She’s Dating the Gangster

Kenji delivers a pomp-filled toast at a wedding, but his words ignite resentment in his son Kenneth. Kenneth erupts and reveals a long-buried grudge, saying he would have preferred his mother's death over the life he's endured. The moment casts a shadow over their father–son relationship from the start.

The morning after the wedding, a plane bound for Bicol crashes. Kenneth hurries to the airport to scan the survivor list and meets Kelay, who claims that Kenji is her father. She shows a faded photo of a younger Kenji with a girl who resembles herself, insisting the girl is Athena Dizon and that Kenji should be found.

Unable to secure a bus ticket amid Holy Week rush, Kenneth and Kelay travel together toward Legazpi. Along the road, she begins recounting the romance that once burned between Kenji and Abi’s rival, Athena. The tale weaves from the present toward the past as they press toward the truth.

In flashback, Kenji is feared as a school bully who still carries a heartbreak for his ex-girlfriend Abi. He manipulates a misdirected pager to land on Athena Dizon, leading to a chance encounter with Athena. After a tentative kiss, he pressures her to pose as his girlfriend to provoke Abi’s jealousy.

Athena initially resists Kenji’s scheme, but she agrees to the pretend relationship to avoid heartbreak. As rivals grow jealous, Kenji shields her from harm and protects her. Over time, their staged dating blossoms into genuine feelings and confessions.

On a trip to the Mayon volcano, Kenji takes Athena and promises they will someday return to marry there. Athena, masking a heart condition, jokes that she’ll try not to die. They return to Manila, where Athena’s father rebukes her for leaving and urges her to end the relationship, and Kenji then vanishes from school life.

Back in the present of Abi’s illness, Abi wakes to gastric cancer and ends things with Kenji to spare him pain. Lucas reveals he pursued Abi in the past despite her still caring for Kenji. Athena, torn between love and duty, moves to the United States as Kenji marries Abi and they conceive Kenneth.

Kelay explains that the romance ended because of 'a big case of bad timing.' The pair realize the crash site was Camarines Sur and they press on to learn why Kenji and Athena never found their way back to each other. The present-day journey is driven by that unresolved past and a search for answers.

At a hospital, an orderly returns Kenji’s belongings, including a letter that explains his late but honest attempts to atone for his shortcomings toward Abi and Kenneth. When Kenji wakes, the siblings’ bond is rekindled, signaling forgiveness and a renewed family tie.

A few days later, Kenneth brings Kenji to a house to reunite with old friends. Athena is wheeled out, gravely ill, and she tells Kenji that his love gave her the strength to keep living before dying in his arms. The moment seals the weight of their past and the fragility of life.

Kelay learns that Kenneth’s flight is missing, causing frantic distress. Moments later, Kenneth reappears at the airport alive, beside a relieved Kenji, ending the worst fear and allowing the family to breathe again.

In the film’s hopeful close, Kenneth asks Kelay if they can have a great love story too, hoping to echo the enduring romance of Kenji and Athena despite their imperfect past. The trio looks toward a future where love, forgiveness, and family endure.