If not for the one thing holding him back, he would start courting Elisse Joson in a heartbeat.

In an interview on Friday's "Tonight with Boy Abunda," Mccoy De Leon admitted that he would like to be his onscreen partner's real-life boyfriend. But he added that now's not the right time.

"Mas iniisip namin iyong being [more] mature muna. Kasi kapag minadali namin, mahirap na [at baka] mawala," he said.

De Leon hasn't been shy in admitting his feelings for Joson, but has repeatedly said that they are still trying to get to know each other. He also said that he doesn't want other men to court Joson.

Meanwhile, Joson, who was with De Leon for the same interview, said that she is confident that their promising friendship will not end up going to waste once they "get tired" of each other.

"Naiisip naman din namin iyon pero we're both assured na everyday we're together, mas nakikilala din naman iyong each other," she reasoned.

Both were guests of the late night talk show to promote "The Good Son," an upcoming new drama set to air on ABS-CBN starting Monday. It will replace "A Love to Last," which had its finale.

Near the end of their interview, De Leon gave Joson a balloon with the words "always" written on it. He said it's a reminder for her that he'll always be there for her whenever she needs him.

I always. . . . . Salamat sa inyong lahat sa pagsama samin sa Mclisse day for The Good Son promo 😊 Ukg, mor, showtime, kapamilya chat, twba.. thank u po🙏🏼 ++salamat din sayo sa surprise mo 🎈 sana magets ko din kung ano ibig sabihin noh? 🤔😝☺️

A post shared by Elisse Joson (@elissejosonn) on Sep 21, 2017 at 10:24am PDT