As the late afternoon melts into evening, the city skyline bears witness to the sizzling yet sweet chemistry of Kim Chiu and Paulo Avelino during their Metro.Style cover shoot, released in time for their upcoming Star Cinema romantic-comedy film My Love Will Make You Disappear.

For the cover shoot, Kim donned an unusually fierce and bold look.

“I’ve done several Metro covers so we’re trying to mix and match and make me look different with bangs, layers and everything. Uncomfy pero…” the actress began.

“Kasi hindi ka sanay,” Paulo interjected.

“Hindi ako sanay pero sabi niya, maganda naman. Wow!” Kim teased and laughed.

“Sa camera ang importante,” he shot back, giving us a glimpse of the duo’s charming repartee.

Affectionately known as “KimPau,” Kim and Paulo’s tandem is a study in contrast. Kim breaks into a smile and giggles every now and then, while Paulo attentively listens and observes. She appears bubbly and energetic while he has this quiet intensity and gentle demeanor.  She has the kind of playful curiosity that can discover and uncover a certain mystery in him. But despite their opposite traits, you can easily spot how at ease and comfortable they are in each other’s company.

How was Kim able to crack through Paulo’s perceived walls? How did she pass through the barriers and help us see another side of the actor we rarely see in public? Whatever it is, it’s magic.

The pairing of Kim and Paulo sometimes felt like it came out of left field. In truth, Paulo has publicly wished to work with Kim since 2011. The wait was long, but the unexpected pairing happened at the right time and the right moment.

We first saw them deal with infidelity as estranged husband and wife in the thriller drama series Linlang in 2023. Owing to the show’s massive success and a strong fan response to KimPau, it led to a second project which saw the pair in a romantic comedy setting with the Philippine remake of the hit K-Drama What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim. The series cemented a solid following, and the tandem captured the hearts of the viewers and fans.

Heeding the fans’ clamor for more of KimPau, the twosome is finally starring in a Star Cinema film together with My Love Will Make You Disappear which will premiere worldwide on March 26, 2025. Directed by Chad V. Vidanes, the film follows the brewing romance between a woman who’s doomed to lose potential lovers as they inexplicably vanish and a troubled man who wishes to disappear. The film also stars Wilma Doesnt, Lovely Abella, Benj Manalo, Migs Almendras, Martin Escudero, and Karina Bautista.

When My Love Will Make You Disappear was first pitched to Kim and Paulo separately, it was met with mixed emotions from both: excitement, happiness, and a wee bit of anxiety.

Kim told Metro.Style, “After Linlang and What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim, they presented this to me and sinabi na kasama si Paulo and rom-com, so parang ako, ‘Tatanggapin kaya ni Paulo ito?’” But overall, she was looking forward to doing it, especially since the last movie she did was in 2022.

“Nakakatuwa na Star Cinema is back with rom-com—iyong roots talaga ng Star Cinema movies na na-miss talaga ng maraming tao. And then nilagay kami doon and the story is something different. It‘s a love story, of course, but with a twist of the ‘now’—‘yung love story ngayon,” she said.

Paulo was equally excited to do the movie with Kim.

“The script wasn’t perfect when it arrived, but everyone helped improve it, and our director, Chad Vidanes, was very hands-on. I was excited to work with Chad again because what we did for What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim was technically a light show, but they offered this rom-com that has a heart. It has the ups and downs of the characters. It’s very relatable,” the actor shared.

Asked to describe the film, the two gamely shared their thoughts.

“May love ba talaga na nag–i-stay or lahat ng love nawawala? Ganu’n ‘yung premise ng story,” Kim simply but meaningfully described.

“It’s about a woman na lahat ng minamahal niya nawawala at sinisisi niya ‘yung sumpa. She meets a guy who finds out na may babaeng may sumpa na nawawala lahat ng minamahal niya, and he thought of making her fall in love with him because he thinks it’s the simplest way to get rid of himself without pain,” Paulo explained.

“Sa girl naman, sa dami ng minamahal niya, ang question niya lagi is: ‘Bakit kaya sila nawawala? Am I giving too much love? Or is this because of the curse?’ Sa journey na iyon, kasama kayo to give answers,” Kim added, effectively echoing the dilemma of the characters.

The movie, though billed as a romantic-comedy, doesn’t shy away from characters that feel like real people in real life with real world problems. Kim and Pau described their characters and what they like about them.

“[I play] Sari. Isa siyang girl na never pang nagka-love life—ever. Kasi nga since bata siya, isinumpa na talaga siya na lahat ng mamahalin niya, nawawala talaga for some reason. She’s bubbly, fun, and masayahin. Happy lang pero deep inside, ‘di ba may metaphor na ang mga taong masaya, sila ‘yung totoong malungkot? Parang sini-shield lang nila iyong sadness with happiness,” Kim started.

“Masipag siya at kaya niyang mabuhay mag-isa, [though] may pet siya dito si Cookie na mahal na mahal niya. Sanay siyang mag-isa kasi lahat ng mga minamahal niya nawawala, so takot na siyang magmahal. Pagod na siyang maiwan,” she added, observing that it’s a happy kind of sad character.

Taking his turn, Paulo tells the story of his character who sounds like the complete opposite of Kim’s Sari.

“My character is Jolo. Problemado sa buhay dahil minalas siya sa lahat ng mga pinasok niya, sa lahat ng kaibigan niya, at pati sa pag-ibig, malas siya. Wala na siyang way out kung hindi ang mawala na lang para hindi na niya ma-burden ang mga tao sa paligid niya. [As Jolo], I’ve been trying to prove myself to my parents, to myself, and to the people around me. But… ganoon talaga. Sometimes, life just slaps you back and you can’t do anything. Hanggang sa narinig niya iyong tungkol sa sumpa ni Sari and doon niya sinubukang pa-in love-in si Sari para mawala siya,” Paulo summed up.

Though his character carries a heavy load, Paulo saw something special in Jolo.

“There’s a lot to like about and learn about Jolo’s character, but the thing I like the most about Jolo is he’s open. He’s still open to loving despite everything that happened to him. Despite all the downfalls and all the problems, there’s still that glimmer of hope when it comes to love,” he noted with a thoughtful expression.

Rom-coms are such huge hits in Philippine cinema from then until now, and the challenge will always be how to make them relevant for the modern audiences who are so used to seeing such movies. Despite that, the duo feels their movie will speak to today’s viewers.

“Bilang babae or isang taong nagmamahal, parang ang dami mong questions. Hindi lang naman si Sari at hindi lang naman siguro ako. Lahat ng mga makakapanood nito, natanong na rin nila ‘yun sa mga sarili nila at makukuha nila ‘yung sagot dito sa movie,” the actress confidently stated.

“The problems the movie tackles are very ‘now.’ When it comes to love, it’s very universal naman, but in a different situation and setting. I think one thing also na relevant sa ngayon is may underlying tones of mental health issues. I think more than anything, parang mas aware na ‘yung mga tao sa issue na ito at this time. It’s not totally focused there pero people going through similar experiences would definitely relate to it,” he offered, putting the spotlight on the other side of the movie’s kilig parts.

My Love Will Make You Disappear boasts 11 promotional movie posters in different languages as it is slated for international release in 34 countries. As it hits Philippine theaters on March 26, it will be followed by international screenings in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei the next day. March 28 will see its premiere in the United States, Canada, Saipan, Guam, Hong Kong, and Macau while March 29 will be for Italy, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malta, Finland, and France. Viewers in the Middle East can watch it on March 30, Austria on April 5, and Cambodia on April 18. The thought of worldwide screening for the movie they worked hard for excited both Paulo and Kim.

“I’m always proud and happy when a Filipino film goes abroad because nagkakaroon tayo ng pagkakataon para mapanood tayo ng mga ibang lahi kung ano ba ‘yung sitwasyon or estado ng filmmaking natin dito sa Pilipinas. It’s always nice to give them different flavors. Natapos na tayo sa tinatawag na poverty porn and sa kahirapan ng buhay. Well, art films are always and will never be gone dahil nasa pag-interpret naman ng mga tao. Pero nakakatuwa na rom-com. For instance, hindi ko maisip and I can’t even imagine a rom-com film being shown and having an international release. So there’s immense pressure not just on us but also with Star Cinema. But it’s nice, it’s a different flavor,” Paulo reflected, clearly enthusiastic with his generous thoughts about it.

“And I just found out that there’s no direct translation of kilig. So parang ‘yung kilig na ‘yun, tina-try namin ipakita. When you go abroad and tell them, ‘Oh, that movie’s kilig, they have no idea and it’s really hard to explain,” he happily continued.

Kim, on the other hand, sees it as a great opportunity from Star Cinema and for Filipinos all over the world.

“I’m very happy and grateful to Star Cinema dahil nabigyan kami ng ganitong kalaking opportunity. Ang mga Pinoy naman kilala bilang mapagmahal, maalaga, and to show to the world na ito ‘yung Pinoy romance, ipapasilip natin a little bit of our culture. More than anything, napakaraming Pinoy din abroad na first time rin nilang mapapanood kasabay sa Pilipinas so no one gets left behind. Alam naman natin all over the world, napakaraming Pilipino. Gusto namin na i-showcase ito sa foreign audience as well. So napakaraming viewers ang makaka-benefit all over the world. We’re very happy and excited,” Kim said, beaming.

As this is the first-ever KimPau film, what is their takeaway from making it?

“Huwag kang matakot magmahal. Medyo scary siya pero it’s part of life. It’s part of growing up or kung hindi ka nasasaktan, ibig sabihin hindi ka nag–gro-grow. It’s part of growing up and it’s part of being you—ang magmahal,” the actress meaningfully shared.

The actor, on the other hand, gained a renewed sense of hope doing the movie.

“For me, with regard to my character, there’s so much to life. Sometimes life throws so many problems at you and you think it’s the end of the world. But there’s a Filipino saying that I truly believe in: ‘Habang may buhay, may pag-asa.’ You just have to live it out and you’ll eventually find a solution along the way,” he declared.

As Kim and Paulo’s partnership deepens, one can’t help but be curious about their “love team.”

“Ayaw niya mag-love team!” Kim teased.

Though he’s shy about the concept, Paulo surrenders to the allure of the KimPau pairing.

Where the KimPau love team goes, the stars can’t say for sure. At least for the time being, the two don’t dismiss the idea of working together again, depending on the project.

“I just want something different, something new. It doesn’t have to be necessarily out of this world, but new. Just something to play around for my character and something to challenge me and something to show the people,” the actor expounded on his wish.

Kim echoes his call for projects that show growth. “Kasi [kapag] may project, go lang nang go. Kasi naman ’yung project [would be] giving us something, ’yung growth. Nandoon naman talaga ‘yung passion namin for acting and to entertain people,” she noted.

For now, KimPau is very much focused on aiming for the success of My Love Will Make You Disappear and how it will bring entertainment, kilig, and life lessons to their followers and movie enthusiasts alike.

“Sa lahat ng mga nagmamahal, this movie is for you. Sa lahat ng mga ayaw magmahal, this movie is also for you,” Kim remarked, democratizing love for the twice bitten, twice shot, and the hopefuls.

“At sa lahat ng mga takot magmahal, this movie is for you,” Paulo aptly added.