long story short (chaennie)

zoo lovin'

"...cockroaches."

"Yes."

Rosie squints. "Like, the creepy-crawly little bugs we freeze in the thousands to feed to the animals."

"The very same."

"And you want me to... name them?"

Sunny sighs so heavily that had she been standing, she probably would have fallen over. "You're not naming them, Rosie. Do try to keep up. Patrons can pay $5 to name a cockroach after their ex. You will then feed these named cockroaches to the animals. For $25 people can also name a frozen rat."

Rosie gapes. "So I'm feeding animals named after people to other animals?"

"If you think that displaying the comprehension skills of an elementary schooler is going to impress me, you're sorely mistaken," Sunny says dryly, her tone bored as she shuffles the stacks of papers on her desk. "Thank you for reminding me that I didn't hire you for your intellect."

Rosie ignores the dig. She's had plenty of practice over the past five years. "But doesn't that seem a little.... mean?"

"You're worried about the feelings of a frozen dead cockroach?"

Rosie huffs, digging her hands deep into the pockets of her green SC Zoo fleece. "Not the bugs. The people the bugs are named after. The people watching themselves in bug form be fed to a lizard, or whatever."

Sunny hums, tapping her pen thoughtfully against her chin. "I suppose we'd also better appeal to the bleeding-heart animal lovers out there if we want to maximise sales. We'll introduce a vegetarian option as well: $5 to name a cabbage after your ex to be fed to our herbivores. I'll let Brian know."

"But—"

"Rosie." Sunny's voice clicks into its most chilling no-bullshit tone and Rosie winces, fighting the urge to cower at her boss' feet. "This programme will almost singlehandedly fund the renovation of our giant panda enclosure. Do you not want the pandas to have water to swim in and bamboo to nibble on, Ms. Park? Do you want them to go extinct?"

Rosie blanches. Everybody knows the pandas are her favourites. "No, of course not, I just—"

"Good," Sunny snaps. "Seoul City Zoo's Cry Me a Cockroach event will be going ahead from tomorrow, and I will expect your full support every step of the way."

Rosie sighs. "Sure thing, boss."

"Oh, and Rosie," Sunny calls as Rosie's halfway out of her office. "You're going to be the public face of this event. All the naming and feeding will be broadcast across our social media livestreams. Baekhyun in tech support will help you get everything set up."

"Me?" Rosie gapes. "Why?"

Sunny quirks an appraising eyebrow, making no secret of the fact that she's giving Rosie a discerning once-over. "You fit the image that will draw in viewers," she drawls, eyeing the planes of Rosie's shoulders, the lines of her thighs beneath her standard-issue cargo pants. "Can't say that I see it myself, but I suppose you do have a certain... appeal."

Rosie feels her cheeks turn an immediate shade of scarlet, shuffling her feet awkwardly. "I, um. Thanks?"

"That wasn't a compliment," Sunny says smoothly, eyes never leaving her laptop screen. "Go away now. And do a good job on this. We really need the extra income."

"Yes, boss."

"Oh, and one more thing," Sunny calls. "Anything you can do to jazz up these streams, don't hold back. This is basically a PR stunt— it won't hurt to give the people a show."