A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 376

“Is that so? Are you sure 30 seconds is enough?”

Team Doctor John crossed his arms and stared at Jun-hoo, his eyes conveying skepticism, “Where did you crawl out from, you old dog bone?”

The sign indicating his affiliation with the Mayo Clinic was impressive, but that was about it.

This was the court.

The patient was a basketball player.

In the NBA ecosystem, John’s experience and connections placed him several levels higher when it came to treatment and everything else.

“Jun-hoo, you’re wasting even 3 seconds, let alone 30.”

“Can’t even fix a dislocated shoulder? If you need help, you should accept it.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. If I can’t do it, neither can you! Do you think all doctors can treat everything?!”

John snapped.

The player was insistent on playing, the shoulder couldn’t be fixed, and the referee kept signaling to resume the game.

And now, a third party was interfering?

The building stress finally exploded.

John’s face turned bright red.

“Harrison, make a decision quickly. This is happening because you’re being indecisive.”

Harrison’s eyes darted between John, Andrew, and Jun-hoo.

He slowly parted his dry lips.

“The other players return to the court. Andrew, you… go to the locker room. The medical staff on standby will send you to the hospital.”

“Coach, I want to play!”

“There are things in the world that can’t be done with just willpower. If you want to play, prove that your shoulder is fine.”

The long but brief argument ended there.

The Cleveland team players rushed back to the court.

Andrew lowered his head and walked dejectedly toward the locker room.

Whether it was because of the dislocated shoulder or the disappointment of being unable to play.

A painful groan escaped Andrew’s lips.

But as Andrew stood before the player-only entrance, he glanced back.

His gaze fixed on Jun-hoo.

“Excuse me… can you really treat me?”

Jun-hoo nodded instead of answering.

“Please help me. Please.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Jun-hoo rushed toward Andrew.

The distance between them quickly closed.

The coaching staff, relieved that the situation was seemingly resolved, were startled and began to stir.

“He’s causing trouble again. I really can’t stand it. Call the guards and drag him out. Ban him from our stadium permanently,” John growled at the nearby stadium staff.

Meanwhile, Jun-hoo placed his palm on Andrew’s injured shoulder and began treatment.

“But what made you decide to treat me? The team doctor is right there. You even said you’d treat me in 30 seconds.”

Andrew looked down at Jun-hoo, dumbfounded.

He was only a rookie who had debuted in the NBA for two years.

But Andrew had never experienced or heard of anything like this before.

“If you can’t treat it in 30 seconds, you won’t be able to treat it even after 3 months.”

“I’m asking how you know that.”

“Just know that I’m not an ordinary doctor.”

Tap, tap, tap!

Jun-hoo’s index finger repeatedly poked Andrew’s shoulder and neck.

‘He’s playing with my body.’

Maybe the team doctor was right.

He initially thought Jun-hoo was just a crazy person, but that suspicion quickly faded.

The shoulder pain was completely gone just from being poked with his finger.

It was amazing.

“Relax and stay still. I’m going to fix your shoulder.”

“Ah… okay.”

Jun-hoo grabbed Andrew’s wrist with one hand and held Andrew’s shoulder with the other.

“Are you okay? The staff are coming to get you.”

“It’s risky, but I have to try.”

Jun-hoo glanced at the approaching staff and continued, “Tuck your tongue in and clench your teeth.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a chilling crack echoed.

Following the sound, terrible pain surged through Andrew.

He clenched his teeth as Jun-hoo instructed.

His face contorted, and sweat poured down his face like a shower.

Even while writhing in pain, Andrew clearly felt it.

Jun-hoo’s method of fixing the shoulder felt subtly different from the team doctor’s.

How could he describe it?

He wasn’t sure if this explanation would make sense.

It felt like he was changing the structure of the shoulder itself.

“Now, try turning your shoulder? 360 degrees.”

“I couldn’t even turn it 180 degrees, and you’re telling me to turn it 360 degrees?” Andrew asked, surprised.

Jun-hoo nodded.

Andrew hesitated, then rotated his arm with a desperate expression.

And then a miracle happened.

The arm turned 360 degrees, with almost no pain.

He felt confident that he could handle the rest of the game.

“Don’t touch this man. He’s my guest,” Andrew warned the staff who came to grab Jun-hoo, and he moved toward the bench, swinging his arm around.

“Can I play in the game like this?”

The coach and coaching staff, who checked Andrew’s shoulder rotation upon his return, were shocked, as if they had seen a ghost.

* * *

Jun-hoo, who had left the stands like a prodigal son, returned as a conquering hero.

Having completed his mission to treat Andrew.

“What kind of magic trick did you pull this time?” Maxwell asked, clicking his tongue as Jun-hoo sat down.

“It’s the mystery of Eastern medicine. Something like that.”

“Did you treat him properly?”

“I made it so he can play the game. I’ve taken measures to prevent any aftereffects.”

“Tell me specifically. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I’ve treated patients with shoulder injuries before, so I just used that experience. It’s hard to explain specifically,” Jun-hoo answered vaguely.

He couldn’t explain the secrets of internal energy and martial arts.

After examining Andrew’s shoulder with internal energy [qi or vital life force], Jun-hoo found that it was indeed dislocated and likely to develop into a habitual condition.

The problem was that the ligaments were severely stretched, and the joint capsule was shortened, making reduction difficult.

That’s why the team doctor repeatedly failed to reduce the shoulder.

So Jun-hoo approached it differently than other team doctors.

He used ‘Bone Setting Skill’.

Bone Setting Skill.

This was a martial art that structurally changed the alignment and arrangement of bones, not just setting them.

Using Bone Setting Skill, even a person with narrow shoulders could temporarily have broad shoulders like a swimmer.

The opposite was also possible.

Therefore, Bone Setting Skill was often used to disguise oneself or to hide in tight spaces in order to carry out secret missions.

Jun-hoo used this Bone Setting Skill to change the structure of Andrew’s shoulder so that there was no strain on his ligaments and joints.

And he completely eliminated Andrew’s pain with pain-relieving acupressure.

He judged that there would be no problem in playing the game for a short time.

And that judgment was correct.

Andrew, whose condition had improved enough to rotate his shoulder 360 degrees, got another chance to play.

He played with a burning passion, as if he would burn everything in this game.

As soon as he returned to the court, he achieved the feat of grabbing an offensive rebound.

‘Yes. The way to not leave any regrets is simple. Burn everything so that there are no regrets left. You’re doing well.’

Jun-hoo cheered for Andrew enthusiastically in his heart.

Andrew was like Jun-hoo’s alter ego.

“Hey, let’s talk for a moment.”

Someone spoke to him while he was concentrating on the game.

It was the Cleveland team doctor who had a conflict with Jun-hoo, still giving him distrustful glances.

The team doctor gestured for him to follow, and Jun-hoo complied.

The two faced each other in the player-only entrance area.

“What did you do to Andrew?”

“You saw it. Treatment.”

Jun-hoo shrugged nonchalantly.

“I majored in orthopedics and have been a team doctor for 10 years, but you did something that I couldn’t do in less than a minute. I still don’t understand.”

Unlike Maxwell and Oliver, the team doctor didn’t seem to back down easily.

The others didn’t fully grasp the extent of Jun-hoo’s treatment.

So even if Jun-hoo explained it roughly, they accepted it.

But the team doctor was different.

He recognized Jun-hoo’s exceptional skill.

It was a difficult situation for Jun-hoo.

It was almost impossible to explain Tendon Severing Hand and Bone Setting Skill.

“No comment. I have my own secret.”

“What, is it a trade secret?”

“You could see it that way.”

“It seems like you have no intention of opening your mouth, so I’ll have to give up.”

The team doctor looked disappointed and changed the subject.

“I heard you majored in neurosurgery at the Mayo Clinic. How much is your salary?”

“Why are you suddenly asking about my salary?” Jun-hoo asked, tilting his head.

“I want to make a scout offer. My salary is $500,000 (500 million won), so would it be okay to match that?”

“Does the team doctor have the authority to negotiate salaries?”

“I was looking for a successor. So, you can fill my vacancy. If it’s my recommendation, I don’t think the team will say no.”

The team doctor began to persuade him.

He explained that as a team doctor, you don’t have to struggle with surgeries in the hospital and can make more money just by helping players with minor injuries or rehabilitation.

“I prefer struggling.”

“You’re going to suffer on purpose?”

“That’s right. Suffering from what others tell me to do is just suffering, but suffering that I choose myself becomes a stepping stone for growth.”

“Huh……”

“But why are you making such a good offer to me, whom you’ve just met?”

“Because I think you’ll be a team doctor who really cares about the players. Surprisingly, there are few people like that in this field.”

“……”

“I also have affection for the team, so I hope someone like you will remain as the team doctor.”

“I’ll just take your heart. And if I ever come back to the court……”

“If you come back?”

“Maybe I’ll play as a player, not a team doctor.”

“A surgeon is going to be an NBA player? That’s the most original joke I’ve heard this year.”

The team doctor laughed, not knowing Jun-hoo’s true feelings.

The two, having finished their business, stood side by side and focused on the game.

Time passed, and there were only 10 seconds left.

The home team, Cleveland, was narrowly ahead 130:128.

The offensive possession was with the opposing team, Golden State.

“The ball will go to Curry.”

“That’s right, but the problem is that we can’t stop him even if we know it. His 3-point shooting percentage is 60 percent today.”

The two’s eyes were focused on Stephen Curry.

Stephen Curry.

A revolutionary who brought about the 3-point shooting craze in the NBA.

Surprisingly, Curry had also appeared on the Korean entertainment program Infinite Challenge [a popular South Korean TV show].

Golden State, with the final offensive possession, passed the ball organically.

“Defense! Defense!”

The home fans cheered for the team in unison.

Some raised their hands to the ceiling.

Some watched the game with their hands clasped together as if praying.

Now there were only 3 seconds left.

The ball finally went to Curry, who had shaken off the defense.

As Curry soared like a bird, Andrew, who was standing on the free-throw line, ran toward Curry like a wolf.

He kicked off the court with all his might and stretched his hand into the air.

The ball seemed to touch the tip of his hand.