"Guys, the decision is final—I'm going to Thailand!"
Rahul made the official announcement to the camera and, without further ado, ended the live stream.
He had no idea that this single sentence had just caused a massive stir among his fans. Under his latest video, the comments section had split into two warring factions.
One side vehemently argued that Rahul shouldn't go to Thailand, citing rumors of Southeast Asian scam compounds and the risk of waking up in a bathtub missing a kidney.
The other side was wildly enthusiastic, wanting to see how Rahul's "Dimensional Strike" looks would fare in Thailand's legendary nightlife, betting on whether he could pull a local celebrity or a supermodel.
In short, the two sides were arguing incessantly. But for Rahul, there was one massive benefit: the engagement was through the roof. Indian netizens were incredibly interested in the controversial, exotic allure of Thailand.
After ending the stream, Rahul checked his YouTube backend. Despite repeatedly telling his fans to keep their money, he had still accumulated nearly ₹15,000 in SuperChats over the two-hour stream. Moreover, he had gained another 3,000 subscribers.
Rahul wasn't a "PK" battler out for a quick buck, so this income was just a nice bonus. What mattered most was that tonight's live stream had firmly established his persona as a man of impeccable character. He wasn't a scammer, and he wasn't a soulless player. That kind of reputation was a benefit no amount of money could buy.
The next day, Rahul began preparing for the second stop of his world tour.
He had actually been to Thailand once before. Back when he had just started his corporate job, he went on a cheap four-day, three-night package tour. It had been a fleeting visit where he mostly just wandered around tourist traps aimlessly.
But things were different now. He was going there to film high-quality content, which meant he had to stay much longer. Maybe not a full month, but at least a couple of weeks was necessary.
Fortunately, Thailand had recently implemented a visa-free policy for Indian citizens to boost tourism. He could just grab his passport and walk right in.
As for the danger? That one comment from the live stream hit the nail on the head: Stay away from shady touts speaking your own language abroad, and you avoid 80% of the scams. As long as he stayed away from the sketchy border regions and stuck to the main cities, he'd be fine.
Over the next few days, Rahul ordered a Thai tourist SIM card online and bought a few new sets of stylish, breathable clothes.
While waiting for the deliveries, Rahul mentally summoned the System. He used his 1 remaining Charm Point to purchase Thai Language Proficiency. The familiar warm current washed over his brain, embedding the complex tones and vocabulary of the Thai language directly into his memory.
He also remembered the fans mentioning a massive Indian creator with ten million subscribers who had filmed a Thailand documentary. Curious, Rahul paid ₹150 for a channel membership to watch the premium video.
After watching it, Rahul had to admit—a creator with ten million subs really had some serious skill. The documentary was deep, highly educational, and thought-provoking.
Rahul had a clear understanding of his own positioning. He couldn't produce a profound geopolitical documentary on his own. That guy was an educational vlogger; Rahul was a global travel and romance vlogger. Their niches were completely different!
However, one thing was certain: that creator had brought a massive amount of attention to Thailand. If Rahul went there to film his unique style of content, the popularity would likely blow his Bangladesh series out of the water.
Once his new clothes and SIM card arrived, Rahul booked a round-trip ticket from Mumbai to Bangkok, spanning exactly 30 days. There were dozens of daily flights from Mumbai to Bangkok, and he managed to snag a cheap round-trip fare for about ₹16,000.
When booking hotels, Rahul played it smart. He specifically looked for accommodations with a flexible, free-cancellation policy. He planned to cancel his longer bookings after entering Bangkok and stay dynamic. Instead of booking 30 days straight in one spot, he would book a few days at a time.
His destination wasn't limited to Bangkok. He wanted to visit the mountains of Chiang Mai in the north, the neon-soaked streets of Pattaya, and the beaches of Phuket in the south. He would just book a hotel wherever the wind—and the content—took him.
After finalizing his plans, Rahul shouldered his large travel backpack and said goodbye to his parents in Nashik. He reminded his father to quit the security job and told his mother to just relax and enjoy life. After receiving firm promises from them both, he headed out to the railway station.
A few hours later, Rahul was back in Mumbai. His flight was scheduled for tomorrow night, so the moment he stepped off the train, he called Kabir.
"Bhai, are you really going to Thailand?" Kabir's voice came through the receiver, sounding a bit forced.
"Yeah. Did you watch my live stream?"
"I did, of course I did! I even sent you a SuperChat and helped drive the engagement in the comments. You didn't even notice me!"
"With ten thousand people commenting at the speed of light, how could I notice everyone?" Rahul laughed, but he sensed something was off. "Listen, I'm taking a cab to your place now. Get your butt home after work; I'm crashing at your place tonight."
Kabir hesitated for a long moment before finally confessing, "Bhai... I didn't go to work. I'm just lying at home."
Rahul frowned. "What, did you get 'optimized'?"
"Yeah."
Rahul's heart sank.
"Stay there. I'm coming over right now."
Rahul hung up, hailed an Uber, and headed straight for Kabir's suburban rental apartment. He stopped at a local wine shop downstairs to buy a bottle of Old Monk rum and grabbed some spicy chicken chakna from a street vendor before heading up.
The door opened to reveal Kabir. His hair was greasy, he was wearing baggy boxers and an oversized t-shirt, and he offered Rahul a foolish, tired grin.
Rahul walked in, looking cross. "You didn't even tell me about something as massive as getting laid off?"
Kabir pulled him inside, looking embarrassed. "I figured you were busy becoming a superstar."
Rahul set the food on the small coffee table and poured two generous pegs of rum. "When did it happen?"
"Almost half a month ago." Kabir raised his glass and downed the dark rum in one gulp.
"You were laid off while I was still in Dhaka?"
Kabir nodded. Rahul looked at him with a mix of displeasure and sympathy. "And you were still pretending to be a big shot on our video calls? Offering to give me your savings to start my business while you were jobless? How much pride do you think you have to protect from me?"
Kabir didn't get mad. He just gave a bitter, wide grin. "You had just quit your job to sell your house and start a massive risk. I didn't want to add to your worries, man."
Kabir sighed, looking at his empty glass. "I can't survive in Mumbai anymore, Rahul. The rent is eating me alive. I think I'm going to pack up and go back to Punjab. Earning ₹30,000 a month in my hometown and just being stress-free sounds good enough right now. I'm 27. My parents are pressuring me to get married, and they've saved up a little money to help me buy a small place there. I'll just go back and settle."
Rahul set his glass down with a heavy thud.
As a brother, Rahul couldn't let Kabir just give up on his life and retreat in defeat.
"Listen to me," Rahul said, his voice dead serious. "You are my best friend. If I have a roti to eat, you'll have half of it."
"Why don't you come work with me?"
Kabir let out a dry, bitter laugh. "Bhai, stop joking. You've barely started making real ad revenue. How could I have the face to leech off you?"
"I'm not joking," Rahul said firmly. "Don't you know your way around Premiere Pro and After Effects? You used to edit all our college project videos."
"I'm hiring you. You are my dedicated video editor from now on. I'll shoot the raw footage abroad, upload it to the cloud, and you edit it here in Mumbai. We'll double our output efficiency."
"We'll talk about your exact salary structure after I get back from Thailand, but I promise it will be more than what that toxic tech company was paying you. Don't refuse. If you refuse, we aren't brothers anymore."
Kabir stared at Rahul's face for a long, quiet moment. Then, his eyes reddened slightly. He suddenly picked up the bottle of Old Monk and poured a fresh drink for Rahul.
"I won't say anything else, Bhai. For a Punjabi boy, all the gratitude is in the glass!"
With that round of drinks, Rahul officially finalized his production team. He would be the face and the lens abroad, and Kabir would handle the heavy lifting back home. It was a win-win: his channel would grow faster, and he had just saved his best friend's livelihood.
The next afternoon.
Kabir, looking much more alive and clean-shaven, took Rahul to a currency exchange to convert some INR into 20,000 Thai Baht in cash. Then, he drove Rahul to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
Standing outside the departure gates, Rahul recorded a quick video with his phone and posted it on his Instagram and YouTube Shorts.
The caption read: "Setting off again. Next Stop: Thailand!"