Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo does a fantastic job portraying both of the main characters as complex and flawed individuals, emphasizing the role that trauma plays in the victim's life. While I do think that the time skip was a bit early and that I would have loved to see more of the high school days of the characters, I think that for the time they had in this show it was absolutely beautifully done and worth watching.

Juyeong is sent by his parents to study taekwondo in the countryside, where he lives with his instructor and the instructor's son, Dohwe. While Dohwe is very closed off at first, he slowly warms up to Juyeong. However, the abuse that Dohwe has suffered at the hands of his father quickly become apparent to Juyeong, and Juyeong is unlikely to escape the house unscathed either. The two boys start to develop feelings for each other while trapped in an abusive household, which leads to complications as things escalate. This story also explores the lasting effects of this trauma in both characters - where one is determined to run away and forget the past, while the other tries to cling to it.

This show manages to address two vastly different ways of dealing with traumatic events, and instead of portraying one as right and one as wrong, shows them as simply to different methods of dealing with the past. I found that both of the characters felt justified in their actions the entire time, even if it wasn't what I wanted them to do. The misunderstandings between the leads didn't feel like poor communication, but rather both of them trying to protect the other in the only way they knew how, which made the relationship much more interesting. I thought the chemistry of the main actors was wonderful. My only complaint was that it felt like some parts of the show were a bit rushed - I really wish we could have spent more time with them before the time skip. Otherwise, this show was absolutely worth the watch and the heartbreak is worth it in the end.