The Regressor's Ice Is Golden - Chapter 37

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

037.

I pressed the call button without hesitation.
After a few rings, the line connected with a soft click.
“Hello.”
“Hi, is this a good time to talk?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Could you explain the situation in a bit more detail?”
Choi Ji-hwan’s voice came through the electronic signal, hesitant at first, then more assured as he began.
“Well… as I moved up to the junior level, sponsors started approaching, and there are more competitions to enter. Domestic and international, doesn’t matter.”
“That’s natural enough.”
“I thought it might be difficult for Coach to handle everything alone, and I heard you weren’t affiliated with any organization, so I decided to reach out.”
So we looked pitiable to him. No—let that go.
He was reaching out with good intentions, after all. I shouldn’t misinterpret.
“You were with AllofSports, weren’t you?”
“Yes. I’ve been with them since my senior debut. My coaches have changed a few times, but they were all introductions from the company.”
Now that I thought about it, I’d heard they’d recently sorted out the boots situation too.
For what it’s worth, the company had clearly scraped together proper equipment and handed it over.
I began quietly tapping at my mental calculator.
There was certainly nothing wrong with having connections in professional life.
The company would feed us considerable information, and we’d be freer from the ice rink scheduling wars.
The downside was that because the company was old and large, operating globally meant too many variables. But then again.
‘It all depends on how we use it.’
Besides, I was the legal guardian and couldn’t make a decision on the spot anyway.
“Thank you for the introduction. Could I get the contact person’s business card or phone number?”
“Oh, yes.”
There was a rustling sound, then another text message arrived.
A photo of a business card and an email address.

[AllofSports Kim [name obscured] — Manager]
[email protected]

“I appreciate this. I hope we can share good news soon.”
“Yes, thank you.”
After the call ended, I forwarded everything to Park Coach via text.
Along with a brief explanation of the situation.
Park Coach burst into the room almost immediately.
“Is this real? You got it directly from him?”
“Yes, he called just now.”
“Ah… good grief. Come out here a minute, let’s talk.”
We stepped into the dimly lit living room.
And we talked for a long time.
About why we’d been unaffiliated until now, and about the advantages and disadvantages of signing with a company.
Dredging up those bitter memories from not so long ago left a sour taste in my mouth.
A cold drink helped wash it down.
“But honestly, it’s going to be hard for just the two of us now. If his level stays where it is, we’ll struggle to coordinate schedules. You saw how many reporters were at the airport when we came back.”
“I’m still plenty capable. And I have other work to manage, so…”
“It might actually build credibility. We’d be doing things properly through a formal contract, so if anything unfair happens, we can protest.”
“That’s… true enough.”
Park Coach swept his hair back and drained his canned beer.
“Honestly, I still can’t quite believe it. How much I was seething when he left the academy… But me.”
“Coach.”
I cut him off, but had nothing else to say, so I just sipped at my iced water.
When no response came, Coach turned his tilted head back straight again.
In the living room with just the two of us, only the sound of sipping echoed.
Sometimes silence is enough.
“I’d like to get choreography from Cha Jin-hee again too. Same with Park Ji-ho’s outfits.”
“…….”
“Let’s work it out. After all, Choi Ji-hwan’s backing should count for something.”
“Ugh, but that Choi Ji-hwan kid… there’s something off about him. He’s so wishy-washy, you know?”
“If things get rough, why don’t you just pull some strings yourself, Coach?”
“Hah, maybe I should.”
Park Coach drained two 500ml cans in quick succession and passed out cold.
A sharp, acrid smell—liniment and alcohol mixed together—stabbed at my nostrils.
‘What’s he getting up to now?’
I cleared away the water glass and beer can, then helped him to his room.
“Ha-seol…….”
“Yes?”
“You…….”
Slurred words tumbled out, half-mumbled and wandering.
“I have to… take responsibility. See it through to the end.”
“Get some rest.”

After that night passed, we did sign the contract.
True to what Park Coach and I had discussed, I insisted on certain conditions.
“We’d like to choose our own choreographer and costume designer. Our scores this season have been solid anyway.”
“Ah, yes. There’s comfort in familiarity, though we could connect you with overseas choreographers as well?”
“We’ll stick with what we have until we feel the need for something different. Our protocol composition scores are competitive as they are.”
Fortunately, the company representative agreed to the terms.
As for the two people who heard the news—they were absolutely floored.
Cha Jin-hee in particular looked ready to cough up blood.
“Wait, seriously? I mean, I’m grateful you’re coming with us, but… this much?”
“Just keep doing what you’ve been doing. That’s all.”
“Uhhhhh…….”
She babbled something unintelligible before the call ended.
I gazed quietly up at the sky.
It was September, when the autumn sky stretches high and clear.

***

Still, I had to keep going to school.
That’s what being a middle schooler in Korea meant.
My attendance was processed without any issues, fortunately.
I’d notified my homeroom teacher before the break, after all.
When I returned, she’d even sent me a congratulatory message.
‘Anyway.’
I shuffled into the classroom, dragging my pencil case and folder along.
It was lunchtime, right before fifth period.
“Oh, that girl?”
“She was on the news. What was it—the first time after Lee Yu-na or something?”
I caught whispers from somewhere and felt an unexpected chill run down my spine.
“She did figure skating too? Does she skate with Cha Seo-hee?”
“That’s the one. The successor to Lee Yu-na, right?”
When I spun around, the kid with his mouth open quickly scrambled away from his seat.
‘How disrespectful.’
‘Let’s just get to class.’
But unexpected trouble was waiting for me on the third floor.
That was the year where the school’s most popular guy had his classes.
“Oh? You take class here now? Hey Kim Ha-seol, congrats!”
“Senior?”
Park Ji-ho shuffled over with a grin, acting like he knew me.
Behind him came a parade of second-year boys, like human walls flanking him.
‘For crying out loud.’
“Who’s this? How do you know her?”
“Oh, I didn’t introduce you. These are my friends, and she’s my younger sister’s friend.”
“Um… hello…….”
“Huh? I saw her on the news.”
Why were they ignoring the perfectly good word ‘junior’?
The hallway was already chaotic, and it was quickly devolving into complete pandemonium.
Everyone who passed by would steal a glance and whisper before moving on.
I gave up trying to think and offered a faint smile.
“Why don’t we talk later? It looks like you have somewhere to be.”
“Oh, sure. See you then!”
Park Ji-ho didn’t even manage a proper grin before his friends dragged him away by the collar.
No one asked me directly, but everyone whispered as they passed—speculating about what we were to each other.
‘I just want to go home…….’
Drained of energy, I trudged toward my classroom…….
Ah, somewhere in the middle of all this, I’d forgotten whether the school ran on a semester or year-based system. It was year-based.
What I mean is that the timetable had slots carved out for electives instead of the usual Korean, English, and Math.
Under the guise of giving students time to explore their futures, the school brought in outside lecturers or worked the teachers to the bone.
It was the kind of setup that, by the time you moved up a grade, would soften you up for the midterm exams—but anyway.
The class I’d chosen this semester was English Conversation and Public Speaking.
I figured I’d be abroad often enough that having some way to communicate when my coach wasn’t around would be useful.
I’d picked it in the first semester with that vague reasoning in mind.
In other words, having returned to the past, I couldn’t foresee even the immediate future with any certainty.
“Oh? It’s Kim Ha-seol! You’re taking this class too?”
Cha Seo-hee came over with a bright smile, acting as though we were old friends.
I still couldn’t tell if she just had no lingering grudges or if her head was simply full of flowers.
And nearby, Cha Jin-hee’s eyes widened.
This wasn’t just chaos waiting to happen anymore—it was chaos itself.
How had the seating arrangement come to be like this of all things?
“Congratulations on the gold medal! Taking the same class at school too?”
“Uh, yeah…….”
The Azerbaijan competition was still a ways off, so maybe that’s why.
I let Cha Seo-hee chatter away and smoothly chose the seat next to her twin sister.
The moment I sat down, Cha Jin-hee leaned her gaunt face against my shoulder.
“I had such a hard time. I missed you so much. Really…….”
It showed.
I could easily picture how she’d struggled through the new semester without me.
Instead of answering, I gave her shoulder a gentle pat, and that was when Cha Seo-hee seized the opening.
“Congratulations on the gold! Did you go out and eat something delicious?”
“Oh? Yeah…… The grilled clams and shrimp skewers were really good.”
“Wow~. Want to go out and eat tonight? Oh, and that steak salad we had the day before yesterday was delicious. Let’s go eat that sometime!”
Doesn’t she watch her weight?
She probably takes care of it well enough on her own, but I couldn’t figure out why she kept pushing food I never asked for.
From the way Cha Jin-hee’s eyes were cursing silently, it looked like either she’d eaten alone or her family had left her out.
I hoped it was the former.
“Hi, everyone.”
The chaos only quieted down once the teacher walked in to conduct the class.
Since I hadn’t been there the period before, I introduced myself briefly and collected the handouts.
Fortunately the class proceeded normally, and I read through a dialogue exercise with one girl I didn’t know, my eyes drifting toward the clock.
After class ended, I had a separate conversation with Cha Jin-hee about a few things.
“So what you’re saying is I don’t have to register as a business?”
“If you do, the paperwork you’d have to handle would become too complicated. Once things scale up, it’ll be hard to manage.”
“Hmm, I see…… Oh, and now that I think about it, someone reached out to me. It seemed like they were asking about a Novice male skater…….”
I briefed Cha Jin-hee on a few matters and left my seat.

And a few days later, the third competition of the Junior Grand Prix was held in Azerbaijan.
“Has it started?”
“Yes, just now.”
My coach sat down in the next seat, a lunch box in hand.
On the laptop screen, the Group 1 skaters were being introduced.
[……representing Republic of Korea, Seo-hi Cha.]
Cha Seo-hee, who drew the sixth position in Group 1, stepped onto the ice with a bright smile and waved.
Soon after, the lights at the ice rink came on and the six-minute warm-up began.
“She looks in good shape.”
I chewed on my salad as I watched the skater’s jumps on the screen.
Triple Axel.
Of course, there’d be no reason to land it in the Short Program, but checking the rotation wouldn’t hurt.
“I’ll watch this competition, so take your time warming up. We’ve got things to do anyway.”
“Yes.”
I finished eating quickly and rolled my feet out.
Today the Education Superintendent Cup was being held at the ice rink where I usually trained.
“Wow, and you’re already in the second group? Haven’t you only just debuted?”
“Well, there are only three groups total anyway.”
“How’s your foot?”
“We’ve lowered the difficulty, so it’s fine.”
With no real competition in the field, I felt no nerves.
I put in my earbuds and began running through the Short Program choreography on the ground.
Nobody knew it then.
What chaos would unfold before the Grand Prix in Japan arrived.
The Golden Ice of the Returner — Chapter 37
E-book Publication Date | June 5, 2026

Author | Corcoroli
Publisher | Heo Heung-beom, Park Geon-won
Publishing House | Potent

Address | [04783] 9th Floor, 8 Yeonmujan 11-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
Phone | 02-6320-8500
Fax | 02-6320-8585

UCI | G720:N+A101-20260514092.0037
Retail Price | 100 won

© Corcoroli 2026

This e-book is a copyrighted work protected under copyright law.
This e-book is published by contract with the author, and unauthorized reproduction, duplication, distribution, or sharing without written consent from both parties is prohibited.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————