Jonghyun POV:

I spent the first five minutes recalling the first bit of advice she told me, when we first stepped into this facility a few weeks ago: always find a place where an enemy can’t follow you. We’d then spent the afternoon hiding in AC ducts, elevator shafts, and ceiling rafters, a lot of times really close together. I blushed at the memory, and then looked for the nearest duct entrance. Running down a long corridor towards the west, I spotted a vent right away. I dug my finger nails into the sides of the cover, pulling it off with ease: all the training had really paid off and I had never felt stronger. I hoisted myself up and into the air duct, remembering to muffle my movements by placing my limbs in quickly but gently. I quickly crawled through the duct, looking through every single opening in hopes that I’d see Diamond before she saw me. After spending 10 minutes crawling through the dark tubes, I kicked out a vent cover in a bigger room, jumping to the ground without a sound. The room was huge, with different hallways on all sides. I sighed inwardly: with only 15 minutes left, there was no way I could find her in time. I walked slowly to the corridor that I knew would take me back to the main room, when suddenly I heard footfalls echoing from the other side of the room. I turned, training my ears: sure enough, I heard the sound of running boots, getting fainter, definitely coming from the east hall. I ran across the room and down the hall, trying my best to keep my steps quiet yet fast. Straining my ears, I picked up the sound of running, and continued down the hall with hope in my heart. I ran down the hall and into another, never losing the sound of what I was sure was her footsteps. After following her for an additional 10 minutes, the sound suddenly stopped and I heard the sound of a vent cover clanging to the floor. “Strange, she’s not even bothering to be quiet…” I slowed down and stopped in a small room, spotting the cover almost immediately. I cautiously started to climb up when I heard breathless, but carefully controlled panting behind me. I dropped down quickly, turning around to see Diamond, her back to me, with her hands on her knees, doubled over trying to catch her breath. My heart leapt as I dared to sneak closer: I finally had the upper hand! I walked right behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist, breathing in her scent of fruity shampoo and powdery deodorant. She tensed at first, startled, then slowly turned around, a big smile on her face. “Congratulations, Jonghyun, you caught me.” I smiled at her, looking deeply into her eyes, feeling myself losing all thoughts except thoughts of her. Before I even knew it, I leaned in and kissed her, and she kissed me.