Incorrect statement.
Josy is the first crush in the game scenario and the first gameplay girl we meet. Zoey is a greeting from the past of the pre-game MC, which knocked on the door, a Chekhov's gun in the middle of the plot. His very first true love, there is a lot of unsaid and unclear things in his relationship with her.
Josy is a girl who is aware of her feelings for MC throughout the game and she is tormented by contradictions due to her relationship with Maya, where she doesn't understand what to do due to a lack of determination and courage.
Zoey is a girl who realized who is MC to her only when she lost him and the reason is immaturity and lack of experience in relationships. They both have personality issues, but the roles they play in the plot are completely different.
Would you immediately answer such a question when they tell you “you are my first true love”? I think it would be difficult. In addition, I understand why it was done this way - this is a dramatic approach to make the relationship with the girl more interesting, it creates a dynamic of friction between them so that the players believe in her like in other LIs.
DPC didn't take into account one thing, among AVN players there are groups of people who simps one specific girl and they don't need anyone else. One of the reasons why some people dislike Zoey. She is a threat for them and thier waifus