I considered telling the story directly from the time of the war, without the present day characters. After a couple drafts, I realized that the story would work best if I introduced it to young readers the way I myself first heard it - i.e., through my grandmother's words. So, I created Sumi, the young present day character who helps bridge the gap between today's readers and the distant war. Sumi, in essence, represents the reader. Yes, I do.
Many authors say they develop personal relationships with their characters.
Tae was very possessive of my time. I felt that I couldn't rest until I wrote her story. It wasn't always easy, though. Tae brought back some painful memories of my adolescence that I thought I'd buried years earlier. I also read many books on the Korean War, and watched historical documentaries to get a visual feel for that time.