Our first-ever Cosmo Crush is apparently off the market. Yup, you read that right. Cosmopolitan Philippines’ October 2024 Cosmo Crush Kobe Paras just revealed that he is indeed not single at the moment. 😉

In an exclusive chat with the Cosmo team, Kobe bared his thoughts on dating, crushes, and making a move—basically everything about love and relationships. Since we got ahold of Kobe amid his busy schedule, of course, we took the chance to ask him about his current relationship.

It only took one question to get a direct answer from Kobe. “How’s your dating life RN?” we asked. It was a standard question. His answer: “Happily taken.” That’s what he chose among the other choices: Single AF, Somewhere in between, and IYKYK. And well, it was a response we’ve all been waiting for!

But despite the confirmation, he chose not to state his S.O.’s name explicitly. Instead, he told us that his ultimate crush is Joanna from the ongoing teleserye called, Shining Inheritance. One search on Google and everybody can see that Joanna from the show is portrayed by the actress Kyline Alcantara.

Interestingly, it wasn’t the only time that Kobe hinted about his intense admiration for Kyline. When asked about his first crush, the basketball star recalled watching the famous U.S. reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians and being attracted to Kylie Jenner.

Following his response, Cosmo asked if his current crush’s name also starts with a K. Kobe replied, “Yeah, still a K. And a Y.” K-Y…?

We’re not here to name names, but Kobe’s answers to our questions seems to indicate his v special relationship with Kyline. Hey, if they don’t want to directly confirm it (yet), they still have all the right in the world to keep it to themselves!

But in case you’re giving us the side eye right now, we’ll give you the rundown on how this all started.

The rumor mill about Kobe and Kyline began when the two posted almost identical snaps of a restaurant that Kyline geotagged on her Instagram. The photos they posted sparked questions if they had dinner together. (Was it an indication that they were already dating back in May 2024?) Following their first posts that triggered a dating rumor, Kobe reshared Kyline’s IG Story on his Instagram and put some hearts as a caption. Plus, there were other public sightings of them together.

At the time, there was still no confirmation or any sign of truth to the dating speculations. Even when Kyline was asked in a June 2024 interview about her current relationship with Kobe, her only response was a shy and coy, “I don’t know actually”—it was a non-confirmation that had everyone intrigued for sure.

Then, the GMA Gala happened. It was the first time that Kobe expressed his appreciation for his rumored girlfriend, Kyline. “She’s very ambitious. She’s phenomenal at what she does. I get motivated myself seeing her do what she does. It’s her being ambitious. It’s so nice seeing a girl boss,” Kobe said in an interview with Cosmo and PEP.ph on the sidelines of GMA Gala 2024.

Hours after that very short yet sweet chat with Kobe, get this: Kobe and Kyline were spotted leaving the GMA Gala together. Although the two did not arrive at the event together, they left the venue holding hands. Well, we think that’s one way of making a statement about their relationship. 😉