Female lead is cool?

Lawless Attorney

Mr Sunshine

Life on Mars

Lawless Lawyer

Legend of Fuyao

Bloody Romance (fl is a cool asf assassin)

miss Hammurabi (cool doesn't begin to describe her...very hotheaded and impulsive at times. slightly emotional but for all the right reasons. cries but never for the ml tho)

cheese in the trap (fl is a cool college student...mildly suspicious of the ml's intentions. slightly weird but perfectly relatable. it's like L vs Kira with these two)

romantic doctor teacher kim (one of my all time favs...fl is known as 'Crazy Whale' bc of all the cool yet insane feats she pulls off)

fight for my way (insanely cool and has all the streetsmarts...incredible charisma. she can talk her way into whatever she wants...bold and sassy af. the male lead compliments her really well)

just between lovers (rational and wise...knows what she wants and gets it)

my id is Gangnam beauty (omggg mirae is cool...such a refreshingly chill personality. she is very considerate but also knows where to draw the line. isn't afraid to tell it like it is and speak up for herself)

reply 1997 (lol I relate to her very deeply in some fangirl part of my heart. teen years are for feeling everything deeply and she enjoys it to the max. future is undecided but charges ahead for whatever she wants atm)

sassy go go (same fl as reply 1997....sassy af)

school 2017 (ra eun is next level sass)

the package (she's a really cool tourguide living in france what more do u need? 10/10 for sassy narration)

what's wrong with secretary kim (dealing with her pretentious boss and excellent secretary with a wide set of skills. she can do anything and look amazing doing it)

princess agent

the crown princess

bromance

cubic

doctor x

general and i

khun mae suam roy

kings2heart

lying heart

whats wrong with secretary kim

GREAT list! Love them all...especially Joo Jang Mi, who is one of my fav sassy FLs! I want to add 1:

Only Side by Side with You...It 100% matches your description of the FL:

Bold...develops drones and drone technology at her own business in a male-dominated field

Brash... disagrees outspokenly with authoritative ex-military father

Brave & gutsy...approaches business competitor/nefarious rival directly

Dauntless...refuses to give in or back down even when she is threatened; she's a rock-climber, too!

Smart or Clever INTELLIGENT af...she is probably the chillest, coolest most unapologetically smart and KNOWS it FL I'ver ever seen in a drama no doubt.

Gritty, Wise, Witty, Sassy, Refreshing, Blunt, Comfortable in herself, Spunky, Stylish in her own way, Sharp, Slick, Forward, Daring, Speaks her mind and doesn't care what people will think and what would their reaction would be...

I hesitated to recommend her character even in its awesomeness because the drama suffers SERIOUSLY from the following flaws:

1.  excessive flashbacks (sometimes more than 1/3 of the show) 

2. unnecessary length (goes along with the fb theme to stretch time for more $$)

3. a difficult-to-like ML (she needed a better match for her; he tried to keep up but failed miserably)

So while it was a disappointing watch as a drama, the character of Nan Qiao has fundamentally changed the level of expectation I have for a "cool" female character in a drama.  You may appreciate the watch just for her.  ;)

Healer

Accidentally in Love

Memory Lost

Legal High

Hello Stranger

Cunning Single Lady

Jao Sao Jum Yorn

Unnatural 

Young Blood.... perhaps the only Chinese drama where female lead is shown capable of outsmarting even the main protagonist (word of advice the last arc is a mess u might wanna skip it).... and not just brains, she is highly trained in martial arts , and is a natural leader.

HOTEL DEL LUNA