[Golden Pen 2020] A Farewell Gift for Momo the Cat, Let’s Temporarily Part Ways!

Your article sent by Ngoc Anh for the Golden Pen 2020 contest has been slightly adjusted by the editorial team for presentation.

I write these lines at midnight, between the new year and the old, to remember and also to close the wounds in my heart over the past two years. Two years are neither long nor short, but they have made me feel like a completely different person.

That year, I broke up with him on a late summer day. Our relationship ended later than I had thought, recalling the endless arguments and misunderstandings. We held on to some time together, but how can a relationship survive with so many contradictions? I couldn’t stop thinking about the days after that, time after time, always distracted and unable to find a way out of my melancholy pit.

So I began to try to escape reality – I had to find something to replace my thoughts. And like those seeking joy absent from their current lives, I immersed myself in the world of gaming. Trying Blade & Soul for the first time, I felt a bit edgy. It was then I realized my new passion. Every time I returned from school, I hurriedly turned on the computer and launched the game. No matter what others said, at that moment, I didn’t care because inside, I was filled with excitement that only I understood.

I really did it; I had something different, new, and brighter in my mind. At that time, Blade & Soul felt like an uncharted land to me, and I was Columbus, finally able to find joy after those dark and exhausting days. With my headphones on, a music tab opened, I, the Summoner Mirie, and a little kitten in the game were one.

We have stood by each other since the first days the official server opened, back when she was just a little kitten with gentle eyes and I was still in my Hong Mon uniform. I didn’t know what to name her, but not wanting to name her carelessly, I called her Momo.

I discovered the game alone, and Momo has been by my side since there was no one else, not even a partner to farm together. The first time entering the gaming world, daily quests were something incomprehensible that I just did without knowing what they were. Only she always followed behind, sometimes I wondered if there was a glitch that made her disappear. With her, gaming felt less lonely.

At first, the concept of outfits for pets seemed distant to me. The first outfit Momo wore was a gift from a friend of my sister when they saw me running to Dai Mac. I still remember her getting lost in the long Poharan hair and awkwardly wearing the Wild Cat outfit, and then my sister went to Lang Luu Day, and she got another outfit. Momo was still very small back then, even smaller than my Summoner, and skinny, but seeing her wear the Wild Cat outfit made me happy.

I still trudged through quests with her, until one day at Dai Yu’s lodging, a kind guy ran over and gave me a White Cat outfit. Another outfit for Momo, which was the second time she received clothes, so I was very grateful to that person. Momo and I went through all the quests together. Until we reached Silver Mist Mountain, my sister gave me gold to “pump up the fat”, making Momo as chubby as she is now.

The first time I used Momo to resurrect was when I took a guild member to Lang Luu Day. The first time I used Momo to cheer was also at Lang Luu Day. Everything she did was so adorable; I loved how she would plop her chubby butt on someone’s face to resurrect them or her funny jumps. At that moment, Momo was the only thing that made me want to keep playing, and she was the only thing that kept me there when the first generation of the clan gradually quit the game. Momo was my motivation to continue playing because just looking at her was enough to make me happy for a whole day. Momo’s face looked like my cat, with a big butt and a clumsy run that was indescribably cute. Momo was so special that people could forget who was in the clan, but they would never forget her. I still remember, when we met again, the guys who used to be in the guild asked if Momo had gotten fat. Every time we met, she wore a new outfit, licking herself and looking around. Every photo I took, Momo was in it.

She was the most spoiled cat in the clan; when new dungeons came out, if someone dropped cat items, they would always send them to me or ask if Momo had it yet so they could bid. Whenever someone cleaned the floor, they would call Momo and hardly anyone called me, and even if there was a Soul Fighter, Momo was always prioritized first. She was not just a pet; she was the symbol of the Little Apple clan since its establishment. Despite that, my gluttonous and chubby Momo was still the reason I stayed when everyone gradually drifted away.

But Momo, I’ve begun to think about being apart from you. My computer isn’t lagging, my internet is good, the game is responsive, and you look so cute in your Sailor outfit. But Momo, I am lacking joy when playing the game now.

I still take time to log into the game, admiring your chubby butt and how you wiggle in that frilly dress, but I’m starting to get tired and at this point, there aren’t many companions left. Each week I only log in to do Crow, and if I’m motivated, I will work hard to make money to buy you outfits, otherwise, that day, Momo and I will just look at each other through the screen. I have dreamed about Zulimo, then Watermomo, Silvermomo… so many outfits I saved to buy for you. It’s just that perhaps Momo and I will temporarily part ways here. I won’t take care of you anymore because studying, family, and relationships have consumed all my time, Momo.

I have met someone new, a Blade & Soul gamer. Someone who has always protected me, both in-game and in real life, and now will take care of you too, Momo. That person understands how important you are to me, so they will love you and not forget you.

Momo, I will buy you beautiful dresses, take you and Mirie to a beautiful place to see the whole world. Then, until I return, my chubby and soft Momo, sleep well. I will return to Momo and Mirie soon when I miss you. I love you and love everyone, my journey stops here!

In closing, I want to tell newbie summoners that you are never alone, because behind you, there is always a cat.