The Regressor's Ice Is Golden - Chapter 68

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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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068.

Why, isn’t it the case that in old stories, plenty of people tried to escape a bad prophecy only to meet it anyway?
There was one who locked his daughter away and threw her into the sea because an oracle said his grandson would kill him—and then a discus thrown by that very grandson struck him dead.
There was another who fled after killing his father and taking his mother to wife, only to become king and discover that the stranger he’d killed on the road was his father, and his new bride was his mother.
At some point in the middle of the night, I found myself scrolling through my phone, searching for similar stories.
And then I found it—the one tale where things turned out differently.

The next morning.
“God, my back is killing me.”
The twin room at a budget hotel—the kind where the nightly rate didn’t hit six figures—felt cramped in ways I’d forgotten.
I’d stayed in places like this before, but something about this one was particularly uncomfortable.
I shambled out of the shower half-asleep.
Toweled my hair dry, applied my basic skincare.
I’d do my makeup at the venue anyway.
“All right.”
Once I’d finished getting ready, Coach Park checked out with grim determination.
“Let’s go.”
Today was the Championship Ranking Tournament’s Ranking Free Skating.

***

Truth be told, everything was still a mess.
Cha Seo-hee’s pointless needling yesterday, Coach Park’s words—none of it made sense.
The Ice Rink’s air was still biting cold, and my muscle soreness hadn’t fully subsided.
A warm-up would shake it out eventually.
But first, I needed to check something.
“Status window.”
I slipped away to the restroom and pulled up my status.
The reward should have come through.

[Special Ability Synthesis]
[Fuses two Special Abilities of C-grade or lower into one, upgrading it to B-grade or higher.]
[※Required Condition: Challenge Quest]
[Combination Jump with Grade of Execution Bonus Points minimum +4 tier achievement]

That’s what I’d busted my ass for during the Short Program.
You know what I mean?
Jumps indirectly affect component scores more than you’d think.
There’s overlap in the Grade of Execution evaluation criteria too.
Beyond the technical essentials needed to break three tiers, there are factors like these:

—Excellent air position and axis from takeoff through landing
—Creative entry technique preceding the jump
—Strong musical synchronization

The first one’s why Tano jumps—where you launch with your arm raised—had their moment, though judges aren’t as generous with those now.
The second is exemplified by the Ina Bauer that comes before Yarina’s Double Axel.
Cha Jin-hee had hammered that into the choreography during the program layout phase.
And the third factor—
I’d leveraged that to push my Grade of Execution and component score as high as possible.
The better the quality of the jump, the more rhythmic it becomes.
Naturally, that translates to choreographic bonuses too.
Anyway, when I checked my phone just now, the bonus points for the 3Lz-3Lo were:

3Lz-3Lo
Base Value: 10.8
Grade of Execution: 2.19

“Damn it all.”
Now I was fully awake, splashing my face with cold water.
I thought I’d misread the score this morning in my drowsy haze, but looking at it again, the numbers were correct.
Two judges had given me a 3, even after dropping the highest and lowest scores—that’s why the average got cut….
Of course, this much bonus points in my first year as a junior is remarkable, but I didn’t clear the quest I needed.
For a Grade of Execution of 4, I should have exceeded 2.36 points.
‘All right, first things first.’
I sighed heavily and sat down on the closed toilet seat.
The Short Program is over anyway, so there’s nothing I can do about that now.
What matters is today’s Free Skate.
With three combination jumps.
There’s still time left to make an attempt.
Before the Grand Prix Final comes, and before the National Championships, it’ll definitely be possible.
‘Let’s go.’
I stood up stiffly and pushed open the stall door.
Coach Park will be waiting if I take too long—.
“……!”
Suddenly, an awkwardly thick silence descended on the bathroom with only two people in it.
Cha Seo-hee, who’d been standing in front of the sink, stared at me with a drained expression.
Water streamed from the faucet she hadn’t managed to turn off.
“…….”
Well, it’s not like I had any real reason to engage with her.
I wasn’t gossiping about anyone, just vented a little frustration to myself.
So I was about to just leave the bathroom.
“Wait.”
If she hadn’t grabbed my sleeve, that is.
“Hmm?”
“No, I mean. I wanted to ask you something.”
What could she possibly want to know from me?
She already asked if I wasn’t frustrated last time, so she wouldn’t ask that again.
When I turned back, Cha Seo-hee asked hesitantly.
“How are you able to do that?”
And she was thoroughly intimidated as she spoke.
That cocky attitude from before had vanished completely, like she’d eaten her own words.
“Do what?”
“Well, I mean.”
After a long pause, Cha Seo-hee answered very slowly.
“How are you able to skate like that?”
“…….”
No, wait. This reminds me of when I first saw her twin sister.
The only difference is that I grabbed her then, and she’s grabbing me now.
I looked carefully at the girl’s face.
She was anxious, with no hint of mockery.
She was asking genuinely.
“Your component scores are respectable too. We’ve both still got plenty of room to grow.”
“That’s not what I mean. I’m trying to say…….”
She trails off again.
Whether it’s a lack of vocabulary or something that’s genuinely hard to explain, I can’t tell.
‘I suppose there’s nothing to be done about it.’
I turned off the faucet that had been running.
“If you remember what you wanted to ask, let’s talk about it after the competition. Focus on your performance.”
“……Okay.”
And so one person left the bathroom.
Troubled now myself, I walked down the hallway with a sigh.
How are you able to skate like that.
‘I’m not entirely sure myself.’
Actually, I think I have a rough idea of the reason, but putting it into words would be quite delicate.
It’s hard to find the right expression for it.
The fact that I unconsciously mentioned “after the competition” might be because of that.
To find an appropriate way to explain it.
And so, on the second day of the Championship Ranking Tournament, the Free Skating for skaters ranked 7 and above commenced.

Awkward or not, the schedule had to go on.
Because yesterday’s Short Program score was quite solid, today I’d been assigned to the Final Group.
“Next, Kim Ha-seol. Take the ice.”
I walked out quietly, drew my skate order, and returned.
Fourth out of five in the Final Group.
For reference, Cha Seo-hee was third, and Lee Ji-su had the last spot.
My luck with pairings had been absolutely absurd these past two days.
Lee Ji-su, one of Korea’s current figure skating flagships, had solidified her place in the Final Group just days ago by scooping up Grade of Execution and Component Score points steadily.
‘She did skate well.’
Given that she’d fallen on the Triple Lutz without attaching the Lutz, it was remarkable by comparison.
Then again, she’s probably one of the Federation’s favored skaters too.
The Olympics aren’t far off, after all.
After the draw concluded, I headed back to find Coach Park.
“Fourth.”
“All right. Let’s give it everything we’ve got through today.”
Coach Park patted my shoulders and unrolled a yoga mat for me.
The waiting area and hallways were packed with skaters warming up.
While I stretched as usual, the competition continued on the ice.
Just as it always had, year after year.
I’ll probably have to go through nearly dozens of competitions like this before I can even make it to the Olympics.
‘And even then, I’m still only a high school sophomore.’
Just as that thought was starting to overwhelm me.
Brring brring brring.
The caller was unexpectedly Park Ji-ho.
How was he calling at this hour—oh right, it’s the weekend. That’s right.
“Hello?”
“Ugh, hey Kim Ha-seol….”
What the hell, why is he sniffling like that.
For a moment I thought I’d misheard, but I was certain it was the sound of crying.
“S-senior? What’s wrong?”
“It’s not… hiccup. It’s me.”
“Yes. What is it.”
“My arm just got… messed up right now…?”
“Excuse me?”
What the hell kind of thing is that to say.
My head went ice-cold even as my tongue stopped working properly.
“W-what do I do? Are you at the hospital right now?”
“Just… just tell me one thing….”
“What?”
What could I possibly say over the phone to someone whose arm just got messed up that I should be saying?
Then Park Ji-ho, still sniffling….
“Do you… do you actually like me?”
…What the hell.
My head plunged again as if doused in ice water.
And so, without thinking, I dropped all pretense of social etiquette.
“Senior, are you in your right mind right now?”
“Yes! Success!”
The groaning Park Ji-ho suddenly burst into laughter and whooped.
I stumbled back out, grabbed hold of the sense that had fled my body, and demanded an explanation.
“Wait, senior, what is this right now….”
“Haha, hey Ha-seol, I’m sorry about that.”
So Park Ji-ho had come out to play with friends as usual and wandered into a board game café.
But having already explored most standard board games, they needed a fresh source of dopamine.
So the game they’d chosen was a phone mission game.
“Each person picks a sentence, then we drew lots. You know those old variety show games? Where someone calls you and has to deliver whatever sentence gets drawn. That kind of thing.”
“Ah, I see….”
“By the way, Cha Jin-hee got called earlier, right? She said her academy placement test bombed, but she still had the energy to curse, so that was actually a relief!”
So I wasn’t the only victim.
I sent a silent word of sympathy to my choreographer and let out a very long sigh.
I felt utterly deflated.
“You’re having quite the time, aren’t you……”
“Anyway, sorry for the scare. I’ll buy you maratang later.”
“Ugh… Could you make it a salad instead? I need to watch my weight……”
“Of course! You said you had a competition today, right? Cha Jin-hee sent me the schedule. I’ll come watch you later.”
Cheerful voices chattered through the phone speaker.
Park Ji-ho’s friends, probably.
“You’ve got this!”
“Go for it!”
At least this time he’d gone out with decent people.
Only then could I smile and respond properly.
“Thank you. Have fun. But next time, please don’t do something quite so extreme, okay?”
I have bad memories, so I react instinctively without thinking.
“Sorry about that, I said. Anyway, focus on the competition! See you at school later. You’ve got this!”
The moment the call ended, I collapsed onto the yoga mat.
The competition hadn’t even started yet, and my energy felt completely drained.
The call had felt like it lasted five minutes, but the call log showed less than two.
Still, what could I do.
“Phew.”
At least the tension had clearly loosened.
Coach Park returned just then, giving me a bewildered look.
“What are you doing?”
“Well, it’s like this…”
After hearing the whole story, Coach Park chuckled and clapped his hands.
“Ha-ha-ha, there we go. Okay then, we’ll go with this as is, Ha-seol. You can do it, right?”
“Yes!”
We finished the rest of our warm-up and folded the yoga mat.
Soon it would be time for the final group run-through.
From then until the women’s singles final group competition, there was plenty of time left to warm up.

***

The story I’d learned about by chance last night was from a classic Chinese novel.
A young nobleman skilled in martial arts was heading to take the civil service exam when his servant fell ill and they had to stay in a village.
The villagers called in a renowned fortune-teller for him, and what the fortune-teller said was that the servant would live but the young master was fated to die.
When asked about this, the fortune-teller said he would resolve the matter if paid enough.
{Now beginning warm-up for Women’s Singles Group 5, skaters 25 through 29. Warm-up time is six minutes.}
Tense skaters took to the cold ice, scattering in different directions.
I clenched my jaw and gradually increased my gliding speed.
A Layback Ina Bauer, doubling as a stretch.
Then a Double Axel.
Fine ice shavings sprayed cold against my skin.
‘Don’t lose the tension in the thighs, free leg stays straight.’
When the young nobleman heard the fortune-teller’s words, he simply accepted the prophecy calmly.
The Ice of a Returner: Episode 68
E-book Publication Date | June 5, 2026

Author | Korkarolli
Publisher | Heo Heung-beom, Park Gun-won
Publishing House | Potent

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

UCI | G720:N+A101-20260514092.0068
Retail Price | 100 Won

ⓒ Korkarolli 2026

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