Dohu's parents were never mentioned enough to draw the conclusion that they were unsupportive, there was only one instance of his parents talking about how they got a call from his teacher, saying he was not "as emotionally developed as other children his age" or something like that, so they wondered if they were doing a good enough job as parents, and if they should send Dohu to counselling.
The ones who called him an "unemotional robot" were his classmates.
We don't know exactly how his brother was with him, but Dohu never complained about his family. His sister used to be super protective of him, and she still hurts thinking about how Dohu endured bullying throughout highschool, which seems to be something she found out around his last years. Last time we saw her, she was taking some side dishes to his place (their dad asked her to), she told him to call home more often, and he was asking her what to do about Juheon while being vague about it, something like "there's something I know, that he's oblivious about, and I wonder if it'll hurt him". She didn't know they were dating.
Ooor maybe just something I really wish could happen in the story.
I’m expecting Dohu’s sister to potentially be a new character introduced later on.
Since a family member has to sign his admission papers, I’m wondering if his sister could be the one who gets involved. We know his parents weren’t exactly supportive while he was growing up, so I could see Dohu having a completely different relationship with his sister. Maybe she even adores her little brother.
She could even become something of an advocate for him, especially when talking to Juheon.
I can imagine her explaining to Juheon that Dohu’s condition didn’t suddenly appear out of nowhere. She had watched her brother change over the years, especially starting around college. He became increasingly withdrawn, and his behaviour deteriorated in ways she couldn’t understand.
At some point, she happened to visit him while he was drunk and saw just how badly he was doing. Maybe she realized then that there was someone behind all of this, or at least that Dohu was still deeply affected by something that had happened years ago.
And she could tell Juheon something like:
"You know, I couldn't understand why he was still hung up on one person after all these years. But maybe this was just his way of processing what happened."
She could also point out how wrong their parents were for dismissing Dohu as an "unemotional robot" when he was growing up. Maybe he wasn't incapable of feeling. Maybe he simply had a very hard time expressing what he felt, and when he finally became attached to someone, that attachment became overwhelming.
Then I imagine her looking at Juheon and thinking:
"What kind of person could have this much influence over my brother? Enough to make him express this much emotion... to the point where it became so toxic for him?"
And honestly, she would probably be terrified that Dohu is going to completely let himself go at this point.
Scenario 1: She heard Juheon's name
One possibility is that, during that drunken visit, Dohu actually said Juheon's name.
His sister might not have understood the significance at the time, but she remembered it.
Then, when she eventually sees Juheon at the hospital, everything clicks.
"So you're Juheon."
She doesn't necessarily know what to think of him. On one hand, she's probably angry. In her mind, this man is the person who made her brother miserable for years.
And she could absolutely tell Juheon:
"I don't know what happened between you two, and honestly, I don't care who was right or wrong. But if you're planning on abandoning him again, I won't forgive you."
Because she already hasn't forgiven him for what happened to Dohu.
But I also think it would be interesting if she eventually realized that Juheon isn't exactly happy either.
She can see that they're both miserable. She can see that whatever happened between them clearly affected both of them, even if they dealt with it in completely different ways.
So rather than simply hating Juheon, she might eventually become someone who recognizes that this whole situation can still be resolved.
Scenario 2: She never heard his name
Alternatively, Dohu never actually says Juheon's name.
His sister just knows that her brother is a huge fan of Juheon.
Maybe she has seen him watching his dramas, talking about him, following his career, etc. She might even know that Juheon has been unusually important to him for years without knowing why.
Then she sees Juheon at the hospital, or sees something on TV about him, and realizes:
"Wait... this is the person."
She starts putting the pieces together.
Maybe she remembers all those years when Dohu seemed emotionally affected by Juheon, his obsession with his work, the way his mood changed around certain events, etc.
And suddenly she understands that her brother's "fan" relationship with Juheon was never as simple as she thought.
Either way, I really want his sister to be someone who can see through Dohu's behaviour in a way that his parents never did.
Someone who understands that he does have emotions, he just doesn't always know how to express them.
And I would LOVE for her to be the person who eventually makes Juheon confront the fact that Dohu wasn't simply "cold" or "obsessed."
He was hurting.
And maybe Juheon was hurting too.
Which is why, despite how toxic everything became, I don't think she would necessarily want to keep them apart forever. She might be angry at Juheon, but deep down she could recognize that they're both miserable because neither of them ever properly dealt with what happened between them.
Honestly, give me the Dohu sister intervention arc.