The Regressor's Ice Is Golden - Chapter 26

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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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026.

“His girlfriend asked him to pass this along.”
“Ah.”
I’d never heard that Park Ji-ho was dating anyone.
Which meant, with a high degree of certainty—practically guaranteed—it had to be Cha Jin-hee.
I accepted the business card.
“Thank you. I’ll contact Jin-hee separately about this.”
“Do that. Work hard at the Athletes’ Village.”
His mother turned and glided back into the building.
The entire drive, we couldn’t stop turning the business card over in our minds.
Coach Park spoke first.
“So what’re you going to do? Jin-hee was the one who gave it to you, right?”
“Yes.”
I stared at the purple logo embossed on the card.
‘A management company.’
Let’s think about this rationally.
It’s difficult for a skater and coach alone to manage every single schedule each season.
There are differences from one athlete to another, but there’s far more to do than just training and competing.
That’s why Lee Yu-na’s mother had founded a sports management company that sponsored athletes and coordinated their schedules.
That company was All of Sports.
The concept wasn’t complicated—athletes got agencies much like idols do.
Places that handled all the athletes’ various appointments on their behalf.
They recruited choreographers and costume designers, coaches and trainers, and if a club membership or equipment was needed, they sourced those contacts too.
After major competitions like the Olympics or Asian Games, they even coordinated appearances on broadcast variety specials.
They managed the budgets—costs, appearance fees, prize money—and handled taxes on top of it all.
And Purple Company, apparently, was one such firm.
‘It would be convenient if we signed.’
Especially if I didn’t make the National Team—ice rink rental slots became brutally unpredictable.
With training and competition schedules already chaotic, having people to handle the tedious logistics would be a relief.
Coach Park would have fewer headaches too, which would help him. But there was a problem.
The source of this business card.
“Let me think about it for now. We’re heading to the Athletes’ Village anyway.”
“You sure?”
I handed the card to Coach Park.
There were two possible ways Jin-hee had gotten her hands on this.
Either she’d received it in her capacity as my short program choreographer, or she’d picked one up while hovering around during negotiations over Cha Seo-hee’s contract.
Given that I couldn’t get my name on the Selection Competition roster, it was likely the latter.
Which meant there was a high probability that Cha Seo-hee was also considering signing with them.
‘That would be a problem.’
If luck went south, Seo-hee’s representatives could end up controlling my schedule and using it against me.
Worse—my daughter’s rival, and suddenly we’re with the same agency.
At minimum they’d leave me to rot, but who knows—they could saddle me with some charlatan trainer and I’d end up breaking my leg in a practice accident.
I doubted they’d stoop to something that underhanded, but human malice has a way of exceeding imagination.
I’d wavered for a moment, but this had to be pushed to the back burner.
My choreographer’s thoughtful gesture came back to me, wistful and bittersweet.
‘I’m sorry.’
Her heart was in the right place, but this wasn’t an option.

* * *

August in Jincheon was brutally, shamelessly hot.
We arrived with modest luggage, stepping straight into the kind of record-breaking heat wave that makes the news.
My head was already spinning just from the walk from the parking lot.
Ice skating practice had never sounded more essential.
“Want some water?”
“Maybe later…….”
“Where did they say to meet again……? They mentioned Champion House, right?”
Coach Park fumbled for his phone and pulled up the Athletes’ Village map.
Fortunately, the meeting place wasn’t far.
At the Athletes’ Village site stood the Champion House, and on the map, what was labeled the Athletes’ Hall.
As soon as I stepped inside, there were helpfully placed directional signs.
[20XX-20XX Figure Skating National Team Training Camp Orientation Venue →]
The assembly point was a large auditorium in the Athletes’ Hall.
The moment I walked in, cool air swept the sweat from my skin.
A handful of early arrivals were already there.
“Ah, so they’ve stacked the luggage over here.”
“Coach, could I get some water?”
I quickly grabbed a bottle of mineral water and drank it down.
Among those who’d arrived early, there were a few familiar faces.
“Oh, hello.”
“Ah, senior. It’s been a while.”
I exchanged a light greeting with Choi Ji-hwan.
His expression seemed more relaxed than the last time I’d seen him.
Is this the composure of a gold medalist?
“Congratulations on winning the Selection Competition. I watched your performance.”
“Ah, thank you. And congratulations to you too. I heard you took silver, which must have been disappointing.”
“Yes.”
Choi Ji-hwan smiled ruefully.
“I was really disappointed looking at the scores. You skated so well.”
Wait—I’m the one who fell short, so why does he look so dejected?
But my social instincts, honed by years of navigating these waters, made me smile anyway.
“Well, I’ll have to work hard during the training camp. I’m aiming for gold at the Grand Prix Series.”
“Yes.”
I thought that was the end of it, but Choi Ji-hwan awkwardly clenched his fist.
“You’ve got this. Fighting.”
“Thank you. And you as well, senior.”
He shuffled back to his spot, looking uncomfortable.
That guy really does try, even when he doesn’t need to.
As time passed, more and more training camp participants trickled in.
Senior skaters I’d seen in sports articles and broadcasts arrived with practiced ease.
“Hello, everyone!”
Naturally, among them was Cha Seo-hee.
An exotic-looking coach followed behind her, pulling a large suitcase.
I made a point of not acknowledging her and positioned myself at a neutral spot.
Fourteen men, eighteen women.
And then…….
“Sorry! Are we late?”
A woman burst through the doors dragging a man who spoke Korean with a slight accent.
A coach followed behind them, flinging luggage aside as he rushed in.
‘Ah, so that’s them.’
Now that I think about it, I’d heard that a pairs skating team had been formed around this time.
If I remember correctly, this must be them.
The moment the appointed time arrived, an official came in to take attendance and began the orientation.
“Well, first of all, congratulations to all of you who have passed the Selection Competition. Now, over the next month of August, you’ll all be competing in the Grand Prix Series and the World Championships, yes? Let’s practice hard here and achieve great results. Come on, your legs must be tired—everyone sit down!”
After that came introductions to the Athletes’ Village facilities and an overview of the month’s schedule.
Nothing particularly special—just a relentless series of routines.
Early mornings running and basic conditioning, then spending the morning under specialist supervision building strength and flexibility.
Ice training sessions of three hours each before and after lunch.
Mornings focused on technical drills, afternoons on competitive program practice.
There were also lectures on complex competition rules and sports nutrition.
‘Beautiful,’ I thought.
An environment where you could train without distraction or wandering thoughts.
I could live like a monk for a month like this.
And if there was anything special about this month-long training camp?
“This year, we’ve invited an ISU specialist. There will be periods during which special training related to that will take place.”
“Ohhhhh.”
Heads nodded and murmurs of admiration rippled through the room.
Yes, this is why everyone bites down hard and reaches for the Taegeuk Mark.
Where else would you get lessons like that except from the National Team?
The rest of the briefing covered the rules to follow while staying at the Athletes’ Village and room assignments.
Nothing particularly noteworthy, as expected.
Don’t be late, don’t drink, keep curfew—the usual warnings.
The athletes’ dormitory in Hwarang Hall housed two people per room.
The coaches would stay separately at the Guest House, which was fine enough.
But then……
“Now, I’ll announce the female athletes’ room assignments. Room 401 will have Kim Ha-seol and Cha Seo-hee.”
Who drew up this assignment sheet, damn it.
They seemed to have deliberately paired the first and second-ranked skaters together—whether they’d seen the online uproar or not, I couldn’t tell.
I forced my facial muscles into rigid composure.
When our eyes briefly met, Cha Seo-hee simply smiled brightly.
‘Looking forward to it!’
She even had the composure to mouth a greeting.
I simply gave a slight nod in response.

* * *

The room in Hwarang Hall was immaculate.
Two beds with attached wardrobes, two desk-chair sets, a refrigerator, and a bathroom.
Being newly built, there wasn’t a trace of mold anywhere, and the beds were soft and comfortable.
Just as it had been when I first arrived.
……The feeling was genuinely strange.
I turned on the air conditioning and swept my eyes across the room.
The arrangement of furniture and chairs gradually came into focus.
One side had the desk and wardrobe on the outer edge, the other on the inner side.
Cha Seo-hee hadn’t arrived yet.
“…….”
Without hesitation, I chose the latter.
Having the desk and wardrobe on the inner side meant people could pass through without getting in the way.
I was unpacking my clothes from the suitcase when the door suddenly swung open.
Cha Seo-hee lugged her luggage in with a grunt.
“Oh, you’re already here? My bags are pretty heavy, so it took me a while to bring them up alone.”
“Yeah, you must have had a rough time in this heat. There’s bottled water in the fridge.”
“Really? Thanks for letting me know.”
I heard the refrigerator open behind me.
I paid no attention and finished unpacking my things.
But I only heard the refrigerator close—no sound of water being poured.
“Um……, would it be okay if we switched spots?”
“Hmm?”
I turned to look at Cha Seo-hee.
She stood there holding a water bottle, smiling awkwardly.
What was this shameless act about?
“Why the spot?”
“Oh, I need to take care of my back alignment. That side seems like it would be more comfortable. Would that be okay?”
Cha Seo-hee’s expression showed considerable distress as she fidgeted with the handle of her suitcase.
I looked back and forth between the two beds.
People might say that everyone recognizes the better spot, but was this really bold enough to just seize it like that?
I smiled mysteriously and picked up my clothes again.
“Ah, so your back’s giving you trouble too. Don’t worry about it. I’ve been in both, and they’re pretty much the same.”
“Still……”
“Don’t worry. The trainers will take good care of your back anyway.”
And who was she to brazenly seize the space from someone who’d arrived first?
Fortunately, Cha Seo-hee began unpacking her things in the opposite bed without further protest.
But her chatter didn’t let up.
“By the way, are you really putting an Euler Triple in your program? I watched the Selection Competition footage again—it was amazing.”
“Dunno. You saw it.”
“Your rotation count looked a little short. Will you be okay? Isn’t it too difficult? You replaced the Trout Loop with it, right?”
Why was she running her mouth so much today?
At this point, even my patience was beginning to reach its limits.
I gritted my teeth and hoisted the last remaining suitcase onto the space above the wardrobe.
“Cha Seo-hee, don’t worry. You still landed the Super Clean and Triple Axel in your Free Skate—that’s something.”
“Haha, I suppose so.”
“Besides, the first Grand Prix competition is the Short Program anyway. During boot camp, what matters most is drilling the fundamentals. Talk it through with your coach too.”
Those who fall behind in the Short Program tend to have plenty of excuses.
I glanced at my watch and brushed the dust from my hands.
It was time to get dinner.
“Let’s give it our all during the Grand Prix. Either way, we both have two entries.”
“Yeah, okay.”
Cha Seo-hee finished unpacking the rest of her things with an awkward smile.
I grabbed just my phone and headed out.
I was planning to have dinner with my coach tonight.
‘The food at the Athletes’ Village cafeteria was pretty good.’
I wondered if it would still be the same now.
And so began a month-long summer training camp.

* * *

Early the next morning.
I woke up thirty minutes before my scheduled time and headed to the training grounds.
The sun hadn’t risen yet, so it was a bit cooler.
“Hm?”
Someone had arrived before me.
And I knew who it was.
“Oh, it’s you, junior.”
Choi Ji-hwan stopped and turned around.
Return of the Returner’s Ice Rink Chapter 26
E-book Publication Date | June 5, 2026

Author | Kor Karolli
Publisher | Heo Heung-beom, Park Geon-won
Published by | Potente

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

UCI | G720:N+A101-20260514092.0026
List Price | 100 won

ⓒ Kor Karolli 2026

This e-book is protected under copyright law.
This e-book is published under an agreement with the author, and unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or sharing without written consent from 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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