The Regressor's Ice Is Golden - Chapter 35

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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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“Sounds good.”
“Right, okay.”
Coach left the lodging unhurriedly, saying she had a few errands to run.
Left alone, I fished out my notebook and tore off a page.
‘I hope they’re doing well.’
Cha Jin-hee and Park Ji-ho both.
I wanted to write them a thank-you letter, but I’d never written anything like that before, so I had no idea where to start.
Cha Jin-hee especially didn’t need to be said, but Park Ji-ho must have gone through hell in the middle of all this.
Even with his own younger sister getting hurt, he was terrified he might be next, yet he managed to get me the news anyway.
And all while fixing my costume.
‘I need to do something for them when I get back.’
Though I’m not sure what I could possibly do.
If anything, I’d love for the costume designer’s name to be mentioned in interviews too.
Aside from generating letter content, I was hopelessly bad at writing sentences in Korean.
By the time Coach returned, I hadn’t even managed to finish a decent opening paragraph.
In any case, Coach, who’d been out and about, was now…
“I finished early! Let’s go eat!”
“What?”
I followed along in a daze, trying to get a look at Coach’s face.
Her eyes looked a little red, but… that must’ve been my imagination. It had to be.

Near the hotel, there was a fairly vibrant night market.
Thai words—unintelligible to me—scattered everywhere, suggesting it wasn’t just for tourists.
Coach held up her phone’s translation app, looking around curiously.
“Wow, this looks delicious. Seol-ah, is there anything you’d like?”
“Would you like grilled shellfish? They have shrimp skewers too.”
It was good that her love of seafood hadn’t changed, then or now.
If I’d known she liked it this much, I should’ve made sure she had it more often.
Coach beamed and used the translation app to call the vendor over.
By the time we’d found a spot at a modest stall and ordered, it was just then that—
“Happy birthday, to you~, happy birthday, to you~”
A birthday song drifted over from a group of people gathered at one corner of the stall.
“Oh, looks like someone’s having a birthday.”
“Try this—it’s really good.”
“Seol-ah, have some of this.”
The buttered shrimp skewer was delicious, and the cheese-topped grilled shellfish was too.
It absolutely wasn’t because I’d been eating nothing but greens that it tasted so good.
Savory aromas wafted from all around, and cheerful voices rang out.
Around the time I’d mindlessly finished off about three scallops while chatting idly—
Tap-tap. Someone tapped my shoulder.
Along with a halting English greeting.
“Excuse me.”
…?
I turned around to find a plump-cheeked East Asian girl standing there hesitantly.
But both Coach and I recognized her face.
Coach’s eyes went wide.
“Oh! You won the bronze medal today, didn’t you? Shinozaki Chizuru?”
“!”
The moment her name was called, the girl’s face lit up in a broad smile.
I wiped my greasy hands and greeted her.
“Konnichiwa—actually, the translation app would be better.”
I quickly pulled out my phone and began typing.
[Congratulations on the bronze medal. Did you come to the market for dinner too?]
The girl—Chizuru—hastily pulled out her own phone.
[Yes! I’m so happy you recognized me! We saw each other at the awards ceremony, right?]
[That’s right. What brings you here?]
Her typing sound came rapid-fire, like machine-gun bursts.
According to her message, she’d come to the market to celebrate both her bronze medal and her own birthday, and she’d recognized me.
She’d remembered me because of my short hair, she said, and was delighted to see me.
Which explained why the birthday song seemed off-pitch somehow.
[So, how old are you now?]
[I’m fourteen! This is my first year as a junior skater.]
For reference, today was September 1st.
By Japanese calendar age, she’d be roughly a second-year middle schooler in Korean reckoning.
Figure skating uses July 1st as the cutoff for age classifications—it happened more often than one might think.
[Oh, we’re the same! I’m also in my first year as a junior. I’m just one year younger than you. Please, speak comfortably with me.]
[Of course! It’s so nice to meet you.]
Shinozaki Chizuru had been sitting at our table for a while now, chattering away without pause.
Just how delighted could one person be?
It must have been tedious, tapping out a translation for every sentence like that.
[I heard this was your first competition, and your short program was absolutely amazing! I’m so happy to meet you.]
[Thank you so much. Happy birthday, by the way. I don’t have a gift, but would you like my InHeart ID?]
Chizuru’s face crumpled as she read the translation, and she burst into helpless laughter.
“Why? What is it? Ha ha ha!”
Coach, glancing at her phone, also grabbed the edge of the table, shaking with mirth.
When I worked part-time, the female customers always loved jokes like that. (Though the occasional difficult ones came around, too.) Maybe I’d overdone it this time.
Besides, my SNS accounts were barely used—just something I’d opened out of politeness.
Feeling awkward, I sat quietly in my seat.
Chizuru’s table must have heard the commotion, because they started calling her over.
[Give me just a moment. I’ll be right back.]
Chizuru, still clutching my InHeart contact, wiped her eyes with her fingers (though I couldn’t say for certain whether there were actual tears) and returned to her seat.
“Well, she doesn’t look the type, but turns out she’s quite the extrovert…….”
Who, her?
Coach, dabbing at her own eyes now, went back to cracking open scallops.
She looked completely depleted, practically limp in her chair.
Though, to be fair, I wasn’t much better off…….
“Coach, could I have some water…….”
I tore open a plastic cup of water and drained it in one go.
Once something cool hit my stomach, my head finally cleared again.
Well, at least until they came back over.
One of the adult men sitting at Chizuru’s table gradually made his way toward us.
He pulled out his translator and spoke to us as well.
[Excuse me, but Chizuru mentioned she’d made a friend, so I thought I’d check in.]
Huh……?
I was staring blankly at him when Coach quickly activated her translator.
[Of course! It was lovely to meet you. Please, enjoy your evening.]
[Thank you. By the way…….]
Coach and I exchanged a knowing glance.
And tired introverts’ instincts were never wrong.
[Would you mind joining us for a bit?]
Either a photo gets leaked and I’m branded a traitor online, OR I turn down a birthday girl’s table invitation and get called heartless.
Truly, a maddening game of binary choice.
“What can we do? We’re exhausted anyway.”
“Well…….”

“Arigatou gozaimasu!”
“Ha ha ha…….”
Unfortunately, my soul—forged through nearly nine years of corporate life in a city of cold bastards—couldn’t refuse the invitation.
It wasn’t like we were planning to order more food anyway, so it should be fine.
Surely they weren’t the kind of jerks to ask for split checks after inviting us……, or maybe they were.
‘Can’t spit in the face of a smiling person.’
I gazed quietly at Chizuru’s beaming smile.
As long as she was happy, that was what mattered.
Someone stood and raised a toast, but with my pathetic Japanese, I couldn’t catch what he was saying.
It was probably congratulations for the medal-winning first-time competitors and well-wishes for the birthday girl.
Ching!
Several glasses clinked together in mid-air.
Coach’s glass was the one we’d brought from our table.
[Chizuru received a competition slot from this qualifying tournament. But I’m delighted she put on such a strong performance.]
[Is that so? Then there’s plenty to look forward to next year! A bronze medal on your debut—that’s remarkable!]
Fortunately, Coach was someone with a strong sense of responsibility.
She managed to carry on a conversation by clinging to an automatic translation app.
There’s truth to the saying that foreign languages run on momentum.
I decided to let the adults chatter among themselves and instead speak to today’s birthday girl.
[Congratulations again, by the way. Did you eat lots of delicious things?]
[Yeah! Thanks.]
Chizuru laughed with a giggle and typed on the keyboard again.
[I started figure skating late. But everyone helped me, and here I am in Thailand.]
[I see.]
A full monologue unfolded about how she’d come to skate and how much she loved it.
I nodded along with a soft, gentle smile.
If you maintain eye contact and nod appropriately, even if you’re not really listening, you give the impression of paying attention.
At least, that works until a familiar name comes up.
[That friend was so amazing I wanted to catch up to her. She’s only one year older in skating age, but she’s already in her second year of junior.]
[Wow, that’s impressive. Who is this friend?]
[The one who does quadruple salchows.]
……???
If there were talent of that caliber, I would surely remember.
I stopped resting my chin on my hand and sat up a little straighter.
[That sounds amazing! What’s her name?]
[Her name’s cool too. Amasaki Rika!]
Just as I thought.
One of the Japanese skaters active in our generation.
The one who’d made every Grand Prix Final throughout her junior career, backed by an impressive success rate on difficult jumps.
I nodded and quickly started tapping on my mental calculator.
The base value of a quadruple salchow is 9.7 points—higher than the triple axel’s 8 points.
That’s why there was a time when skaters equipped with quadruple jumps, centered around certain Eastern European nations, dominated the podium.
That ended when one of them tested positive for doping at the last Olympics.
Since then, the senior age limit was raised to eighteen years old and has stayed that way.
That’s how powerful a quadruple jump is as a weapon.
Skaters struggle without it, naturally.
Anyway.
[Does that skater have two qualifying slots?]
[Yeah.]
Chizuru, unaware of what I was getting at, smiled brightly.
[Third competition in Azerbaijan and fourth competition in France, she said!]
[Oh, I might see her at the Final.]
I played along and smiled quietly.
Third competition, Azerbaijan.
I’m curious myself to see how useful a triple axel from a pampered heiress will be in a Japan-Korea showdown.
Returning Player’s Ice: Episode 35 in Gold
E-book Publication Date | June 5, 2026

Author | Korkarolli
Publishers | Heo Heung-beom, Park Gun-won
Published by | Potent

Address | 9F, 11 Yeonmujang-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul [04783]
Phone | 02-6320-8500
Fax | 02-6320-8585

UCI | G720:N+A101-20260514092.0035
List Price | 100 won

© Korkarolli 2026

This e-book is protected under copyright law.
This e-book is published under agreement with the author and may not be reproduced, distributed, or shared in any form without the written consent of 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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