SpaceShort answer: At the end of Parasite (2019), Geun-sae escapes the bunker during Da-song's birthday party and stabs Ki-jung, who dies. When Mr. Park pinches his nose at Geun-sae's smell, Ki-taek stabs him and vanishes into the secret bunker under the house. Months later, Ki-woo decodes his father's Morse-code messages and writes him a letter promising to earn enough money to buy the house and free him. The film shows that dream, then cuts back to Ki-woo in the semi-basement: the plan is a fantasy, and the class gap is not something hard work will close.
Spoilers ahead. Last updated: October 1, 2026.
What Happens at the Birthday Party
During the party, Ki-woo takes the scholar's rock down to the bunker intending to deal with Geun-sae, but Geun-sae gets loose and smashes the rock on Ki-woo's head. He then takes a knife to the garden party and stabs Ki-jung in front of the guests. Chung-sook kills Geun-sae with a skewer.
In the chaos, Mr. Park demands the car keys from Ki-taek, who is trying to help his dying daughter. When the keys land under Geun-sae's body, Park reaches for them and covers his nose at the smell. Ki-taek, who has heard Park complain about the smell of people "who ride the subway" for the whole film, stabs him and runs.
Where Does Ki-taek Go?
He hides in the bunker under the house, the same place Geun-sae lived. The police never find him. The house is sold to a German family who don't know the bunker exists, and Ki-taek survives by sneaking food at night. He sends messages to Ki-woo by flicking the lights in Morse code, which Ki-woo eventually reads from a hill nearby.
Does Ki-woo Buy the House?
No. The final sequence shows Ki-woo succeeding, buying the house and his father walking up out of the basement, but it is what he imagines while writing his letter. The film cuts back to him in the semi-basement apartment, under the same window from the opening shot. He has a plan, but no realistic way to make it happen.
What Happened to Moon-gwang?
When Moon-gwang returns during the storm and reveals the Kims' scheme, the families fight. As the Parks come home, Chung-sook kicks her down the bunker stairs and she hits her head. She dies of that injury in the bunker later that night, which is part of why Geun-sae attacks the party.
The Scholar's Rock
Ki-woo's friend Min gives the family a suseok, a decorative landscape stone believed to bring material luck. Ki-woo clings to it and says it "keeps clinging to me". It brings him nothing but violence: it is the weapon used on him. At the end he returns it to a stream, a small sign he is letting go of the idea of luck.
Smell, Stairs and Class
Bong Joon-ho builds the film around vertical space. The Parks live at the top of a hill, the Kims below street level, and Geun-sae lower still. On the night of the flood the Kims walk down endless stairs back to a flat that is filling with sewage, while the Parks' son camps in the garden for fun. Smell is the class marker no disguise can remove, and it is what finally breaks Ki-taek.
The title applies to everyone: the Kims feed off the Parks, Geun-sae feeds off the house, and the Parks depend on others for every part of their daily lives.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens at the end of Parasite?
Ki-jung is killed at the birthday party, Ki-taek stabs Mr. Park and hides in the bunker under the house, and Ki-woo writes his father a letter promising to buy the house. The final scene shows that this is only Ki-woo's fantasy.
Does Ki-woo actually buy the house?
No. The house scene is what he imagines. The film cuts back to him in the semi-basement apartment.
Why did Ki-taek kill Mr. Park?
Park covered his nose at Geun-sae's smell while Ki-taek's daughter was dying. After repeatedly hearing Park complain about the smell of poor people, Ki-taek snapped.
Who dies in Parasite?
Moon-gwang, Geun-sae, Ki-jung and Mr. Park.
Is there a Parasite TV series?
An English-language HBO series was announced in 2020, with Bong Joon-ho and Adam McKay involved, but it has not been released.
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