Many will say it’s Kim Chiu’s iconic line as Mae to Bogs (played by then reel and real life beau Gerald Anderson) which perfectly articulated the ugly, raw pain of feeling like you’re still stuck in the friendzone even if you’ve supposedly progressed past it: “Syinota mo ang best friend mo!”

But Seulgi wasn’t a Mae. Jisoo thought of this as she looked at the monolid girl, seated beside Irene and Wendy – her eyes smiling as she laughed her soundless laugh. The three have these weird dynamics – everyone knows Seulgi loves Irene and Irene straddles between the two, though she’s more unapologetically fickle towards the bear-like girl. Irene had been consistently more affectionate towards Wendy, more caring, more touchy, more everything.

And Seulgi knows this. But she loves Irene, anyway and she unceasingly cares for Wendy too, like a true friend, even a soulmate, will do.

 “Nope, she’s not a Mae. She’s more of a Pacey,” Jisoo said out loud, inadvertently.

“Who’s a Pacey?” Lisa asked, downing her second bottle of Red Horse beer. They were at Jacque’s bar and students like them are everywhere and anywhere as it’s a Thursday night at Elbi. Thursday nights in this quaint university town mean this – the ricochet and echoes of thoughts blurted out of the blue because of liquid courage and welcome forays into disorientated realizations.

“Seulgi is,” Jisoo answered.

“Pacey, as in Pacey, Dawson and Joey?” Jennie said, enumerating the trio which traversed the love triangle storyline in that quintessential ‘90s teenage sitcom, “Dawson’s Creek.”

“Yes. Pacey was deeply in love with Joey, but Joey only had eyes for Dawson, for a really long time,” Jisoo explained.

“Well, we all know how that ended right?” Rose said. They’re all young, barely in their twenties, but they swore that they would have watched “Dawson’s Creek” too if they were born in that era when the show was introduced. Thankfully, Jisoo’s older cousin, Dara, had the DVDs and they all finished the program over the past couple of months.  

 “Yeah, but I didn’t say that because Pacey and Joey will eventually end up together,” Jisoo digressed. “I mean, look at them,” she