The Regressor's Ice Is Golden - Chapter 23

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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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023.

Cha Seo-hee’s Triple Axel was powerful.
The impact alone was enough to electrify the arena in an instant.
The birth of another Korean Triple Axel jumper.
Right after landing, lyrics were layered over a jaunty percussion rhythm.
Come now, come to me, magpie and cat
In fine tailcoats before all the rivers of Seoul
“Huh, what? There’s actual lyrics?”
“After Lee Yu-na retired, the rules changed. That’s why the music choices got a lot more diverse.”
The original work, , was a musical anime.
It followed a oriole who’d forgotten how to sing and a tuxedo cat who loved to sing as they adventured through Seoul, becoming inseparable best friends and musicians in the process.
What made it stand out was the variety of songs throughout the film.
They’d woven K-pop and orchestral arrangements together into clever musical numbers.
Adding traditional instruments on top of that gave it a distinctive yet refined quality.
The original song was good, but when the film went viral, the track climbed all the way to the Billboard charts.
Cha Seo-hee’s choreography was a lively arrangement that faithfully captured both the film’s story and the song’s character.
“Wow, the choreography’s fun.”
Park Ji-ho clapped his hands while grinning like an idiot.
But unlike him, Cha Jin-hee had no leisure to savor the moment.
It was because of the Triple Axel she’d just executed.
‘Will the rotation count?’
According to the rules, a jump with insufficient rotations can incur penalties.
Up to three-quarters of a rotation gets credit, but if it falls on that line, it’s a Quarter Landing; anything below that down to the half-rotation line is Under Rotated.
If it drops below the half-rotation line, it gets downgraded to a jump with one fewer rotation, costing points on the Grade of Execution.
From what Cha Jin-hee could see, it looked about like a Quarter Landing.
‘It might get credited.’
She wished it wouldn’t.
Even as such unkind thoughts crossed her mind, the competition continued.
The subsequent Triple Flip and Triple Toe loop combination somehow held.
Then came the Flying Camel Spin, where her body launched into the air.
“I seriously don’t know how she does that. Isn’t it scary?”
“There’s actually an entry method for that called the Death Drop.”
“That’s insane.”
After spinning the T-shaped position several rotations, Cha Seo-hee suddenly shifted the direction of her torso.
She arched her back as if lying in mid-air, spread both arms wide, and let her free leg extend naturally.
It was Cha Seo-hee’s other specialty and once Lee Yu-na’s signature move.
The Camel Upward, the Yuna Spin.
“That’s impressive. Even among the men nowadays, there aren’t many who pull off that position properly.”
“Her core strength is insane. Have you ever tried it?”
“Tried it? My back would snap.”
So Cha Seo-hee changed her position three times, including the Yuna Spin, before completing the spin.
“That’s grabbing a Level 4.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Spins and step sequences use a level system. The base value changes depending on the level.”
Anyway, matching the choreography came a single Triple Salchow and Triple Lutz in sequence.
Cha Seo-hee performed the next element with a bright smile.
From the Lutz onward, elapsed time was approximately one minute forty-five seconds.
The second half began with an equally Level 4 combination spin.

That dancing star in the sky
Shines for our night
Watch us dancing beneath it
There’s no reason to give up now, is there?

Following the brisk melody, Cha Seo-hee played across the ice.
She bounded like an oriole, then crouched and glided like a stalking cat—a dynamic, fluid choreography.
“This choreography’s pretty too. Wait—I know this one. That’s a Spiral, right?”
He pointed to Cha Seo-hee as she executed the familiar technique.
Legs stretched wide and lifted high, she glided across the ice like a sailing boat—a Spiral of effortless grace.
Her speed was fierce, and her lower-body flexibility was impressive.
In what felt like an instant, Cha Seo-hee swept through half the Link field before dropping her leg and launching into another jump.
A Triple Flip followed by a Double Axel Sequence.
Then came a Triple Loop with a Double Toe loop at the end.

Let the world’s applause rest in our hands
And in the night that belongs to you and me
This moment that even eternity cannot shatter!
A Layback Spin and her final Triple Salchow.
In between, a Change Foot Sit Spin to change her footing once more.
Every element, every movement, every note descended in triumph.
“Waaaaaaah!”
Applause erupted from every corner of the stands.
Cha Seo-hee beamed and took her bow toward the audience.
And Cha Jin-hee stood frozen, watching her.
“Hey, Jin-hee.”
Park Ji-ho handed her a bottle of water without being asked.
Cha Jin-hee didn’t refuse—she drained half of it in one go.
Emptied nearly halfway in a single breath.
“Don’t worry. You saw how well Ha-seol did.”
“……Yeah.”
A sports competition isn’t decided until it’s over.
By then, her twin sister had already taken her seat in the Kiss and Cry.
“Cha Seo-hee’s competition results: Total score 184.08. Current ranking: first place.”

***

“Insane.”
Looking at it again, it really is a crazy score.
I stepped onto the ice and handed my skate blade to Coach Park.
The scoreboard still displayed Cha Seo-hee’s points.
Just like that, she’d claimed the top spot.
I checked the ice quality one last time, then ran through a few simple turns and steps.
As I made my way back with a deep breath, Coach caught my eye quietly.
“Scared? We can still change the program if you want.”
“Did it look like I was scared?”
Why would I doubt the program I’d rebuilt, here at the last moment?
I let out a small laugh, and Coach laughed too.
“You’ve got real nerve these days. I like it.”
“Thank you.”
“All right, then.”
Ha-seol and Coach looked at each other one final time.
The skater clasped her hands together and pressed them to her forehead, while the coach kissed them in blessing.
A prayer for safe return, for a performance free of injury.
“Go.”
“Yes.”
The moment our hands parted, the announcement system crackled to life.
{Now introducing our competitor: Songgol Middle School, Kim Ha-seol.}
The red sleeves of her costume fluttered as she moved.

Park Ji-ho and Cha Jin-hee applauded in grim silence.
Of course, their palms stung raw from clapping.
“She’s the last one, right?”
“Yeah.”
The music was Turandot.
Kim Ha-seol took her starting position at center ice.
Cha Jin-hee swallowed hard, mentally tallying the base values.
Cha Seo-hee’s Free skate base value from today’s successful program was 62.50 points.
What was Kim Ha-seol’s Free skate base value again?
“Can I win this?”
“I don’t know. We’ll see.”
The brief silence shattered.
A grand orchestral accompaniment thundered through the arena.
The program began with her sweeping her arms wide and bold.
Kim Ha-seol picked up speed quickly, performed a few choreographed movements, and took her stance.
Skating forward with ease, she launched into a Double Axel……?
“Wait, wasn’t it supposed to be a Triple Toe loop?”
Park Ji-ho tapped Cha Jin-hee’s shoulder, his face bewildered.
Cha Jin-hee didn’t answer, her eyes fixed on the ice.
Her pupils were visibly trembling.
Yet Ha-seol showed no sign of panic.
What followed was a Double Axel and Triple Toe loop combination.
Since it was an easier jump, she landed cleanly.
Cha Jin-hee, her fingers interlaced, murmured gravely.
“Did she deliberately hold back?”
“What?”
Park Ji-ho glanced between Cha Jin-hee and Ha-seol.
“Hey, so it wasn’t a mistake then? Explain this to me.”
“You understand now—stop looking at me and watch her. She’s skating.”
Just then, Ha-seol began a Flying Sit Spin.
“Everyone knows that as you skate, your stamina dwindles. That’s why there’s a bonus for it.”
“No way.”
“For junior free skate, after the halfway mark—one minute forty-five seconds in—every technique performed in that second half gets a ten percent Grade of Execution bonus. Land a jump worth ten base points, and you get eleven.”
Park Ji-ho, silent for a moment, widened his eyes as the calculation clicked.
“Oh—so Kim Ha-seol too?”
“The Triple Toe loop has a base value of 10.8 points. Add the late program bonus, and that’s another 1.08 points.”
Cha Seo-hee pressed her interlaced fingers together.
“But if she fails, there’s no coming back. The impression of a break is strong, and she loses points in technical composition.”
Ha-seol finished her spin and picked up speed again.
At the same time, Park Ji-ho, now understanding the rules, nodded.
“All or nothing, then.”
“Exactly.”
No sooner had she spoken than Ha-seol landed a solo Triple Loop, followed by a Salchow jump.
With the sound of scraping ice trailing behind, the program continued.
Unlike the short program Tangueville, the free skating program Turandot was entirely choreographed by Coach Park Chae-ram.
Because of that, the broad arm movements and emphasized speed matched the orchestra perfectly.
It differed from Cha Jin-hee’s choreography, which broke up the rhythm into smaller beats using steps and turns.
The next element was a triple jump combination.
Triple Flip, Double Toe loop, and Double Loop sequence.
Cha Jin-hee interlaced her fingers again, anxiously.
Then came a click as her toe touched the ice.
She landed the Triple Flip smoothly, and her toe picked again.
But then.
“……!”
After landing the Double Toe loop, Ha-seol stumbled and slowly transitioned into choreography.
Park Ji-ho, sensing something had gone wrong, looked to Cha Jin-hee.
“Did it fail? What happened?”
Cha Jin-hee bit at the edge of her thumbnail.
“She couldn’t land the Double Loop. The sequence broke.”
In an instant, the triple combination collapsed into a double combination.
What remained were one solo jump and one triple jump combination.
Both began with a Lutz.

***

I strung together a long, elaborate curse in my head.
Of all things, the ice rut had caught my edge right there.
According to the rules, you could only attempt one triple jump combination per free skate program.
And I’d just wasted the first one by cutting it short to a double.
‘Think, I have to think.’
Now there were only two chances left to land a triple combination jump.
I began calculating desperately, matching the Technical rules.
What jumps had I done so far, and how many?
As I was calculating, the timing for the Lutz came.
My body, honed by steady practice, launched into the jump with practiced precision.
“Ugh!”
The moment I landed, a harsh cracking sound split the air.
I hadn’t quite completed the rotation.
Now there was truly only one chance left.
And triple jumps—only two types were permitted, each executable twice.
As I spun through the Change Foot Sit Spin, I was frantically searching through the rulebook in my mind.
My mind, pushed to its limit, found the answer before the spin even ended.
I gritted my teeth and accelerated again.
There was no time for deliberation.
I didn’t know if it would work, but I had to try now.
‘Please!’
Another Triple Lutz launched skyward.
And the jump that followed was not a Loop.
Do you remember?
Normally, connected jumps are limited to Toe loop or Loop using the right foot, unless it’s an Axel sequence.
But by inserting just one jump, the use of two jumps on the left foot becomes unlocked.
The moment I landed, I twisted my body sharply.
Single Euler.
Without pause, I pressed the right toe and set the rotation in motion.
‘Spin!’
Triple Flip connected after the Single Euler.
The world revolved, cold air roared, and my toes burned with effort.
I pulled both arms tightly inward.
A fraction of a second, less than one heartbeat.
The skate blade crashed roughly onto the ice, scattering crystalline powder in a loud spray.
The Returner’s Ice Rink | Episode 23
E-book Release Date | June 5, 2026

Author | Kor Carroll
Publisher | Heo Heung-beom, Park Gun-won
Published by | Potен

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

UCI | G720:N+A101-20260514092.0023
List Price | 100 won

ⓒ Kor Carroll 2026

This e-book is protected under copyright law.
This e-book is published under contract with the author and may not be reproduced, distributed, or shared in any form 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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