MANILA — “Sana ako na lang,” the iconic line of Bea Alonzo in “One More Chance,” is now a line twice heard so far in the ABS-CBN boys’ love series “Hello, Stranger.”

First was in its third episode, where Mico (JC Alcantara) and Xavier (Tony Labrusca) were moved to tears as they watched the 2007 film for their movie night.

This time, in episode 7, the tears weren’t because of the onscreen breakup, but from Mico and Xavier’s own experience of nearly being together, but ultimately not.

“Sana ako na lang,” Mico said, as he and Xavier recited a poem about lovers torn for their class project, presented virtually in front of their teacher.

While the exchange of lines was a performance for their final grade, it reflected Mico and Xavier’s personal situation. (Their professor even noticed the “sheer honesty” of their portrayal.)

“Sana tayo na lang,” Mico went on, deviating from the “One More Chance” script — a plea that could have well been his own, after his heartbreak of seeing Xavier with his ex-girlfriend Crystal (Gillian Vicencio).

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The climactic scene leads up to the final episode of “Hello, Stranger,” scheduled for release on August 19.

The penultimate episode, titled “Hello, Truth,” also saw Xavier and Crystal’s confrontation about Mico, and Mico mustering the courage to confess his feelings for Xavier with the help of his friends.

“Hello, Stranger,” directed by Petersen Vargas and written by Patrick Valencia, comes amid a wave of BL productions in the Philippines, spurred by the local popularity of Thailand’s “2gether.”

Similar to the foreign series, “Hello, Stranger,” too, has drawn an international following. In fact, it is set to hold a virtual “Finale Fan Con,” open to fans overseas, on August 16. Details of the meet can be found below.

We're close to the end, but we can't say goodbye without a celebration! Join us on Aug 16, 2pm for Hello Stranger: The Finale FanCon! Hang out with the cast and see the #HelloStrangerFinale before it drops on Aug 19! Get your tickets for only PHP99 at https://t.co/9mYHiDqYIL 🖤 pic.twitter.com/9RTvRvpd7p

— Black Sheep (@Black_SheepPH) August 5, 2020