The atmosphere in the house was thick with tension. Wonwoo had been trying to approach Joshua again, hoping to make a breakthrough, but this time things didn't go as planned. Joshua was already fragile, emotionally drained from everything that had happened at university and at home. His Appa's kind words, felt like another reminder of how long he had been ignored.
It was a late evening, and most of his brothers were gathered in the living room after dinner. They were talking amongst themselves when they heard Wonwoo's soft voice coming from the kitchen. Scoups, the eldest, glanced over and saw his mother talking to Joshua, who was standing stiffly by the counter, his expression unreadable.
Wonwoo had asked Joshua if he wanted to talk, if he needed anything from him. But Joshua couldn't take it anymore. Something inside him snapped. All the emotions he had bottled up over the years surged forward.
"Why are you doing this now?" Joshua's voice trembled, but there was anger behind his words. "Why do you care all of a sudden? After all these years of ignoring me, why are you pretending like everything is fine?"
Wonwoo took a step back, startled by Joshua's outburst. "Joshua, I'm trying-"
"Trying?" Joshua cut him off, his voice rising. "You didn't care before. None of you did. You only ever cared about Jeonghan and the others. I've been here, right in front of you, and you've treated me like I didn't exist."
The sound of Joshua shouting caught the attention of his brothers. Scoups and the others stood up, making their way into the kitchen. Scoups, being the protective eldest brother, immediately felt his temper flare when he saw Joshua raising his voice at their mother.
"What's going on here?" Scoups demanded, his voice booming as he stepped forward. He glared at Joshua, who was visibly shaking. "Why are you shouting at Appa?"
Joshua clenched his fists, trying to keep his composure, but the anger and hurt he had buried for so long were boiling over. "You don't understand," he muttered, but his words were drowned out by Scoups.
"Of course, we don't understand," Scoups barked. "Because you never say anything! You don't talk to us. All you do is act distant. You don't care about this family, and now you're disrespecting Appa!"
At this point, Jeonghan stepped forward too, frowning at Joshua. "Joshua, what's wrong with you? Why are you acting like this? We've all been trying to help you, but you just push us away. You don't even try to be part of the family anymore."
Hoshi, Seokmin, and Vernon joined in, their voices a chorus of confusion and frustration, all aimed at Joshua. "We're your brothers, but you act like we don't matter!" "You should be grateful for everything Appa and Dad have done for us!" "Why can't you just talk to us instead of acting like we're the enemy?"
Their words felt like daggers to Joshua's heart. He stood there, surrounded by his brothers, their accusations swirling around him like a storm. Each word cut deeper, amplifying the pain he had been trying so hard to hide.
Joshua's breathing quickened, and his vision blurred with tears. He couldn't hold it in any longer. His chest heaved as he finally shouted back, his voice raw with emotion. "You don't get it! None of you get it!"
His brothers fell silent, stunned by the intensity in his voice. Joshua took a shaky breath, his tears streaming down his face.
"All these years, I've been alone," he cried, his voice breaking. "I've watched all of you, caring for each other, loving each other, and I've been left behind! Every single time, you chose Jeonghan over me. You gave him everything. All the attention, all the love-and I got nothing."
His legs felt weak, but he forced himself to keep going. "I've been bullied at university, I've been working a part-time job just to get by, and none of you even noticed! You were too busy with your perfect little family to even care if I was okay!"
