Chezka Carandang Shares The Low-Key Instagram Move She Used To Flirt With Katrice Kierulf—And It Worked

We don't know about you, but we're suckers for a good love story. So when Chezka Carandang, Cosmopolitan Philippines' Women of Influence 2025 awardee, and Katrice Kierulf finally shared how it all began in their latest vlog—complete with receipts!—we were all ears. 👀

Finally being candid about it, Chezka admitted she was the one who made the first move by following Katrice and sliding into her DMs. But aside from that, she also revealed one very clever move: adding Katrice—and only Katrice—to her Instagram Close Friends list, making it easier to tell whether Katrice was viewing her Stories

"Kaya ko siya nilagay sa Close Friends na siya lang kasi hindi ko makita kung vinu-view ba niya 'ko [in Instagram Story]. And apparently, walang mintis 'yun," Chezka joked, saying her strategy didn't miss.

Chezka would post workout selfies that were specifically meant for Katrice—which Katrice quickly caught on to. Turns out, Instagram Close Friends wasn't just for your inner circle. It also became a v strategic part of Chezka's flirting game.

Their flirting stayed mostly online, too—from Instagram Stories meant just for each other to subtle Reels and other tiny clues that had fans connecting the dots.

Fans began shipping the two after they both went through separate breakups. ICYDK, Chezka was previously in an eight-year relationship—which Katrice herself said was a relationship she used to look up to. Similarly, Katrice had recently ended her three-year relationship with Klea Pineda, who is now being linked to her Open Endings co-star Janella Salvador.

As it turns out, the Internet had already written the first chapter of their love story. Long before Chezka made her move, their supporters had already been shipping them and editing some of their videos like a real OTP.

"Gumagawa sila ng mga video stitches about us. So parang, pinapanood ko naman lahat," Katrice admitted.

She even said that fans compared the edits to Wattpad, the online storytelling platform known for its romance stories. "Very Wattpad daw yung atake kasi nagra-ride ako tapos siya nagfa-fly tapos kino-collage nila. Tapos parang ako, ang cute nga naman."

It's not hard to see why people started shipping them. Both are content creators who feature their different hobbies, but they share a similar love for sports and adventure. Chezka is a Filipino airline pilot, while Katrice is into motorsports and often shares her big-bike adventures through her vlogs.

Looks like the fans knew what they were doing!

And it didn't take long for this fan-made love story to become a reality. Eventually, fans became the ultimate detectives as they followed the little clues from Chezka and Katrice's early talking stage.

During one of their getting-to-know-each-other dates, Katrice wore a gray sweater with an "I hate Mondays" statement that Chezka found cute, so she posted it. Naturally, eagle-eyed fans quickly figured out the mystery girl in the sweater after spotting it in one of Katrice's old Instagram Reels.

Fans had been connecting the dots since the very beginning, following the couple's relationship as it unfolded. Later on, the two confirmed their relationship publicly through an Instagram Reel that Chezka posted on April 14, 2026. It showed her sweet surprise for Katrice at her unit and wrote the date "4.8.26," which many fans believe was the day they officially became a couple.

Looks like the fans called it from day one. Here's to love finding its way at the perfect time. 🥹💗