"Yeah, whatever!" Kang Min Hyuk shouted to his best buddies in English.

Their school, though a Korean high school, had this policy wherein students were required to speak in English inside the campus. It was because their school often was one of the sponsors for poetry reading sessions or contests in three bookshops in the district.

"Ya! Jugullae?" Lee Jong Hyun shouted over as he fisted at his classmate who skated away with his skateboard.

"English policy, Jong Hyun-ah," Jung Yong Hwa chided his friend.

"English policy, my eye!" Jong Hyun shot back before shouting back at Min Hyuk. "Ya! Come back!"

"Math , y'know?" Min Hyuk shouted back before skating away.

Jong Hyun fumed. How many times had he and Yong Hwa pulled Min Hyuk away from too much skateboarding? Yeah, sure, he and the guys love to party, to watch cute girls pass by, and splurge on food, but Min Hyuk was the worst among them best friends. For Min Hyuk was not serious with his studies and did not seem to have any plans for his life.

"What will become of Jung Shin now?" Jong Hyun asked Yong Hwa.

Yong Hwa fumed too. Min Hyuk and Jung Shin were supposed to report on a lesson in mathematics, but Jung Shin had stage fright often and was in need of encouragement. And between them, it was Min Hyuk who got to have a lot of confidence.

"Molla," Yong Hwa replied. "Perhaps, I will report with him instead."

****

But Min Hyuk skipped classes and skated all the way to River Han. It was almost high noon, but he loved the look of the glistening river. It was like silver road for him.

And his phone rang. He snatched it from inside his pocket and saw Yong Hwa's girlfriend, Park Shin Hye, calling to him.

"Ya, you irresponsible twerp," came Shin Hye in her awkward English. "You are leaving Jung Shinnie alone!"

Min Hyuk palm-faced. He forgot that he was supposed to report today with Jung Shin.

"Ah..ah...ahmm... our.. our..my report for t...today..." came Jung Shin's stuttering voice from the background.

"Take your seat, Lee Jung Shin!" the teacher roared.

"See?" Shin Hye hissed.

"Mianhae... I'm really sorry for Jung Shin... I really forgot...."

"Park Shin Hye!" roared the teacher, and Min Hyuk heard over the phone.

"Annyeong," Shin Hye whispered before hanging up.

Min Hyuk bit his lips. He was totally sorry he forgot about the assignment. And now, Jung Shin had to go back to his seat because he suffered stage fright again in the classroom. But what the heck? He just hated mathematics!

He skated to kill time. He would get back by lunch. It was just math that he was planning to skip anyway. And he passed by a bookshop filled with antique and second-hand books. A poster was pasted outside on the glass window, and he read the content.

"Poetry reading?" he asked. "Why is our school involved in such old-fashioned art? Nobody likes poetry these days..."

And he skated away.

~~~~