The Regressor's Ice Is Golden - Chapter 48

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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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048.

“Hahahaha…….”
The university student burst into laughter the moment she stepped into her studio apartment after her shift.
Timing the commute had been nothing short of a nightmare.
And today, of all days, she’d hurried home for one reason alone.
‘The Gala Show! The Gala Show!’
This was the same student who’d already missed the live broadcasts of both the short and free programs.
She’d whined and complained all the way home from class yesterday, making a solemn vow.
She’d watch the Gala Show live no matter what.
Fortunately, she’d arrived home with time to spare before the broadcast began.
The student tossed her bag and coat aside, opened her laptop, and pulled up social media.
There was someone she needed to thank.

-Doobenim, I really can’t thank you enough for that dayㅠㅠㅠ Thanks to you I got to see Ha-seol’s face and even got her autograph…. and that baby was so cute tooㅠㅠㅠ
-Oh no, it’s no problem^^ Actually Unni, you were crying so hard that day I was worried
-Wait, really? That’s so embarrassing
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Heat flooded the student’s cheeks, and she squeezed her eyes shut.
To be honest, it had been terrifying back then.
Usually, her favorite celebrities never left the screen or the page—that was how it worked.
Not that she didn’t have real people among her favorites, but for a university student juggling part-time work and classes, actually going to see them in person had seemed like someone else’s life entirely.
‘But man, it was awesome…….’
The day she’d gone to watch that Education Superintendent’s Cup competition in person still flickered in her memory.
It had been a culture shock for her entire fandom experience.
To laugh and chat while her bias was leaving work, get her autograph, take photos, and even hear personal tidbits—it was surreal!
The distance between her and Ha-seol had been so impossibly close that she’d just panicked and froze up.
The student quietly turned on her watch.
About fifteen minutes left.
‘Come on, when does it start?’
She opened social media again and began scrolling, spiraling a little.
Her thoughts drifting and wandering as they always did, she started posting her usual fan gushing.
-I was wondering where I’d seen Kim Ha-seol before… oh, that’s it.
Then she found a few pictures online and posted them alongside her comment.
A fierce eagle owl staring wide-eyed in the darkness, and a white owl GIF turning its head this way and that.
Unlike the solemn eagle owl, the white owl GIF looked kind of dumb and silly, which made it funny.
She added a video of Kim Ha-seol she’d recorded at the Education Superintendent’s Cup competition.
Every time her name was called, she’d tilt her head side to side.
The resemblance to an owl or a snowy owl was… quite striking, actually.
-I can’t handle this contrast… I’m going to watch this baby owl become the very best
But once she’d posted it, it became clear this observation wasn’t just hers alone.
-Okay, this is it, from now on Kim Ha-seol is officially Owl Town
-Hoot-hoot-hoot-hoot
-Chief! When are you coming to Owl Country?
-Wait, Ha-seol’s cool-toned so she’s a white owl, but her aura is pure eagle owl ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Songyi-nim, you should bring an owl plushie when you go to the Championships, right?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
The student set down her phone with satisfaction and turned her full attention to the laptop.
The broadcast was about to start.

What exactly is the Gala Show in figure skating?
Simply put, it’s an after-party, a closing celebration—a special ice show where participating skaters perform after the competition has ended.
Typically, it features medal winners and top-placing skaters, usually the top four or five, plus additional invitations for skaters who’ve planned particularly entertaining Gala programs.
Of course, Kim Ha-seol, the Bronze Medalist, would be performing here.
The comment section was already flooding with real-time chat.
-What number is Kim Ha-seol?
-When does Rika come on?
-Oh, Cha Seo-hui didn’t get an invitation
-Both Ha-seol and Seo-hui worked so hard
-Kim Ha-seol is fourth.
-So it’s starting.
The opening performance was a group number by young skaters.
They looked adorable in matching white costumes, moving in synchronized formation.
Next came a pair team—two skaters as a couple.
“Wow, wow. That’s incredible.”
How do they just throw a person through the air like that.
Then a single male skater took the ice.
He seemed to be a promising Novice prospect.
-So cute
-I wish Seoul had a proper skating rink like this
-He’s good
-Even Thailand hosts the Junior Grand Prix
‘Wait, why is everyone chattering so much.
Usually you’d be too focused to type during something like this.
The college student grimaced and closed the chat window.
That’s when she could see it clearly.
The promising Novice prospect approached the boards and confidently handed over a single rose—to Kim Ha-seol.
-Oh it’s Ha-seol
-Oh my
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
The college student stared at the screen in shock.
‘What!’
Kim Ha-seol, dressed in a white shirt, looked at the approaching Novice prospect and let out an amused laugh.
Then she broke off the stem of the rose she’d been given and tucked it behind the prospect’s ear instead.
The roar from the audience was tremendous.
-So she’s a guest performer
-But why does her smile look so condescending
-What is thisㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Look at her playing around with a senior who’s like an older sister ㅋㅋㅋㅋ she’s cute
Though she couldn’t see the chat, the college student felt much the same way.
‘She’s adorable!’
And the way she smiled was beautiful.
If she were an adult, I’d propose on the spot.
‘……I need to finish watching the Gala Show and get to bed.’
The college student sat with a pang of embarrassment.
Here she was, at her age, fawning over a middle school student.
Still, there was no helping it—she had to watch.
Next came Kim Ha-seol’s turn at last.
-Ha-seol’s next
-Seol said she’d do Arpeggione
-Another Novice program… again?
When Kim Ha-seol took to the ice, she was wearing something unexpected.
A simple white silk shirt and beige overalls skirt.
-It’s Seol
-What???
Kim Ha-seol simply wore a soft smile.
Then the faint sound of a guitar drifted across the rink.
Over it came the voice of a middle-aged male actor.
Oh, dandelion.
the yellow smile for spring
drink the dew and open your eyes
An immortal musical film’s soundtrack, set in pre-World War II Europe.
And a song that Korean elementary schoolchildren learn to play on recorder.
Kim Ha-seol began skating at an unhurried pace, her arms moving gently beneath the shirt sleeves.
small and bright, glittery clean
make her happy forever
Light Split Jumps and Double Axels.
A brief Spiral followed by clean, distinct turns and the trace of her edges and steps.
With each curve traced by her skates, flecks of white ice scattered into the air.
—A new Gala Show…
—Oh, this was like a recorder performance evaluation from elementary school, haha.
—Wow, is she an angel…?
The university student lost herself in thought, watching Kim Ha-seol’s Crossstep.
over the pane and suffering
let the glory go far away
Her pale arms swayed as lightly as dandelion seeds about to drift away.
Not the yellow light of the song’s title, “Dandelion.”
The lighting leaned toward a cool blue-green, and her costume was simply white.
So this wasn’t a dandelion flower at all—it was a dandelion seed.
Broken and broken
but we’ll be fine in the end
The music ended with a Layback Spin that had quite a number of rotations.
—I wish it were longer, original.
—Beautiful.
—Congratulations on the bronze medal.
The skater finished her performance and bowed with a smile.
The university student sat dazed, staring at the screen and clapping her hands.
‘Insane…’
Can I really watch something like this for free?
Her vocabulary fell short; she had no idea how to express what she was feeling.
The next skater’s performance began, but she switched off the broadcast around then.
Then she sighed deeply, flopped onto the bed, and picked up her phone.
To fangirl on social media.
—Kim Ha-seol is now officially a dandelion seed incarnate, no counter-arguments accepted.
—Does anyone want to argue? Bang—. Any takers?
After rambling nonsense with her social media friends for a while, the university student got up again.
New energy to tackle her assignments had returned.
‘Even a middle schooler works that hard!’
As a fan, she couldn’t just sit still.
It was the day the JGP Sixth Competition had ended.

***

“Thank you very much.”
I left that house cradling an armful of Japanese sweets that Chizuru had given me.
“Are you sure? Should I help carry them?”
“I’m fine. Could you just tap my transportation card for me instead?”
“Sure.”
We made it back to the Accommodation without incident.
I returned my Ice Skates to their owner in good condition, and gave them a gift in return.
Finding a decent gift in a foreign land far from home was difficult, but I didn’t want to feel like I was just eating and leaving.
It was just a sun catcher with a dried flower bouquet, but they seemed so pleased that I was almost embarrassed.
‘If everyone’s happy, that’s what matters.’
If they ever came to Korea by some miracle, I’d have to feed them four times a day to repay them.
Anyway, we started packing the moment we got back to the Accommodation.
After showering in quick time, I put everything into the suitcase except for tomorrow’s clothes.
“I don’t think it’s all going to fit?”
“Oh, right. Can I have one of these snacks?”
“Sure.”
Coach took one of the sweets Chizuru had given us and opened it.
“Well then.”
Coach held out the snack package with a small smile.
“Time to head home.”
So I smiled too and picked one up.
“Yeah.”
The bamboo-shoot-shaped chocolate-coated snack was delicious, no matter what.
That was enough.

The flight back to Korea whisked us to Incheon Airport in what felt like an instant.
The airport arrival scene was even more chaotic than when I’d returned from Thailand.
There were more reporters, more camera flashes going off.
I simply smiled gently and pushed my cart forward.
Of course, there was a significant reason I couldn’t afford to be reckless.
There was another skater behind me, also pushing a cart.
Cha Seo-hui had been quiet the entire journey back to Korea.
Not a word—from checking out of the hotel, through customs, boarding the plane, all the way to landing.
Well, they’d hyped her up as a chaebol heiress, so of course she’d feel embarrassed after a performance like that. Can’t blame her.
Still, finishing her first Junior season competing in the Junior Grand Prix with a silver medal and a fourth-place finish is actually a phenomenal result.
But naturally, she’d been expecting gold.
‘It’s unfortunate, but what can you do.’
Since there was nothing I could do to help her, and no reason to care anyway, I decided not to worry about it now.
We took photos in front of the media wall, just like last time, and then stood on the podium for a brief press conference.
Most of it was standard material, so it wasn’t hard to navigate.
The questions were, for the most part,
“We heard there was an equipment malfunction during this competition. How did you overcome it?”
“Ah, yes.”
I glanced sideways at Coach.
Coach’s expression was… hmm, why did he look so unusually composed?
“Fortunately, with help from a local friend I met during the Thailand competition, I was able to borrow equipment for the free skate. I’m truly grateful for that.”
“Your bronze medal has secured your place in the Final. I’m curious—what aspects do you plan to work on during the remaining time before the Final competition?”
Ah, a subtle bit of pressure there.
“I think I’ll focus more on improving my Jump Stability. I plan to work hard through December and show a strong performance at the Final as well.”
Fortunately, the textbook-standard question didn’t lead to any follow-ups.
After the interview, the photo session began.
Cha Seo-hui had disappeared at some point, only slipping into frame when the cameras were ready.
After the reporters dispersed,
“Kim Ha-seol!”
…?!
Two familiar faces waved and ran toward me from a distance.
Park Ji-ho and Cha Jin-hui.
I set down the bouquet I’d been holding, momentarily stunned.
“Wait… how did you two get to Incheon?”
“However we could. Whew. You must have had quite the ordeal.”
Park Ji-ho grinned mischievously and handed tissues to Cha Jin-hui, who was catching her breath.
Then he handed me a blue bouquet.
“Th-thank you. But what is this for?”
“Mom told me to give it to you.”
“Ugh, just say it’s congratulations!”
Cha Jin-hui wiped the sweat from her forehead with a sharp tone.
Then, suddenly, her expression hardened.
“Ah, um…”
I didn’t need to look to know who stood at the end of her gaze.
When I turned around, Cha Seo-hui was already gone.
The Returner’s Ice Rink: Golden Chapter 48
E-book Release Date | 2026.06.05

Author | Korkarolli
Publisher | Heo Heung-beom, Park Geon-won
Published by | Pothen

Address | [04783] 10th Floor, 11 Yeonmujang Street, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
Phone | 02-6320-8500
Fax | 02-6320-8585

UCI | G720:N+A101-20260514092.0048
List Price | 100 Won

© Korkarolli 2026

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