The ending of Parasite feels deeply tragic because Ki-woo's plan to buy the house is a mathematical impossibility, representing an unbreakable cycle of false hope. While the epilogue visually presents Ki-woo as a successful, wealthy man purchasing the home in a warm, sunlit sequence, Bong Joon Ho immediately cuts back to the cold, dark semi-basement where Ki-woo is actually writing the letter. This structural cut confirms that the dream is entirely imaginary. Earlier in the film, Ki-taek observes that the best plan is to have no plan at all, because life never goes accordingly. Ki-woo's letter directly resists this cynical wisdom, yet the harsh reality of South Korea's economic disparity means an average worker would need centuries to afford such a property. By showing us the fantasy before snatching it away to reveal Ki-woo still trapped in the damp semi-basement, the film highlights how capitalism traps the lower class in a loop of perpetual, unachievable aspirations. The tragedy lies not in Ki-woo's lack of ambition, but in the cruel system that uses his hope to keep him docile and dreaming of a rescue that will never come.■