MIDSUMMER'S DREAM (Completed)

01

"Irene, goodnight
Irene, goodnight
Goodnight, Irene
I'll see you in my dreams..."

Singing and dancing with the beat of Gordon Jenkins and His Orchestra's song, Yllisa had been preparing herself fixing her long brown hair.

There will be visitor coming around and will stay with them for months.
She heard it was her brother's foreign friend from South Korea who have used to be his buddy in military school in 1945.

Everybody in the house have exerted so much effort to do some feisty welcoming party for this soldier friend of her brother.

As the final touch, she put the blue ribbon on her hair. She tied it half and let the other half cascade at her back. She looks so refine with her navy blue dress. She haven't put lots of make up on her face, instead she only had a slight touch of lipstick to give color on her morena skin.

"Done!" she smiled at herself confidently in front of the mirror.

Both her parents were sitting with her in their classic Filipino style living room.
Don Eliseo Abad-Mercado, her father, the current Mayor of Majico City. Doña Victorina Calleja-Mercado, her mother, the heiress of the biggest ranch in the city.

People say it was a fortune for Yllisa Clemence Calleja- Mercado to be born with golden bloodline. But for her, it's difficult to be one of the Mercados. You are expected to be refined, feminine, talented, studious, religious, polite---to be perfect.

"Captain Ellie and his fellow are coming! Captain Ellie and his fellow are coming!" Mister Bartolome announced.

They stood abruptly and went at the entry way to welcome the guest that they had been waiting.

Yllisa can feel the May's breeze.

She closed her eyes and feel the breeze kissed her skin.

She opened her eyes as she heard the hoarse sound of the running engine. She saw her brother's black Volkswagen coming in a rough and dusty road of Majico City.

She squinted to see clearly the coming car. But as the Volkswagen went nearer, Yllisa can feel her heart beating awkwardly. She felt her breathing getting heavier and heavier. She put her right hand to her chest for she feels like her heart will explode in any moment.

"Dad! Mom!" Captain Eliseo greeted and kissed their hands.

"Welcome home, son!" Her father said.

"Yllisa! My little sister!"

"B-brother..." she muttered. Yllissa can't put back together herself.

A man in black and red stripes long sleeves that was curled into fourths came out of the car. He smiled instantly as he saw everyone waiting for him. The summer sun directly hitting his porcelain-like skin made him shine like a diamond.

"Good day, Sir, Madame..." He bowed to the older Mercados and shifted his gaze to Yllisa.

"...Señora." Yllisa stood frozen.

She felt like she's now deaf and only hear heart's beating. She can't move. Those chinky brown eyes darted on her, perfectly pointed nose and pink smiling lips...she's tongue-tied.

"This is Captain Yoon Hyun Jae, everyone!" Captain Ellie declared.

"Welcome to Mercado's Mansion, Captain!" Don Eliseo said gratefully.

The Mercado family together with Captain Yoon had their lunch together. The entire occasion had left Yllisa silent. She has this strange feeling since her brother and Captain Yoon arrived. She wanted to name this feeling but she's incapable of doing it. She felt suffocated. So she went out of the mansion and took a short walk to their garden.

It's past 7pm and the hot breeze faded out and replaced by the cold breeze of evening. It's quiet refreshing.

She can breathe properly now. She sighed and smiled.

"That's strange..." she muttered. She kept on walking to the rough part of the garden.

"Which one, Señora?"

Yllisa was shocked by the manly voice who spoke up and she went out of her balance. She expected to fell on the rocky ground but a strong grip grasped her waist and felt the muscles tensed in the moment.

"Be careful., Señora Yllisa." The manly voice added. She couldn't recognize who's this person who caught her from falling due to darkness.

She could smell the alcohol from his mouth. She could feel his warmth for their bodies were close enough to welcome each others' fervor.

Slowly, she was lifted and slowly, she saw the face who caught her from falling.

It's Captain Yoon Hyun Jae.

Again, she was stood frozen.

Her heart was beating so fast. Her breathing gets heavier. She can't move. She was nailed on the ground.

It was Captain Yoon Hyun Jae.

"Are you okay?" he lowered his face to meet Yllisa's face.

She stepped aback and gulped an amount of air to speak up.

"Y-yes...I-I'm fine..." she stammered.

Captain Yoon smirked and looked suspiciously to Yllisa.

"Seems not. What are you doing here, anyway?" He asked.

"Uh...Uhm...J-just having some fresh air..." she said with timid hesitancy.

"Hmmm...1950 in the month of May, a summer season here in Philippines..." he said without looking away to Yllisa's face,

'Summer here in Philippines?' she shook her head and smiled.

"...beautiful lady who was about to fall but I caught her and saved from falling..." he smiled.

"....what a beautiful memory that I could bring back home."

Yllisa can't figure out what Captain Yoon was saying.

"I saved you, what favor can I get from you..." he smiled sweetly.

"...Señora Yllisa?"

"What do you mean? Favor?"

Captain Yoon nodded and stood straight.

Looked at the clear night sky and smiled.

"Give me three favors." He said confidently without looking at her.

"W-what?"

"First, introduce me your city, Majico City." He said and winked to Yllisa.

"Introduce? W-what does it mean? B-but..."

"No whats, whys, and buts. Anyoung-hi jumu ship shiyo, Señora!"

And there, Yllisa was left dumbfounded in the middle of Mercado's garden under the midsummer night.