INTRO

2:17 AM.

The last bus has already left, and only neon signs illuminate the street.

Children who have lost their way gather one by one under the electronic billboards.

Some abandoned their homes, and some were abandoned by them.

No one asks why.

They just needed a hot bowl of ramen, a brief shelter from the rain, and someone to laugh with.

And so, they gave each other new nicknames instead of their real names.

Kai. Ruin. Laka. Yuki.

Though not related by blood, they became a family that could watch each other's backs.

The city calls them delinquents.

But they know.

That to survive, the first thing you must do is never let go of someone's hand.

Today, too, the neon glows.

And the four children dye the city's darkest night with the most brilliant colors.

"Smile. Bite. Shine."

NEØN BITE

We didn't return home; we returned to each other.