The Regressor's Ice Is Golden - Chapter 24

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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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024.

Crack!
As my balance shattered, I thrust my hand out in reflex.
Just as my upper body began to topple, my outstretched palm struck the ice.
And I found my footing again.
‘Did it land?’
I’d managed to set down somehow, but whether it counted was another matter.
I spun into my final spin, arms trembling as I built momentum.
The ice that had clung to my hand was melting away.
But there was no time to worry about that.
The last element remained: the Change Foot Combination Spin.
I shifted my posture, switched my feet, arched my back or stretched my leg skyward.
Once I’d completed the prescribed number of rotations, I released the spin and held my finishing position.
Three minutes and thirty seconds—the music stopped, and my Free Skating ended.
“Waaaaaah!”
The spectators erupted in a downpour of applause.
Hearing that sound, the tension drained from me all at once.
‘Oh.’
Like a newborn fawn, I collapsed onto the ice.
My thighs felt ready to burst.
I knelt and slowly looked up toward the stands.
Up there, Cha Jin-hee and Park Ji-ho were clinging to each other.
Their faces were contorted in identical expressions, though I couldn’t tell if they were crying or laughing.
To look at them, it was comical.
‘What a mess.’
I let out a soft laugh and got to my feet.
I waved to the audience and skated off the ice.
Park Chae-ram stood waiting, mouth agape.
“Coach, my blade guards.”
“Ah, here.”
He brushed the ice from the blade, shook it away, and slipped the guards on.
Park Chae-ram said nothing as we made our way to the kiss and cry.
Only once I’d sat down and pulled on my jacket did he finally open his mouth.
“You never landed the Trot-Troup in the end.”
“No, I didn’t.”
I did feel a twinge of regret about it.
I’d brought the Absolute Ring all the way here just to save it for the final duel, only to abandon it on Destiny Mountain without ever putting it on.
Though to be honest, comparing myself to something like the Absolute Ring was almost embarrassing.
I was standing there with an awkward smile when Park Chae-ram suddenly pulled me into his arms.
His puffy jacket made him feel larger than usual.
“Coach Park Chae-ram?”
I said his name, but no answer came back.
Well, he did respond, but not in words.
I heard intermittent sniffling, and the rustle of his padded jacket as he fumbled in his pocket.
So I just left him be for now.
It would take a little longer for the scoring results to come through anyway.
A moment later, Park Chae-ram released me, his eyes rimmed red.
“I’m proud of you, Kim Ha-seol.”
“You noticed.”
“What—you brat.”
Park Chae-ram stared at me in disbelief, then exhaled sharply through his nose.
“When we get back, we’re drilling everything again. This girl keeps pulling out new tricks when I’m not looking.”
“I know.”
“What were you thinking, anyway?”
I glanced back at the camera for a moment.
More precisely, at what lay beyond it—the vast, pristine expanse of the Ice Skating Rink.
“I suppose I wanted it badly enough.”
Park Chae-ram asked nothing more.
“Yeah.”
The announcement came through just as we’d managed to settle ourselves.
{Skater Kim Ha-seol’s competition results: Total Score 184.07, final placement second.}

***

That day, the figure skating community was a warzone.
An absolute circus.

Is anyone in their right mind?

Separated by decimals?
In all my years, I’ve never seen this happen at a Selection Competition
┗What’s the Selection Competition result then?
┗Cha Seo-hee first, Kim Ha-seol second. Lost by 0.01 points
┗Insane, what was that

Today’s keyboard battle had one central theme.
Between Kim Ha-seol and Cha Seo-hee, who deserved the gold medal?
One skater brought the Triple Axel and landed it super clean; the other wavered but improvised a difficult combination on the spot and stuck the landing.
Both had clear strengths and weaknesses, but the point margin was so razor-thin that chaos erupted.
Kim Ha-seol’s supporters were absolutely seething.

Every time I look at the protocol, I’m furious

In the second half she did a Trot-Troup-Euler but attached a Triple Flip instead of a Triple Salchow—and that loses by decimal points?
So basically you’re sending the rich girl to the Grand Prix, huh lmaooo
┗Isn’t it normal to attach a Triple Salchow to an Euler?
┗Exactly. That’s why it’s so amazing she landed it, but they still marked her down smh

Normally, after a single Euler, a Triple Salchow follows.
When the Euler flip rotates the body backward, it naturally imparts a slight rotation that you can use as the setup for the Salchow’s takeoff.
If you keep your left foot on an Inside Edge, you can tap your right foot and attempt a Flip instead.
It’s just obscenely difficult to do.
So Kim Ha-seol’s fans ranted relentlessly, and that inevitably provoked Cha Seo-hee’s supporters.

Do these people think the Triple Axel is water?

Or did they not even watch the protocol? Why are they screaming about the super clean landing before her when the skater’s own mental state fell apart?
┗For real, if the skater managed her mind better, what did Cha Seo-hee do wrong
┗She was the one getting unfair judging tbh
┗But she barely cleared 3/4 rotation anyway
┗Yeah so Triple Flip still came out as under-rotated

Honestly, Kim Ha-seol shouldn’t have gone for the Euler Triple Flip then.

She should’ve attached the Deter-Troup as rehearsed. I heard she’d never practiced the Euler Triple Flip before—way too risky a move. Better to have stuck with the Salchow.
┗Fair point. There’s a reason people don’t do certain things
┗Wasn’t she just in such a mental state she couldn’t do the math?
┗Then she would’ve crashed trying the Troup with her head like that
┗At least she followed the technical regulations, cheers lmao

Yes. This entire mess—the root of it all and the crucial mistake that kept Kim Ha-seol from surpassing Cha Seo-hee.
It was the insufficient rotation on the final Triple Flip she’d connected.
It didn’t fall all the way to a Downgrade, but the problem arose from executing it as part of a combination.
The issue was that in a combination jump, the entire set is scored as one unit for Grade of Execution points.
The under-rotation on the Flip swept away the Grade of Execution bonus that could have been credited to the Lutz as well.
Besides, the regulations only allowed the same jump twice, leaving little room for alternatives.
By the end of the medal ceremony, night fell before the fury finally subsided.
Kim Ha-seol’s fans had no choice but to accept the under-rotation on the Flip.
The Selection Competition awards ceremony proceeded, and as fans observed the athletes’ expressions, their tensions eased.

Ha-seol really seems to be having a great time.

Still, she must be starting to feel the fatigue now, but calculating the technical regulations on the spot like that—she worked hard.
┗It’s possible she was surprised when the combination jump broke in the middle, but for a junior’s first season, that’s a solid performance.
┗And she’s laughing and shaking hands with Cha Seo-hee, even embracing her.

After that, among fans who either didn’t support one of them or supported both, different comments began to circulate.

But honestly, aren’t you curious?

We’ve got one athlete doing Triple Flip and another doing the Trot-Troup with an Euler Triple Flip in the second half—both appearing at the same time. I’m dying to know how their Grand Prix results will turn out.
┗That’s fair. Ha-seol’s Euler Triple Flip seems like it’ll definitely stabilize. I’m hoping Coach Park trains her well.
┗They both seem like they’ll grab a gold medal each, and if there are no major mistakes, they should make it to the Final, right?
┗Seriously, just thinking about two Korean flags hanging at the awards ceremony makes me realize today was absolute chaos.
┗After these two, will Korean women’s figure skating produce talent like this again?

And then, one decisive moment at the awards ceremony ended all this commotion.

What the hell.

***

While the community was buzzing with excitement online, I stood at the side of the rink at the Ice Skating Rink where the competition had taken place.
I wore every expression of displeasure imaginable among the event staff.
But it wasn’t that I disagreed with the result—my legs were just sore.
I’d done everything I could, so what more could I ask for?
Honestly, just placing in the top five would have been an honor, but a medal?
Now a blue carpet had been laid across the white ice rink.
Upon it sat a blue podium.
Simple, yet weighty.
Background music rich with traditional Korean instruments echoed through the stadium.
{Next, we will proceed with the women’s junior singles awards ceremony. From Samgang Middle School, Lee Ji-hyun.}
The bronze medalist stepped out onto the rink first.
An introduction followed, announcing her total score and third-place finish.
Soon, the next announcement came through.
{From Songgol Middle School, Kim Ha-seol.}
I skated directly onto the ice and glided forward.
The remaining spectators sent cheers and applause my way.
{Kim Ha-seol placed second with a total score of 184.07 points.}
Ha-seol bowed in all directions without missing a single one, then slowly ascended the carpet toward the podium.
“Congratulations.”
“Congratulations to you.”
I embraced the bronze medalist briefly and stepped onto the second-place podium.
The view of the ice rink from atop the podium was strangely poignant.
The gravity I felt was heavier than on the ice itself, though my aching hip flexor seemed to ease up momentarily—an illusion, probably.
It was only a wooden platform, just slightly higher than the ice.
‘How strange.’
Strange it had to be.
It had been an eternity since I’d stood on one of these.
By then, the gold medalist’s name had been called.
{From Songgol Middle School, Cha Seo-hee. Cha Seo-hee placed first with a total score of 184.08 points.}
Cha Seo-hee waved cheerfully and walked toward the podium.
She, too, embraced the bronze medalist, then made her way over to me.
We looked at each other with expressions of strange ambiguity.
Silver and gold, divided by a mere 0.01 points.
Had the Flip’s rotation count been sufficient, I would have stood in her place.
Or if her Triple Axel’s rotation had fallen short.
‘Such is life.’
But there was no need to be discouraged, and even less reason to be angry.
The competition was already over, and the judges had finished their scoring.
And it was only a difference of 0.01 points.
I felt certain that with just a little more, I could overtake her.
‘Let’s see if you can smile like that when the time comes.’
I wasn’t about to mock a middle schooler when I was hardly any taller myself.
I extended my hand.
“Good work out there.”
Cha Seo-hee blinked a few times before breaking into a grin.
“Congratulations!”
Was she doing this on purpose, or did she genuinely have flowers where her brains should be?
We shook hands firmly and even hugged it out.
Sure enough, I felt her squeeze my hand deliberately hard.
I was the fool for thinking it was childish, even for a moment.
‘Someday I’ll push you aside and claim that spot for myself.’
Cha Seo-hee climbed confidently to the highest place in the center.
A roar of applause cascaded down, and the Korean Speed Skating Union president, dressed in a black suit, walked out onto the stage.
“The medals will be presented by Go Su-hee, President of the Korean Speed Skating Union.”
“Thank you.”
The medal was placed around the bronze medalist’s neck first.
Then came my turn.
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
As I bowed my head, a ribbon necklace with considerable width slipped around my neck.
At its end, I felt a weightiness I couldn’t quite put into words.
I glanced down at the medal.
Inscribed on the silver medal, above and below the federation’s emblem, were words.
[ISU Junior Figure Skating Grand Prix Selection Competition, 2nd Place]
[Korean Speed Skating Union]
It was my first medal since returning.
My neck felt heavy as I held it, more than I’d expected.
I shook hands with the president and watched as he placed the medal around Cha Seo-hee’s neck.
The design was identical, but hers was gold instead of silver.
Trophy plaques were presented next, one to each of us.
Made of transparent crystal, they had considerable weight to them.
“The flower bouquets will be presented by Lee Yu-na, gold medalist in women’s singles figure skating at the 20XX Toronto Winter Olympics.”
Wait—the flower bouquets are…what?
I immediately doubted my ears and looked around.
Cha Seo-hee, and even the bronze medalist at the far end, had the same confused expression.
‘I didn’t read anything about this in the federation’s announcement.’
How on earth had they managed to invite such a distinguished person to a place like this?
The three of us stood there wearing equally dumbfounded expressions when the presenter of the flower bouquets walked across the carpet.
Long, straight black hair, refined features.
A one-piece dress that fit her form perfectly.
Elegant, graceful steps.
Lee Yu-na.
The Ice Rink of the Returner—24
E-book Release Date | June 5, 2026

Author | Korcarolli
Publisher | Heo Heung-beom, Park Geon-won
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ⓒ Corkcarolly 2026

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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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