A competent doctor can cure everything - Chapter 73

‘I can’t see the future.’

I couldn’t see anything.

Unlike when So Min played earlier, I had met all the conditions for predicting the future, so why?

For a moment, I was confused, but soon a possible reason came to mind.

‘Did Coach Han Mi-young not decide whether to let Kim Yul play yet?’

I remember that in the past, before my professor made a prescription decision for a patient, I couldn’t see their future either.

It must be the same this time — something important hadn’t been decided yet.

For instance, if Kim Yul didn’t play today and took a full rest, her condition would likely improve.

But if she played a vigorous game in the next set, there’s a high chance her symptoms would recur.

‘Wait. What if that happens?’

What if a player is scheduled to play, and you can see them winning thanks to that player, but the player’s health gets seriously compromised in the process?

Winning, or the player’s health?

Even just thinking about it was a terrifying decision.

‘Knowing the future isn’t always a good thing…’

Sigh. For now, it’s just an imagination, so I’ll push those thoughts aside.

I headed toward the bench with Kim Yul.

The reserve players in the warm-up zone rushed toward Kim Yul.

“Yul! How’s your neck?”

“It’s almost fine now.”

“Wow, is that possible? You were in so much pain earlier!”

“I’m relieved…! What would’ve happened if we didn’t have Lee Jun-sun today?”

The players were thrilled, their eyes wide in surprise.

It was clear that everyone was greatly relieved.

Soon, the players, seeing me in my uniform, began to tease me.

“Doctor, did you see that? We can’t do without you.”

“The uniform looks great on you. How about staying with Blue Whales for good?”

“You idiot. To bring in Teacher Lee Seon-Joon, we first need to finish in the top 3 in the KOVO Cup.”

At the mention of third place, Kim Yul quickly asked another player.

“How’s the score right now?”

“It’s 2:1.”

At the short answer, Kim Yul frowned in concern.

“Ah… I figured So Min still isn’t feeling well. If only I wasn’t hurt…”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

The player who answered let out a brief laugh.

“We’re the ones at 2. We’re winning!”

“!!”

“So Min has really stepped up today! She’s playing great! The other players too.”

“Yeah, so the coach was originally planning to sub you in as soon as you got back, but now she wants to stick with So Min. The flow’s good, so there’s no reason to change.”

If that’s the case… it means that if they win this set, the game will end 3:1.

I’m relieved that So Min has overcome her tension and is playing well.

With a much lighter heart, I sat on the bench and watched the game unfold.

‘I’ve never experienced a volleyball game this up close before.’

The rules of volleyball are simple. You just need to get the ball over to the other side in 3 touches.

Serve, set, and attack. With those three steps, the volleyball flew back and forth at a fast pace.

The game was intense and exciting.

Moreover… seeing the players I treated perform on the court brought me immense satisfaction.

In our country, working as a team doctor is actually closer to medical volunteer work.

I remembered what the senior team doctors had said when I completed the team doctor program.

“You’ll barely get enough for transportation, and more often than not, you’ll end up spending even more on meals for the players and staff,” they had said with a laugh.

At the time, I didn’t understand why they did so much for so little, but now I get it.

This must be the appeal of being a team doctor.

I was watching the game with a sense of satisfaction when, halfway through, the momentum started to shift.

“Ah. So Min’s starting to struggle a bit.”

So Min made a service error once, and after that, her pace seemed to falter.

In the end, Coach Han Mi-young substituted in Kim Yul during the match.

‘Kim Yul is definitely more experienced.’

It seemed like Blue Whales were starting to regain their flow.

However, the opposing team wasn’t going down easily.

The proof of this was that the rallies between the two teams were getting longer and longer.

“Wow, when is this rally going to end?”

“I think it’s been over a minute.”

There was one rally in particular that lasted much longer than the others.

A staff member clenched his fist and muttered in frustration.

“We really need to win this rally.”

“Why?”

“The score might be the same, just one point, but the weight of it is completely different.”

The staff member explained in response to my question.

“Losing a rally like this drains all the momentum. Volleyball is a sport that’s very influenced by the atmosphere, so these things are crucial.”

Just then, Blue Whales made an attack that finished the rally.

It was a surprising attack that caught both the opposing team and the audience off guard.

Setter Kim Yul pretended to set the ball to the attacker, but then lightly sent it over the net.

The ball just barely crossed the net and dropped gently into an open spot on the opponent’s side of the court.

“……!”

“A two-step pass feint!”

You only need to get the ball over the net within three touches. It’s not necessary to attack on the third.

Therefore, it’s not against the rules for the setter to attack.

The opposing team, who had been focused on where the setter was going to pass the ball, was left dumbfounded.

I was also left speechless by what I had just witnessed.

After that, things went as Coach had said.

The opposing team, caught off guard, flailed around in confusion.

Blue Whales, having seized the advantage, steadily scored points and eventually reached 25 first.

“Wow!!!”

“We won!!!”

The players in the warm-up zone rushed out and hugged the starting players.

Coach Han Mi-young, who had been tense until the final whistle, finally broke into a broad smile.

I was watching that heartwarming scene with a smile on my face when suddenly…

‘?’

All the players turned toward me at once.

What’s going on?

I tensed, sensing something was off.

Sure enough, they all wore playful smiles and rushed toward me with shouts…!

“We’re going to give Dr. Lee a lift!”

“Grab him!”

Oh no. Their eyes were wide with excitement.

“Wait a minute…!”

Before I could finish my sentence, my body was suddenly lifted into the air.

Are they seriously lifting me so easily, even though I’m an adult male?

I felt a bit of self-deprecation as I was helplessly hoisted into the air…

“……”

After being tossed around a few times, I was finally let down.

As I adjusted my crooked glasses, So Min approached me.

“Doctor! Thank you. That medicine was amazing! I felt the tension ease and my focus just skyrocketed!”

“It wasn’t the medicine, it was your effort.”

“Come on~! Stop with the sweet talk!”

So Min laughed and nudged me in the ribs.

But I didn’t smile.

“I’m serious.”

“Huh?”

“That wasn’t Cheong-shim-won, it was Gongjindan.”

“Eh?? Then… what does that mean?”

It was only then that So Min realized I was serious and looked almost pale.

What do you mean “what happens”?

She must have just taken some herbal medicine and felt more energized.

I smiled and explained to So Min, who still hadn’t grasped the situation.

“The side effect of Woo-hwang Cheong-shim-won is that if it relaxes you too much, it can actually make you feel sluggish.”

You’ve probably heard the advice to take Woo-hwang Cheong-shim-won the day before an exam.

If the medicine is too strong for an individual, it can stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, making you feel drowsy.

I had thought about giving her half a dose to avoid side effects, but then I changed my approach.

I decided to aim for the placebo effect instead.

“So… what does that mean?”

“It means you performed well today on your own, with your own strength.”

“……!”

For a moment, So Min didn’t say anything, but slowly a smile spread across her face.

“I see now.”

I hope today’s experience doesn’t leave So Min with a trauma, but rather as a good memory.

I have a feeling we’ll be seeing her more on the court than on the bench in the future.

* * *

Right after the match, the Blue Whales fan chatroom was in a festive mood.

When “that man” appeared in the team uniform, people started making curious guesses.

[ I think he’s the team doctor. ]

[ The stingy club hired a team doctor? My heart is swelling… ]

Kim Yul, who appeared alongside him, was also a topic of conversation since she was fully recovered.

Plus, thanks to Kim Yul’s performance, they won the final set.

People’s attention was not only on the players, but also on “Glasses Man.”

[ Thanks to him, So Min woke up, and Kim Yul got her condition back. If he hadn’t been there today, Blue Whales would’ve been doomed, right? ]

[ Now that you mention it, yeah. ]

[ Shout out to God-Glasses Man!! ]

[ Here’s a summary of God-Glasses Man’s achievements today:

1) He revived So Min, who had fainted from hyperventilation. Thanks to him, So Min didn’t have to go to the ER and was able to rest and return to the game. If she had gone to the ER, she wouldn’t have returned to the match today. ]

2) Helped Kim Yul relieve the strain in her back. Thanks to that, at the right time, she was substituted for So Min to finish the last set.

3) With his charming looks, he entertained volleyball fans. ]

[ Excuse me, what’s number 3 about? LOL ]

It wasn’t just the Blue Whales fan chatroom.

The earlier commotion had been broadcast live on national television, which generated a lot of buzz.

Posts titled “KOVO Cup Glasses Man,” “Who is Glasses Man?” were being uploaded in real-time on various online communities.

As a result, it was only a matter of time before Glasses Man’s identity was revealed.

Soon, information was posted in the chatroom.

[ I think that person is a doctor at Hanbit University Hospital.]

[ Link ]

Someone posted the link to Hanbit University Hospital’s YouTube promotional video.

It had a pretty high view count. Even celebrity Mika had commented on it.

‘…! It’s him.’

The university student immediately recognized the person in the YouTube thumbnail.

Wow… the person I saw earlier was a celebrity(?).

Moreover, the fact that he was from the same Hanbit University made Glasses Man even more popular.

‘I saw him too! I saw him too!’

Feeling a bit tipsy with excitement, the ‘Hanbit University newbie’ uploaded a video they had taken to the chatroom.

But right after impulsively posting the video, she had second thoughts.

‘Uhm…? Is it okay to post this?’

However, by that time, reactions had already begun flooding into the chatroom.

“It’s more vivid than on TV, he’s so cool, amazing,” and so on.

‘Well, since it was broadcast live on TV, it should be fine, right?’

But contrary to the university student’s expectations, the video had a huge impact.

The shaky video shot by an ordinary person actually felt more real.

Moreover, the segment showing So Min fainting had been edited out of the broadcast.

Therefore, the video the university student took had value.

-Acupuncture Doctor Saves Fainting Player GIF

Someone in the chatroom shared the video externally, and it quickly spread through social media.

In the end, it became a famous incident that everyone knew about.

* * *

“Father! Did you see this? That guy was on TV and the news!”

In the director’s office of Hwalin Hanbang Hospital.

A young man in a gown barged into the room, shaking his phone.

“That guy?”

The middle-aged man sitting at the luxurious desk looked up.

On the desk, there was a nameplate that read “Hospital Director.”

“You, and you, too—didn’t I tell you to call me ‘Hospital Director’ in the hospital?”

“Can’t even call my father, ‘Father’…”

Ignoring his son’s grumbling, the hospital director spoke up.

“Anyway, what’s going on?”

“This, isn’t this Seon-Joon?”

“…!!”

The phone that the son handed over displayed an online news article.

It was about the team doctor who had played a role in a recent volleyball game.

Seeing the photo from the news, the middle-aged man clicked his tongue.

“That’s him. I thought he’d quietly fade into the background, but he’s making a fuss. What is he doing now?”

“I heard he’s interning at Hanbit University Hospital.”

“Hanbit University Hospital? That’s where Professor Kim Jeong-ho from the acupuncture department works.”

“Ah, Professor Kim, the one who was a candidate for the President’s personal acupuncturist?”

“Yeah, the one who competed against me until the very end.”

The hospital director became lost in thought as he tapped his fingers on the desk.

“Father… Hospital Director, about that kid…”

The son asked meaningfully.

“He wouldn’t be starting trouble now, would he?”

“If he wanted to, he wouldn’t have any way to do so. Legally, it’s all been settled.”

The hospital director’s eyes lit up as he rested his chin.

“And I’m the one who built this hospital to what it is now. It may have been started by that kid’s father, but—”

“Of course. Hwalin Hanbang Hospital is yours, Hospital Director.”

“And you’ll inherit it.”

The two men exchanged a quiet smile, facing each other.