The Traffic Light Gamble
Regular Hiatus Incident (2)
No, I’m actually kind of disappointed. You could’ve come before I got here. Now we have to wait for the light again. What a massive waste of time.
“Ugh… ugh…”
How does the light always change so slowly exactly when I’m the one waiting?
“What’s wrong?”
“Huh? I was counting how long it takes to change.”
If I were with my parents, I’d probably be stomping my feet while waiting for the signal. But the position makes the person. I’m the boss. As the boss, I have to maintain some dignity. In front of Editor Pyeong, I need to always be strict, composed, and serious. That way she’ll respect me, right?!
“It should change soon.”
“Hmm… I see. I’ll count ten seconds.”
If she says “soon,” then ten seconds should be fair, right? I counted to ten in my head. If it doesn’t change within ten seconds, then it isn’t “soon.”
Oh! I looked at Editor Pyeong. The light changed in just three seconds. How did she know? That’s seriously amazing.
“Whoa… How did you know? Teach me too!”
The fact that it changed the exact moment she spoke was way too suspicious. How did she pull that off? I was genuinely curious.
“At this rate the light’s going to change.”
“Ah… Tell me while we walk. You can explain it, can’t you?”
“Shall we go first? The light’s about to run out.”
“Hmm… Fine.”
If she were my senior, I wouldn’t have moved. I would’ve stood there until she explained. But Editor Pyeong is my employee. I can’t throw a tantrum in front of my staff. That would be undignified. I followed her and kept pressing.
“So how did you time the light? Tell me now!!”
“Well…”
“I was seriously shocked. How did you do it, Editor Pyeong?”
“What’s with that way of speaking?”
“Editor Pyeong… Please tell me. I’m dying to know.”
I even did an impression because I wanted to know so badly. I don’t even know who I was imitating. I just said whatever came to mind.
“I just guessed.”
“Just? That doesn’t make any sense!!”
“I was just lucky.”
“Lucky, huh… I guess luck really is everything in this world.”
When she said luck, I had nothing to say. Yeah, luck is real~!!
“I learned something new. Then I’ll try guessing the light with luck too. I’ll definitely stop at the light. Why? You can ask questions. Then I’ll answer. Ah~ I’m going to try matching it too.”
“Mmm…”
Editor Pyeong looked at me and scratched her nose. What? What was that look supposed to mean? I felt like she was staring at me with that expression. I can’t back down now. If I mess up here, I’ll get eaten alive. I’m the boss… I can’t let my authority slip. I have to protect it!!
“I-I’m the boss!!”
“Yeah. I know.”
I gave Editor Pyeong a perfect ninety-degree bow to shout out the employee who had acknowledged me.
“Yes… Thank you.”
“Uh… Again. Thank you again…?”
“Huh? For what?”
“Well, I mean. So. Why are you thanking me…?”
“I just shouted you out, Editor Pyeong! You can accept a thank-you, can’t you!!”
Huh? Ah!! She might be flustered. Thinking about it, I wasn’t being considerate. So… my growth… I was scared and terrified of my own growth rate. I realized it all by myself. Consideration… I realized that!! Me. I can’t believe it right now. I’ve… grown tremendously. Are you scared, world!?
“Ehehe.”
“Why are you suddenly laughing again?”
“Ah…!! That’s a secret!! Instead, I’ll apologize.”
This thought was a little embarrassing. I stood out way too much. I’ve grown, after all. I replayed my own actions. Ugh… I really stood out!! I was way too hyper. I gave myself some harsh feedback. After keeping my mouth shut for about ten minutes and clearing my head, I finally calmed down.
“Alright.”
I immediately turned my head and looked at Editor Pyeong. Ugh, no way…!! She was walking while looking at her phone.
“Editor Pyeong!! Editor Pyeong!!”
“Huh… Huh? Yes?”
“You shouldn’t walk while using your phone. You could get hurt.”
“Ah… Okay. Thank you.”
Editor Pyeong hurriedly stuffed her phone into her pocket. I just saved Editor Pyeong. There’s that saying about habits from age three lasting until eighty, right? If I don’t tell her these things, she’ll keep doing it forever. Walking while using your phone is such a dangerous habit. I saw it in a short once—some big company even gives penalty points if employees walk in front of the building while on their phones. That’s how dangerous it is. I’m not being mean. This is healthy feedback!! Ehehe.
“By the way, when are we getting there?”
“I was just checking.”
“Ah… Then stop. Stop walking.”
When I stopped in the middle of the street, Editor Pyeong stopped too.
“Can you check now?”
I asked politely. Editor Pyeong took out her phone again and started tapping. Curious, I quietly leaned over to peek. Her phone screen was spotless. A phone is a person’s second personality. I just threw that line out there. But what really shocked me was the complete lack of cuteness—no custom wallpaper, no decorated apps. If you’re a real content creator, shouldn’t you at least customize your wallpaper and apps? There was zero sign of that.
“Hmm…”
Come to think of it, Editor Pyeong was a content creator with zero cuteness. I’d never even seen her use an emoji when texting. I actively use cute emojis. When I send them, she replies with emojis too—but only the default robot and teddy bear ones.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Oh. It’s nothing. When are we arriving?”
“About three or four more minutes.”
“Oho…”
I slowly raised my head and looked at Editor Pyeong. Then I slowly lowered my gaze and scanned her from head to toe.
“Huh? What’s that bag, Editor Pyeong?”
I only just noticed her bag. Editor Pyeong smiled shyly… She really did look like a total content creator just now. What was that aura!! She turned the bag toward herself and opened the zipper.
“This… Hehe… I brought it just in case.”
“What is it?”
My head almost got sucked into the bag.
“If you lean in that close you’ll get hurt.”
“Ah… I was just too curious… What is it?”
“I brought a tripod, a selfie stick, and an external hard drive. Just in case.”
“I… really don’t know, so I’m asking. What are those for? Are we taking photos?”
I naturally took the selfie stick and attached my phone to it.
“Wait… I need to change phones. Hng…”
I hadn’t noticed before, but now that I saw it, I got annoyed. The crease was even deeper than last time. Everything else is fine, you know? But once that crease starts bothering me, it just keeps bothering me. If it weren’t for that, it would be perfect. When you fold the phone it’s small and fits in your hand, and it looks really pretty when you decorate it. But the crease is the problem.
“I need to change my phone.”
“Again?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“You’re changing it again?”
“I’ve used this one for a long time.”
“You haven’t even had it for a year.”
She’s right. She’s right, but… I still want to change it… I’m a content creator. She should empathize with me. They say women have great empathy, but I guess not. It felt like I was talking to my mom. Mom always says, “Think about it again,” whenever I want to do something. That’s what she used to say.
“Ugh… You’re right. Then let’s just take some photos.”
“On the street?”
“Why not? We’re just taking pictures.”
“Uh… Uh. Okay…”
I turned on the camera and took several photos with Editor Pyeong.
We could only check the results after arriving at the restaurant. I had planned to look at them right away, give feedback, and retake if needed, but she dragged me along saying our reservation time was up. While waiting for the beef, I looked through the photos we took. The group shot I was satisfied with was this one: I had stepped forward, chin slightly raised, hand on my hip, striking a confident pose like I was doing a photoshoot, while Editor Pyeong stood slightly behind with her head gently lowered. Her lively lips and the blush reaching her ears gave off a shy feeling. I was grinning like crazy with excitement. My overall rating? Five out of five.
The second photo was my solo shot. I was leaning lightly against a utility pole, both arms throwing double thumbs-up at the camera. My bright smile and bold gaze without a trace of shyness were no joke. Plus my mouth corners were slightly upturned and my proportions looked amazing. It was literally the shot of a lifetime. Now I understood why people get so obsessed with photos. Looking at a well-taken picture just makes you happy.
There was also a photo of Editor Pyeong. After I begged, she let me take just one. She was in the same pose—leaning lightly against the utility pole—but with her arms crossed tightly and her head lowered, wearing an extremely shy smile. Her shyness was peak content-creator energy. Is taking photos on the street really that embarrassing? If you want to take them, just take them.
“I’ll send these to you!!”
I sent the photos to Editor Pyeong. It felt nice seeing actual people in my gallery instead of just memories. I couldn’t stop smiling. Looking at the photos, the details were a bit fuzzy, but just staring at them made me happy. So this is what it feels like when you accumulate photos with Maru, Editor Pyeong, Moddeok, and Raming. I love it.
While I was admiring the photos, the beef arrived. Because it was beef, it cooked incredibly fast.
“Ooh…!!”
I put a piece of beef in my mouth. It really melted in my mouth… It just dissolved. I ate another piece. This one melted just as easily. So this is why people go crazy for beef. The moment I swallowed, I immediately shoved another piece in. After eight pieces—ooh…!! Delicious. After nine—ooh… delicious… After ten—mm… yeah. After eleven, I surrendered. I couldn’t eat anymore. It was getting greasy.
“I can’t eat anymore. That was great. I’ll have dessert instead.”
Now I want cold noodles.