The Regressor's Ice Is Golden - Chapter 9

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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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009.

Let me be honest about it.
The injury to my leg back then wasn’t entirely unconnected to overshooting the Loop.
As the Coach said, it’s a technique that puts a lot of strain on the right hip.
Having regressed this far, I couldn’t afford to injure the same place again.
But I had no intention of throwing away a powerful weapon I could use against my rival.
What solution could I find here?
‘Just don’t get injured.’
I pressed my forehead and stared down at the ice sheet.
The rink manager entered at just the right moment.
“Beginning resurfacing!”
“Ah, yes!”
The partition separating the ice from outside slid open.
An enormous resurfacing machine rolled into the Ice Rink.
Where the machine passed, the ice left a wet, gleaming trail of pristine surface.
Resurfacing took about ten minutes.
We still had rest time.
I pulled a few cans of Ion Drink from my bag and handed them to the two visitors.
“Oh, is it okay if we drink?”
“What kind of hospitality gives nothing to a guest?”
“Oh, this stuff’s good. Thanks, I’ll enjoy it.”
Park Ji-ho accepted immediately and cracked open his can.
Thanks to him, Cha Jin-hee also cautiously reached for hers.
Or rather, she tried to—but her fingertips looked painful.
“Here, let me.”
I took the can and opened it for her. She accepted it with a trembling hand.
“Thank you.”
“Sure.”
Watching the two childhood friends wet their throats, I took my own rest too.
“Ha-seol.”
The Coach opened an Ion Drink and handed it to me.
“So what will you do?”
“I’ll run some calculations.”
The Triple Axel has a base score of 8 points.
And the Triple Lutz-Triple Loop combination jump carries a base score of 10.8 points.
Cha Seo-hee’s two-jump combination would be the Triple Lutz-Triple Toe, like any other skater’s.
That’s a base score of 10.1 points.
When matches are decided by fractions of a point, if I could just construct the right program, I’d have a real shot.
Because.
‘At this point, Cha Seo-hee probably hasn’t perfected her triple combination jumps yet.’
She must have been focused on practicing the Triple Axel and neglected the combinations.

A shortage in rotation is a deduction too.
Of course, Cha Seo-hee wouldn’t skimp on execution, but in the Short Program, if she can’t land the Triple Axel, she could fall behind.
So.
“Coach, can we structure it around the Loop for now and switch it up depending on how things go?”
“……Do you really have to?”
“You heard the rumors—if Cha Seo-hee completes her Free Skate without falling even once, regardless of whether she passes, she’ll come out with the Triple Axel attached.”
I suddenly cast my eyes downward.
“And we really need to make the national team this time.”
Then I added one more thing to tug at his heartstrings.
“You originally only reserved the rink for one hour at a time—after lunch, early afternoon, and now. How did we manage two hours of ice time today?”
“That’s, well—wait a minute. How did you know that?”
“It’s all on the Ice Rink’s reservation page, Coach.”
The Coach tilted his head back and pressed his forehead.
An hour at this Ice Rink cost a base 120,000 won!
Back then, I’d just found it amazing and never wondered where the money came from.
Twenty years later, there was finally one place where I found the Coach’s name again.
Around this time, quite a few male Novice competitors had Park Chae-ram’s name listed as their choreographer.
Coach must have been earning Ice Rink rental fees by collaborating on routines for other skaters.
Going by market rates, that’d be about five hours’ worth of rental costs per choreography session.
“Coach.”
“……Ah, fine.”
In the end, Coach conceded right there.
Now that I looked closer, dark circles hung heavy beneath his eyes.
The toll of his labor was written all over him.
“Um, I don’t mind anything, but would it be okay if you discussed this without us involved?”
Oh.
Cha Jin-hee raised her hand uncertainly.
Park Ji-ho was picking up on the tension too.
Had it looked like we were fighting?
I scratched my head awkwardly.
The ice had just finished being resurfaced.
“……Want to head up first?”
“Yeah…….”
“Hey, Cha Jin-hee. How do you do a back exit?”
Fortunately, the two of them read the room and climbed onto the ice ahead of us.
Coach poured himself an Ion Drink and took a sip.
“If you’re going to push that hard, I’m betting you’ve thought about proving yourself too.”
“Of course.”
“Then let’s make a wager.”
Coach pulled out an Apple Pad and opened the memo app.
“What was your Free Skate jump layout at the end of last season?”
“The triple combination was Lutz-Toe back then, I think.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
What was he getting at?
As I blinked, Coach showed me the Apple Pad screen.
“At the Level 7 test, swap the Lutz-Toe for a Lutz-Loop and try a clean pass.”
“Me?”
Me? Do what? Coach just smiled wryly.
“It doesn’t matter if you have a Long Edge, if your Spin axis is off, or if you’re short on rotations. If you complete the combination without falling even once, then like you said, this season we’ll add the Loop to the Lutz.”
Tap. His fingertip pressed against the desk.
“Otherwise, we stick with what we have.”
I swallowed hard.
The cold air of the Ice Rink enveloped us both.

***

“Take care.”
“Next time you come, you’d better give us a proper show?”
“Don’t talk like that to someone who’s training.”
With Cha Jin-hee’s nagging at Park Ji-ho as a coda, his car glided smoothly away.
I tilted the car seat back and closed my eyes.
My lower body felt pleasantly warm……, nice.
“Wake me when we get there, please.”
“Sure thing.”
Of course, I had no real intention of sleeping.
‘Status Window.’

[Kim Ha-seol]
Age: 13 years old (Born February 27th)
Height: 162cm
Weight: 46kg
Secondary Sexual Characteristics Development: 24%

Strength: B
Stamina: A-
Flexibility: B
Precision : B+
Artistry : C+

[Biological Metronome](D/Active)

Special Notes : Reincarnate, unwavering determination
[Points : 3]

Without hesitation, I sank the Points into Precision and Balance.

[Precision : B+ → A]
[Balance : B → B+]

Saturday was going to have an ice practice session in the morning instead of the usual afternoon slot.
That’s when I’d work on correcting the takeoff of the Flip and get a look at the combination jumps.
‘Anything else worth using?’
I scrolled down the Status Window with my eyes.
I had one Draw Ticket left, and this was the moment when another useful buff would come in handy.
Right now, the one that looks most worthwhile is this.

[Unshakable Comfort](B/Points 8)
[Temporarily softens the ice surface, partially offsetting irregularities.]

Given how unpredictable the ice conditions can be, it’d be smart to take it along just in case.
But eight Points? That feels a bit steep, doesn’t it?

[Use what you’re given.]

Huh.
Even as the back of my head was pulling, something else caught my eye.

[Cardiopulmonary Endurance UP!](B/Points 5)
[You won’t run out of breath for the entire duration of one program. (※Penalty exists. Temporary shortness of breath or hyperventilation may occur immediately after performance.)]

Oh, for heaven’s sake.
I closed my eyes for a moment.
Hyperventilation and shortness of breath, huh.
‘That’s dicey.’
From experience, the latter at least recovered fairly quickly.
You just had to hold a plastic bag over your mouth and nose.
Not that it wasn’t nerve-wracking.
There’d be plenty of people there taking their tests, and I’d have to get home by evening.
Even if the Coach drove me close to my house, walking in from there was a separate problem altogether.
If the test was at night, it’d be late, and there were safety concerns too.
‘So, should I or shouldn’t I?’
To make the call, I needed one more piece of information.
I deliberately kept my voice low as if I’d just woken up.
“Coach…….”
“You’re up early?”
“……When exactly is our test…… a week from now?”
“Ah.”
The Coach just kept driving quietly.
“Saturday.”
I squeezed my eyes shut.
“If I mess this up……, what then? Can’t we lower the other elements a bit and keep just this one?”
“Ah.”
Surprisingly, the Coach nodded quietly.
“Yeah, that works.”
Nice.
‘Let’s go for it then.’
Well, I’ll pass the test first and see what happens.
I decided to trust this fresh, thirteen-year-old body of mine.
No matter what, it had to be better than my old body, fifteen years more worn.
I closed my eyes in satisfaction, but the rest didn’t last long.
We’d arrived at my house.
When I carefully sat up from the seat, my back was drenched in sweat.
As I unfastened my seatbelt, the Coach himself took out my luggage and carried it for me.
“Here. See you tomorrow.”
“Take care going in.”
“Yeah.”
I took the bag and stared blankly as the Coach’s car drove away.
Looking closer, I noticed the bumper had a scratch on it.
I couldn’t tell if he’d deliberately left it unrepaired or simply didn’t have the money to fix it.
When I opened the front door, a light ding-dong sounded from the doorbell.
But no one came to greet me.
‘I’m home.’
So I whispered the greeting to myself instead.
It was nearly midnight, and the house lay dark and quiet.
On the living room table sat a box full of assembled Smartphone Cases.
They were from last night, left half-finished.
I turned away from the untidy scene and headed to the kitchen.
I pulled out a Lunch Box and opened the refrigerator.
Half a head of cabbage, and two eggs.
I boiled the eggs in a pot of water.
I sliced the cabbage thin, added a little water, and put it in the microwave.
It was a meal to give myself minimal strength for tomorrow’s lunch.
A thought suddenly came to me.
If my parents were still alive, wouldn’t they have packed me a lunch like this?
Rather than me standing here, leaning against the sink like this.
Only the hum of the microwave and the sound of boiling water echoed quietly.
I alone was awake in the world.

***

Meanwhile, there was another person feeling lonely.
Cha Jin-hee couldn’t fall asleep easily.
Judging by the way her mother didn’t acknowledge it, quitting the academy seemed to have gone unnoticed.
Which was a relief, at least.
‘Ouch.’
The ankle pressed by the Skate Boots ached in a way it hadn’t in so long.
When I’d washed up earlier, I’d seen the red marks left behind.
But that pain was, beyond my imagination, delightful.
Pleased, I pulled the blanket closer around me.
‘Will I be able to go back again?’
Kim Ha-seol’s skating was remarkable.
I’d looked her up online, and she truly deserved to be called a promising prospect.
Perhaps even more so than my sister.
So it had happened naturally, that I wondered.
What if my lingering attachment added just a spoonful to that magnificence?
Cha Jin-hee quietly turned on her phone.
[Kim Ha-seol]
A few days ago we’d exchanged numbers, and she’d automatically been added as a friend.
I scrolled through our brief chat history and tapped out a message.
[Did you get home okay? Thanks for inviting me today.]
After spacing out for about five minutes, a reply came through.
[Kim Ha-seol : Don’t be so formal. Come again sometime.]
“Heh.”
I burst out laughing without meaning to.
Emboldened, I asked her something I’d been curious about.
[How did you even think to invite me to the Ice Rink?]
After a brief pause, a reply came through.
[Kim Ha-seol: It looks like you could still do it. I watched your competition footage. You were doing your own steps while rehearsing for another skater’s routine.]
“…….”
Whether or not she remembered watching that particular competition, it had happened.
But the fact that she remembered it…
Cha Jin-hee burrowed deeper under the blanket instead of replying.
[Kim Ha-seol: While we’re on the subject, thanks for helping me fix the choreography. Should we work on the Short Program choreography too, while we’re at it?]
What?
The Reincarnate’s Ice — Episode 9
E-book Publication Date | June 5, 2026

Author | Corccarolli
Publisher | Heo Heung-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+A101-20260514092.0009
Retail Price | Not for Sale

© Corccarolli 2026

This e-book is a copyrighted work protected under copyright law.
This e-book has been published under contract with the author, and unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or sharing of this work in any form is prohibited 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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