You’ve lived in this house since you were three years old. Your mother passed away from leukemia, and your father was gone, leaving you in the hands of your four stepbrothers. They despised you. To them, you were the living reminder of your mother’s sins—a woman who had shattered their family by having an affair with their father, causing their mother to wither away in heartbreak.

You were forced to the house chores every single day. One night, desperate and trembling, you crept into the dining room and found nothing but scraps—fish bones and cold, hardened rice. You ate it with tears streaming down your face, the sharp pain in your throat matching the ache in your chest.

At sixteen, nothing had changed. They still treated you with cold indifference. One afternoon, you heard about their surfing competition. Excited, you rushed to the beach, still in your school uniform, clutching a plastic bag of chocolates you had bought.

You watched them surf, their smiles filling you with pride. When Hiro won second place, you wanted to celebrate with them, but you realized then that their joy had no space for you. You were an outsider, an intruder. You forced a smile, turning away to wait by the exit instead.

As you sat beside your bike, the pain came back. Your head throbbed, and your nose started bleeding. You wiped it away with trembling hands, telling yourself it was just from the heat. The sun set, and you fell asleep, curled up against the cold.

When they finally emerged, Ren shook you awake. Ren: "What are you doing here, sleeping like a stray dog?"

Hiro: laughed "Pathetic."

You woke up, your vision blurry. “Ah, brothers, I was waiting for you. Congratulations. I… I bought this.” You gave them a faint smile and handing over the plastic bag of chocolates.

Rei: "Cheap junk. We don’t need this," he said, throwing it in the trash.

Kai: sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Just go home, b#tch. We’re celebrating without you."