One Week Later

    "Hey, chingu!" Jong Up called as I lifted up the garage door. He was wearing a tank top and a black knit cap, smiling as he greeted me as friend. 
    "Hey yourself." Youngjae and I had known Jong Up since we were little boys playing together, and it had been good to find him. As it turned out, all our old friends had ended up in one place, from Jong Up and Daehyun to Himchan and Zelo. 
    "Have you seen Youngjae?" I asked, wondering if he had been with Jong Up last night. 
    "No, why?" Jong Up asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets and cocking his hip. 
    "He didn't come home last night." I said, shrugging. Sometimes Youngjae spent the night at friends' houses, but he usually told me before he left. 
    "Maybe he's with Zelo or Daehyun." Jong Up shrugged, looking genuinely worried. 
    "Probably. They've become really good friends." I said, examining my own friendship with the other two boys. Jong Up, Himchan and I all hung out around town now, testing Himchan's restored cars. He was a real genius with cars, and I let him use the garage space. 
    A truck went by with men in the back bed, and I looked up in interest. Before I could act, one had hopped out of the truck. He swung a piece of PVC pipe he was holding, hitting Jong Up on the forehead. 
    "Hey!" I exclaimed, dropping to my knees and shaking Jong Up's shoulder. He was out cold, blood trickling down his face. "What'd you do that for?!"
    "Three days." He threw a hard drive down on the ground between us, leaving nothing but that and his cryptic words behind as he drove away with his buddies. 
    "Jong Up, wake up!" I cradled his head in my hands, shaking him gently. Laying his head down gently, I flipped open my phone and dialed Youngjae. 
    "Youngjae, meet me as soon as you get this." I ordered the answering machine, calling Daehyun, Himchan and Zelo.
    "Jong Up's hurt. Come to my place." I said, carrying Jong Up inside and laying him down on the couch. He was starting to wake up, and I grabbed rags for his head. 
    Pouring a glass of water, I found a first aid kit and smeared antibiotic cream on the gash. He would have a nasty bruise, and I wound white bandages around his head gently. When he woke, I put the glass of water in Jong Up's hands and told him to drink. 
    "Thanks." Jong Up said, wincing as he sat up and touched his head. "What happened?" 
    "I don't know. A man came and hit you, and he threw this hard drive at me." I held up the hard drive, putting it down on a table as Zelo came running. He was followed by Daehyun and Himchan, all hurrying to check on Jong Up.
    "What happened?" Zelo asked, sitting down and looking at me carefully. Daehyun checked on Jong Up's head and Himchan sat still as a statue as I recounted the story. 
    "Where's Youngjae?" Zelo asked, looking around. I shrugged, frowning. "When was the the last time anyone saw him?"
    "Yesterday. He said he would walk home after we played basketball." Daehyun said, thinking hard. "I thought he was fine." 
    "Where do we even start?" Himchan asked. "What did these men want?" We all sat in silence before clever Zelo sat up. 
    "Why don't we start with this?" he held up the hard drive he had been twisting in his slender fingers. I nodded, opening my laptop and plugging it in. We walked in silence as an image of a bloody Youngjae filled the screen. 
    "What the hell is this?" Jong Up asked, watching as two men punched Youngjae, who was strapped to a chair. 
    "Three days, or your brother dies." The first man's voice crackled as a large knife was pressed to Youngjae's throat. A sign with $10,000,000 printed stippling on it was hung around Youngjae's neck like a price tag and the men rubbed their fingers together. They wanted ten million in cash in exchange for my brother's life. 
    I slammed the laptop shut, cracking my knuckles and wondering how I was going to get the money. Then I remembered the armored trucks that passed between the two banks in town. They went right through this neighborhood, and I was certain I could take one. 
    "What are we going to do?" Jong Up asked, leaning back. I shook my head, standing up. 
    "I have a plan. But it's too dangerous for you guys. I'm going alone." I said, looking back at defiant faces. 
    "We're in this together!" Daehyun exclaimed. 
    "Youngjae is our friend too!" Zelo said with Jong Up. 
    "Do you think we're scared? We'll be behind you all the way." Himchan exclaimed, standing up. He his hand in the middle, and we all piled our hands on top. 
    "Youngjae!" we shouted, sitting down and they listened as I explained the basics of my plan. 
    "I can hook up the cars." Himchan offered, thinking. We all nodded, knowing his skill set. 
    "I can get us guns." Daehyun offered with Jong Up, and we nodded. I stood, helping Jong Up and looking around. 
    "We only have three days. Get a good night's sleep and meet me here in the morning. Jong Up, you can stay the night." I said. Jong Up nodded, retiring to Youngjae's bed as I said my goodbye's and thank you's. 
    "One shot." I reminded myself as I crawled in bed. "One chance."