Childhood friends reunite on TikTok after 14 years
The micro-blogging app TikTok has undoubtedly paved the way for many things. This time, for two childhood friends to reunite after being apart for almost 14 years.
It started when three-year-old Julienne Karl Genove became playmates with five-year-old Kenneth Español; they were both living in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan in 2007.
However, Español suddenly “disappeared” without saying goodbye to his friend when his family moved away, which left Genove wondering where he had gone.
One day, Genove posted a TikTok video with a slideshow of her missing childhood friend and the song Never Forget You by Noisettes.
@juliennekarl_ Tried to find his socmed but I can only remember his first name :/ ##fyp ##foryou
♬ Never Forget You - Noisettes
“To my childhood friend whom I never saw again after they moved out,” Genove wrote in her TikTok video.
The video went viral and as of this writing has been viewed 10 million times and liked by 1.3 million Tiktok users. Not only that—several people claimed to be Genove's childhood friend—and it turned out all of them were posers.
Despite all the catfishing, the lost childhood friends reunited after Español mustered the courage to repost Genove’s TikTok video.
Genove asked Español for proof that he really was her childhood friend, and he sent a photo of himself wearing the exact clothes in her Tiktok video.
Genove reposted Español’s TikTok video as proof that the two childhood friends had reconnected after 14 years. It has gotten 18.7 million views and 2.3 million likes in two days.
After they reunited, their story was featured on Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho.
Genove was amazed because she did not expect to reunite with her childhood friend and was thankful for the opportunity on Tiktok. “Sobrang saya ko po na mabigyan po ng ganitong opportunity,” she said in the interview.
@juliennekarl_ blooper ig ? @watahtah
♬ Dati - CHACHA?
As for Español, he said he was lucky to meet his playmate again after more than a decade.
“Masuwerteng-maswerte po ako, nakilala ko po ulit ‘yung kababata ko,” he also said in an interview with the segment of Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho.