The Regressor's Ice Is Golden - Chapter 13

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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013.

“That’s what they said.”
Coach blinked at me in silence, her eyes fluttering helplessly.
Was that a positive reaction or a negative one?
Well, since it paid, I’d lean toward the former for now.
“But honestly, isn’t it fine? You said that Yuna and Senior filmed plenty of commercials, so there’s no reason I couldn’t…”
“No, it’s just that I…”
Coach let out a deep sigh and pressed her hand to her forehead.
I understood what was on her mind well enough.
She didn’t want to see her young protégé working for money.
‘And I didn’t realize that until I was in my thirties.’
That’s why I’d wanted to tell her somewhere nicer—at a café with a pleasant atmosphere.
Not here in the Ice Rink snack bar.
But this wasn’t like grilling intestines over a hot plate, and honestly, it seemed manageable.
Once you factored in costume expenses, ice time fees, and everything else, this was worth doing.
I looked at Coach with a hint of wistfulness.
“Coach, you said we were going to the Olympics together.”
“That’s right.”
“But if you’re not there, I’d be alone in a foreign country…”
“You’re the one skating in the competition. Not me.”
“That’s true, but…”
I met Coach’s eyes.
“There’s so much you need to do for that.”
“That’s… true enough.”
Managing the athlete’s conditioning and health on competition day, confirming the schedule, scouting competitors, adjusting strategy.
It wasn’t visible, but it was crucial work.
No matter how old I was mentally, I couldn’t handle all of that alone as an athlete.
An athlete left unsupervised without a coach might not even be able to respond properly if something unfortunate happened.
“Don’t overwork yourself. I can’t do this without you, Coach.”
“Hm…”
I’d even pulled out the trump card: calling her ‘Coach.’
Coach finally nodded.
“Alright, let’s think it over for now. Objectively speaking, it’s not bad. Training and schedules might overlap sometimes, but we can work around it.”
Right.
I relaxed my expression and picked up my phone again.
“I’ll give you the contact information.”
“Sure. Now stop resting and let’s practice.”
In that brief break, my part-time job to cover training expenses was decided.
Truth be told, I’d even considered finding work two days a week.
If I got a work permit, I could pitch my story at a private café or other restaurant and make it work somehow.
Even if my stomach turned at just the smell of grilled intestines.
‘I bet I never eat grilled intestines again for the rest of my life.’
I removed my blade guards and stepped back onto the ice.
I picked up speed and tried to perform the Biellmann Spin as usual, but—
Crack!
Suddenly my right leg, which I’d extended behind me, went limp.
“Ugh!”
In an instant, I fell flat on my back.
I blinked up at the ceiling of the Ice Rink.
If I hadn’t instinctively kicked my leg forward, it could have been much worse.
“Are you alright?!”
Coach rushed over immediately.
I got up hesitantly.
Starting from my right knee, I felt a sharp, stabbing pain shooting through my leg joints.
“Do you need help up?”
“N-no…?”
But instinctively, I had a sinking feeling that something was injured.
Eventually, I left the Ice Rink.

* * *

“Looks like growing pains.”
The Coach worked her fingers along my leg, then offered a quick diagnosis.
“How can you tell?”
“I know the signs. Still, let’s get you to the Orthopedic Clinic tomorrow just to be safe. It’s not an actual injury, so with proper Taping you should be able to skate.”
“Really?”
“You trust me, don’t you?”
The Coach smiled, but my unease didn’t fade.
I couldn’t trust my own legs anymore.
I pulled up my status window.
Scanning through it, I felt a chill run down my spine.
One detail in particular made my blood run cold.
This part right here.

[Kim Ha-seol]
Age: 13
Height: 163cm
Weight: 47kg
Secondary Sexual Characteristics Progress: 28%

My height had increased by a centimeter, and my secondary sexual characteristics had begun advancing.
‘Oh, come on.’
This was the period when bones grew at a furious pace and the body’s structure matured.
For young figure skaters, it was the beginning of an ordeal.
In my case, I’d lived roughly two years wrapping my knees in Taping and eating nothing but grass.
And in the middle of all that, something happened with Cha Seo-hui.
My knees were already aching, I wasn’t thinking straight, and then I got hit by a car.
After that, well—things unfolded as we know.
Sadly, growth is something that even top-tier skaters tear their hair out over.
As height increases, the body’s center of gravity shifts, and joint pain disrupts precise movements.
Techniques that were performed with a small, light frame need to be recalibrated—or may become impossible entirely.
Some skaters stop eating to maintain their weight and end up ruining their bodies.
I massaged my knee, which still ached.
The problems that had haunted me before the Regression likely started around this period.
‘This is maddening.’
“For now, let’s focus on Single Jumps and practice edge work. We’ll review your Spins and Step Sequence too. Do you still remember what you did at your last Grade Test?”
“Yes.”
I sighed and worked at my knee.
My height was nearly done growing.
I’d probably only gain another two centimeters at most.
My center of gravity would shift as my body changed shape, but adjusting to that shouldn’t be too difficult.
The real problem lay elsewhere.
‘…I probably haven’t gotten my period yet.’
The symptoms that come with monthly bleeding in women—well, I’ll spare the details.
Drowning in a parade of unexpected debuffs, my mind grew dizzy.
“Coach, so today—”
“Hmm, jumping is going to be difficult going forward. So—”
“……”
“Don’t give me that look. We’ll work on Double Jumps instead, yeah?”
Sigh.
I stepped back onto the ice.
After that brief rest, I found my footing again.
The Coach called out.
“Today, let’s just fill in the rotation on the combination sequence!”
“Okay.”
I swallowed hard and practiced several jumps.
Most went smoothly enough.
But the combination sequence didn’t satisfy me.
“It’s fine. You’ll get through it. Just work hard on your off-ice training.”

On the way home, Coach bought me tteokbokki from the Convenience Store.
I caught the scent of it—sweet and spicy, rising in waves.
“Is it okay to eat this now?”
“Once or twice won’t hurt.”
She let out a soft laugh and cracked open a can of Ion Drink for me.
“After all, you won’t get many chances like this going forward.”
…….
I didn’t complain. I fished out the tteokbokki and ate.
It tasted so good it brought tears to my eyes.

***

The move happened that Saturday.
Remarkably, Coach went back and forth to the real estate office and the tax accountant’s office, and it took less than a full week to liquidate her original house, call a moving truck, and finish the move.
‘She really is something.’
As I unpacked the last of my belongings, I looked around the room with a bittersweet feeling.
The room Coach had given me was small but spotless.
You could tell she’d made a point of cleaning it.
After sorting through the belongings of a three-person household…… the space felt oddly empty.
“All right, so you can’t be late for school in the morning, understood?”
“Got it.”
While unpacking, I listened to the plan for what lay ahead.
First, my practice schedule had changed slightly.
Now I’d go straight to the Ice Rink as soon as I got home from school after lunch.
My legs only hurt in the evening; during the day they were fine.
But booking private ice time was still a hassle, so I ended up choosing an option I didn’t really want.
I’d be skating in the middle during public skating hours.
When I arrived at the Ice Rink right after finishing my unpacking, it was packed.
It was Saturday, so of course it would be.
“Coach.”
I laughed and watched the stumbling public skaters.
“What if I hit one of them?”
“Nervous?”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t be.”
“Sigh……”
Right, there’s no helping it, is there?
You’ve got to do what you can while you can.
As it turned out, private ice time during weekends was now only an hour a day.
‘When will evening come?’
I sighed and stepped onto the ice.
Eyeballing it, consecutive jumps seemed like a pipe dream.
I started with basic Spins like always, and when I finished one, I heard an exclamation from somewhere in the crowd.
“Whoa, amazing. She’s a figure skater!”
“Want to try that? Think you could do it?”
Stay focused. A National Representative doesn’t get drawn into trash talk like this.
And anyway, regular Ice Skates don’t have a toepick, so they can’t spin like that.
I kept working through various movements.
Parts of the Step Sequence, various Spins, Single Jumps with short Approaches.
And Coach’s feedback.
“Your shoulders lagged when you pulled in your rotation just now. Watch that. Your Spins are looking good today, though.”
“Aren’t they?”
I forced a smile and held back a sigh.
I was already anxious, and not being able to practice the bigger techniques only made it worse.
If there were fewer people, I could probably manage solo jumps……
Fortunately, as the Ice Resurfacing time drew closer, the space opened up a bit.
‘Hm.’
I managed to land a Double Lutz just barely.
I was supposed to land a Double Loop jump next.
I clicked my tongue in disappointment and stepped off the ice.
It was time for Ice Resurfacing.
“Hey, Ha-seol. You’ve got a message.”
“Huh?”
I looked up sharply as I fitted the Blade Guards onto my skates.
Coach was grinning that peculiar grin again.
I wondered if she’d won the lottery, but she just waved her phone right in front of my face.
“That friend you introduced—that one. Park Ji-ho’s mother reached out. She wants to meet Friday afternoon.”
“!”
This fast?
Not that I was complaining, but what on earth had Park Ji-ho done?
I blinked, and Coach gave my shoulder a tap.
“Since you’re going to do it, do it well. I can’t keep feeding and teaching you forever, you know.”
Coach forwarded me the message that Park Ji-ho’s mother had sent.
The work she was proposing was modeling for an online shopping mall.
You know, one of those internet platforms like Yoox or ASOS where you can browse and buy instantly.
It sounded like they were starting small with clothes the Shop Owner had been selling in her store.
I’d need to wear about thirty different outfits in total.
They’d shoot roughly seven photos per outfit.
If you added in the time to change clothes, that came to about ten minutes per outfit, so I figured we wouldn’t finish until close to ten at night.
‘A night without ice skating practice.’
I nodded slowly.
“Yes. That makes sense.”
“Then I’ll let them know.”
While Coach typed out a message, I untied my skates.
‘Well, let’s see what I can do.’
How far I could actually take this.

***

A few days later, the meeting took place.
Park Ji-ho wore a smile that was unsettling, almost grotesque.
“Thank you for accepting this sudden offer on short notice.”
“Oh, thank you so much for having us.”
Coach and the Shop Owner shook hands with bright smiles.
“I’m sorry the studio is so modest. Let me introduce you to the crew first.”
The Shop Owner—or rather, the Manager—led us to the shooting area.
The studio was flooded with white fluorescent light, gleaming.
Various outfits were arranged in order throughout the studio.
“Hello.”
I bowed politely.
“Hello?”
A bearded photographer and what looked like staff members greeted me.
“Oh, welcome. We heard about you from the Manager.”
“What’s the student’s name?”
“Kim Ha-seol.”
The staff member in the checkered shirt stared at me intently.
The gaze felt a bit overwhelming.
The moment I frowned and tried to step back.
He clapped his hands and stepped away.
“Approved.”
“Pardon?”
“Let’s draw up a contract first, Manager.”
The Regressor’s Ice: Golden Episode 13
E-book Publication Date | 2026.06.05

Author | Corcoroli
Publishers | Heo Heung-beom, Park Geon-won
Published by | Potent

Address | [04783] 10th Floor, 8 Yeonmuljang 11-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
Phone | 02-6320-8500
Fax | 02-6320-8585

UCI | G720:N+A101-20260514092.0013
List Price | Not for Sale

© Korcaroli 2026

This e-book is protected under copyright law.
This e-book has been published under contract with the author, and any unauthorized reproduction, copying, distribution, or sharing without the written consent of both parties is prohibited.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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