The old Rahul was definitely an above-average-looking guy. Otherwise, Ananya, who was considered the catch of their college batch, wouldn't have dated a middle-class guy like him back then.
But he was just 'good-looking', nowhere near this current level of absolute perfection. It was like his character model had been upgraded to premium status.
And the best part was that this glow-up wasn't some drastic plastic surgery transformation where even his own mother wouldn't recognize him. The Succubus Attribute had just made micro-adjustments. It took his existing features and optimized them to their absolute peak.
People who knew him back in Mumbai would still recognize him instantly, they would just assume he had started a great skincare routine and maybe hit the genetic jackpot late in life. Just like those two receptionists downstairs—they saw his passport photo, looked at him, and just assumed the camera hadn't done him justice.
Seeing this massive upgrade in the mirror, Rahul was grinning from ear to ear.
But then reality crashed back down. His wallet and debit cards were gone. A massive headache started forming. In a foreign country, without physical cash, it was a nightmare. He couldn't just scan a QR code with GPay or Paytm at a local tea stall here like he could back in Mumbai.
Not only was his grand travel vlogging plan paused, but he didn't even know how he was going to buy his next meal!
He splashed some water on his face to snap out of it and stepped out of the bathroom.
Even though he had been travelling all night and was running on zero sleep, Rahul wasn't about to just sit in his room and cry about it. He decided to head out to the local police station to file an FIR. Maybe the Dhaka police could actually track down the pickpockets.
But before that, the content creator in him took over. As someone who had run viral marketing campaigns, he knew exactly what the algorithm loved.
Getting robbed the minute you step out of the airport, followed by a raw, unedited vlog of trying to navigate a foreign police station? That was pure, unadulterated internet gold.
Without missing a beat, Rahul flipped open his DJI camera, holding it up to his face.
"Guys, I need you to trust me on this—the following video is zero percent scripted!" Rahul said, managing a dry laugh. "I literally just landed in Dhaka, and within ten minutes, my wallet got swiped! Those guys cleared me out. I am completely broke in a new country."
"Right now, I'm heading to the local police station to file a report. Stick around, let's see how this goes."
He grabbed his passport and his room key card, stepped out of the room, and waited for the elevator.
Knowing those two receptionists were probably still at the front desk waiting to ambush him, Rahul practically sprinted through the lobby the second the elevator doors opened.
Just as he pushed the glass doors to the street, a loud voice echoed behind him.
"Sir! Wait! Can I buy you dinner tonight?!"
Dinner? No thanks! I'm trying to survive, not get eaten alive!
Rahul didn't even look back. He just walked faster, merging into the crowded street.
Following Google Maps on his phone, he navigated his way toward the Banani Police Station. Since he didn't have a single Taka in his pocket to hail a rickshaw, he had to walk the entire way.
Twenty minutes later, he walked into the station. It was busy, loud, and chaotic.
The moment Rahul stepped inside, the entire room seemed to pause. His incredibly sharp features and effortless charm created a massive contrast with the tired, stressed-out crowd in the room. Everyone just stared at him.
"Excuse me! Hello! I need to report a theft!" Rahul called out loudly, holding his camera up.
The crowd finally snapped out of their trance.
A heavily bearded police inspector walked over, took one look at the blinking red light on Rahul's camera, and immediately pointed at it. "No cameras. Turn that off immediately."
Rahul didn't want to cause a scene in a foreign police station, so he respectfully lowered the camera and slipped it into his front pocket. However, he slyly left the audio recording running.
"You want to report a crime. What happened?" the inspector asked, leading Rahul to a side desk. He crossed his arms, looking at Rahul with a strange mix of suspicion and annoyance. His tone was rough and dismissive.
Rahul used clear, simple English to explain how his wallet was taken in the crowd right outside the airport. He even pulled out his phone to show a snippet of the video he was recording when the two guys bumped into him.
"What kind of evidence is this? You can't see anything!" The inspector scowled, pushing the phone away before the clip even finished. "You don't even know the exact second it was stolen. How am I supposed to file an FIR with this?"
The inspector's heavily accented English was a bit tough to follow, but Rahul caught the main point: he didn't want to register the case.
"Sir, how can you not register it?" Rahul asked, trying to keep his cool. "Even if my video isn't clear, there are CCTV cameras right outside the airport arrivals! If you pull that footage, you'll definitely see the guys who bumped into me."
"Listen to me, young man, it is a no," the inspector said, waving his hand impatiently. "The airport is not under Banani jurisdiction. Go away. Do not waste our time here."
"You foreigners come here and trouble the police for every small thing. It is just a lost wallet! Do you know how many people get their pockets picked in Dhaka every single day? If we sit and write a report for every single one, we will never solve any real crimes!"
Rahul stood there, completely taken aback.
Isn't it the literal job of the police to catch thieves? What kind of logic is that?
Before Rahul could argue further, the bearded inspector stood up and shooed him away like a stray dog. "Go, go! Out!"
Realizing he was fighting a losing battle, Rahul walked out of the station. There was nothing he could do. When you're broke and stranded in a new country, the system isn't exactly on your side.
He pulled his camera out of his pocket and pointed it back at himself, putting on an exaggerated, exasperated expression.
"Did you guys catch that? The police flat-out refused to register my complaint!" Rahul laughed, though his stomach was empty and complaining. "So, what's the plan now? I have zero cash. I have no food. And I'm supposed to survive in Bangladesh for an entire month!"
Talking to the camera, he kept walking down the bustling street.
Banani was one of the more upscale, commercial districts in Dhaka. It was prime lunchtime, and Rahul, who hadn't eaten anything substantial since his flight from Mumbai, was practically starving.
An idea popped into his head. He changed his route and headed directly toward a massive, modern building nearby. It was Jamuna Future Park, one of the biggest luxury shopping malls in the city.
Rahul decided it was time to put this absurd 'Karma Succubus Attribute' to the ultimate test. If he could genuinely attract women effortlessly, maybe he could charm his way into a free meal. He just needed to figure out food and survival today; he would figure out the rest tomorrow.
He stood near the grand entrance of the mall, pretending to film the architecture for his vlog.
It was a busy afternoon, and the crowd here was completely different from the airport. The people walking in and out were clearly wealthy. The women were dressed in high-end, trendy clothes, carrying designer bags.
Rahul noticed it almost immediately. As women walked past him, their heads turned. Many slowed down, whispering to their friends and casting highly appreciative looks his way.
A few confident girls even walked right up to him, giggling, and asked if they could take a selfie with him.
Back in India, Rahul was just a regular guy blending into the corporate crowd. He had never experienced this kind of overwhelming, celebrity-level attention in his entire life!
Even though his stomach was rumbling, he played along, flashing his brilliant new smile and posing for photos with everyone who asked. He made sure to pan his vlog camera around to capture the absolute madness of the situation.
"Bros, look at this! I am literally surrounded!" he joked to the camera, clearly enjoying the ridiculousness of his new life.
As he turned around to get a wider shot of the mall entrance, he took a step back and accidentally bumped right into someone walking behind him.
A girl's startled voice rang out immediately.
"Oh no! My ice cream!"
Hearing the exasperated voice, a thought instantly flashed through Rahul's mind: Is the system's 'Karma' linking process already starting?