Hello, this is SuperAsurada77.

The commute home after a long, grinding day at work.

Unless you’re lucky enough to live right next to a subway station, most of us have to transfer from the train to a bus to get home.

Technically, I could walk the 20 to 30 minutes from the station to my house. But let’s be real—after surviving the daily grind, my energy bar is completely empty. So, I have no choice but to rely on the bus to save my legs.

However, these buses are notorious for their unpredictable schedules depending on traffic.

The interval is supposed to be 15 minutes, but when things go wrong, that gap can stretch to 30 or even 40 minutes.

Usually, I’d be fuming, but with zero stamina left, I just stand there and wait, resigned to my fate.

seeing “Next Bus: 28 Minutes” on the display board would normally make my blood boil.

But for a middle-aged retro gamer, the situation is completely reversed.

The moment I pull my retro handheld out of my bag and click the power button…

Right there, the bus stop transforms into my childhood bedroom. I’m instantly on a trip down memory lane.

This isn’t just a game console; it’s a time machine.

28 minutes until arrival? That’s plenty of time.

I can clear a few stages in Super Mario or play a quick match of Winning Eleven. Before I know it, the time has flown by.

For those 28 minutes, I’m back to being a kid.

As long as I have my retro console, even the waiting becomes part of the fun.

Retro gaming! For us middle-aged gamers, it’s not just a hobby—it’s our daily vitamin and therapy.

Original article in Korean: [link]