy.”

That did it.

I stepped forward, centimeters away from his face now. He just smirked.

“Go on.”

And then, seconds before I would’ve raised my fist–

Footsteps behind me.

My heart froze.

No. No damn it…

She stepped into the doorway. Face pale. Hands shaking.

“It’s okay, Ren.” Yuna whispered. “Thank you. You can go now.”

My chest tightened painfully. “Nothing is okay. Who is this guy? If you don’t want to talk to him, then don’t. You don’t owe him anything…”

“He is… my boss.”

I blinked.

“...your… boss?” I repeated.

Boss? She has a job? When? How? She slept all day.

Don’t tell me she’s involved with some scummy online agency or…

The man, her “boss”, smiled pleasantly.

“So you WERE actually in there the whole time.”

His eyes glinted.

“I wonder what the people at the agency would think if they found out you’ve been hiding…”

“Stop.” Yuna’s voice shook. “Please.”

“Ah.” he chuckled darkly. “Shall I remind you of your contract again? I thought we resolved this.”

Something inside me snapped. Contract? He is threatening her with a contract? No contract should be enforced at someone’s doorstep. What is going on here?

No. No way I was letting this continue.

I stepped in front of her.

“You’re not coming in.”

He sighed dramatically.

“You’re starting to irritate me.” His voice lost its pleasant tone. “Did the 2 months of hiding mess you up that badly? Is that how you cope… by helping someone else? Hero complex? Don’t tell me it’s out of compassion.”

My teeth clenched. Because for a split second… I wondered if he was right. What was I even doing here, playing the hero?

He looked past me, at Yuna.

“She told you to leave, didn’t she? So go. I need to speak with my client.”

I turned to Yuna.

Her eyes were empty.

She looked so small. So defeated.

And she nodded.

“Yes, Ren… I can manage on my own… Thank you.”

The words hit harder than a clean hit to the gut.

I didn’t want to leave her. How could I?

“Yuna… I cannot leave you alone now.”

“GO!” she suddenly shouted. Then quieter “Just… go, please…I beg you.”

Her voice sounded like someone who had no more strength to fight back.

I swallowed hard.

Can I really just leave her alone… with a man like this? He is not going to hurt her… physically at least… she said that much… but still… How could I, in good conscience, leave her alone now?...

But she asked me to… multiple times…and at the end of the day… I don’t really know her. Yes. I barely know this woman. But why do I feel like I’d do anything to keep her safe?… Still, that didn’t change the fact. The fact we are basically strangers.

“...If anything happens… Just knock on the wall.”

She nodded weakly.

I stepped away.

Every step felt wrong.

Like walking away from someone drowning.

I entered my apartment and closed the door.

My fists were shaking.

What had he done to make her this terrified… so terrified that she’d rather face him alone, than let me stay?

In that moment, I knew 1 thing with absolute certainty.

Whatever contract, threat, or past he was holding over her…

This wasn’t over.

Because now… I was in the game.

Too bad for him, I had a habit of hyperfixating on games I really wanted to win.