The Regressor's Ice Is Golden - Chapter 46

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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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046.

A wistful piano melody echoed through the Ice Rink.
A skater in a glittering sky-blue costume began gliding smoothly across the ice.
Arms spread wide, gaze fixed on some distant point.
Carving through the white mist that clung close to the ice with her skates.
[You’ve seen that movie, haven’t you?]
[Yeah.]
The animated film tells the story of a dancer.
A promising ballerina who injured her leg, abandoned her dream, yet refused to stop dancing—finding an alternate path forward.
It was famous for being the kind of film that left viewers in tears, so moved by its story.
So Cha Jin-hee still remembered that movie’s synopsis, and because of it, things felt rather… strange.
In any case, the skater performing choreography that expressed the lines of ballet began preparing for her jump.
{Alright, first jump.}
Arms lifted a bit higher, deliberate care evident in the rotation of her takeoff foot.
The moment her right foot fully gripped the ice—
Whoosh—!
A rotation force incomparable to a triple sent the skater hurtling into the air.
But—
{Quadruple Salchow! Oh, so close.}
The fallen skater rose immediately and resumed her choreography.
Cha Jin-hee bit her lip hard, clutching her bag tight.
‘She got all the rotations.’
If she landed it clean, there’s no telling how devastating it would be.
In any case, Amasaki Rika’s Free Skate continued.
{Another key jump. Triple Lutz, Triple Toe Loop. Yes, very clean.}
The takeoff edge was a bit thin.
‘One wrong move and she could flip to inside, but… she pulled it off.’
Yet she smiled slightly, launching herself into the air.
A Change Foot Combination Spin entered with a flying motion.
Cha Jin-hee glanced sideways.
Park Ji-ho sat wide-eyed, completely absorbed.
And for good reason—this skater’s skating ability was excellent.
Boldly tilted edges, unwavering lines and posture that expressed the music with the speed she possessed.
An honest expression and unhesitating takeoff on her jumps.
The melody, reaching toward passionate intensity, had somehow shifted from solo piano to a full orchestra.
{Key jump in the second half. Triple Flip, Double Axel, Double Toe Loop.}
The skater who landed the three-jump combination sprang lightly once more and cleanly executed a Triple Salchow as well.
Then came the Choreography Sequence.
A Spiral that crossed the ice fast and wide.
Upper-body choreography with a contemporary dance feel, expressed alongside an Ina Bauer.
The kind the movie’s protagonist danced while sitting in a chair in the final scene.
A light Double Axel rising into the air just after the Choreography Sequence ended.
All jump elements were complete, with only the final Layback Spin remaining in the program components.
The spin, performed with a ballerina’s grace and elegant rotation, came to a stop.
The music ended, and the skater extended her arms with a smile.
{Yes, that was Amasaki Rika of Japan.}
{Although her first jump, the Quadruple Salchow, resulted in a fall, she nonetheless performed quite calmly and well in everything that followed.}
“Phew.”
Cha Jin-hee removed her headset for a moment.
She hadn’t realized her collar was damp with cold sweat.
Park Ji-ho noticed and offered her his Athletic Jersey, but she declined.
“Hey, if I warm up now, I’ll be freezing once we step outside.”
“I don’t think it’d be good for me to feel warm in a situation like this.”
“Ah.”
Park Ji-ho nodded and draped the jersey over his own knees instead.
The two of them put their headsets back on.
The scoring had just finished, and the results were coming up.
{Alright, Amasaki Rika’s score.}
189.98! A new season’s best!
The skater in the Kiss and Cry beamed, embracing her coach.
Yes, with this result, Amasaki Rika has secured her place in the Junior Grand Prix Final.
The broadcast cut back to the ice, showing the next competitor.
And now, the skater everyone has been waiting for—South Korea’s Kim Ha-seol.
A short-haired skater in a red outfit and red headband stepped onto the ice.
‘Wait, a headband?’
Park Ji-ho glanced around cautiously before quickly typing a message.
[That headband—I never gave her one]
[I didn’t either. Just watch.]
Despite her text, Cha Jin-hee’s fingertips trembled slightly.
She was already anxious hearing about the stumble, and now she wanted to know where this headband came from.
Absolutely not out of anxiety.
‘Let’s see what happens.’
That’s what she told herself, even as she desperately prayed for the skater to land clean.
This skater has stood out since her first junior season. For this competition, she’s adjusted her layout slightly.
There was no way to laugh about Amasaki Rika falling on the Quadruple Salchow.
The base value itself was so high that even accounting for the one-point deduction from the fall, it scored higher than the base value of a Double Axel—higher than most triple jumps.
Therefore, if Kim Ha-seol wanted to medal at this competition, she had to skate the Free Skate super clean.
Kim Ha-seol, standing center ice, took her starting position.
The music is a medley from the opera Turandot.
Both of them stared at the screen, gripping their bags tighter.
After a weighty silence, the familiar and grand orchestral swell filled the arena.
Kim Ha-seol began her choreography with sweeping arm movements, gradually building her speed with deliberate flow.
Her expression was rigid, but her movements showed no hesitation.
Every bit of her intent was evident.
‘The first jump—it was a Lutz-Toe Loop, wasn’t it?’
The higher the quality of the opening jump, the smoother the rest of the program usually flowed.
Cha Jin-hee’s grip on her bag tightened.
And the first jump Kim Ha-seol attempted was—
Yes, the opening jump: a Triple Lutz, landed solo.
“……?”
She sensed Park Ji-ho glance back at her.
Her own reaction wasn’t much different.
‘The landing was clean?’
Even if she’d added a single Loop as a combination, she would have executed it smoothly.
But Kim Ha-seol continued performing her choreography calmly.
Next came a solo Triple Flip.
The skater turned lightly and thrust her blade, launching into the air.
Simultaneously, her rotation axis tilted sharply.
“Oh!”
At the moment she cried out—
Crack!
“Aah—!”
Upon landing, the skater’s upper body plummeted suddenly.
But by the time Park Ji-ho’s cry had ended—
Well, she held on through it. She’s incorporating an Ina Bauer in the transition.
Actually, she nearly fell hard, so we’ll need to watch the judging carefully.
Unexpectedly, Kim Ha-seol on screen grinned fiercely and threw her body into motion.
Flying Sit Spin with a difficult entry.
The two watching the broadcast momentarily forgot they were in a library and asked stupidly—
“……How did she do that?”
“I have no idea.”
On this, Cha Jin-hee had no alternative answer.
Red did appear on the scoreboard, but the yellow line beneath it suggested a replay was coming.
The only thing that made sense was the free leg rising as the skater’s upper body wavered.
‘Really?’
She recovered it with a transition?
But there was no time to think deeply.
A Double Axel followed by a Double Toe Loop remained as the final jump of the first half.

***

‘Done.’
I launched the Jump Combination without difficulty, the motion smooth and practiced.
I felt the blade of my Skates, grown somewhat familiar, scratch against the ice.
In truth, the ice quality itself was a factor, and equipment issues meant a Super Clean was out of reach.
So I’d considered lowering my Layout to aim for stable points.
But after yesterday’s disaster, something unexpected took root in me—a confidence and resolve without basis.
I would die with regret if I didn’t reach the Podium today.
So my final Layout wasn’t much different from Thailand’s Free Skate.
Just one thing changed.
‘I pushed the Jump Combination to the second half.’
Originally, the jumps in the second half were a triple jump including an Euler Flip and three solo jumps.
I kept the Euler Flip already positioned in the second half as it was, but shifted the Jump Combination I’d opened with from the start to attach it to the Triple Toe Loop in the second half.
This way, thanks to the Bonus Points in the second half, it approaches the Base Value of the opening Lutz-Toe Loop.
Of course, falling completely was unacceptable, so I had to protect my Program Components as Apparent Clean at least.
So I rummaged through my status window and acquired one more special ability.
This one.

[Landing Arrest](C/Active)

The name alone told me exactly what buff this was for.
A miraculous safeguard that guaranteed a Landing for any one jump in Free Skate that threatened to send me falling.
I’d practiced anticipating Plan B in the second half, but I’d scraped together points to afford it at high cost.
I never expected it would be used on the solo Flip in the first half.
‘But that’s fine.’
Having nearly crashed spectacularly, my mind actually sharpened instead.
Though separately, the exhaustion was beginning to be unbearable.
‘Not yet.’
Four more jump elements, two spins, and the Choreography Sequence still to go!
Finally the music pushed into the second half, and I repositioned myself.
There was another crucial Jump Combination.
Triple Lutz, Single Euler, Triple Flip!
As the crowd roared, my right leg cried out like a scream upon the Landing.
I gritted my teeth and began to dance the Choreography Sequence.
Broad, generous arm movements, and rapid pace.
But if I was to reach the Podium, I had to finish this run Clean, so I couldn’t afford to lose focus for even a moment.
The moment the Choreography Sequence ended, I spun quickly into a Layback Spin.
Still three jump elements remained.
First, an easy Triple Salchow.
My left foot scraped the ice even as my right swept across it.
Whoosh—! Rotation caught my body as I launched upward.
Then my right foot touched ice again.
Crack—!
“-!”
For a moment my legs nearly gave out.
But I didn’t fall, so it counted.
The finale was a Double Axel, so my last crucial jump was now.
I invoked the names of every god I knew and set myself into takeoff position.
‘Please, let me go to the Junior Grand Prix Final.’
With a three-turn Entry resembling a Flip, I spun back around.
Then I shifted to my right foot, extended my left behind me, and struck down with my toe.
Triple Toe Loop.
My right foot touched ice again to catch my weight, and with that rebound I scraped off once more.
Triple Loop.
Having completed the rotation, I squeezed my eyes shut and folded my arms tightly.
The whole world spun faster than ever before.
Cold, damp air brushed my cheek, and every light became a line streaming around me.
That moment, long as a thousand years, finally flowed past.
Gasp—!
The next instant, I was landing the jump combination.
‘A little more.’
I pushed my speed higher, listening to the applause sweep through the arena like a passing shower.
The final jump—the Double Axel.
With every jump element complete, I began the remaining spin.
Change Foot Combination Spin.
‘Not yet.’
I counted the rotations with razor precision as the world spun around me, shifting my position with each turn.
I couldn’t release my grip yet—not until the final moment.
One more full rotation before I slowly let go and continued spinning.
The music ended the instant the final element concluded.
I dropped my ending pose and sat dumbly on the ice.
Applause and cheers poured down without end.
Sweat ran down my cheeks and jaw, mixing with makeup as it fell.
{That was the performance of Kim Ha-seol!}
Only after the Japanese announcement finished did I struggle to my feet and bow.
The moment I left the ice, Coach Park swept me into an embrace.
“Great work! Whew! Come on!”
By the time I came to my senses, I was already sitting in the Kiss and Cry.
We said nothing, just watched the screen.
Soon my face appeared; I bowed awkwardly, and the score came up.
[120.78]
Total: 187.12.
“Well done.”
Coach Park squeezed my shoulder.
“For now, that’s all. We’ll check the protocol later.”
“…Yes.”

With Kim Ha-seol now in second place, Cha Seo-hee began to grow anxious.
The Rink of Returners, Episode 46
E-book Release Date | 2026.06.05

Author | Korkarolli
Publisher | Heo Hung-bum, Park Gun-won
Published by | Potent

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

UCI | G720:N+A101-20260514092.0046
List Price | 100 won

ⓒ Korkarolli 2026

This e-book is protected by copyright law.
This e-book is published under contract 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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