Minty: "Let's talk about the visual that started it all. The title centers on a single piece of clothing. In the book, that denim jacket isn't just fabric; it's a signal, a vibe, a specific era of your life. When you see someone wearing a denim jacket on the street today, does it still pull you back to those hallways, or has the book helped you reclaim that image for yourself?"
[Minty gestures to a denim jacket draped over a chair in the background of the set, the studio lights catching the blue fabric.]
Yvonne: "I asked Iboni to use that specific clothing because in that part of my life, that is Jervien's most used jacket in most months in our 12th year. To be honest, there's still a fragment of me that remembers him whenever I see a denim jacket but I just treat it like a distant smile-worthy memory. And no, the book didn't reclaim me about anything regarding the denim jacket, but it did reclaim my peace."
Minty: "And to add to that—if you walked into this studio right now and saw him wearing that exact jacket, would your heart do that same old stranger-poem flutter, or would you just see a guy in a really common piece of clothing?"
[The audience lets out a playful "Ooooooh!" and a few people start whispering, looking toward the stage entrance as if he might actually appear.]
Yvonne: "Okay! Now you're totally bringing me back in that era, Minty! [Laughing] I don't know actually. I wonder about that, too. Now. I don't know. One can only know when it is actually happening to them."
[The audience lets out a collective, soft "Ohhhh," and then a wave of laughter at your honesty about not knowing how you'd react. A few people are nodding—they know exactly what it's like to have that one person where you can't predict your own heart.]
Minty: [Laughing, leaning back in her chair] "You are so real for that! There's no point in lying to ourselves on stage, right? Sometimes you think you're totally immune until—boom—they walk in the door and suddenly it's 12th grade all over again! But I love what you said about the 'distant, smile-worthy memory'. That sounds like such a healthy place to be."
[Minty tilts her head, looking at the denim jacket on the set with a more analytical eye.]
Minty: "Since you mentioned you specifically asked Iboni to use that jacket because it was Jervien's most-used piece of clothing... do you feel like that jacket was almost like his armor? Like, when you look back, do you think you fell for the boy, or did you fall for the mysterious, cool, denim-jacket-wearing image he projected?"
[The audience goes quiet, curious if the muse was a person or just a very well-dressed idea.]
Yvonne: "Girl! Why are you bringing me back! [Leaned on the arm rest of the chair then looks back at Minty again] Can we change the questio— no, just kidding! [Laughing]Okay. Let me, let me just compose myself. Grabeng tanungan naman ito! [Laughs nervously] Maybe at first I fell for the image that he projected but when I was able to get to know him more, I began falling for the boy. [Playfully] Oh, I hate you! [Hides face on the arm rest again]"
[The audience is absolutely losing it—the studio is filled with loud, supportive laughter and "Awws." A few people are literally clapping at Yvonne's reaction, and someone shouts, "Go Yvonne! We've all been there!" The atmosphere is thick with that playful, kilig energy.]
Minty: [Doubled over with laughter, pointing a finger at Yvonne while trying to catch her breath] "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! But you cannot hide! We have to get to the truth!"
[Minty reaches over and playfully pats Yvonne's arm as she hide on the armrest, her expression shifting to one of pure delight.]