Black Love (K/DA x Male Reader)

3 | The Psychological Game

"I want you to do me a favor."

Her earnest voice rang through the air like a clear bell,  filling with nothing but a hopeful determination. My gaze remained steeled, my arms folded, unwavering even in the face of her honesty.

"What kind?"

Her eyes swam with uncertainty. She swallowed a breath, then took a deep one, thin strands of her long, violet hair falling over her face.

"I want you to get along with Ahri," she plead.

It became so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. I could only narrow my eyes, unbelieving of the words that came out of her mouth. Perhaps it was my paranoia speaking, but I couldn't believe that there was such a tense build up just for such a simple request.

"What are you getting at here?" I doubted, an eyebrow furrowing. A slight suspicion arose inside me that there had to be more to this, but in response, Kai'sa simply shook her head.

"That's all there is to it," she assured sadly.

I drew in a breath, then exhaled, unfolding my arms and sitting up straight to meet Kai'sa's sincere eyes head on.

"Okay. Then, let's suppose that is the case. What do I get out of this? Surely you know that I'm trying to leave everything idol-related behind, K/DA included."

She squirmed in her chair, a nervous hand grabbing her other arm as her eyes fell downward. Such a display of anxiety and desperation wasn't so easily faked, and I wasn't callous enough to reject it in the event that it somehow was.

I bit back any further words.

"Never mind, don't answer that. Just...tell me a little bit more," I eventually relented with a deep resignation.

I felt like I could foresee myself regretting this in the future, but we were already barreling down this slippery slope.

"Ahri's been changing lately," Kai'sa started off. That seemed the easy part for her to get out. After that, however, she began to bite her lower lip, perhaps unsure how to proceed from there. As she struggled to fully articulate her thoughts, I simply sat there, patiently waiting until she organized everything she wanted to say. "She used to be a very ambitious leader who wasn't afraid to be herself, but these days, it feels like the pressure of conformity and constant relevancy is getting to her."

I shot her a doubtful look.

"And how am I the answer to this?" I questioned.

Her back straightened as she looked me directly in the eyes. Her gaze felt unsettlingly piercing, like she was staring farther into me than I did my own self.

"Because you represent everything she's afraid of," she resolutely answered. "Scandal. Criticism. Controversy. You are an example of what happens to someone when they don't stay inside the guidelines. If anyone can break her out of this shell, it's you."

I rubbed my chin in contemplation, feeling that particular sense of sympathy that I oh-so-dreaded rise inside my chest. I closed my eyes, bracing my body like I was about to receive a striking blow.

One that was self-inflicted of course. And indeed, it was going to be exactly that.

"...tell me what I have to do," I pushed out through gritted teeth.

Truth be told, I didn't really want to. I wanted to stay far away from the idol scene, and just as I represent everything Ahri's afraid of, she too embodied everything I hate as well. Fame. People-pleasing. Attention. She would willingly let the strings of corporate puppeteer her however they wished for her time in the spotlight.