Chapter 2

Joe had borrowed the laptop exactly three months ago.

"What are these parts worth now?" I asked.

"On the secondhand market, the CPU is valued at approximately 80 dollars. Both RAM sticks are worth about 60 dollars in total. The SSD is around 20 dollars. The GPU core and VRAM are approximately 100 dollars. Altogether, the total does not exceed 300 dollars," he replied.

I frowned. "And the original configuration?"

"The original CPU alone is worth 1,300 dollars. The RAM sticks are 2,300 dollars. The SSD is 900 dollars. The GPU core is 2,800 dollars. Together, these four parts come to 7,300 dollars."

The original components were worth 7,300 dollars in total, while the replacement parts were only worth 300 dollars on the secondhand market, leaving a difference of 7,000 dollars.

"What about the warranty in a case like this?" I asked.

"Unauthorized disassembly and component replacement are considered user-caused damage. This is not covered under warranty. Because the original parts have been removed, it is effectively property loss. You should seek compensation from the person who borrowed the laptop," the technician said.

I paid 50 dollars and received an official inspection report stamped with the company seal.

When I left the service center, I called Joe.

The phone rang six times before he picked up. There was loud background noise, like he was in a shopping mall.

"Hey, Mike?" he answered lazily.

"I need an explanation about the laptop," I demanded.

"What laptop? I already returned it to you," he said, acting as if he had no idea.

I paused, then added, "I went to the official service center today. The report shows that the CPU, RAM, SSD, and GPU core were all replaced with low-end secondhand parts."

There was a two-second pause on the other end.

"What?" he blurted out.

I continued, "The original hardware was worth over 7,300 dollars. It was replaced with parts worth about 300 dollars. That's a difference of 7,000 dollars."

"No, Mike, what do you mean?" he snapped. "Are you saying I swapped your laptop parts? Why would I do that? I don't even understand that stuff!"

"Two months ago, you said the laptop kept crashing and you took it in for a system reinstall, right?" I asked.

"Yeah! It was just a system reinstall! I didn't touch anything else!" he shot back.

"Which shop did you take it to?" I pressed.

"I… I forgot! It's just some crappy shop downstairs," he muttered.

"Since when do you need to open the back panel or replace hardware for a system reinstall?" I asked flatly.

"How would I know? I wasn't standing there watching!" he snapped. "Michael Smith, are you seriously accusing me of telling the shop to swap your laptop parts? Are you crazy? What would I even gain from that?"

"What would you gain?" I repeated coldly. "Maybe you thought I wouldn't notice, or maybe you just didn't care."

"You're slandering me!" he yelled.

"The report is in my hands," I said firmly. "It's officially stamped and documented. You owe me 7,000 dollars."

"7,000 dollars?" he screamed. "Michael, are you insane? I just borrowed your stupid laptop, and now you're saying I owe you 7,000 dollars? Why don't you just rob a bank?"

"It wasn't a stupid laptop," I corrected him. "It was a high-end model, and I'm not robbing anyone. You damaged my property worth 7,300 dollars."

"I didn't swap anything! I didn't!" he insisted.

"Meet me tomorrow afternoon at Starlux Cafe," I said. "We'll settle this in person."

"I have nothing to talk to you about!" he retorted. "If you want to talk, get your mom to talk to my mom!"

He hung up on me.

I stood by the street, my hand shaking so badly that I could hardly hold my phone.

For me, that 7,000 dollars wasn't just a number. It was over a year of rent, half a year of commuting costs, and the fees I had struggled so hard to save for skill courses.

For him, it might have been nothing more than a few gaming accessories.

Why?

When I got home, Mom was already waiting in the living room.

The moment I stepped inside, she confronted me.

"What is going on?" she demanded. "Joe just called me. He said you're falsely accusing him of swapping your laptop parts and demanding 7,000 dollars from him!"

I took the inspection report out of my bag and held it out to her. "Mom, just look at this. It's an official diagnostic report."

She didn't take it. Instead, she frowned. "What is this? I don't understand any of it."

I took a deep breath and explained, "The internal hardware was replaced. The original laptop, worth over 7,000 dollars, now contains cheap 300-dollar parts."

Mom frowned deeply. "What do you mean? Joe is your cousin. How could he possibly swap the parts?"

"It happened while the laptop was in his possession," I said.

"That still doesn't prove Joe did it," she said sharply. "What if it was the repair shop? He doesn't understand any of this."

"Mom, he may not understand it, but he gave it to someone who did," I said, forcing myself to stay calm. "And afterward, he chose not to tell me."