When the Brooding Guy Got Three Wish-Granting Willows

A gloomy, insecure country boy x an arrogant, conceited jerk

I lived with my mother in a small town. Later, she met my stepfather and took me with her when they moved to the city.

I stood on the stairs, nervously clutching my sleeve. I had never seen such a big, beautiful house before. I lowered my head, but my eyes couldn't help lingering on the beautiful soccer trophy on the shelf. I liked playing soccer too, but in the village we only had muddy ground, not even enough for a soccer team.

I looked around, then couldn't resist touching the trophy. A cold scoff came from upstairs.

"You filthy thing. Keep your distance from my stuff."

That was the first time I met my "brother." He was so beautiful that for a moment I forgot he was insulting me. My face flushed as I awkwardly pulled back my hand, then crouched in the corner without saying a word.

My mother and stepfather were madly in love. She wanted me to get along with my brother, so she sent me to his elite school.

I couldn't understand anything and was always making a fool of myself. I was at the bottom of my class. I wanted to ask my "brother" for help, but his friends laughed at me for being a country bumpkin, and my brother didn't even bother to acknowledge me.

Even though I'd tried so hard to please him,

I came home in a daze. It was my birthday, but nobody remembered. I went to a gift shop and, after listening to the shopkeeper's pitch, bought three wishing willow sticks.

I snapped the first one and made my first wish.

"I want to be first in the entire grade."

The next day, I came first in the entire grade.

My brother was my only "friend," so I happily brought him my report card. But I saw him looking at me with jealousy before he knocked my test papers to the floor.

Sadly, I snapped the second wishing willow stick.

"I want to have lots and lots of friends."

The next day, when I got to school, all of my brother's friends rushed to pile Christmas presents in front of me. They even ordered a huge Christmas cake for me. I happily closed my eyes and blew out the candles. Through the flickering firelight, I saw the venomous look in my brother's eyes.

I thought that if I got good grades and became popular, my brother would like me.

But my brother not only ignored me, he stopped even insulting me. He didn't come home anymore, either.

Sadly, I snapped the last wishing willow stick.

"I want my brother to like me."

My wish came true. My brother smiled at me, made me breakfast every day, helped me with my homework, dried my hair, and even wanted to sleep beside me. But later, he became so clingy that I couldn't stand his constant presence.

I lied and said I was going to summer school, but in reality I spent the summer having fun in Thailand with my classmates. When I got home, I thought I'd covered my tracks perfectly. I turned on the light and saw a box of wishing willow sticks on the table. My brother pinned me against the wall, gripping my neck as he sniffed me, his eyes dark.

As I struggled to breathe, I reached for the box of wishing willow sticks, but my brother knocked them to the floor. He looked coldly at me, crushed the sticks underfoot, then gripped my face and said:

"You really are an idiot, believing that stuff was real."

Theme: Making wishes