She’s Dating the Gangster

During a wedding reception, Kenji delos Reyes delivers a speech, only for his son Kenneth to cause a scene, to Kenji’s disappointment. Kenneth expresses his long-held resentment toward his father and reveals he wishes he had died instead of his late mother.

The next morning, Kenneth learns that the plane to Bicol his father was aboard has crashed. He rushes to the airport to see the list of survivors and encounters Kelay, who claims Kenji is her father. Confused, Kenneth asserts that he is Kenji’s only child and that his father is married to Athena Abigail delos Reyes. In response, Kelay shows him an old photograph of a young Kenji with a girl who closely resembles herself. She reveals that the girl is her aunt, Athena Dizon, whom she describes as Kenji’s “great love”, and insists that Kenji must be found and informed of Athena’s terminal illness to give her closure. Though skeptical, Kenneth is unable to secure a bus ticket to Legazpi due to the Holy Week rush. Kelay returns with tickets for both of them, and during the trip, she begins recounting the story of Kenji and Athena’s past.

In the 1990s, Kenji is a feared “gangster” at school who is heartbroken over his ex-girlfriend Athena Abigail “Abi”. Wanting to win Abi back, Kenji sends messages to her pager, but they are mistakenly received by another student, Athena Dizon. After meeting and realizing the mix-up, Kenji unexpectedly kisses Athena and demands she pose as his girlfriend to make Abi jealous. Despite his bullying and pressure, Athena initially resists but agrees after Kenji threatens to jump off the school rooftop. Athena receives special attention at school as Kenji’s girlfriend, with Kenji protecting her from other jealous bullies, and over time, the pretend relationship develops into a genuine connection and they eventually confess their feelings for each other.

As Kelay recounts the story, Kenneth begins to question his resentment toward his father. He and Kelay also become drawn to each other. Later, they learn that the plane has crashed in Camarines Sur with survivors; arriving there, Kenneth asks Kelay why his father and Athena never ended up together. Kelay explains that it was “a big case of bad timing” and reveals that their relationship ended after their trip to Bicol.

During that trip, Kenji brings Athena to Mayon volcano and promises they will return to marry there someday. Athena, hiding her heart condition, half-jokingly tells him she will try not to die. Upon returning to Manila, her father scolds her for leaving and urges her to end the relationship. Athena apologizes but insists Kenji gives her strength to keep living. After that day, Kenji abruptly stops attending school, leaving Athena and their friends concerned. In the present, their friend Lucas contacts Kenneth and drives him and Kelay to help search for Kenji.

During the drive, Lucas explains that Kenji once asked him to bring Athena to the hospital, where she found Abi suffering from gastric cancer. Athena later learns that Abi ended her relationship with Kenji to spare him from the burden of her illness. Lucas admits to pursuing Abi in the past despite knowing she still loved Kenji. Upon waking, Abi apologizes to Athena and asks her to look after Kenji, who had been informed of Abi’s condition and pleaded to by her mother to give Abi a reason to keep living. Wanting Abi to survive and be happy, Athena breaks up with Kenji. She later departs for the United States, while Kenji marries Abi, and they conceive Kenneth. Kelay and Kenneth are left shaken by the revelations when Kelay receives a call informing her that Athena is in her final moments. As they part ways, Kenneth promises Kelay that Athena and Kenji will see each other again.

Kenneth finds his father in a hospital, where an orderly hands him Kenji’s belongings, including a letter. In it, Kenji explains he traveled to Legazpi to say goodbye to memories of Athena and to atone for his shortcomings to Abi and Kenneth. When Kenji awakens, they reconcile.

Days later, Kenneth brings Kenji to a house to reunite with old friends. To Kenji’s surprise, Athena is wheeled out by Kelay. Athena, now gravely ill, tells Kenji that his love helped her keep going and dies peacefully in his arms.

Sometime later, Kelay receives a call reporting that a flight carrying Kenneth, now her boyfriend, is missing. Distressed, she rushes to the airport and causes a scene, only for Kenneth to appear moments later, alive. Kenji also arrives and reveals he made the call. Kenneth then asks Kelay if they can have a great love story like Kenji and Athena.

Last Updated: September 26, 2025 at 00:05