The Regressor's Ice Is Golden - Chapter 52

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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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052.

“By the way, that friend doesn’t speak Korean well, so you’ll need to use a translator to communicate. She’ll do the same with a Korean translator on her end.”
“Oh, got it. No problem.”
We lingered in front of the Ice Rink, chatting away.
When the Japanese girl started dating, what she looked like, whether she was good at sports (since she was an athlete), what she liked—all that and more.
Now I understood why Rika found Cha Jin-hee so irritating.
‘Asking about everything under the sun for no reason.’
And the fact that I had to answer questions that weren’t even about me felt genuinely burdensome.
Come to think of it, this was the first time I’d met Park Ji-ho outside of school in a personal capacity.
I’d somehow ended up acting as a social liaison for something I’d shelved long ago.
I deflected the incoming questions as best I could, anxiously checking my watch.
Rika emerged from the Ice Rink more than ten minutes past five-thirty.
Her hair looked damp at the ends—she must have showered before coming out.
“Oh, a coach?”
“Wow, she’s really pretty… hashi mashite~.”
“Oh man, she’s gorgeous.”
Surprisingly, the second-year seniors greeted Rika in fluent Japanese.
‘Right, I think they said they were taking Japanese as an elective back in second year.’
Just as I was about to say hello, the Male Senior that Park Ji-ho brought along swept back his hair in a theatrical flourish.
“Deatte yokatta desu, ojou-sama.”
I couldn’t tell if he was messing around for effect or if he was actually serious—or maybe both.
“Hey, look, she’s intimidated! That’s why you don’t have a girlfriend.”
“Yeah, fair point.”
Fortunately, the Male Senior just laughed it off at Park Ji-ho’s jab and backed down.
Rika gave me a bewildered look, but I had nothing better to offer.
‘What’s with Park Ji-ho’s sense of humor anyway.’
At least the Female Senior seemed to understand social cues, even if she wouldn’t stop laughing—
“She’s just normal though? Why’s she talking all fancy? Aren’t you embarrassed?”
We were done for.
It wasn’t just a failed attempt at humor—it was like weeds blooming in a pristine garden.
And sure enough, when Park Ji-ho glanced back, he was already breaking into a cold sweat.
I swallowed a mouthful of curses and let out a sigh.
‘We’ll see about this.’
If he couldn’t explain how this disaster of a group introduction had happened, he’d be done for.
“Anyway, five of us are here now. One more person will join us, but they’re coming to the Second Gathering instead.”
Sadly, Cha Jin-hee—one of the reasons this gathering existed in the first place—had tutoring at this hour.
She’d said she’d arranged to leave partway through with her tutor, but I had no idea when she’d actually show up.
Either way, the stage was set, and we couldn’t afford to waste more time.
“Alright then, let’s go!”
Park Ji-ho clapped his hands together and led the way.
The two seniors chattered behind him, while Rika and I followed quietly in the rear.
[Is this going to be okay?]
[I have no idea, but let’s try to salvage it somehow. If all else fails, we’ll just run.]
And so we boarded the bus with anxious hearts pounding.

Seven stops upbound from the Ice Rink station.
From there, a five-minute walk led to a Commercial District crammed with shops of every description.
A food alley tangled with young drunks every night and smokers lingering between bites.
And by day, it was a place where children out for a good time wove through the traces the night had left behind.
Passing a famous corner offal restaurant known for generous portions, we found a Malatang Restaurant.
[Ever had malatang before?]
[No, this is my first time. Is it famous in Korea?]
[It’s pretty well-known, though it’s Korean-style Chinese food.]
When I explained how to eat it through the translator, she opened her eyes wide and nodded.
“Hey, add more Sichuan peppercorns to mine.”
“Why are you asking me? Put it in your own bowl.”
“It tastes better when it’s soaked in the spicy broth.”
We left the seniors to their bickering and set about choosing our own malatang toppings.
Besides, because of Weight Management, I can’t eat whatever I want.
“What, nothing but vegetables? Why don’t you eat a bit more?”
“Ah, we have to manage our weight, so we practically live on water and air. Just give us a little bit.”
“Hehehehe.”
Right, just accept the joke.
I smiled faintly and added only two more stems of baby bok choy.
That’s how our Malatang combination came together—mostly vegetables like bok choy, napa cabbage, and bean sprouts.
For protein there was only firm tofu and mozzarella balls; for carbs, just cheese rice cakes.
Rika was loading her bowl with exactly the same things I was.
Better than loading up randomly and regretting it later, anyway.
The Male Senior led Rika forward, fumbling with words.
“Mo keisanshireba dekirun desu.”
“What language is that?”
“Eh, it’s Japanese.”
The shop staff member processed the payment and asked casually.
“What level?”
“Huh?”
I produced my phone with the Translator already running, as if I’d been waiting for this.
[Please order level zero. Malatang is fundamentally a very spicy dish.]
“Ah~.”
So Rika placed her order without incident, and I did the same.
When we ordered level zero, they made a fuss about us practically eating nothing, but anyway.
While waiting for the food to arrive, Rika spoke up shyly first.
[Do you speak Japanese?]
“Ah~ watashitachi gakko kara Nihongo benkyou shimasu. Please, talking easy.”
“Hey, why did you give me a hard time when you were the one mixing Korean, English, and Japanese?”
“Because you were fumbling around with your words like that.”
Park Ji-ho and the Male Senior bickered back and forth playfully.
But it wasn’t a bad effect.
“Watashi, kankokugo chotto……. Harusora-chan ga oshieta…….”
“Ah, really?”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Ooh~.”
That’s how we began chatting in an odd mishmash of Japanese, Korean, and English.
Remarkably, somehow we managed to understand each other.
As for the specific details of the conversation……, I’ll spare my brain and skip the description.
“I actually received more help from her. After the Short Program ended, I got injured—you should’ve seen how shocked I was.”
“Ah, I saw it in the news. You’re doing okay now?”
“Yes, I’m adjusting to new equipment. Oh, the food’s here.”
Three large, reddish bowls arrived, along with two smaller, pale bowls.
“Wow, you really do eat next to nothing.”
“This is actually eating quite a lot for us.”
“How do you even survive on this? Looks like you’d break at the slightest touch.”
“Want to test that theory?”
“No, no. Rika, do you like to chat while you eat?”
“Ah, no. I eat quietly.”
“Then let’s just eat.”
So for the time food was in our mouths, we were quiet.
The two seniors Park Ji-ho brought along chatted with each other, but it wasn’t annoying.
The real thing to worry about started right after we finished eating.
That was when Cha Jin-hee arrived after her tutoring session.
Park Ji-ho spotted the female student approaching and waved his arms frantically, running toward her.
“Over here!”
“Yeah.”
Cha Jin-hee, wearing her school uniform under a gym shirt, walked toward us with a listless expression.
“Hey, Jin~. Long time, huh?”
“Hello…….”
“Park Ji-ho said you two knew each other. You must be close?”
We’re not.
At the Female Senior’s harmless remark, I jumped in quickly to correct her.
“So where should we go for the second gathering?”
“Well, having a foreigner around limited our options. In the end, we settled on the obvious choice.”
Park Ji-ho grinned.
“Karaoke.”
In Korean, that meant a singing room.
Since everyone knew at least that much English, we all nodded in agreement and followed along.
“They have lots of Japanese songs there too, so let’s go and sing together.”
“Yes, that sounds great!”
But regardless of how sensible the venue choice was, the atmosphere between Amasaki Rika and Cha Jin-hee remained frosty.
Both of them had planted themselves at my sides, speaking only to Park Ji-ho and me.
The Karaoke Room was quieter than usual due to exam season.
“By the way, what does your family say about this? You’re allowed to come out like this?”
“I coordinated with my tutor, so they won’t find out. She’s good at keeping secrets.”
Well, if they were comfortable with it, who was I to object?
Park Ji-ho had reserved a large room that could fit six sturdy middle schoolers.
One hour of time!
After paying the entrance fee, we stepped inside and fitted microphone covers.
It was around then that Park Ji-ho suddenly started showing off.
“Hey, let’s make a bet on scores. Teams of two—whoever fails to hit one hundred points covers everyone’s karaoke fee.”
“Are you insane? We’ve got kids here—you want to do that?”
“Come on, I might never get back to Korea. I deserve something fun like this. You two go first.”
In the next moment, his finger pointed at Cha Jin-hee and Amasaki Rika.
Amasaki Rika’s eyes widened and she began fidgeting nervously, while Cha Jin-hee was actively avoiding eye contact.
“Wait, Senior. Hold on a moment, please.”
“Yeah, okay. We’re heading to the restroom, so you two pick your song first, yeah?”
“That bastard’s absolutely crazy!”
Even as I said it, the Male Senior was grinning while scrolling through songs.
From what I caught in a glance, it looked like a Japanese melodrama soundtrack.
More specifically, a Korean lyrics version that had become popular as a proposal song.
The intention was painfully obvious, but Park Ji-ho dragged me out before I could object.
The karaoke hallway, with just the two of us, was eerily quiet.
I pretended to pull tissues while preparing to confront Park Ji-ho.
“Senior, this is just a joke—”
“Let me explain myself, Junior.”
Park Ji-ho laughed awkwardly and swept his hair back.
“Look, I tried like hell to leave those guys behind. Somehow word got out, and instead of the friends I’d originally planned to invite, they showed up. I’ve always been uncomfortable with them since they run with the school’s rough crowd.”
“I see.”
As he went on, it became clear that his image as a popular guy often entangled him with the school’s delinquents.
And this time, the situation made it hard to shake them off.
“Anyway, so here’s what I’m planning to do.”
Park Ji-ho clasped his hands behind his back, interlocking his fingers.
“I’m going to give those guys a hard time while creating a chance for those two to bond.”
……?
For a moment I wanted to curse, but reason applied the brakes.
From the context, the person he wanted to humiliate was clearly the Male Senior.
“What exactly are you planning? You’ve got some grand scheme?”
“Listen up.”
I listened as Park Ji-ho laid out his idea like he was rapping.
To be blunt, it had a certain logic and wasn’t entirely implausible.
The only problem was how absurdly embarrassing and ridiculous it sounded.
“So we need to be pretty careful with our song selection.”
“Right.”
I quickly pulled out my phone and began searching the karaoke song list.
“So we need a Japanese otaku song—something that’s well-known in Japan—but also something we can actually sing.”
“Yeah, yeah. You know any Japanese songs? Honestly, aside from that Shin-something’s Makoto song, I don’t know any.”
“Or we could have one person sing while the other one clowns around.”
So we quickly finished selecting our song and headed back.
Sure enough, the Male Senior was actively hitting on Amasaki Rika as the previous song was winding down.
Apparently he’d even dropped to one knee while singing a serenade.
“Is that guy completely unhinged? What the hell is he doing?”
“Ah, come on.”
“You’re seriously trashy, senior.”
Cha Jin-hee was lobbing criticism while shielding Amasaki Rika behind her.
Whether she knew it or not, she had a decent grasp of Japanese, so it seemed she was protecting her.
Considering what might have happened otherwise, it was a rather beautiful sight.
“Well then, the two of you who came back from the restroom should pick your songs. Why’d you go without even reserving?”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Go ahead and sing whatever you want, junior.”
“Ah, yes.”
I smiled softly and picked up the Remote Control for song requests.
But instead of searching, I punched in a five-digit code.
[25246]
Soon, a solemn and peculiar intro flowed through the room.
The song started the moment I received the Microphone.
Just after the first line of lyrics.
Boom boom boom boom-boom boom-boom pa-ram pa-ram-boom~
An anime soundtrack accompaniment blooming with corn, solemnity, and exuberance began to pour out.
The Returner’s Ice Rink is Golden Episode 52
E-book Publication Date | 2026.06.05

Author | Corcaroli
Publisher | Huh Heung-beom, Park Geon-won
Published by | Potén

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

UCI | G720:N+A101-20260514092.0052
List Price | 100 won

ⓒ Corcaroli 2026

This e-book is protected as a copyrighted work under the Copyright Act.
This e-book has been published by contract with the author, and unauthorized republication, reproduction, distribution, or sharing without written consent of 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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