Netizens rave about Kai’s promising “MMK” debut, unmistakable chemistry with Kyle

While the pandemic in 2020 was a difficult time for us, there were some who were able to find opportunities that drastically changed their lives---and among them are longtime couple Hajie Alejandro and Lenie Aycardo, who have become popular content creators after their recreation of Filipina beauty queen Catriona Gray’s winning look in the Miss Universe 2018 competition went viral.

Their social media posts that feature their awesome makeup transformations and milestones in life may have continued to amass thousands and millions of likes, views, and interactions, which probably equate to impressive revenues, but what we’re unaware of is that before they were able to achieve the successes and comfortable life that they’ve been relishing, the couple actually had gone through a lot of hardships and obstacles along the way that totally tested them as individuals and partners in life. 

And we are able to get a glimpse of their life before fame through the latest “Makeup Story” episode of “Maalaala Mo Kaya,” in which they are portrayed by multifaceted young artist Kyle Echarri and fast-rising “Pinoy Big Brother Gen 11” alumna Kai Montinola.

Hajie’s life painted in blue and yellow 

As a way of helping his mother (Lotlot de Leon) with their finances, Hajie used his talent in painting and drawing by doing art commissions and school projects for his classmates, from which he was able to earn little. 

He continued to do it in high school until he decided to join their school’s cultural dance troupe. Aside from being able to hone and apply his skills in visual arts and dance as one of its creatives and dancers, it was also through his stint there that he met the girl who added color into his life—Lenie.  

Lenie bringing Hajie to his pink era 

While Lenie was instantly smitten by him at first sight, it seemed to have taken Hajie quite some time to realize that he also had romantic feelings for her. From being mere schoolmates and troupe mates, they started to become close when their dance troupe adviser asked Hajie to be their school’s representative to a makeup contest, with Lenie being his model since she also needed someone to do her makeup then for her upcoming cosplay competition. 

They did Hajie’s makeup rehearsal at Lenie’s house, through which he did get to know her more and meet her gregarious family. The tension and sparks between them were indeed felt as Hajie started to dab makeup on her beautiful face since it was just the two of them inside her room and they were so near to one another.

After that, Hajie seemingly tried to stop himself from getting attracted to Lenie, yet found it impossible based on his mesmerized reaction upon seeing her during their dance troupe’s presentation. 

Meanwhile, as her feelings for him continued to grow, Lenie tried to avoid him since she assumed that it was impossible for a romantic relationship to bloom between them, for he was rumored to be gay.. Hajie debunked it during their kilig confrontation and assured her that he’s totally straight and just being mistaken to be gay due to his effeminate mannerisms. 

He further told Lenie to not be confused anymore with her feelings for him since the reason why he’d been sweet and thoughtful to her was because he liked her too. Aside from offering for them to become partners in his hair and makeup side hustle, he also asked if he could court her, to which she agreed. She also accepted the paper bracelet that he had given her as a sign of his admiration for her.

They officially became a couple not long after and told her family about their relationship, which both shocked and delighted them.  

In 2016, the couple decided to take up Office Management Systems as their vocational course in college while working as a glam team. Since his mom couldn’t afford to send him to school along with his brother, Hajie had no choice but to support himself, which Lenie helped him do. Although they were unfairly paid for their work sometimes, they just kept going because they knew that they needed to make sacrifices in order for them to move up. 

Hajie and Lanie’s relationship turned dark 

Their romantic and business partnership was smooth-sailing at first, until they encountered a sudden bump along the way. An entitled customer of theirs accused them of stealing an heirloom bejeweled mirror that even resulted in “barangayan”. Little did the couple know that there was already a deep-seated issue between them, especially on the side of Lenie, which she had been hesitant to bring up since she didn’t want to hurt his feelings or make him feel abandoned. 

She told him that what they had been doing was only his dream and she just allowed him to tag her along, but the time had come that she had to finally choose herself and her family. While her parents were initially supportive of their relationship and their hustle, they eventually asked her to find a regular job that would allow her to earn more and help with their finances.

Just when their misunderstanding wasn’t enough yet to inflict pain on Hajie, he had found himself at his lowest point when he and his mother had an altercation due to his chosen job. He couldn’t help but be heartbroken and break down as his mom reprimanded him for buying new makeup palettes and new sets of paraphernalia, which she called “useless” and “wasteful”, as well as belittling his hustle. 

He also caught Lenie having an intimate interaction with her boss, who professed his love for her when he sent her home one night, which further broke his heart. Lenie later on clarified to Hajie what had happened that moment, as well as disclosed to Hajie that her love for him never wavered but actually grew fonder during their time apart. She realized that it was indeed a mistake that she chose to leave him at the time when he needed her the most and that his dream was actually also her dream, so she assured him that she would not do it again and would always choose him no matter what happens.

Their love burning red 

She got back to their glam team, and they ventured into content creation during the pandemic, as they apparently decided to finally live under one roof. They did various makeup transformations featuring either just Lenie or both of them, through which they experienced getting bashed and being called “baduy” and “jologs” during their initial attempts. However, it was via their recreation of the iconic winning look of Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray that they finally hit the jackpot, as it became their first video to go viral and reach thousands of views and likes.  

This opened countless opportunities for them, which allowed them to achieve success sooner than they expected. They were able to build their own makeup and photography studio that they named “Onze Studio” and eventually hired their own makeup and production team who helped them out in some of their projects. 

After 12 years of being together, they got engaged in 2022, exchanged “I dos” through an intimate civil ceremony three years later in January 2025, and welcomed their first child last March.  

The episode wrapped up with Hajie and Lenie, together with their son and their production team, huddling as they monitored how their “Cleopatra Challenge” video would fare just in the first few minutes that they had uploaded it. And it was indeed a huge success again!

Takeaways from the “Makeup Story” episode

Ever since “Maalaala Mo Kaya” made its highly anticipated comeback last April, the “Makeup Story” is the first-ever narrative that made us kilig in a romantic way. Aside from the fact that the love story of Hajie Alejandro and Lenie Aycardo is really kilig and inspiring, it also helped that they were portrayed by Kyle Echarri and Kai Montinola, who, despite working and being paired with each other for the first time, already exuded unmistakable chemistry.

While it was expected that Kyle would astound us anew with his performance here since we all know how a talented young actor he is, Kai, on the other hand, truly impressed us with her promising acting chops. With how they looked so good together onscreen and complemented each other in their every scene, especially the romantic ones, both their fans and casual viewers are wishing to see them again together in other projects.  

Apart from Kyle and Kai, we were also impressed by the performances of the supporting cast, which included veteran thespians Lotlot de Leon, Arlene Muhlach, and Simon Ibarra, as well as younger actors Matt Evans, Igi Boy Flores, and Amy Nobleza.

The production team, led by director Onat Diaz and writer Joan P. Habana, indeed did great jobs in mounting this episode that wasn’t only oozing with kilig but also with inspiration. It showed how the couple, especially Hajie didn’t allow the challenges both in their individual lives and their relationship to get the best of him, nor his past to dictate who he would be and how his life would turn out. 

Even though he experienced being belittled and ridiculed for the hustle he had chosen by the people around him and his mom, as well as being “abandoned” by the person whom he expected to be consistently by his side, Hajie chose to focus on his goals and believe that he would be able to achieve them. Aside from his talent and personality, his determination, drive, and passion were indeed worth emulating. 

Hajie and Lenie’s love story is proof that nothing is indeed impossible for a couple who are determined to reach for their dreams together, for they will relentlessly work hand-in-hand until they were able to make it. They may have encountered crossroads and obstacles in their relationship along the way, yet they chose to stick by each other until they’re able to reach the future or destination they’ve longed for. They inspire us to believe in the power of our love, dreams, and hard work.  

Here are some of the tweets that the lovestruck viewers posted on X (formerly Twitter) upon watching the kilig-filled “MMK Makeup Story”: 

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Watch out for more inspiring stories in the next episodes of “Maalaala Mo Kaya,” with fresh episodes streaming first on iWantTFC every Wednesday and being aired on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), and A2Z every Saturday.