The Regressor's Ice Is Golden - Chapter 67

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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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067.

The competition began with the bright melody of a bandoneon.
I skated forward with my usual smile, ramping up the pace of my choreographed movements.
Strictly speaking, the choreography itself hadn’t changed.
‘Cha Jin-hee never sent me any revised versions.’
But anyone who’s watched figure skating seriously would understand.
The same choreography feels subtly different each time you perform it.
The timing shifts depending on how the skater executes—faster or slower.
A jump might fall, or a jump combination might not connect the way you’d planned.
Or fatigue might dull the finer details of the choreography.
I counted the beats silently, turned my body, and settled into position.
In the repeating melody…there. This was the moment.
I planted my weight hard on the pinky side of my left foot.
Click!
My right toe picked the ice crisply as my body soared into the air.
A Triple Lutz. And then—
Pulling myself desperately into a tight rotation for the Triple Loop.
“Hah!”
I drew both arms in with all my strength.
At last, my right foot landed smoothly back on the ice with a clean sound.
Because I’d timed the toe pick of the Lutz so precisely, the Loop combination flowed beautifully.
In a way, that was one of the Loop’s advantages.
With a Toe Loop, you might lose the beat while resetting your posture, but a Loop demands you rotate immediately, so you have less to worry about rhythmically.
I heard the applause settle and prepared for the next jump.
This time, not the pinky side—the big toe.
A Triple Flip entering via Mohawk Turn.
“Waaah!”
Without stopping after the smooth landing, I launched myself skyward immediately.
A Flying Camel Spin, beginning with a difficult entry.
My foot caught the rotation nicely as I landed.
‘Should’ve gone in harder.’
Here I was, landed perfectly and starting the spin, yet pointless regret crept in.
This Flying Spin had originally been a Sit Spin, but since the Hoejanghae Ranking follows Senior Rules, I’d switched it to Camel for the higher Base Value.
But a Camel Spin uses bigger body positions than a Sit Spin, which means the rotation speed is slower.
And slower rotation can mean not finishing the spin on time or missing the level requirements.
‘Ah, come on…’
I changed my edge and caught the raised foot.
A Donut Spin, pulling my foot back over my head.
Then I lifted that foot higher into an arc and rotated three more times.
Then I launched myself into the air with a Toe Arabian Flying to finish the spin.
For the record, this difficult exit wasn’t part of the original layout.
‘The rotation was a bit slow, but this should be…’
Level 4, I’d believe.
Now comes the real highlight of this program.
A Step Sequence—bright and dazzling, yet never simple.
In this element, it’s not just choreography and artistry that matter.
To rack up the level and Bonus Points, you need to execute clusters of various turns and steps.
Tango-like details in the arm work, the skating itself like running across a wooden floor, connection elements like Spirals and Split Jumps.
And the lower body work that makes the underskirt ripple like flames.
‘Rocker, Counter, Loop. Bracket, Counter…’
While my blade traced every curve frantically, my skirt fluttered wildly.
Park Ji-ho’s costume design hinged on the pleated underskirt—sharp cyan like flame.
But because he hadn’t cut the fabric into separate strips to create the flame effect, from certain angles it looked almost like a fish fin.
You might think that undermined the dynamic quality, but not really.
‘The ocean is already dynamic enough as it is.’
Sardine schools moving as one body, sharks and orcas lunging at their prey.
And brutal waves crashing wild with the wind!
Every movement—swimming through, surging upward, thrashing about.
I flashed a grin at the judges’ panel and brought the Step Sequence to a close.
The program was well into its second half now.
The final jumping element of the second half—the only one left.
I launched into the Double Axel with a crisp snap, landing cleanly as ice spray scattered across the rink.
Two more spins remained—the true finale.
Arching my back into the rotation, I gauged the revolutions and pulled my airborne leg inward.
A Layback Spin finishing in the Biellmann Position.
The moment I released the spin, I moved directly into a Change Foot Combination Spin.
The music—which had woven in xylophone and piano—began to fade dramatically.
As every instrument, led by the piano, struck a final bell, my spin ended.
I snapped into my ending pose, and the music stopped completely.
“Wooooow!”
A thunderous wave of applause crashed down.
I caught my breath and slowly released my posture.
The Hoejanghae Ranking is one of the three largest domestic competitions in the country.
It’s natural that so many spectators show up, but—well, how do I describe it.
I slowly lifted my gaze to the stands, gentle as a fine drizzle.
Familiar faces were making noise in the distance.
The college student and office worker I’d met while watching Ji-su’s earlier program.
One was clinging to a slogan and crying openly, while the other was shrieking and clapping furiously.
“Kim Ha-seol is absolutely having the performance of her life!!!”
They’re going to tear their faces off like that.
I bowed to both sides and glided smoothly off the ice.
“Good work out there.”
“Thanks.”
Coach Park immediately pulled me into a brief embrace and handed me my blade guards.
While I was fitting them onto my skate blades, he draped a jacket over my shoulders.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, yes.”
By the time we reached the Kiss and Cry and sat down, the next skater was already taking to the ice.
It was Cha Seo-hee.
From her expression, she looked somewhat anxious—
“…….”
Wait, why is she looking at me? Shouldn’t she be warming up?
For a moment, I almost lost my composure.
“Does she still have some kind of grudge against you?”
“I don’t know.”
If she held one, it would be her own doing.
The announcement came through the speakers, and I straightened my posture.
{This is the result for skater Kim Ha-seol. Total Score: 69.31. Current standing: First place.}
…Well, what I need to do right now is nod.
“Coach, the Hoejanghae is using the component score vector under Senior Rules, right?”
“Yeah. But whether it’s Hoejanghae or the overall ranking, they’re handing out pretty tight scores. No mercy there.”
Coach Park clicked his tongue and stood up from his seat.
If they recalculate using the Junior Vector, the score would probably drop considerably.
They deliberately kept it a bit lower.
With so many senior skaters competing, it seems they were deliberately trying to intimidate me a little.
It’s my first year competing at the junior level, after all.
‘I’m really looking forward to seeing the protocol.’
We waved to the photographers, and Coach clicked his tongue as he stood.
“Want to go pick out dinner?”
“No, thank you. I’ll just change my shoes.”
Meanwhile, on the ice, Cha Seo-hee was gradually picking up speed.
She was the last skater in the group.
{Next skater. Songgol Middle School, Cha Seo-hee.}
“Are you going to watch before we leave?”
“Yes.”
We climbed the stairs, the sound of applause filling our ears.
By the time we took our seats in the officials’ area, the noise had faded.
“I’m only staying to watch her. We’ll be heading out after anyway—the ice resurfacing will happen next.”
“Ah.”
Coach Park said nothing, simply crossing her legs as she settled into the seat beside me.
Fair enough—she’d picked up the gist of what we’d been doing all this time anyway.
‘Let’s see.’
I laced my fingers together and propped my chin on them just as the music began.
A tango—Roxanne’s tango, opening with soft, lyrical violin.
Her choreography was unchanged, but there was something slack about her execution, a subtle loss of power.
And so the first jump—
‘A Triple Axel, wasn’t it.’
I’d expected as much.
The competition was being run under Senior Rules, so it was within regulations.
After setting her posture, the skater gave herself a longer delay than usual before carefully launching into the air.
But then.
“Oh dear.”
Coach Park clapped politely and sighed.
The skater hastily unwound the rotation and landed quickly on the ice.
‘Downgraded.’
It should have been three and a half rotations, but somewhere she’d miscalculated—she only managed two and a half.
Though even a Double Axel held its own against most senior skaters’ programs.
The next jump was a 3-3 combination.
A Triple Flip entered via Three Turn.
And then a Triple Toe Loop—
Crack!
The skate blade bit into the ice with a harsh scraping sound, spraying powder.
I narrowed my eyes thoughtfully.
‘Under-rotation, maybe?’
The flip itself was clean, but the landing on the following Toe Loop felt premature.
The rotation count looked suspicious—we’d see it when the Protocol came out.
But since she didn’t fall, she simply continued with the program.
A Flying Camel Spin, entered in a difficult manner.
Without mandatory elements to worry about, she must have switched to something with higher Base Value.
Then came the Step Sequence.
“Oh, there’s that sloppy Rocker again.”
Coach Park pointed out the mangled trajectory of the Rocker turn.
Where there should have been a clean circular loop, some strange three-lined mark remained instead.
Truth was, Cha Seo-hee’s component scores ran slightly generous.
Her choreography wasn’t outright clumsy, but it was exactly the level of expression you’d expect from a junior skater her age—though the judges seemed to be giving her the benefit of the doubt, aware of her background.
Still, Cha Seo-hee’s problem right now didn’t seem to be about expression at all.
Her mental state had been shot for a while now.
But it was strange to put it so simply.
‘For someone whose mental state is gone, she’s still pushing through the program.’
It was hard to articulate—she looked like she had a lot on her mind, but it didn’t seem to be about figure skating.
Which means—ugh, hell.
I gave up trying to think about it just as the Step Sequence ended.
A figure skater doesn’t stop just because she botched one element.
After landing her final Triple Lutz in the second half, Cha Seo-hee launched into her last two spins.
The Layback Spin—the same one as mine—and then the Change Foot Combination Spin.
And with that, the music ended and she held her closing pose.
“Waaah—”
A polite but oddly muted applause rose from the stands.
Aside from the downgraded Axel, it was Apparent Clean, and yet the mood felt strangely subdued.
The skater finished with a rigid expression, breathing hard as she bowed.
“Shall we?”
“Let’s go.”
The skater took her seat in the Kiss and Cry as the ice resurfacer rolled in to replace the next competitor’s performance.
Without a word passing between us, Coach Park and I stood up.
Behind us, the announcer’s voice droned on.
{Here are the results for skater Cha Seo-hee. Total score: 68.17 points. Current placement: third.}

***

We headed straight for the showers the moment we arrived at the lodging.
I was toweling off my damp hair when Coach Park appeared, her own hair still dripping, blow dryer in hand.
“What are you doing?”
“What, can’t a coach dry her student’s hair? Come here.”
“Oh.”
I crept over cautiously and sat down in front of the vanity.
A whirring sound, then warm air rushed through my wet strands.
“I wasn’t seeing things back then, was I? You’ve been looking really anxious lately.”
“Have I?”
“Yes. You and Cha Seo-hee came back pretty heated, didn’t you?”
I hadn’t put it in those words.
But Coach Park sighed, tapping the strands as she dried them.
“……I’m not even angry anymore, honestly. I’ve been enough of a brat about it. She’s still just a kid.”
“You know what? You’re not blameless either. I’m not mad at her—you’re the one who threw a fit and pelted her with macarons.”
“…….”
“Kim Ha-seol. Don’t bottle everything up.”
Click—the blow dryer switched off.
“People need to let themselves get frustrated sometimes, blow off steam. You hold it all in, you get sick.”
I didn’t say much in return, but I had plenty on my mind.
Now that I’d come back to the past, building my career beautifully was good—but it wasn’t enough.
I had to stop repeating the things that had gone so wrong before.
But hadn’t I already repeated half of them anyway?
‘It’s not even Greek tragedy.’
At least my legs had stayed intact, at least they hadn’t shattered—but the mess remained the same.
So what now?
The Regressor’s Golden Ice Rink — Chapter 67
E-book publication date | 2026.06.05

Author | Corcarolly
Publisher | Huh Hung-beom, Park Gun-won
Published by | Potent

Address | [04783] 10th Floor, 8 Yeonmujang 11-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
Phone | 02-6320-8500
Fax | 02-6320-8585

UCI | G720:N+A101-20260514092.0067
List price | 100 won

ⓒ Corcarolly 2026

This e-book is a copyrighted work protected by copyright law.
This e-book has been published under agreement with the author and may not be reproduced, distributed, or shared in any form 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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