Lee’s journey from aspiring historian to acclaimed novelist was marked by both personal and professional challenges that shaped her literary voice and determination. During her college years at Yale, she became deeply engaged with African American and women’s studies, which inspired her to lead efforts advocating for Korean language and history courses at the university. Her innovative campaign, which encouraged students to involve their parents in lobbying for the program, ultimately resulted in a $100,000 donation from one parent to fund a pilot course. This initiative succeeded, and more than two decades later, Korean language remains part of Yale’s curriculum.

Despite this early achievement, Lee’s passion for history was marred by a disappointing experience in her junior year. When Yale finally offered a Korean history class she had long anticipated, she was shocked to receive an F on her midterm with only the comment, “Ah, me, what’s to say?” Accompanying this grade was a demographic report from the professor, who suggested many Asian students were failing due to their being STEM majors. Outraged, Lee exposed this racial undertone in a campus newspaper article, sparking controversy and alienation within the history department. Though she passed the class, the fallout discouraged her from pursuing further academic study in history.

Shifting her focus, Lee enrolled in law school at Georgetown, where she met Christopher Duffy, whom she later married despite initial family objections due to his mixed Japanese heritage. After graduating, Lee worked as a corporate lawyer in Manhattan, specializing in mergers and acquisitions. While successful by conventional standards—earning over $80,000 annually and working seven-day weeks—her health was a growing concern. Diagnosed as an inactive chronic carrier of hepatitis B since high school, Lee faced worsening symptoms in college and was warned of a high risk of liver cancer by her early 30s.

Confronted with exhaustion and a grim prognosis, Lee decided to leave law and pursue fiction writing, a field that had earlier brought her recognition during her Yale years through two literary prizes. However, the transition proved arduous. Completing her debut novel, "Free Food for Millionaires," took more than a decade, during which she earned little and navigated the complexities of family life and financial strain. Her hepatitis worsened, and following a doctor’s advice, she underwent experimental interferon alfa treatment, which ultimately cured her condition.

Throughout this period, Lee drew inspiration from both classic authors such as Leo Tolstoy and James Baldwin, and contemporary writers, refining her craft through workshops and peer feedback. Her legal background influenced her writing style, notably her advocacy for marginalized voices and meticulous research. She described her novels as defenses of the overlooked and powerless, underscoring a sense of responsibility toward representing Korean experiences in various contexts—from the pressures faced by Korean professionals in New York to the historic discrimination endured by Koreans in Japan.

Lee’s commitment to authenticity extends to immersive research; for example, she took a hat-making class to develop her protagonist’s character and conducted extensive interviews with Koreans working on Wall Street. This rigorous approach continued in her later works, reflecting a dedication to thorough due diligence and nuanced storytelling. Her literary career, marked by resilience and a profound sense of purpose, illustrates how personal experience and advocacy can converge to enrich contemporary fiction.