The Regressor's Ice Is Golden - Chapter 21

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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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021.

We continued our warm-up in an awkward silence, both of us determined to maintain professional etiquette.
We were the type who knew how to conduct ourselves properly.
Neither of us would think of displacing the other simply because we found it inconvenient.
“Though I don’t think I saw you this morning.”
“No?”
“Weren’t there run-throughs scheduled?”
In the morning, there was a block of time when athletes practiced in their assigned groups.
Music would play in sequence, and each skater would train to theirs.
The judges would check the competitors’ condition beforehand, while the athletes themselves would verify the sound system, ice quality, and everything else.
In short, it was a rehearsal.
Choi Ji-hwan fell silent for a moment, then pulled a tumbler from his bag.
“……I did the rehearsal run. I just left the ice immediately after.”
“I see.”
Pressing further would be rude.
Not to mention the unspoken question: why was someone who’d just graduated from the Junior ranks and moved up to Senior still here?
The answer was that he’d agreed to perform his Free Program as the first skater in the final group, all under the banner of a Showcase Event.
They’d score it through the entire process, though the points wouldn’t count toward his actual record, or so I’d been told.
I said nothing and kept practicing jumps.
My body felt remarkably light.
“By the way, have you had any luck finding new boots?”
The tumbler’s lid clicked shut.
“……About that. I really need to find something soon.”
Choi Ji-hwan sighed as he closed the tumbler.
“The manufacturer I bought my original boots from isn’t answering calls. They’re overseas, so it’s hard to reach them. And domestic options have their limits.”
“That must be difficult…….”
Choi Ji-hwan said that during his competitive career, he’d rarely had boots that truly fit him.
All the way until his retirement.
Still, he couldn’t exactly compete in boots held together with tape, falling apart as they were.
Since perfectly fitting boots didn’t just fall from the sky, there was precious little a skater could do about it.
‘He must be under considerable stress.’
I found myself thinking back to my own regression period.
Those days when I understood the problem and knew the solution, but could do nothing but wait because there was nothing in my power to change.
“……When that happens, I try to stop thinking about it altogether.”
“What?”
“Since there’s nothing I can do anyway. So I focus on what I can control instead. If I just keep worrying, I’ll lose that too.”
I stretched my legs, pulling them back in a deep split.
“Honestly, I’ve only seen you once before. But please don’t worry so much. You were training incredibly hard.”
“That’s only natural.”
“Exactly.”
With a small grunt, I straightened up.
“So just do what you can for now. That way you won’t be grasping at straws when the time comes.”
……
I left it at that and plugged in my earbuds.
While I danced, Choi Ji-hwan stayed quiet.
I wonder how much time passed.
“……I should head out now.”
“Oh, has it really gotten so late?”
Choi Ji-hwan gathered a few things and stood.
It was nearly time for the final group of men’s Free Skating.

***

I went to the spectator stands instead of waiting in the athlete’s area.
Cha Jin-hee, who’d been peeling a mandarin, opened her eyes wide.
“Huh? Aren’t you practicing?”
“I need to conserve energy. Figured I might as well watch the competition while I’m at it.”
“Ooh, is Ha-seol here to cheer us on? See, we’ve got some real—oof!”
Cha Jin-hee slapped Park Ji-ho on the back.
“Stop talking nonsense, will you.”
“Hahaha…….”
I laughed awkwardly and sat down.
Cha Jin-hee handed me a tangerine.
I hesitated for a moment before taking it.
“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”
“Just give the peel to him.”
“The tangerines came in well this year. Good call bringing plastic bags, huh?”
“Yeah. Good call, good call.”
One tangerine would do for a vitamin boost, at least.
I peeled the fruit and broke it into segments.
As I picked at the snacks Park Ji-ho had brought, an announcement crackled through the speakers.
“We will now begin the Warm-up for Senior Men, competitors six through ten. Warm-up time is six minutes.”
Just like our group, five skaters poured onto the Ice Rink.
“Oh, there’s Choi Ji-hwan.”
“Yeah.”
“Is that him? The guy they call ‘Male Yeo-na’?”
“Where on earth did you hear that?”
“On the internet.”
“Ah.”
Cha Jin-hee made a soft tsk sound.
Support banners for him hung throughout the stands.
Fans who’d arrived early had put them up during the Run-through.
“Wow, but he really is handsome. Honestly though, don’t you think I could give him a run for his money?”
“What was that? You said you’re having your memorial feast tonight?”
I let the two of them bicker and kept my eyes on the rink.
Choi Ji-hwan’s skating was still slow and weighty.
He’d looked uncertain before, but he didn’t seem as exhausted as I’d expected.
If anything, there was a sense of steely resolve to him now.
“I hope it goes well.”
“What, do you know him?”
“He borrowed tape from me during joint practice. Seems like there’s something wrong with his Boots.”
“Ah.”
Cha Jin-hee stared at me for a moment, then peeled another tangerine.
As I was eating the third segment of the one I’d broken up, the competition began.
{We introduce our next competitor: Han Young High School, Kim Jae-seok.}
{Here are Kim Jae-seok’s results. Total Score 186.26, currently in third place.}
{We introduce our next competitor: Yeonhee University, Song Jae-hwi.}
Each performance was a little over four minutes of Free Skating.
Seven jumps total: two sets of double combinations and one triple combination.
Three different types of spins, and for Senior skaters, one Step Sequence and one Choreography Sequence.
While the two competitors performed, Park Ji-ho asked questions constantly.
“The male skaters usually start with a Quadruple, huh?”
“The standard’s leveled up. Now you pretty much need at least a Quadruple Salchow to podium. Land a Quadruple Toe Loop and you’re practically untouchable.”
“Wow…….”
And that’s just baseline—most of them throw in a Triple Axel without thinking.
The Base Value of the composition itself is that much higher, so the total scores end up being dozens of points greater.
I watched the second competitor take a seat in the Kiss and Cry.
{Here are Song Jae-hwi’s results. Total Score 193.36, currently in first place.}
“So Choi Ji-hwan’s up next?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ve got one question.”
Now? Really?
Park Ji-ho blinked and asked.
“I noticed most of the male skaters wear two pieces. Is that regulation—just pants?”
“Huh? Yeah, usually. Pants on the bottom, costume on top.”
“Oh, really?”
“Honestly, pants are more comfortable anyway. Even the female skaters find their skirts annoying.”
Cha Jin-hee folded her arms and watched the skater who’d just stepped onto the ice.
“Why not make a shorts costume while you’re at it?”
“Ha, will you get commissioned for that? Ha-seol, you’re going to be famous.”
“Yes, yes.”
As we chatted idly, the announcement finally echoed through the speakers.
{Now introducing our competitor: Songgol High School, Choi Ji-hwan.}
An eruption of applause and cheers far louder than anything before washed over the rink.
“Kyaaaa, Choi Ji-hwan!!”
There seemed to be quite a fan section over there too.
He was the face of men’s singles figure skating right now, and it showed.
Choi Ji-hwan took his starting position.
A brief hush fell, and then the grand orchestral music of the opera filled the arena.
Turandot.
“Did you see the jump layout Choi Ji-hwan released?”
“Yeah, I did.”
I finished chewing the last of my mandarin orange.
The first jump was a Quadruple Toe Loop.
The technique he’d been struggling with in practice.
Difficult as it was, it opened his program.
Choi Ji-hwan immediately took his takeoff position for the toe loop.
He spun his body and shifted his blade in a single motion.
His left toe pick left the ice and he rocketed into the air, spinning.
The next instant, the crisp sound of blade cutting ice rang out.
It was a clean landing.
“Wow!!!”
Applause and cheers erupted, then faded.
There was still one more quadruple jump to come.
A few transitional moves leading into it.
The next moment, his right blade brushed the ice as he gathered momentum for the rotation.
Swoosh!
Quadruple Salchow.
“He’s got it!”
“Wow, the quality is different.”
Park Ji-ho nodded, watching Choi Ji-hwan land cleanly.
Even the Camel Spin he entered from a flying position changed position twice…….
“Whoa, he switched edges too.”
“Switched what?”
“There’s a thing like that. I’ll explain later.”
He’d just finished the spin.
I bit my lip hard.
The next jump was the crucial Triple Lutz, Triple Loop combination.
As the moment of takeoff drew near, my heart grew taut.
When his right toe pick planted and his body came back down—
“Huh?”
“Oh, he landed it solo.”
Missing the connecting loop, Choi Ji-hwan continued skating through.
‘At least his mental game didn’t crack.’
The Step Sequence was still intact!
Choi Ji-hwan was one of those skaters with fluid choreographic expression.
He matched the rhythm of the music, adjusted his jump timing to fit, and kept moving.
There was a magnetism to it—the kind that made you unable to look away.
Along with the flamboyant footwork sweeping across the ice, curves and spray scattered across the rink.
After the sweeping Step Sequence, Choi Ji-hwan executed his remaining jumps with composure.
A solo Triple Axel with a long delay before it.
Triple Flip, Single Euler, Triple Salchow.
And the Double Axel sequence that followed the Triple Axel.
“Ah, this is almost the end.”
“He said he could do one more combination, right?”
“Yeah. He’s got a Triple Flip left.”
Cha Jin-hee uncrossed her legs.
“If he’s going to do it, he has to do it now.”
I clasped my hands together for no particular reason.
‘Jump, jump, jump.’
Soon Choi Ji-hwan turned for the flip jump.
The leap, charged with resolve, succeeded.
Executed with perfect timing, a Triple Loop!
Ice shavings sprayed with a sharp crack.
“Yes!”
I found myself standing up without thinking.
The others weren’t much different.
Everyone either lost their words or held back their gasps, watching him.
After completing his final spin, Choi Ji-hwan held his ending position.
“Woooo!!!”
The moment the music ended, thunderous applause cascaded down.
Several people threw wrapped flowers toward the ice rink.
We stood and clapped enthusiastically.
“That was excellent.”
“He recovered the Triple Loop too. That should earn him some Grade of Execution points.”
Choi Ji-hwan bowed with his face drenched in sweat.
And then he looked toward us.
“……?”
Why was he looking over here?
He stared at us for a moment, then left the ice rink.
“Hey, didn’t you say you knew that guy? Looks like he recognized you.”
“……I suppose so.”
I gazed blankly at his path as he exited.
In the Kiss and Cry, flowers and a plush toy thrown onto the ice were gathered into his arms.
“Here are the results for Choi Ji-hwan’s performance. Total Score: 289.93. Currently in first place.”
Park Ji-ho spoke in a slightly excited voice.
“Think he’ll take the bronze?”
The performance we’d just watched seemed to have impressed him deeply.
“Hard to say. It’s a Showcase Event, but he really did skate well. The next skater might be completely overwhelmed.”
Cha Jin-hee’s prediction proved accurate.
It’s always the case—when the skater before you performs brilliantly, the one after gets rattled.
In the end, Choi Ji-hwan secured a comfortable provisional first place that day.
“All right.”
I stood up.
“Time to get ready.”
“Skate well out there.”
The women’s singles competition was set to begin immediately after.
A strange feeling nagged at me, so I checked my phone.
[Coach: Where are you? Why aren’t you answering your calls?]
[Coach: Nothing’s happened, has it?]
Damn. This is bad.
‘She must have been looking everywhere for me.’
I rushed toward the waiting room.
The Rink of the Returnee in Gold: Episode 21
E-book Publication Date | June 5, 2026

Author | Corcarolli
Publisher | Heo Heung-beom, Park Gun-won
Published by | Potent

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Phone | 02-6320-8500
Fax | 02-6320-8585

UCI | G720:N+A101-20260514092.0021
List Price | 100 won

ⓒ Corcarolli 2026

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

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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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